Page 263 - Cyber Defense eMagazine August 2024

Negligent insiders generally act unintentionally, driven by carelessness or apathy. However, they are still
responsible for their actions. Inadvertent insiders accidentally cause damage, whether by mistyping an
email address, becoming a victim of phishing or using a device that behaves unexpectedly.

To be clear, an insider’s intentions don’t matter much when the result is the same. The distinction exists
simply to guide disciplinary action and post-incident analysis. That may be why 30% of chief information
security officers agreed this threat was their organization’s most significant cybersecurity risk in 2023,
according to one global survey.

Unlike cybercriminals or disreputable competitors, internal threats don’t stand out. Since they have
legitimate access, conventional monitoring tools and security measures won’t flag their activity. Moreover,
since they personally know their colleagues, they often don’t seem immediately suspicious — even if
indicators suggest they are.

Crucially, insider supply chain threats pose an even more significant danger because they have disparate
data systems, operate with less oversight and have different security protocols. Even under contract,
these vendors may feel they can get away with taking shortcuts or being inattentive of cybersecurity —
and businesses will likely be blissfully unaware until it’s too late.

Strategies to Defend Against Insider Supply Chain Threats

Several strategies to defend against insider supply chain threats exist.

1. Monitor Third-Party Vendors

Monitoring is critical to mitigating insider threats. After all, information technology (IT) teams can’t address
what they don’t see. Recently, real-time visibility has become fundamental for developing a resilient
supply chain. In fact, most companies are seeking to invest in such solutions within the next few years.

Decision-makers should consider this surge in interest a sign to begin monitoring their supply-chain
vendors. Whether they decide on periodic audits, sentiment analysis software or radiofrequency
identification tag tracking, increased oversight will help them identify and eliminate all but the most
sophisticated insiders.

2. Develop a Mitigation Budget

Even though negligent insiders cause 60% of data breaches, only 8% of a company’s cybersecurity
budget goes toward managing them. Developing a mitigation budget for this issue ensures the IT team
has enough resources to address vendors in addition to their regular responsibilities.

3. Conduct Risk Assessments

How do senior executives know which third party to trust? Conducting risk assessments for supply-chain
vendors removes the guesswork. It determines their likelihood of employing an individual who is a
malicious, negligent or accidental internal threat. This method is simple and effective, making it ideal for
time-sensitive situations or IT teams with large workloads.

Cyber Defense eMagazine – August 2024 Edition 263
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