Guarding Against the Human Element: How Insider-Threat Trends Should Guide Cybersecurity Policy
The number of data breaches has increased every year for more than a decade. Each incident costs companies time, money and resources to repair while inflicting often-irreparable damage to their brand reputation and customer loyalty. This reality only became more apparent during the recent pandemic as threat actors capitalized on the moment’s disruption and uncertainty to wreak havoc on our digital environments.
The Frontline is your First Line Against Insider Threats
On average, hackers attack every 39 seconds, according to a recent Clark School study at the University of Maryland. Yet some of the most destructive threats that an organization faces do not come from unknown hackers; many stem from insiders — contractors, business associates, employees and former employees who, by negligence or on purpose, cause a breach or trigger a data loss event.
How CISOs Can Keep Insider Threats at Bay
While cybersecurity professionals spending much of their time focusing on mitigating external cyber attacks, the problem with insider threats is often overlooked. But insider threats are growing at an accelerated pace, according to a new study by Proofpoint, which states that 31% of global CISOs see insider threats as the perceived biggest risk to their organization in the next one year.
True Cybersecurity means Centering Policies on Employee Behavior, report says
A study from cybersecurity company Proofpoint found that 2020 was a big year for cybercriminals, who shifted their strategies to better target vulnerable remote workers. Those trends, Proofpoint concludes, are here to stay, which means the human factor in cybersecurity is more important to focus on than ever before.
Google says it Limits Employees’ Access to User Data, After Report of Employees Fired for Misuse
Google has ousted dozens of employees over misuse of internal data, but the company is insisting it carefully limits access to user data. The insider threat of employees and researchers misusing tech companies’ systems and data for their personal interests is not a challenge unique to Google, but a problem spanning other industries from home security to social media.
New Florida Corporate Espionage Act: Additional Protection for Trade Secrets?
Florida has given employers a new weapon in their trade secret protection arsenal: the Combatting Corporate Espionage in Florida Act. With the Biden Administration’s goal of curtailing non-competes and the Supreme Court’s narrow reading of a federal computer hacking law, employers are looking for additional ways to protect their sensitive business information. While seemingly targeted at foreign interference, the Corporate Espionage Act may provide additional domestic employer trade secret protections. The act was unanimously passed by the Florida Legislature in June and takes effect October 1, 2021.