While major breaches where millions of records are compromised tend to dominate the news, a much more dangerous and insidious threat goes largely unnoticed — that of the insider. An “accidental insider” is a well-meaning employee who is tricked by adversaries or competitors into revealing passwords or unintentionally installing malicious code onto organizational networks. Alternately, a malicious insider steals data for personal or financial gain with intent to harm the employer.
The Most Common Ways You Could Get Tricked into Compromising Company Data
One of the most common ways that hackers access sensitive company data is via an “accidental insider.” In this piece, the author describes three of the most common ways that well-meaning employees are tricked into becoming accomplices to cyberattacks. The first common way that employees get tricked is via phishing e-mails that seem like legitimate e-mails from colleagues. The second is the Trojan: a hidden bit of malicious code in an email attachment or link. And the third common way hackers gain access to company data is via employees’ personal devices. While there’s no way to completely eliminate the threat of these cyber adversaries, understanding their methods and instilling vigilance in your team is the best way to prevent an accidental insider from hurting your company.