Insider hacking is serious business

Disgruntled staff members abusing technology or network resources is a serious concern for businesses, but it's one of the most difficult to resolve. There are four reasons staff may act maliciously: ego, financial motivation, ideology and compromise, such as being a victim of blackmail. Technology exacerbates the problem, because tools like iPods and flash drives make malicious acts so much easier. It's difficult to thwart these inside hackers because they often look and act like other staff members. In fact, their actions often make them look like ambitious employees. Start by making sure you have effective grievance procedures. Pay close attention to staff once they have given notice of resignation; ensure all access and permissions are revoked on their last day and consider what access they should have during their final days on the job. But monitoring too heavily can have a negative impact; staff who feel that they are being treated like criminals may choose to behave like criminals.

Learn more about insider attacks:
- read the article at Silicon

ALSO:
- read this on avoiding insider attacks
- and this on the security enemy within