Traditional IT security investments have been made to safeguard businesses from external threats such as hackers, spammers, and cybercrime syndicates. Insider threats, on the other hand, go mostly unrecognized and are not given the same amount of attention.
According to the 2022 Ponemon Cost of Insider Threats Global Report, insider threat occurrences surged 44% in the last two years, with expenses per incident climbing by more than a third to $15.38 million.
In the past, organizations were more concerned with protecting themselves against external threats. However, whether purposeful or unintentional, internal dangers are substantially greater and developing faster than external threats.
Here are the best practices for protecting enterprises against insider threats.
Audit all systems and procedures
Enterprises must audit all systems and business processes on a regular basis as part of their auditing process and insider threat program to discover gaps and potential weaknesses that insider threats can exploit. Then companies must make the appropriate changes to mitigate such risks.
Internal and external audits should be included as part of this procedure. Penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, and application penetration testing are all incorporated in external audits. Internal audits entail conducting frequent information technology audits or assessments to discover vulnerabilities and problems that have arisen as a result of earlier audits, attacks, or breaches, as well as required remediation.
Invest in data security and breach prevention technologies
While the danger of employee data handling can be decreased, human error is unavoidable. Investment in Data Loss Prevention (DLP) tools, content inspection software, and document sanitization and redaction are the top priority in avoiding data loss and may also be used to verify GDPR compliance. Businesses can use these tools to guarantee that employees’ vital information isn’t disseminated unintentionally or maliciously. Furthermore, redaction and content inspection only delete data that violates rules, allowing for a more flexible approach to running a corporation.
Also Read: Insider Threats: Four Ways to Spot and Avoid Them
Enforce physical security rules
Physical security controls are a cost-effective and straightforward solution to prevent unwanted access to physical infrastructure equipment, including routers, firewalls, switches, and servers. Physical attacks, like breaking into data centers or slipping into restricted sections of the workplace, can be readily carried out by malevolent insiders or infiltrators if physical security mechanisms are not in place.
Firms can select from various security measures, ranging from low-tech to high-tech solutions, depending on their business procedures and risk levels. Simple physical access limitations can help to reduce the danger of theft or sabotage, which would otherwise be relatively easy to carry out.
Make effective risk communication a top priority
When a new vulnerability is uncovered, the security team needs to send out communications in a language everyone can understand. Employees will lose interest in reading these messages if they are too lengthy or comprehensive, and they may not understand the implications of the vulnerability. When it comes to informing staff about risks, well-written messaging is critical. If communication is explicit, employees are more likely to prevent blunders that might lead to a security breach.
Employees who look after infrastructure, systems, or servers face data-privacy concerns due to possible vulnerabilities. Breaches that exploit these flaws can affect an organization at any level. Any employee might be harmed, and a single questionable link clicked by anyone in the firm could spell disaster. As a result, transparent communication must be a top priority rather than an afterthought.
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