Insider Threats

What it is

Insider threats involve people with legitimate access causing harm through deliberate misuse, mistakes, or compromised accounts. The label concerns access and behavior, not an assumption that coworkers are malicious. A careful investigation distinguishes intentional theft, accidental disclosure, and an external attacker using a genuine employee identity.

How it works

Authorized access is used beyond its intended purpose, such as copying unnecessary records or changing sensitive settings. Careless sharing can expose data without hostile intent. Excessive permissions and slow offboarding increase the opportunity and impact, while valid credentials make the activity harder to distinguish from routine work.

How people get tricked

Familiarity discourages scrutiny, and business urgency can normalize bypassing policy. Conversely, an unusual but legitimate task can be mistaken for abuse. Evidence, proportionate monitoring, and fair reporting procedures are essential.

Example scenario

A departing employee's account retains access to a large export after responsibilities change. The problem is the unnecessary continuing access; investigation must establish whether and how it was used.

Warning signs

• Access or exports are inconsistent with current duties.
• Sensitive sharing, privilege changes, or offboarding gaps lack approval.
• Several corroborating events indicate misuse; one unusual action is not proof of intent.

If it happens to you

Preserve evidence and involve appropriate security, management, legal, or HR personnel. Contain the specific access risk while investigating fairly. Assess data exposure and control failures, and distinguish compromised credentials from deliberate misconduct before drawing conclusions.