Ashley Madison, Sony, Ebay, Edward Snowden. Names associated with data breaches still fresh in our societal consciousness. Hackers make use of technology and social engineering techniques to infiltrate computer networks and steal data for profit on the black market. When the threat is from without, specific measures can be taken, and most often are, to prevent breaches and diminish losses. However, when the threat is from within, it is much more difficult to prevent and control damage. Intel reports 43% of data loss for companies comes from within its own ranks.
Network Security Breach: The Suspects
- Unknowing Insiders
- Knowing Insiders
- Ex-employees.
The Unknowing Insiders are the careless and naïve employees who unintentionally expose data to unauthorized third parties. They may lose storage devices containing sensitive information or fall prey to social engineering campaigns. They click on strange links in emails. Their intention is not malignant, but the consequences can be just as harmful.
The Knowing Insiders include disgruntled employees, employees who have plans to leave but have not yet, and employees planted by or working for a third party to steal information. They may only be trying to harm the company, or they may be seeking personal gain through the data breach. All of these types of insiders have a malignant intent and pose an intentional threat to company security.
Ex-employees may have had a negative experience with the company such as a lay-off or bad reviews. They may be purely seeking vengeance. They also, however, could be leveraging the data for personal gain. Either way, the threat is intentional and the consequences could be disastrous.
You May Be Unarmed. Don’t Be Unprepared.
In the world of Big Data, internal data theft is a real and growing threat. You are often completely unarmed when it comes to preventing internal breaches. Employees with access to sensitive information will have the ability to lose or leak it fairly easily. Through observation, company policy, technology, and forensics, you can, however, be prepared. Enstep is a technology business partner and IT service provider for the small to medium business market in the greater Houston area. In business since 2001, Enstep is dedicated to making technology more effective and affordable while you focus on your business goals. For more information on network security and internal data breach prevention or to schedule an appointment, Contact Us.
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