Cyber Security and Information Systems Information Analysis Center
Insiders may have accounts giving them legitimate access to computer systems, with this access originally having been given to them to serve in the performance of their duties; these permissions could be abused to harm the organization. Insiders are often familiar with the organization's data and intellectual property as well as the methods that are in place to protect them. This makes it easier for the insider to circumvent any security controls of which they are aware. Physical proximity to data means that the insider does not need to hack into the organizational network through the outer perimeter by traversing firewalls; rather they are in the building already, often with direct access to the organization's internal network. Insider threats are harder to defend against than attacks from outsiders, since the insider already has legitimate access to the organization's information and assets.
According to the Center for Development of Security Excellence (CDSE), an insider threat is defined as “the likelihood, risk or potential that an insider will use his or her authorized access, wittingly or unwittingly, to do harm to the security of the United States or the organization.” Insider threats may include harm to contractor or program information to the extent that the information impacts the contractor or agency’s obligations to protect classified national security information.
The mysterious foreign villains striking the largest companies and political organizations from the dark corners of the Internet tend to get the splashy headlines. However, the network openings that allow outside cyber-attackers to burrow in, infect databases, and potentially take down an organization's file servers overwhelmingly originate with trusted Read More
In recent years, a few specific threats have caused significant damage to targeted victims. Ransomware continues to plague numerous industries. Having up-to-date systems and backups are crucial in the defense against ransomware. Insider Threats also cause significant damage to unsuspecting organizations. Monitoring for unusual activity Read More
An insider threat is a malicious threat to an organization that comes from people within the organization. Learn how to spot some possible indicators of an insider threat. Learn some more about possible indicators for an Insider Threat by watching this related video: https://www.csiac.org/podcast/insider-threat/ Read More
List of Insider Threat Publications from CERT, Software Engineering Institute and Carnegie Mellon University. Read More
This brochure serves as an introduction for managers and security personnel on how to detect an insider threat and provides tips on how to safeguard your company’s trade secrets. Read More
WikiLeaks published a trove of purported CIA files this week, renewing debate over government hacking and surveillance techniques. But many experts say the anti-secrecy group’s analysis of the data may have been intentionally misleading. Read More
This fifth edition of the Common Sense Guide to Mitigating Insider Threats provides the CERT Insider Threat Center’s most current recommendations from the CERT Division, part of Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute. These recommendations are based on our continued research and analysis of an expanded corpus of over 1,000 cases of Read More
An insider threat is a malicious threat to an organization that comes from people within the organization. Learn how to spot indicators of an insider threat. Learn some more about possible indicators for an Insider Threat by watching this follow-up video: https://www.csiac.org/podcast/insider-threat-possible-indicators/ Read More
The insider threat community currently lacks a standardized method of expression for indicators of potential malicious insider activity. We believe that communicating potential indicators of malicious insider activity in a consistent and commonly accepted language will allow insider threat programs to implement more effective controls through an increase in Read More
NDI James Clapper; Insider Threat; Joint Information Environment; Data Mining; Cloud and Big Data, and World of Warcraft? A good read... Read More
