Solutions to Stop Insider Threats in Cybersecurity
60% of cyberattacks are caused by insider threats. The most common way an insider threat can affect an environment is through phishing emails. Phishing emails entice employees to open, read, and act. Once an individual clicks on a link or downloads an attachment from the email, an entire environment can be infected. Weak and reused passwords are also a threat because credential stuffing is on the rise. Unattended, orphaned accounts make your cyber environment vulnerable.
Insider threats can disrupt your business. Our 24/7/365 rapid response to breaches can mitigate the damage. SpearTip can not only react to cybersecurity incidents, we can proactively prevent them from happening. Our continuous investigative cycle monitors, detects, and responds to incidents before they destroy an environment. Learn more about insider threats in cybersecurity and what we can do to prevent them below.
Identifying the Cause of Insider Threats
SpearTip’s 24/7/365 onsite security operations center proactively responds to threats in your organization’s environment. SpearTip can monitor an organization for attacks that have not yet occurred, or attacks that are currently taking place under your radar.
We go far beyond the standard Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) collection methodology by monitoring harvested information for indicators of compromise. We passively
cross-reference both current and future activity referenced within the criminal realms to protect your organization from a malicious attack. When malicious traffic is detected, our rapid response team immediately notifies the organization and begins fighting the attack.
How Common are Insider Threats?
Insider threats are extremely common, because organizations are typically vulnerable to them. Bad actors outside of an organization have become smarter and more sophisticated than ever before. They have the power to deploy social engineering attacks, such as phishing emails, that are quite often successful. They can leverage social media—specifically LinkedIn—to peek into organizations, learn more about the structure, and strategize an attack. These attacks are far too frequent and complex for internal IT departments to handle them alone. SpearTip’s elite team of cyber counterintelligence agents can outmaneuver insider threats in your cybersecurity environment.
Best Practices for Protecting Against Insider Attacks
An organization needs to instill best practices in their employees to protect themselves against insider threats to cybersecurity. Prior to new employees obtaining access to a computer, they should be trained on security awareness. Companies should frequently issue social engineering attacks to help employees better distinguish against the malicious ones. Human Resources also needs a secure employee termination plan to prevent disgruntled employees from causing damage.
Use a password manager for safe and secure password practices across the entire organization. Implement physical security in the workplace such as cameras and badges in addition to security guards at all entrances. Establish an incident response plan so when a data breach or ransomware attack occurs, all those responsible can act accordingly and the right procedures are taken.
How Much Does an Insider Threat Cost?
Insider threats in cybersecurity often cost companies more than $8 million annually. The numbers continue to rise each year. As bad actors become smarter and more sophisticated, threats worsen and cause more harm to an organization. A cybersecurity plan eliminates the risk an organization may face when they encounter a data breach or ransomware attack.