Managing the Insider Threat: Improving Trustworthiness

Ever since people first betrayed the trust placed in them, insiders have posed a threat. So why is it now receiving so much attention?

The insider threat has intensified as people have become increasingly mobile and hyper-connected. Almost every worker has multiple devices that can compromise information instantly and at scale: impact is no longer limited by the amount of paper someone can carry. Simultaneously, social norms are shifting, eroding loyalty between employers and employees. A job for life is being replaced by a portfolio of careers.

This briefing paper equips organisations to combat the insider threat by:

• broadening the discussion to three types of risky insider behaviour: malicious, negligent and accidental
• describing the importance of trust and the central role it plays extending technical and management controls
• suggesting actions for immediate results and additional actions to sustain those results.