Page 99 - Cyber Defense eMagazine September 2023

Guarding Against the Insider Threat: Do Your

Employees Pose the Greatest Risk?

By Moty Kanias, VP of Cyber Strategy & Alliances, NanoLock Security

Great businesses understand that their people are their most important assets. But there is another side
to that coin. Employees and contractors may also threaten your company by virtue of their access and
expertise. Most experts consider three categories of insider threats: preventable mistakes due to simple
human error, stolen credentials, and criminal or malicious actors. Issues from the first two categories are
much more frequent than those from the third category, but all insider attacks are on the rise.

The 2021 incident in Oldsmar, Florida is evidence of the impact of human error — what was initially
thought of as a malicious remote access incident turned out to be an in-house employee accidentally
having clicked the wrong buttons.

The 2023 charge against the attack on Discovery Bay Water Treatment facility in Tracy, California, on
the other hand, shows us how well-meaning employees or contractors can turn against their employers,
instigate attacks, and potentially cause significant damage.

The above examples hint at a much larger problem. In fact, according to the Ponemon Institute, every
single company that they surveyed had an insider incident last year.

Cyber Defense eMagazine – September 2023 Edition 99
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