5 Insider Threat Indicators and How To Detect Them

Updated on September 27, 2024.

Insider threats can be extremely damaging to organizations. According to a report by the Ponemon Institute and DTEX systems, the total average cost of an insider risk rose from $15.4 million in 2022 to $16.2 million in 2023, making it important to mitigate these threats. Some potential indicators of an insider threat include users viewing data unrelated to their role, requesting access to privileged accounts and resources, downloading and transferring data, using unauthorized software and hardware, and unusual login behavior.

Continue reading to learn in-depth about potential insider threat indicators to be on the lookout for in your organization plus how to detect and prevent them.

1. Employees viewing data unnecessary to their role

One sign of a potential insider threat is if an employee is viewing data that isn’t relevant to their job. For example, if a customer support employee attempts to view Human Resource (HR) documents this could be an indicator that they have malicious intentions. There is no need for someone in customer support to view HR documents. If they are, this could mean they’re attempting to use that information maliciously. 

2. Employees requesting access to privileged accounts

Every employee within your organization should only have access to the accounts and resources they need to do their job, not more or less. If an employee is requesting access to privileged accounts and resources without a reason as to why, it could be an indicator of an insider attempting to gain excessive privileges to move laterally throughout your organization’s network. 

3. Unusual data downloads and transfers

Another potential indicator of an insider threat is noticing employees making unusual downloads and transferring data across different devices. While data downloads and transfers are sometimes necessary, a sudden peak can indicate that there may be an insider getting ready to use that data maliciously. If your organization hasn’t already determined data downloading patterns across departments, it should. This can help catch these excessive data downloads immediately to help protect against a potential insider threat.

4. Employees using unauthorized software and hardware

If you notice employees using unapproved or unfamiliar software on company-owned devices, it could indicate a potential insider threat. As a security best practice, your organization should have a list of pre-approved software that employees are allowed to use. This not only ensures employees are using software that has undergone a security evaluation but also makes it easier to spot when employees are using unauthorized software that could lead to a breach.

5. Unusual login behavior

When employees log in to accounts or devices, they typically follow a pattern. For example, a common pattern would be employees logging in to their devices around 9 AM and logging out around 6 PM. If an employee’s login pattern suddenly changes, it could be an indicator of an insider threat. Here are some examples of unusual login behavior.

• Logins from unusual locations
• Logins during odd hours
• Frequent failed login attempts
• Logins from several locations in short periods

How to detect insider threats

Here are a few techniques and tools organizations can implement to detect insider threats:

• Behavioral analytics: Behavioral analytics can help IT admins determine if certain behaviors from employees are out of the ordinary. For example, certain patterns like accessing data outside of normal working hours could indicate potential security risks. Sudden spikes in data downloads could also suggest malicious intent by employees.  
• PAM solutions: Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions enable IT admins to restrict and monitor access to sensitive systems and data. PAM solutions often include features such as detailed logging and real-time alerts which can help IT admins detect unusual activity or unauthorized attempts to access privileged systems and accounts.
• Threat hunting: Threat hunting is a proactive approach to identifying previously unknown or ongoing threats that traditional security measures and tools haven’t addressed. By actively searching for indicators of compromise and examining user behavior, IT admins can detect hidden threats before they escalate into something much bigger like a breach. 

How to prevent insider threats

Here are the steps your organization should take to prevent insider threats.

Implement the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP)

The principle of least privilege is a cybersecurity concept that emphasizes employees should only be given just enough access to resources they need to do their jobs. By implementing this concept into your organization, you can mitigate the risk of insiders having elevated privileges or moving laterally throughout your organization’s network, thereby reducing your organization’s attack surface. One of the best ways to implement the principle of least privilege is by investing in a PAM solution. Implementing a PAM solution enables your organization to gain complete visibility, security, control and across every privileged user within your organization.

Enforce the use of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Multi-factor authentication requires that a user verify their identity with one or more methods of authentication, in addition to their username and password. To protect accounts and systems against unauthorized access, every user must have MFA enabled on their accounts. One way you can ensure every employee is enabling MFA on their accounts is by investing in a business password manager that can also store 2FA codes. Many users fail to enable MFA because they don’t like the additional step it requires to log in. A password manager can remove this obstacle by storing the 2FA code and auto-filling it, along with their username and password, making their login experience faster, more seamless, and secure.

Have a secure onboarding and offboarding process

Having a secure onboarding process can make all the difference in also having a secure offboarding process. When onboarding new employees, ensure the following steps are taken:

• Conduct a comprehensive background check
• Provide new hires with security training
• Only give new hires access to the resources they need to do their job
• Equip new hires with a password manager

When offboarding employees, it’s important to recover all company-owned equipment, such as laptops and hard drives. You’ll also need to revoke access to accounts, folders and files immediately and delete employee accounts that will no longer be in use. 

Monitor and record privileged accounts

Privileged accounts refer to accounts that have elevated privileges. Since privileged accounts often have access to an organization’s systems, databases and network infrastructure, it’s important to regularly monitor them so they’re not misused or accessed by unauthorized individuals. PAM solutions can aid with the monitoring of privileged accounts through a common feature called Privileged Account and Session Management (PASM), which enables IT admins to control access to privileged accounts, as well as monitor, record and audit privileged access sessions. 

Regularly train employees on security best practices

Your employees should be provided with regular security training so they know how to spot common cyber threats and suspicious activity within the organization. If an employee thinks that a coworker could be using data maliciously or accessing accounts they shouldn’t have access to, they should be trained on how to report that suspicious activity before it escalates any further. 

Prevent insider threats in your organization

Insider threats can be extremely damaging to organizations. To mitigate the risk of your organization suffering an insider threat, you’ll need to invest in a privileged access management solution like KeeperPAM®. With KeeperPAM, organizations can achieve complete visibility, security, control and reporting across every privileged user, on every device. 

To see how KeeperPAM can help your organization mitigate the risk of insider threats, request a demo today.