Insider Threats – The Hidden Risk Within Your Business

Most organisations focus their security planning on external threats such as protests, cyberattacks, or hostile reconnaissance. Yet one of the most damaging risks often comes from within: the insider threat.

An insider is anyone who has, or previously had, authorised access to people, processes, information, technology, or facilities. Their actions may be deliberate, negligent, or the result of coercion, but all have the potential to cause significant harm.

Types of Insider Activity

·       Unauthorised Disclosure of Sensitive Information

·       Process Corruption (Most Likely Fraud)

·       Aiding Third Party Access to an Organisation’s Assets

·       Sabotage (physical, electronic, or IT sabotage)

·       Physical Threat (Violence)

Physical Security Gaps

When internal access is misused and exploited, the impact can be immediate:

·       Staff propping open secure doors or sharing access cards.

·       Staff or contractors accessing areas beyond their clearance.

·       Sensitive assets left unsecured due to cultural complacency.

Without layered physical controls, a single insider action can compromise critical areas.

Governance & Assurance

Boards often underestimate the reputational and regulatory impact of insider incidents. Assurance should extend beyond IT, and include:

·       Role-based risk assessments - mapping levels of access to sensitive assets

by job function, enabling practical and proportionate controls.

·       Background checks and controlled onboarding - for staff and contractors.

·       Segregation of duties - to reduce opportunities for misuse.

·       Monitoring and auditing - of access to sensitive, assets, systems, and

physical spaces.

·       Clear accountability - for line managers responsible for high-risk roles.

Role-based assessment is particularly valuable, ensuring that protective measures match the level of risk associated with each role, without creating unnecessary barriers for day-to-day operations.

Emergency Preparedness

An insider incident may not look like a typical crisis, but it can escalate quickly. Preparedness requires:

·       Incident response plans - that explicitly include insider actions (e.g., fraud,

sabotage, information security breaches).

·       Communication protocols -  for managing sensitive investigations without

fuelling rumours or reputational damage.

·       Tabletop exercises - simulating insider scenarios, from theft of physical

assets to intentional systems outages.

When staff are trained and rehearsed, response and recovery is quicker and more effective.

Creating a Safer Culture

Culture and awareness are the first line of defence against insider risk. Building resilience means:

·       Encouraging staff to report concerns.

·       Reinforcing the importance of access procedures.

·       Maintaining a just and learning culture, addressing behaviour without blame,

and turning lessons into improvements.

Next Steps: Protect, Prepare, Perform

State2 Security Ltd helps organisations manage insider threats with a holistic approach:

• Protect – review policies, role-based risk profiles, and layered controls

• Prepare – build proportionate response plans for insider scenarios.

• Perform – run realistic exercises to build confidence and resilience.

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Book your free Security Health Check - Email: info@state2security.co.uk