How to Minimize the Ability of an Insider Threat? Explained

Inside threats can cause a lot of loss to the finances and reputation of the best organization. Feel like you can face one, read the article to know how to be well prepared to minimize the ability of an Insider Threat.

What to understand by an insider threat?

When people inside your organization pose a cybersecurity threat that could lead to potential loss, it is deemed an insider threat. It can be anyone from your partner to your employees to anyone else having access to your sensitive information. Whether these happen by accident or are planned, the risk to your reputation and finances still remains the same.

What is the Meaning of Managing Insider Threats?

Any such attempts to cause you loss of reputation or finance can be prevented. The strategy and techniques used to do this are collectively known as insider threat management. The main components are:

• Analysing the risk and areas vulnerable to it.
• Drafting policies and rules that mention the threats.
• Educating the staff through training and seminars.
• Regular audits and installation of systems to monitor any potential threats.
• Creating a response team to deal with any isolated incident that happens.
• Always adapting yourself to all kinds of new threats while learning about them.

Best Exercise for Insider Threat Prevention

• Find out about sensitive areas: To prevent any threat, we must first know what is being targeted so it can be successfully prevented.
• Limit access to sensitive areas: Limited access and availability prevent unnecessary people from accessing the information.
• Identify the weakness in your systems: The Only way you can be fully proof is if you strengthen yourself.
• Be prepared for the fallout: Be ready for the worst and make plans to recover from any type of losses.

Learn more about what is phishing in cybersecurity

Enforcing Rules and Policy to the Maximum Extent

If rules and policies are not properly enforced, people tend to be lazy and take it as a sign of weakness. People see it as a sign to exploit for their gains. So it is necessary to enforce all the rules to the highest standard of discipline and not let anyone who breaks protocol go unpunished. This is one of the best ways to prevent an insider threat or at least limit the damage caused by it.

Policies should be regularly updated by a department, and regulations should not be any less than the industry standard. Policy should also be practical and not too harsh as to cause dissatisfaction in employees. These should be regularly audited and reviewed for maximum enforcement.

Physical Security Should be Set up Within the Organization

Physical security is a good way to ensure that access is available to authorized persons. Use of biometric and ID cards is mandatory for providing limited and monitored access. Using cameras to monitor the sensitive information stored physically and make physical security a barrier is the way to go. By implementing all these physical measures, one can reduce the risk of internal threats by a great percentage.

How to Use Technology to Secure Access to Information?

Companies can use modern-day technology to full proof the access. Software and hardware specifically designed for such a purpose are available. You can also contact the team to provide you with detailed access to the products. A few examples of such technology are:

1. Software used to prevent data damage.
2. Movement monitoring devices.
3. Encryption is used to protect confidential data on computer.
4. Identification-based entry systems.
5. Tools to prevent unauthorized software.

Implement Access Control Selectively and Carefully

1. Proper authentication using controlled biometric devices to fully identify every entry and exit.
2. Limit access as per role and designation inside your organization.
3. Regularly review the access you provide.
4. You can also use government-service or for faster results, we also export all these services and custom training to plan this.

Train Employees on the Latest Security Protocols

By training employees, you educate them on prevention as well as the consciousness of any such acts. If employees are well, they will be able to take the right actions while any such event is happening and apply the right knowledge, and they might also be able to prevent it. Regularly incorporate psych tests and avoid giving access to the people who fail them, and keep the ones on the front line who pass the psych tests.

Always be Prepared for the Worst

Even after taking all the necessary steps, an incident still might happen. Be prepared with a plan in case such a thing happens.

This way, you can minimize your losses and be prepared to bounce back from the event even stronger.

Conclusion

Internal threats are a very big risk in today’s economies, as almost all businesses use some sort of digital aspect of them, which means cybersecurity risks and data breaches are a very real thing. You can use methods and techniques of internal risk management to prevent and/or minimise your risk. Being well educated and prepared for the threat is very necessary, as a single data breach could cause you to have a significant loss of both your reputation and your finances. Hence, prevention is better than a cure.