Kaspersky has recommended six ways that insider threats can be combated according to the study which found that in the past two years, 78% of companies surveyed in the META region have faced cyber incidents in different forms, 23% of which were caused by deliberate malicious behaviour by employees.
The study categorized insider threats as unintentional and intentional, describing unintentional, or accidental threats as employee mistakes such as falling for phishing and other social engineering methods or sending sensitive and confidential information to the wrong person.
In contrast, intentional threats are perpetrated by malicious insiders who deliberately hack into their employer’s systems. They usually do so for financial gain from the sale of sensitive data or as an act of revenge. Malicious insiders aim to disrupt or stop an organisation’s regular business operations, expose IT weaknesses and obtain confidential information.
Here are the six ways:
- Implementing cybersecurity training to raise awareness among employees and to prevent intentional information security policy violations. To boost security awareness among general employees, educate them with the Kaspersky Automated Security Awareness Platform training program, which teaches safe Internet behaviour.
- Investing in relevant training programs for IT security specialists. Kaspersky Cybersecurity for IT Online training helps build up simple yet effective IT security-related best practices and simple incident response scenarios for generalist IT admins, while Kaspersky Expert Training equips your security team with the latest knowledge and skills in threat management and mitigation.
- The Advanced Anomaly Control feature within Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business Advanced, Kaspersky Total Security for Business and Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum helps prevent potentially dangerous activities by the employee or in case an attacker has seized control of the system.
- Controlling and limiting the use of personal devices and third-party applications and services. Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business and Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud offer Application, Web and Device controls that limit the use of unsolicited apps, websites and peripherals, significantly reducing infection risks even in cases where employees use devices, applications or services that are not sanctioned by the company to transfer data.
- Implementing products that allow an administrator’s rights to be limited only to those options that are needed for work. Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business offers role-based access to Kaspersky Security Center management console items, so not all administrators require full control over security functions.
- Kaspersky Security for Internet Gateway also possesses content filtering, to prevent unsolicited data transmission regardless of its type, platform protection status, or user behaviour at the endpoints inside the network.