Insider Threats – Here’s How to Stop Them from Happening…

Insider threats are those that are completed by anyone who has genuine access to your company network and data, also known as an “insider” and, they are one of the most difficult types of attacks for us to detect. This is because the attack would be performed via a login or a form of authorised connection which would not appear unusual. Ipswich based Business IT support partner Corbel are here to outline how you can prevent this from happening to your business.

The security defences that you have put in place to protect your business from hackers and any potential disasters will have little to no effect here, as insiders will have authorised system access, so no alarm bells will be ringing, and it will just appear as if an employee is logging on.  

Worryingly, it has been reported that insider attacks have increased by 44% over the past two years.  

In order for your business to stay protected from potential cyber threats, it is crucial that you understand what an insider attack looks like. Having this preparation and cyber training in place is essential to ensuring your business remains cyber secure to help reduce any recovery down-time from a potential breach.

Insider Threats – The Different Kinds

Insider threats come in all different forms and whilst some attacks will be malicious, others may be accidental. An insider security breach also has the potential activated from hackers or from employees themselves – so it can be unclear who is behind the attack.

There are four main insider threats that company networks tend to face:

Malicious/Aggravated Employees

Malicious theft of company data may occur when an employee leaves a company and makes the decision to take their contacts with them – this can then have a major impact on the business and potentially damage client relationships.

Alternatively, if an employee feels aggravated/frustrated or perhaps leaves or dismissed in a way they believe is unfair, they could plan a ransomware attack or share the company’s login credentials with a hacker in exchange for money if they feel strongly enough about it.

Careless/Untrained Employees

Additionally, an insider threat could be as a result of employees who don’t care enough to check something is completely secure or they do not have sufficient cyber security training to know otherwise.

It could be that an employee accidentally shares company data on a platform that isn’t secure, or it could be that an employee uses an external computer to access business apps, without being aware of the consequences this will have.

3rd Parties have Access to Your Systems

Has your business got contractors or freelancers you outsource work to? Have you considered the risk to your cyber security?

You need to ensure that you fully understand these third parties that you are associated with and consider asking your IT support partner to review their data security – just to ensure you are fully protected.

Hackers Compromise Login Credentials

The number one reason for data breaches around the world are compromised passwords and user login credentials. This is also one of the most dangerous types of insider threats as it allows an external hacker to become an “insider”. Once hackers are into an internal system – the potential for danger is great.

After the hackers become an “insider” it is going to be hard for you or the computer system to detect any issues and so you will not know a cyber threat is occurring.

Insider Threats – How we Can Prevent Them from Happening

As we have established, insider threats are hard to detect and dangerous, you will want to ensure that you have the correct prevention measures in place to stop them from occurring or advancing. It’s important you proactively keep on top of this to prevent any costly incidents from occurring.

There are various things you can do in order to prevent the threat of insider attacks, including:

Regular Background Checks

It is important that you are regularly conducting background checks of those who are involved with your business such as vendors and contractors. Additionally, when recruiting and welcoming someone new into the business, a background check should be conducted to ensure there is no warning signs in their previous work history that potentially could put your cyber security at risk.

Implement Endpoint Device Solutions

Endpoints are devices that are physically at an end point on a network – examples include mobile phones, laptops, and desktops. Within the endpoints of a company, mobile devices make up around 60% of this.

Surprisingly however, businesses are not seeming to use a solution to manage these resources device access.  

In order to monitor device access, it is important your business implements an endpoint management solution. An endpoint management solution will authenticate and supervise the access these endpoint devices have, to reduce the likelihood of an inside attack occurring. Having an efficient solution in place will help you to block unauthorised devices by default.

Multi-Factor Authentication and Password Security

To reduce the likelihood of credential theft, multi-factor authentication is the best way forwards for both businesses and individuals. Multi-factor authentication, also known as MFA, is an electronic authentication method in which a user only gains access to a website or application after presenting two pieces of information. The second stage of MFA typically requires the user to authenticate it is them logging in, using a second device such as a mobile phone. Hackers typically get stuck on the second stage of MFA as they will not have access to a person’s mobile device.

Alongside adopting MFA, your business should practice good password security. This can be done through numerous ways including regularly changing your passwords to increase security strength and adopting a password manager in your browser.

Regular Employee Training

Ensuring employees receive regular, up-to-date cyber training is essential to keeping your business protected. Employees will be able to sensitively treat information after they understand the implications that using it incorrectly can have.

Network Monitoring

Intelligent network monitoring is enabled by artificial intelligence and can detect strange behaviours within a network as soon as they happen. If someone is downloading an abnormal number of files or logging in from somewhere unusual, the intelligent network monitoring can pick this up and help you put it to a stop.

Do you Need Some Help with Your Cyber Security?

An effective, layered security solution can help you to prevent all four types of insider threats from occurring and reduce the negative implications on your business. If you are looking for some additional support, Ipswich based Corbel are here to help you implement a robust cyber security solution. Feel free to give us a call on 01473 241515 or email us on info@corbel.co.uk.

Corbel are hosting are very own open morning on Tuesday 8^th November from 9:30am-12:00pm. There will be a range of technology breakout sessions throughout the morning and advice on cyber security and how you can keep your business protected. Come along, grab a coffee, and get all the very latest technology updates on all thing’s cyber security, automation, technology roadmaps and advice for your IT Strategy. Register for the event here.

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Ipswich based Corbel are IT specialists and offer a range of IT support services across Ipswich, Felixstowe, Stowmarket, and the surrounding Suffolk area. From Cyber Security to disaster recovery and office 365 support, Corbel will proactively work with you to as a business IT Support partner no-matter what sized business, to keep you protected.