Anticipate Internal and External Threats in Your Organization

In the increasingly digital world that we live in, it has become crucial for all organizations in all sectors to concern themselves with cybersecurity. You would be hard-pressed to find a business in 2023 that doesn’t make use of technologies that can be attacked or compromised. We often hear about attacks that come from outside of an organization, but people on the inside can cause damage and leak data too, either intentionally or unintentionally, and this should not be a low-priority concern for any security team. Detecting and preventing threats from all directions can be a formidable prospect, but with the right information and tools, it is not impossible.

External Threats

When thinking about an organization’s cybersecurity posture, most people’s minds likely go straight to protecting against attacks from external actors – keeping the outsiders out. While it certainly is not the only thing that security teams have to worry about, it is a significant risk that must be taken into account. According to Verizon’s 2022 Data Breach Investigations Report, hacking was used in more than 50% of the incidents analyzed. The top action variety, seen in almost half of all incidents, was Denial of Service (DoS) via hacking, followed by access to backdoors and C2 infrastructure through hacking and malware.

The report notes that there are four major ways that cybercriminals gain access to an organization: credential theft, phishing, exploiting vulnerabilities, and botnets. Ransomware has been increasingly used over time and now makes up a total of 25% of incidents; it is only possible to use ransomware with access to enterprise systems and data, so blocking outsiders’ way into your organization is the best protection against ransomware. The IBM Security X-Force 2023 Threat Intelligence Index shows that exploitation of public-facing applications and spear phishing with links and attachments are also significant concerns for those looking to protect their organization and its data.

Internal Threats

While external bad actors attacking your business may seem like a formidable enough task on its own, it is equally important to defend against insider threats. Internal actors are capable of causing just as much damage, if not more, to an organization as external criminals. There are three key types of insider threat: the malicious insider, who intentionally sets out to harm the organization from within, the negligent insider, who inadvertently causes harm through error or ignorance; and the compromised insider, whose credentials are deceptively used by outsiders to infiltrate the organization. While many internal threats are in the form of data breaches, it is also possible for malware or ransomware to come into play.

Internal threats are complicated to prevent, as the actions that lead to breaches often blend in with regular user behavior, and restricting access is only feasible to a certain extent before it hinders business operations. Traditional threat detection and prevention tools are not effective against insider threats for these reasons, and the price of remediating insider threat incidents is astronomical, more than 15 million USD per year. The most harmful type of insider threat per incident, according to the Ponemon Institute’s 2022 Cost of Insider Threats Report, is credential theft, while the most common type is employee or contractor negligence. 

Protecting Your Organization

Preventing attacks and breaches from both within and without requires a robust and layered security plan that incorporates different policies and solutions. A sturdy foundation of cybersecurity training for all employees and cyber hygiene policies can prevent many errors that could inadvertently arise and cause damage, especially if insiders are educated on the importance of their individual role in protecting sensitive enterprise data. Being able to recognize phishing attempts, staying informed and up-to-date on security and threat trends, and knowing and documenting where data is stored and where it goes are all important steps in protecting against internal and external risks.

Beyond security policies and protocols, there are solutions available to assist security teams in detection and prevention. Before allowing any contractor or partner access to the organization’s network and data, it is vital to vet them properly to be sure they are safe to engage with. Each business is different in its build and makeup and, therefore, will require slightly different criteria for its security solutions. Security teams should research the varied features and pros and cons of different solutions to “detect, investigate, and respond to insider threats to their data” before employing the tools that they deem best for their purposes.

Conclusion

Protecting your organization and its data is not a straightforward one-and-done solution, but it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming ordeal. With a good plan, adequate training, and the right tools, any organization can build up a security defense that works for them. Insiders who are properly educated and equipped will not only be less likely to make mistakes, but also less likely to allow outsiders access through error or negligence. Preventing internal and external threats may seem like two separate daunting tasks, but both are extremely important, and measures against one can often help with the other as well.

PJ Bradley is a writer on a wide variety of topics, passionate about learning and helping people above all else. Holding a bachelor’s degree from Oakland University, PJ enjoys using a lifelong desire to understand how things work to write about subjects that inspire interest. Most of PJ’s free time is spent reading and writing. PJ is also a regular writer at Bora.