The Growing Threat of Insider Attacks in Cybersecurity
Did you happen to see the document produced by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service? Its focus was on foreign adversaries, including Russia and China, directing their intelligence services to ramp up recruiting of US federal employees
As organizations bolster their defenses against external cyber threats, a more insidious risk is emerging from within: insider threats. Malicious actors are increasingly infiltrating organizations by securing employment or compromising existing employees, posing significant challenges to traditional security measures. These threats are particularly dangerous because insiders already have legitimate access to sensitive data and systems, making detection and prevention more complex than external cyberattacks.
In 2020, a major electric car manufacture’s employee was offered $1 million by a Russian hacker to install malware inside their network. The employee reported the attempt, preventing a large-scale cyberattack. This incident highlights how external actors try to recruit insiders to facilitate attacks.
In 2021, a major healthcare provider suffered a data breach after an employee accidentally misconfigured a cloud storage bucket, exposing millions of patient records.
The 2013 Edward Snowden NSA leak is one of the most infamous insider threats. Snowden, a former NSA contractor, used his authorized credentials to collect and leak classified government documents, exposing mass surveillance programs
Malicious Insiders and Unintentional Insiders are the primary threats.
Who are they and how do they find their way to you and your organization?
1. Malicious Insiders (Intentional Threats)
These individuals deliberately misuse their access to steal data, sabotage operations, or sell proprietary information. They can be:
• Disgruntled employees seeking revenge.
• Corporate spies hired by competitors to extract valuable trade secrets.
• Nation-state actors infiltrating organizations for espionage purposes
2. Unintentional Insiders (Negligent or Manipulated Employees)
Not all insider threats stem from malice—many occur due to human error, connected vendors, negligence, or manipulation through social engineering. Employees may:
• Fall victim to phishing attacks, unknowingly granting hackers access.
• Use weak passwords or fail to follow security protocols.
• Lose company devices or inadvertently expose confidential data
Unlike external attackers who must breach firewalls and evade detection, insiders operate within the security perimeter—often with authorized access to critical systems. This makes their activities harder to differentiate from normal workflows. Challenges include:
· Access Is Already Granted – Traditional security systems focus on keeping outsiders out, not detecting threats from within.
· Behaviour Mimics Legitimate Work – Malicious insiders can slowly extract data over time, avoiding detection by security tools that flag large data transfers.
· Lack of Visibility into User Behaviour – Many companies do not monitor employees’ digital activities beyond login credentials.
As cybercriminal tactics evolve, insider threats are becoming more frequent, sophisticated, and damaging. Whether through malicious intent or negligence, insiders can bypass security measures and compromise critical data, infrastructure, and operations.
Don’t allow your organization to be at risk of an insider cyber hack. Cyber Knowledge Partners works with organization to identify vulnerabilities and put controls in place to mitigate the risk. We will create a cyber resilience plan combining technology, behavioural monitoring, and security awareness training to detect and mitigate insider risks before they escalate into full-scale breaches.
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