Three Types of Insider Threats

1. Negligent Insiders (Most Common)

Employees who make mistakes. Clicking phishing links. Sending sensitive files to the wrong person. Using weak passwords. They're not malicious—they're human.

2. Malicious Insiders

Disgruntled employees. People leaving for competitors. Those who feel wronged. They have access and motivation to cause harm.

3. Compromised Insiders

Credentials stolen through phishing or data breaches. Someone is using their account—but it's not them.

Mitigation Strategies

•       Least Privilege: Access only what's needed for the job

•       Behavior Monitoring: Detect unusual patterns before damage is done

•       Immediate Offboarding: Access revoked same-day on termination

•       Quarterly Access Reviews: Who still needs access to what?

•       Data Loss Prevention: Detect sensitive data leaving your environment

The Offboarding Problem

The average company takes 3+ days to fully revoke access for terminated employees. In those three days, a malicious insider can do significant damage.

Same-day access revocation isn't optional—it's essential.