Inside Out Versus Outside In View
From information leaks to stolen personal information, there is no doubt that insider attacks have become a serious cybersecurity concern. As with all cybersecurity practices, whether external or internal, it is critical to identify incidents before they occur rather than analyze events after the damage has been done. That’s why it’s important to not only implement solid perimeter protection for external intrusions, but also shield systems from internal threats.
While cyber threats continue to loom, organizations can take steps to create a defensive and, most importantly, offensive security posture. The approach of monitoring endpoint activity – at the user, device, and data level – can enable organizations to collect and correlate information about actions that indicate risky precursor behavior and in turn initiate an appropriate countermeasure.
Are you safe to do business with?
Each year, businesses conduct more of their operations virtually with an increasing number of digital products and services, making the interconnected supply chain more complex. Partners of your business are not just working with you, but with your network—and you with theirs.
With all the potential benefits, digital supply chains also present serious cyber security risks. Supply chains are vulnerable to cybercriminals who can steal a wide variety of information, interrupt production, and create more opportunities for damage in a computerized network—putting all parties at risk.
Because of this, more and more customers are expressing concern about cybersecurity (or the lack of it) in the digital ecosystem, and they are making business decisions based on those concerns. To stay competitive and secure, companies of all sizes need to better understand the expanding digital supply chain ecosystem and develop a strategy for monitoring it.
Employee Monitoring: A Balanced Approach
Monitoring employees for insider threats is a complex topic that involves balancing security concerns with individual privacy and ethical considerations. While it's important to protect a company's sensitive information and assets, it's equally important to respect the privacy and rights of employees.
It is no surprise that companies are exploring which technologies, processes, and programs they can adopt to proactively mitigate risk with a balanced approach.
Top High Risk Behaviors to Watch
An insider threat is a category of risk posed by those who have access to an organization's physical or digital assets. These insiders can be current employees, former employees, contractors, vendors, or business partners who all have -- or had -- authorized access to an organization's network and computer systems. For secure cyber defense against an insider threat, you have to keep an eye on anomalous behavioral and digital activity. With a baseline of data, risk scores for user behavior tied to specific events can be assigned and in turn deviations can be flagged and investigated.
One seemingly harmless move by a negligent contractor or malicious theft by a disgruntled employee can jeopardize a company’s data and IP. These situations can lead to financial or reputational damage as well as a loss of competitive edge.
Security leaders can start detecting insider threat indicators before damage occurs by implementing technology that analyzes employee, endpoint and data activity to proactively mitigate critical risk.
innerActiv Wins Global Infosec Award: Best Solution for Insider Threat
innerActiv is honored to have been recognized by Cyber Defense Magazine as the winner of the 11th Annual Global InfoSec Award as Best Solution for Insider Threat Detection announced at this week’s RSA Conference 2023.
Surreptitious Spyware versus Insider Risk Management
On Monday, President Biden signed an executive order limiting the purchase and use of commercial spyware by U.S. government departments and agencies. While the new order doesn’t entirely prohibit spyware, it lays out the criteria for which uses could be disqualified; and suggests that a case-by-case basis review will be required to allow agencies to acquire the technology for nonoperational uses, such as testing it for research or cybersecurity purposes.
This new executive order is part of an effort to improve cybersecurity and protect against malicious cyber activity. More specifically, it is to get ahead of the problem and set standards for other governments and its allies, which buy and deploy commercial spyware. It is also intended to ensure that government agencies are not engaging in activities that could be used to target and exploit vulnerable individuals or organizations.
Important to note, the directive targets spyware, not the array of cybersecurity tools commonly deployed within federal or local government or enterprise organizations for mitigating external or internal threats.