Best practices for preventing internal threats Establish a security policy. Implement a governance threat detection program. The best way to prevent internal threats is to implement a policy that approves and reviews all the work done and the measures taken. This can eliminate accidental or negligent internal risks, especially when critical data is being manipulated and transmitted.
These privileged people can be current employees, former employees, contractors, suppliers, or business partners, and all of them have (or have had) authorized access to an organization's network and computer systems. However, through a combination of rigorous policies and intelligently applied technologies, you can reduce the risk of internal threats and contain damage in the event of an internal attack. If your company hasn't yet implemented an internal threat prevention strategy, follow these ten steps to ensure that your business is protected inside and out. An internal threat is an employee, former employee, contractor, business partner, or other person in an organization who has access to critical IT data and systems and, therefore, could harm the company.
Ultimately, the prevention of internal threats is based on proactive policies that mitigate internal risks and reduce the likelihood of their occurrence. By defining a specific action plan in response to an internal threat, organizations can prevent the situation from turning into an internal attack. It's especially difficult to defend against internal threats because insiders naturally require a high level of trust and access to do their jobs. Companies must know how to detect potential internal threats and mitigate their risks and, ultimately, how to prevent them from happening right from the start.
One of the challenges for an IT security professional is to discern between intentionally malicious internal threats and those that are induced to become an internal threat. To learn more about preventing insider threats, read about 10 ways to avoid IT security threats from insiders. Because internal threats can cause much more harm than external ones, it's essential for your company to develop a comprehensive protection system against internal security threats.
