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What Are Insider Threats And Why Must We Get Informed?

Apr 30, 2021

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The cybersecurity sector (cybersec) and awareness about internet safety just ten years ago was quite a barren landscape, and any incidents involving computers or company networks were dismissed without much afterthought for future consequences. To be fair on cybersec, it was also a time when internet speeds were several times slower, and a time when internet activity was just a fraction of what it is today which meant that the cybercriminal population was neither as large, persistent, or as sophisticated as today. The cybercriminal population in those days also did not have the attack surface. The cybersec industry is still relatively young now but has seen vertical growth in the last decade, especially spiking in the mid-2010s when cybercriminals really improved their game (of course, better tools also became available to them). Today in 2021, cybersec is quickly taking shape into a very different, and capable industry that has to respond to the very powerful adversary that is sophisticated cybercrime. At present, there are several threats to both regular citizens and business organizations that encompass everything from simple phishing scams, insider threats such as business email compromise, to advanced ATP (Advanced Persistent Threat) hits that are crushing national security. All of these facts indicate a fruitful future for the cybersec sector.

The Cybersec Sector


Cybersec is advancing most in first-world areas that are able to fund the required research which means primarily the U.S. and the EU. In the U.S. and EU regulations, policies, cybersecurity businesses, conferences, and non-profits are therefore cropping all over the place, and with good reason. This year marks the 17th anniversary of the U.S.’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM), which according to the U.S.’s CISA (Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency) “continues to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity”. The U.S.’s National Cybersecurity Alliance is also raising awareness with the ‘#BECYBERSMART’ hashtag. As for the EU, there is also an equivalent annual cybersecurity awareness campaign called the ECSM or The European Cybersecurity Month. Furthermore, there are several other EU organizations, such as ENISA, The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (like CISA), and other organizations/institutions like The European Cyber Security Organisation ECSO. Pilot projects like CyberSec4Europe and many more are also taking shape. In general, this indicates that global cybersec awareness is trending well.

Cybersec Statistics


Having a look at the cybersec market worldwide is yet another indication of how large this industry is going to be. In 2017, the cybersec market size was 137.63 billion U.S. dollars. That figure is forecasted to grow to 248.26 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. In terms of global cybersec spending between 2017-2021, the figure was 40.8 billion U.S. billion dollars in 2017, and is over 54 billion U.S. dollars as of right now. As of 2020, there are 879,157 cybersec personnel in the U.S., and the second largest group is in Brazil with 626,650. As far as the general population’s awareness of key cybersecurity terms, over 60% of people know what phishing and malware are, while ransomware is still largely unknown (although this is improving). Yes, the cybersec industry is still rather small and undeveloped in contrast with how rampant cybercrime is, as it is continuously causing countless trillions of dollars of damage, but on a positive note the industry is now awake and is quickly adapting emerging technologies to bring up the required defense wall. Cybersec is statistically a top priority for IT technology initiatives, taking a close second place after digital transformation.

What is Cybersecurity and What Does it Protect?


The term cybersecurity put in simple terms means the software/hardware tools, specialized personnel and knowledge base collectively defending against online threats. For a regular citizen, being cybersecure can mean adjusting the privacy settings on their smartphone. Alternatively, an organization’s cybersec can be gauged by the level of protection on their cloud system, for example. More examples include; A VPN, or Virtual Private Network is understood as a cybersec tool just like using a secure email account service is considered to be good cyber-hygiene. Without cybersec, storing sensitive data or making a financial transaction would not be possible online.

What Are Insider Threats And What Types Are There?


Among the many cyber threats out there, insider threats are very often overlooked by businesses while causing a large amount of damage in the industry. CISA’s website states the following: According to The Department of Homeland Security National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, “insider threats, to include sabotage, theft, espionage, fraud, and competitive advantage are often carried out through abusing access rights, theft of materials, and mishandling physical device”. Even still, insider threats can stem from “employee carelessness or policy violations that allow system access to malicious outsiders”. These activities persist and occur to this day in most work environments which can range from the smallest companies to government level agencies.

Cybersecurity Solutions To Mitigate Insider Threats


As for insider threats, there are several types to analyze. An insider threat is an almost impossible to detect type of cybersec issue which stems from people. Any member of a business or organization can be an insider threat, and it is sufficient if the individual has access to the network or system. The most common type of insider threat in the United States in 2020 was data exfiltration, in 62% of cases, followed by privilege misuse, snooping, and infrastructure sabotage at 19%,9.5% and 5.1% respectively. Insider threats are an enormous concern for organizations, as 90% of them revealed that they felt vulnerable to insider risks.

These are example of insider threats and what they cause;

  • A disgruntled or malicious insider that intentionally steals data such as personal information, intellectual property, or financial information for their own personal purposes

  • Employee negligence without malicious intent can mistakenly cause a phishing scam, spear-phishing attack by unknowingly opening a malware-ridden email

  • Employees or vendors that are compromised without their knowledge present perhaps the biggest insider threat


Insider threats can only be addressed with the proper cybersec training and education, as well as tight access control and company policy. Here are some steps that any organization should take to mitigate insider threats (or review these steps just in case if good security is already established);

  1. Instate and enforce strict data and access control/privilege policies

  2. Deauthorize an employee’s access the moment they no longer work there

  3. Deauthorize expired employee accounts with third parties and vendors as well

  4. Control what happens with company data on personal devices

  5. Educate employees about password hygiene and cybersec best practices

  6. Utilize monitoring technology in the workplace

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