You might think you’ve covered all bases when it comes to protecting your business from cyberthreats. First of all, you’ve got top-notch security to block outside attacks, but have you considered the risks coming from within? 
Also, your employees, vendors, partners, or even you could accidentally—or intentionally—put your business at risk. Researchers from the Universities of Glasgow and Coventry discovered that organizational changes within a company can serve as a significant catalyst, leading even loyal and long-term employees to exhibit deteriorating behavior. That’s why it’s so important to protect your business from the inside out.
In this blog, we’ll talk about the different types of internal threats in business, the warning signs to watch for, and, most importantly, how to stop them before they become a big problem.
Common Insider Threats in Business
Insider threats in business come in different forms, each posing unique risks to your business.
Here are some common threats:
1. Data theft: First, an employee or someone who is part of the organization downloads or leaks sensitive data for personal gain or malicious purposes. Hence, physically stealing company devices containing privileged information or digitally copying them is considered data theft.
Example: An employee of a leading healthcare service provider downloads and sells protected patient information on the dark web.
2. Sabotage: Next, a disgruntled employee, an activist, or somebody working for your competitor deliberately damages, disrupts or destroys your organization by deleting important files, infecting an organization’s devices, or locking a business out of crucial systems by changing passwords.
Example: A disgruntled employee of a coffee shop deliberately tampers with the machine, causing malfunction and loss of business.
3. Unauthorized access: This is essentially a breach of security when malicious actors such as hackers or disgruntled employees gain access to business-critical information. However, individuals can mistakenly access sensitive data unknowingly, too.
Example: A malicious employee uses their login credentials to access privileged information and then leaks it to competitors.
4. Negligence & error: Both negligence and error lead to insider threats that can pose a security risk. While errors can be reduced through training, dealing with negligence would require a stricter level of enforcement.
Example: An employee might click on a malicious link and download malware, or they might misplace a laptop containing sensitive data. In both cases, the company data is compromised.
5. Credential sharing: Think of credential sharing as handing over the keys to your house to a friend. In conclusin, you can’t predict what they will do with it. Additionally, they might just take some sugar or they might use your home for hosting a party. Similarly, sharing your confidential password with colleagues or friends throws up a lot of possibilities, including an increased risk of exposing your business to a cyberattack.
Example: An employee uses a friend’s laptop to access their work email. They then forget to sign off and that personal laptop gets hacked. The hacker now has access to the company’s confidential information.
Spot the red flag threats in business
It’s crucial to identify insider threats early on. Keep an eye out for these tell-tale signs:
Unusual Access Patterns: Hidden Threats in Business
One of the most telling signs of insider threats in business is unusual access patterns. Hence, when an employee suddenly begins accessing confidential company information irrelevant to their role, it raises red flags. Thus, this behavior could signal that someone is either intentionally or unintentionally compromising sensitive data. Also, monitoring access logs and implementing role-based access controls can help detect and prevent unauthorized data breaches early on.
Excessive Data Transfers: Major Threats in Business Security
Firstly, a sudden spike in data transfers, such as an employee downloading large volumes of customer data and transferring it onto external devices, poses significant threats to your business. Thus, this behavior often precedes data theft or leakage. Also, limiting access to sensitive data, monitoring download patterns, and restricting the use of external drives are crucial steps to safeguard your business from such security breaches.
Unauthorized Authorization Requests: A Warning of Potential Threats in Business
When someone repeatedly requests access to business-critical information outside their scope of work, it may indicate a looming security threat in your business. Thus, this unusual behavior could be an attempt to gain access to sensitive data for malicious purposes. Finally, implementing strict access control policies and promptly investigating unauthorized requests is essential to minimizing risks.
Use of Unapproved Devices: The Growing Threats in Business Operations
Employees accessing confidential company data using personal laptops or devices without approval introduces serious threats to business security. In addition, personal devices are often less secure and more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Finally, enforcing policies that require the use of company-approved and secured devices helps mitigate the risks of data breaches and malware infiltration.
Disabling Security Tools: A Critical Threat to Business Security
An employee who disables essential security tools, such as antivirus software or firewalls, poses an immediate and serious threat to your business. As a result, these security measures are the first line of defense against cyberattacks. Thus, ensuring that all security protocols remain active and that unauthorized tampering is flagged for review is vital for maintaining a secure business environment.
Behavioral Changes: A Potential Indicator of Insider Threats in Business
Abnormal employee behavior, such as missing deadlines, exhibiting extreme stress, or acting out of character, can sometimes indicate underlying insider threats in business.Thus, these behavioral shifts may be signs of personal or professional pressure, potentially leading to data misuse or other security risks. In connection, regular check-ins and monitoring unusual behavior patterns can help identify and mitigate risks before they escalate.
Enhance your defenses
Here are our five steps to building a comprehensive cybersecurity framework that will ensure your business stays protected:
- Implement a strong password policy and encourage the use of multi-factor authentication wherever possible.
- Ensure employees can only access data and systems needed for their roles. Also, regularly review and update access privileges.
- Educate and train your employees on insider threats and security best practices.
- Back up your important data regularly to ensure you can recover from a data loss incident.
- Develop a comprehensive incident response plan that lays out the plan of action on how to respond to insider threat incidents.
Don’t fight internal threats in business alone
Protecting your business from insider threats can feel overwhelming, especially if you have to do it alone. That’s why, you need an experienced partner. An IT service provider like us can help you implement comprehensive security measures.
Let us help you safeguard your business from the inside out. Hence, you can reach out to us and we’ll show you how to monitor for potential threats and respond effectively if an incident occurs.