As an executive or otherwise high-profile individual, there are many unknown threats (especially these days) to be worried about lurking outside of your organization’s security perimeter. However, it’s important not to discount the threats that can come from people who already have legitimate access to your workplace, home, events, or daily routines.
Insider threats create serious safety and security concerns and can easily blindside you and your security team if they aren’t prepared. Understanding your exposure is the first step toward protecting yourself, your employees, and your organization.
What are insider threats?
An insider threat is a person with legitimate access to your organization or physical environment who intentionally or unintentionally creates a security risk. They are often employees, but contractors, vendors, temporary workers, and other trusted individuals can also pose insider risks.
What makes someone an insider threat is not necessarily malicious intent, but the access they already have. Depending on how that access is misused or mishandled, insider threats generally fall into two categories: malicious and accidental.
Malicious insider threats involve deliberate actions. Someone may intentionally provide unauthorized access to a restricted area, steal physical property, disclose sensitive information in person, assist an unauthorized individual, or deliberately create a dangerous situation.
Accidental insider threats occur when someone creates a security risk without intending to cause harm. For example, an employee could unknowingly enable piggybacking, leave a restricted area unsecured, or carelessly lose or share security credentials.
Are you at risk of insider threats?
You can’t make your organization immune to insider risk, but you can identify and address circumstances that may increase your exposure.
If any of these situations sound familiar, you may be at increased risk of insider threats:
- There are no access controls at your location beyond the entrances
- There are gaps and “dead zones” in your internal surveillance
- Employees are overly complacent and do not strictly follow security procedures
- You rely on trust or the honor system instead of security systems
- You have no formal policy for guests entering restricted areas
- You have no formal insider threat prevention policy
- A large number of customers, partners, contractors, or other third parties regularly access your location
If any of these apply to you, now is the time to improve your security posture, not after the threat has infiltrated your organization. However, it is possible you are already at risk.
Warning signs that you are already under an insider threat include:
- Unexplained attempts to enter restricted areas
- Unusual interest in executive schedules or movements
- Repeated violations of physical security procedures
- Unauthorized visitors or unexplained access
- Attempts to bypass established visitor procedures
- Significant behavioral changes that raise legitimate workplace safety concerns
These signs should not be ignored, but they do not automatically mean someone represents a threat. Avoid making assumptions based on personality, appearance, or rumors, as this can tarnish your reputation and waste valuable time and resources as your team jumps at shadows.
How to protect yourself and your organization from insider threats
Technology can minimize your risk of insider threats, but there’s no substitute for a strong security policy enforced by experienced protection services providers.
Take stock of potential threats
Start by having your security provider examine who has physical access to the places you need to protect. This includes visitors, customers, partners, contractors, and other employees in your workforce.
Don’t rely on trust
Familiarity can create blind spots. Someone who has worked around your organization for years may receive less scrutiny than a new visitor, but their potential to become a threat is the same, if not higher.
Enforce physical access controls
Give people access based on their job responsibilities, and regularly review your access controls as well as the list of people granted credentials.
Establish clear procedures for outside and departing individuals
Make sure your staff knows when they should challenge an unfamiliar person or contact security. You should also have a defined process for immediately recovering keys, access cards, credentials, and other physical means of entry when someone’s employment or assignment ends.
Conduct regular training
Your employees should understand that physical security is everyone’s responsibility. Regular training delivered by security professionals can help them recognize suspicious behavior without encouraging unnecessary confrontation or profiling.
Enlist high-level security services
Working with an experienced security services provider like Aspis Protection Services gives you access to specialized expertise that may not exist within your organization. Our veteran team can assess your facilities and routines, identify physical vulnerabilities, develop customized security procedures, and provide trained personnel when additional protection is needed.
Contact us today to start building strong protections against insider threats.