the Virtual
Pulse
What's New We are doubling up on our spooctacular newsletter from this month forward! In addition to our print newsletters being mailed out, we have this new digital one available! The articles we have in this are different from our print newsletter so that we can maximize the information you have access to. The theme of this month's newsletter is...cyber security! What's scarier than ghosts and ghouls at Halloween? How about the real fact of cyber threats? They can attack anytime and from the inside out. These articles will give some great advice on what to look for, understanding the motives, and how to protect yourself and your business. So grab some candy, read along, and stay safe online.
October 2022 This monthly publication provided courtesy of Juan Nieves, Managing Partner of Virtual Pulsar. Our Mission: To successfully guide our customers through technology decisions that inspire collaboration, simplify workflow, protect from threats, and multiply productivity.
The Dangers Within: Understanding Insider Threats! With most companies embracing remote or hybrid workforce models in the wake of the pandemic, cybersecurity threats have grown rapidly across the world. Insider risk has become a key problem for businesses — a risk that must be investigated, well understood and dealt with from the top down. An insider threat could be anything from negligent employees who lack cybersecurity training to rogue employees who facilitate a breach for personal gain. The increased frequency of insider threats and the severity of data breaches resulting from them is a wake-up call to all organizations to take proactive steps to combat this serious security risk.
However, before taking any preventative security measures, it is necessary for you to understand where these risks come from and why. In this newsletter, we’ll discuss all aspects of insider threats including the motivations behind them, potential actors, primary targets, consequences and more.
Actors behind insider threats Anyone with access to critical information can pose a potential insider threat risk if the information is unknowingly or maliciously misused, resulting in a data breach. Businesses need to identify these actors if they want to curb insider threats effectively. Insider threat types can be classified as follows: Continued on pg.2
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October 2022
The Virtual Pulse Continued from pg.1
Negligent insiders – This may include careless executives or employees with access to privileged information. These insiders don’t have any motivation – money or otherwise. They are simply careless in their actions or may have fallen victim to a scam. In a recent incident, an IT employee deleted critical case files from a police department's cloud storage, not realizing that millions of files were not completely transferred. Malicious insiders – These are insiders who intentionally abuse their credentials for personal gain. These actors can be more effective than external attackers because they have access to privileged information and are aware of security loopholes. They may be motivated by monetary gain or may have a personal vendetta against the company. An ex-employee of a medical equipment packaging company gained administrator access to the company's computer network by hacking. He modified and wiped a huge volume of records to take revenge for his job loss.
"The most effective cybersecurity starts with an understanding of the risks and how to identify and remove them."
Contractors or vendors – Third-party vendors and contractors who have temporary access to an organization’s IT network can cause a data breach. The motivation, in this case, could also be negligence or malice. One of the Army Reserves payroll systems was once targeted by a contractor who lost his contract and activated a logic bomb to create a delay in delivering paychecks.
Free Cyber Security Audit Will Reveal Where Your Computer Network Is Exposed And How To Protect Your Company Now At no cost or obligation, our highly skilled team of IT pros will come to your office and conduct a comprehensive cyber security audit to uncover loopholes in your company’s IT security. After the audit is done, we’ll prepare a customized “Report Of Findings” that will reveal specific vulnerabilities and provide a Prioritized Action Plan for getting these security problems addressed fast. This report and action plan should be a real eye-opener for you, since almost all of the businesses we’ve done this for discover they are completely exposed to various threats in a number of areas.
To get started and claim your free assessment now, call our office at (210) 940-2807. Get More Free Tips, Tools and Services At Our Website: www.virtualpulsar.com (210) 940-2807
October 2022
The Virtual Pulse
Motivations behind malicious insider threats Malicious insiders are usually motivated by one or more of the following reasons: Money or greed – Most cases of nonnegligent insider threats are motivated by money and personal financial gain. A greedy insider with access to restricted information is most often the culprit in this case. For instance, two employees stole intellectual property on calibrating turbines from a global energy leader and used it to form a rival company. Revenge – Another common reason for insider threats is vengeance. Disgruntled employees, who believe they have been wronged by the company they once worked for, are usually behind this type of threat. When a disgruntled former employee of a tech giant deleted hundreds of virtual machines, the company suffered huge losses before it could recover. Espionage – Many large organizations across the world have been victims of economic espionage from competing firms. This is mainly done to gain a competitive advantage in the market. An extranational, state-owned enterprise infiltrated an American semiconductor firm with corporate spies to steal valuable trade secrets.
Strategic advantage – Intellectual property theft against corporations is most often a result of trying to gain a strategic advantage in the market. A renowned smartphone company became a victim of an insider attack when its blueprint for bendable screen technology was stolen by its supplier. Political or ideological – There have been many documented cases of insider threats motivated by political or ideological factors. These cases often concern national pride or revenge against another nation for the attack. There have been numerous incidents of international hacking of businesses, human rights organizations and intellectual property theft.
Dr. Geoff Smart is the chairman and founder of ghSMART, a leadership consulting firm that exists to help leaders amplify their positive impact on the world. Dr. Smart and his firm have published multiple New York Times bestsellers. He stays active in his community and has advised many government officials.
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The Virtual Pulse
SOctober 2022
Why insider threats are dangerous Insider threats can have a massive impact on your data and bottom line. They typically aim for an organization's core assets, including confidential data, product information, business strategies, corporate funds and IT infrastructure. Huge expenses are incurred because of downtime losses, lost business opportunities and more. Above all, it is frequently difficult to identify and contain these dangers.
Don’t wait to protect your business
severe, you don’t have to face this problem alone. If you are wondering how you can mitigate these threats and prevent losses, we’ve got you covered. Check out our eBook to learn key strategies for mitigating insider threats.
Encourages trust
Reach out to us today to understand different ways of building a resilient cybersecurity posture against insider threats.
Customers usually put their trust in an organization while sharing their personal information, but unfortunately, personally identifiable information (PII) gets exposed in around 80% of security breaches.2 Following regulatory standards demonstrates that the organization cares about its customers and wants to protect sensitive data.
Know These Benefits
Improves security posture
The following are the reasons why adhering to industry compliance regulations is so important from a cybersecurity perspective:
Although the consequences of insider threats may be
Regulatory compliance helps improve an organization’s overall security posture by establishing a consistent baseline of minimum security requirements.
Reduces loss
A Tech's Worst Nightmare
Data breaches are less likely to take place when security is improved. This lowers the cost of data loss, which can skyrocket when you factor in lost revenue, restoration costs, legal penalties and compensation.
Increases control
Improved security leads to increased control over the IT infrastructure. This can help prevent data loss/corruption and reduce the amount of time spent fighting cyberattacks.
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