Insider attacks are anti-privacy attacks carried out on an organization by an employee or contractor. They often involve data theft, manipulation, or system sabotage.
Consequences of an Insider attack
- Financial loss: An insider attack can cause significant financial loss for an organization because it can involve the theft of intellectual property or other assets.
- Reputational damage: These attacks can lead to immense damage to the reputation of the affected company.
- Legal and compliance issues: One consequence of insider attacks is that they can result in legal violations, specifically regarding data-sensitive industries. Companies may face fines, penalties, and increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies.
Insider attack examples
- Data theft by employees: In this case, the employee copies sensitive data of the company onto their private storage device, to sell to rival companies.
- Fraudulent activities: Here, the insider modifies financial data to for personal gain through fraud.
- Installation of malware: In this example, the employee intentionally or unintentionally may install malware into the company’s network, thus compromising its security.
