Data breaches can happen to practically any company, regardless of its size. Some of the top data security breaches of 2024 affected AT&T, Change Healthcare, and Ticketmaster. Some data breaches happen because hackers make careful plans to target specific organizations. Others happen because an employee opened a corrupt attachment in a phishing email.
When hiring in data security, it’s critical to find someone who knows how to address the technical and human factors that contribute to protecting data. Otherwise, you put your organization at a higher risk.
Types of Insider Threats
Insider threats typically fall into one of three categories: malicious insider threats, negligent insider threats, or compromised insider threats.
Malicious Insider Threats
In a malicious insider threat, an employee or contractor intentionally steals or leaks company data. The person might feel that they were treated unfairly, so they seek revenge by using their insider knowledge to locate and release information. The person could also benefit financially from leaking data and damaging the company’s reputation.
Negligent Insider Threats
Negligent insider threats usually come from employees who mistakenly compromise data. For example, a person might download malicious software to a company computer. They don’t mean to hurt the company, but their negligence — or ineffective training — can do significant harm to companies and consumers.
Compromised Insider Threats
Compromised insider threats happen when someone outside of your organization uses an employee’s credentials to access sensitive data and systems. Once that person infiltrates your network, they could potentially escalate the account’s privileges to access even more data. The outsider usually gets someone’s credentials through phishing or social engineering that uses psychological tricks to get information from individuals.
Implementing User Access Controls
Data security should include protocols that prevent users from accessing data and processes they don’t need to perform their jobs. When you limit who can access data, you make it harder for someone to leak it, intentionally or unintentionally.
Companies should enforce a few essential user access control strategies, including:
Strong Password and MFA Requirements
Strong password requirements make it harder for outsiders to access the system. You can make passwords even more effective by adopting multi-factor authentication (MFA). With MFA, a user would need to confirm their identity before accessing an account. For example, you might send a code to an employee’s email address. The user would then enter the second code to access their account.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Even with MFA, there’s always a chance that an outsider could access an employee’s account. Role-based access control, however, can help limit the damage they could do.
It’s best to follow the principle of least privilege. With least privilege, each user’s account can only access information and processes relevant to their job. For example, someone in the accounting department could access financial data but couldn’t access customer information. If someone manages to infiltrate the system, least privilege means they’ll only have access to limited data.
Employee Training on Data Security
Considering that employees can leak data accidentally — or make it easier for criminals to access sensitive information — effective cybersecurity plans must include employee training.
Every employee should know:
- How to evaluate emails for common signs of phishing, such as inaccurate email addresses, odd phrases, and urgency.
- When to report suspicious activity to a manager or the IT department.
- The critical role they play in protecting data.
Many companies use phishing simulations to test employees, discover security weaknesses, and find opportunities for further training. A phishing simulation would include some common signs of a phishing attempt. If the employee reports the attempt, you know that person has been trained well. If they respond to the phishing attempt, you know they need further training.
Monitoring and Auditing User Activities
Monitoring and auditing user activities helps ensure that employees follow security protocols and that you can catch intruders as soon as possible. Some of the most important protocols should focus on behavioral analytics, audit trails, and continuous monitoring.
Behavioral Analytics
Behavioral analytics notice changes in a user’s activity. For example, behavioral analytics would recognize when an account suddenly begins accessing large amounts of data. In response, you could lock the account and investigate the reason it has become so active. You might find out that someone simply needed to complete a difficult project. Then again, you could learn that the account has been compromised.
Audit Trails
Audit trails let you see everything an account has accessed. If a data breach happens, you can use audit trails to find the leak’s source. That makes it much easier for your data security team to take control of the system and limit any damage the rogue account can cause.
Continuous Monitoring
Continuous monitoring makes it possible for your data security team to monitor activity in real time, which means it can respond immediately to potential threats. For instance, the team might see that an unauthorized account has tried several times to access a restricted file. Such activities should prompt a closer look.
Stay Ahead of Insider Threats
Combating insider threats requires a combination of technological measures and employee awareness. Stay ahead of the latest threats by following MRINetwork.