The threat to a business from outside perpetrators is very real. When it comes to cybercrime, most envision hackers alone in a dark basement.  But sometimes the threat comes from within the company, and it is even harder to detect and/or prevent.

Why would someone try to intentionally hurt the very company that provides them with a living? The reasons vary, but there are a few that seem to happen over and over again.  They include stealing valuable information to take to another job, working with cybercriminals to provide the foundation for an attack, or even selling info to a hacker themselves.

Companies emphasize cyber security and teach their team on ways to keep danger OUT. These tactics describe the stages of an attack and explain how to react if it happens. But what a lot of companies forget is that sometimes the threat is within the team itself.

Human behavior can’t always be so easily predicted, and a business needs to take the approach of not only training their workforce to fend off cyberattacks but also looking at each ‘human element’ as if they are carrying a risk factor for internal inside threat.

 

It Can Be Unintentional

 

Many times, there are assumptions that leave people believing that someone else is taking care of what needs to be done to keep a business safe, secure, and productive.

Your IT company should provide you with a deep understanding of how to handle your IT and will discuss who should be accountable when it comes to making decisions.

The lack of identifying a person is often what leaves a company at greater risk for internal threats, as people just “assume someone else was handling it”.  And since your IT service provider can’t be there all of the time, you need to have your own team member in charge of who you can trust.  They can look out for sketchy behavior as well as properly training the team so no one unintentionally creates a threat.

There are some behaviors that can act as alerts for suspicious behavior.

What to look for:

  • An unusual number of files being accessed and opened
  • Avoiding or trying to work around security measures that are in place
  • Saving files to unusual locations
  • Utilizing USB drives to save or move information
  • Using tools or software that hides online activity

 

If you would like to have a free, no obligation IT service quote to see where your cyber security stands, click here. If you would like to act now, call us directly at 508-790-4171, or email us at hello@imediatech.com.