A Cybersecurity Threat That Comes From Within

Nowadays, it’s not unusual for teams to concentrate on protecting a company from external threats. However, if you look a bit closer, you might realize that there’s a threat that comes from within. Research into cybersecurity threat behavior noted that about 60% of data breaches come from your employees. Are you scared? You have to be especially since insider threats could be among the most dangerous things that can happen to a business.

Without a specific focus, there’s a real possibility that security teams may be overlooking something pretty obvious – a threat that is much closer, probably within your network perimeter, office, or building. A person that may just be the biggest threat to your company’s security. So what are the possible motivations of an insider threat? What can push an individual to wreak havoc from within your organization? Here’s what you need to be looking for.

Cybersecurity Threats From Inside Your Company

Not every internal threat is malicious

Data breaches usually come from human error or negligence. The CERT Insider Threat Database has more than 1,000 incidents where insiders may have harmed their company, stolen sensitive information, or changed or deleted data for identity threat or personal financial gain. Out of these cases, only 33 involved a disgruntled staff member. It’s a fact that cyberattacks that are linked to insiders through staff credentials could have a significant impact. Among the recorded incidents in the database, the most common results of cybersecurity breaches are copied data, blocked access to systems, and data deletion.

The orphaned account risk

Several companies do not decommission privileged users effectively once they get another role or when the leave the organization. Also known as orphaned accounts, these provides malicious actors from accessing confidential information. The problem is that getting rid of forgotten and lost orphaned accounts isn’t as easy as it seems. It’s easy for accounts to fall into the cracks especially since there are so many systems, applications, and identity directories that have to be managed.

Lost data and damages

Some of the CERT database cases involved data deletion, which range from deleting source code to deleting specific records that corrupted a crucial system that the company and its clients depended on.

Exploited Vulnerabilities

If left unchecked, problems in IT security can result in a data breach. The CERT database showcases different incidents wherein data was stolen, copied, or manhandled maliciously thanks to the unresolved vulnerabilities in the system. One of the biggest threats to your company’s security is unsecure password. Whether it’s a weak, old, generic, or shared password.

Honest Mistake

Even the most well meaning and earnest user could click on a bad file or link accidentally. The problem is that phishing attacks have become much more complicated, and can easily pretend as a legitimate email from a well known colleague or source sharing a link to a word document or invoice to download. That specific link could be hiding a dangerous crypto virus or ransomware which could possibly freeze systems, destroy data or cause problems to your IT infrastructure.

Cybersecurity does not have to be scary. Call SpartanTec, Inc. in Fayetteville NC now and let us help you protect your network through our managed IT services.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
https://manageditservicesfayetteville.com