The Role of Education and Awareness in Tackling Insider Threats

Abstract

Insider threats present a major concern for organizations worldwide. As organizations need to provide employees with authority to access data to enable them to complete their daily tasks, they leave themselves open to insider attacks. This chapter looks at those who fall into the category which can be referred to as insiders and highlights the activity of outsourcing which is employed by many organizations and defines the term insider threat while pointing out what differentiates an accidental threat from a malicious threat. The discussion also considers various methods of dealing with insider threats before highlighting the role education and awareness plays in the process, the importance of tailoring awareness programs, and what the future holds for insider threats within organizations.