Government agencies are exposed to a greater volume and variety of cyberattacks than ever before. And while you may think those attacks are primarily coming from external hackers, the fact is that internal actors are just as likely to corrupt or breach your system. So, how do you protect your agency from insider threats?
In a recent GovLoop online training, Stopping Insider Threats with Effective Security Solutions, we heard from Ian Doyle, Executive Security Advisor of U.S. Federal with IBM. He offered best practices for mitigating both intentional and accidental insider threats within government organizations.
Doyle began our discussion by clarifying the difference between malicious insider treats and negligent insider threats. While malicious insiders can cause significant damage, they are far rarer than negligent insiders who unknowingly risk sensitive data.
Knowing these threats, your critical first step is to determine your current level of security. “Know where your gaps are, what insider threats mean to you and what you want to focus on,” advised Doyle. Every agency is different, but all want to be protected from insider threats.
While assessing your goals and needs for security, remember that training is important. “Training should always be included when it comes to security,” said Doyle. Even if you think your data center is secure, employees need to be trained and in the loop on everything. Training is important because it can minimize unintentional bad practices that could expose your organization.
Okay, you have your goals and trained employees – what’s next? You should figure out what solutions are best for your organization. “There is not a standard security solution to stop insider threats,” said Doyle. “You should have control over your data and have a lockdown procedure to identify and access insider threats.”
Overall, stopping insider threats is possible by taking the right steps. Knowing where you stand with security and what you want to do to improve it is the first step to improve security issues. With that information, you can create a plan to protect your agency from insider threats.
