Insider threats are an uncomfortable topic for many organisations to discuss. They often feel like a failure of security—a breach not from external attackers but from trusted individuals within the company. Whether malicious or unintentional, insider threats can have devastating consequences for any business. In some cases, insiders have access to sensitive information that can be leaked online or used to trigger cyber attacks.
A recent example involves Network Rail's Wi-Fi system, where an insider hijacked the network to display political propaganda. While not a catastrophic attack, it underscores how insiders can misuse their access to systems in alarming ways.
Insider threats are uniquely challenging to manage. While HR departments work to vet new hires thoroughly, even long-standing employees may be tempted by financial incentives from competitors or political organisations. These individuals are particularly dangerous because they know how the system works, giving them the ability to launch attacks or sabotage operations from within.
According to research, insider threats account for 31% of all security breaches, with a significant impact on sectors like finance, where the consequences are severe. A breach in the financial sector can erode customer trust, leading to substantial financial losses, which in the U.S. average around $4.45 million per incident. Insiders can be malicious, acting deliberately to exploit their access, or negligent, causing breaches through carelessness. Additionally, compromised insiders, whose credentials are hijacked by external attackers, present a third, equally dangerous form of insider threat.
In the financial sector, and across many industries, Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and Data Detection and Response (DDR) tools are essential for safeguarding sensitive information. These technologies play a critical role in protecting data while ensuring compliance with privacy regulations. However, there are limits to how much monitoring can be done without infringing on privacy, particularly in highly regulated industries like finance. This is why preventive measures, strict access controls, and constant vigilance are vital for protecting customer data and maintaining operational security.
Insider threats are one of the most dangerous forms of cyber threats because they come from within the organisation, making them difficult to detect. Employees, contractors, or even IT personnel can access sensitive systems and data, and in some cases, they can misuse this access to cause significant harm. Whether intentional, such as data theft or fraud, or accidental, such as negligence leading to a breach, insider threats pose a serious risk to business operations.
The difficulty lies not just in identifying malicious insiders but also in preventing and managing the damage when these insiders act. IT personnel, in particular, have elevated privileges that allow them to view sensitive information, including company communications on platforms like Microsoft 365, Slack, or Teams. This access requires a high level of trust between IT staff and the corporation. However, in many cases, bad actors deliberately position insiders into these roles, turning a trusted employee into a serious security threat.
One of the most dangerous scenarios arises when an insider with access to sensitive communications—for example, board discussions about a potential acquisition—compromises that information, potentially impacting stock prices or business strategy. These types of insider threats highlight the crucial need for confidentiality and trust within the organisation, as well as robust mechanisms to secure critical communications.
When insider threats are discovered, time is of the essence. Organisations need to quickly establish clean communication channels among trusted personnel to manage and resolve the incident. This is where an out-of-band communication system like Sentinel becomes an essential asset.
Sentinel provides a secure, encrypted platform that operates independently from your organisation’s standard communication channels. This means that if your usual channels—such as email, Teams, or Slack—are compromised, you can swiftly transition all critical communications to Sentinel’s out-of-band system, ensuring that discussions about incident management, crisis response, and damage control remain secure.
With Sentinel, all contacts, staff details, business continuity plans, and action cards are pre-configured and ready to activate in the event of a security breach. This allows trusted players to communicate effectively without fear that their conversations are being monitored by the insider responsible for the attack. Sentinel’s key features include:
Additionally, Sentinel’s auditable features mean that, after the incident, a detailed record of how the attack was handled is available for review. This level of accountability ensures that all actions taken during the breach are transparent and traceable, allowing organisations to identify vulnerabilities and prevent future attacks.
In many organisations, IT personnel have access to a wide range of sensitive data and communications. While this access is necessary for maintaining systems, it also requires an extraordinary level of trust. In the event of an insider breach, whether by a malicious or compromised employee, the consequences can be severe. With a platform like Sentinel, an organisation can reduce its reliance on compromised communication systems and protect critical discussions from internal threats.
This trust, while essential, can be exploited by bad actors. Whether during a crisis or in day-to-day operations, IT personnel could misuse their access to monitor sensitive conversations or influence the outcome of an incident. Sentinel ensures that when these situations arise, organisations have a secure, out-of-band communication system ready to deploy, minimising the potential for further harm.
As insider threats continue to rise, organisations must be proactive in safeguarding their systems from both external and internal actors. While technologies like DLP and DDR are effective at monitoring and detecting threats, an out-of-band communication system like Sentinel offers an additional layer of security when an attack is underway. By providing a secure, auditable, and encrypted platform, Sentinel ensures that organisations can manage incidents swiftly and effectively, even when their internal communications are compromised.
In a world where the lines between external attacks and insider threats are increasingly blurred, having an out-of-band solution is essential for protecting your organisation, maintaining trust, and ensuring swift resolution when incidents occur.