Never Underestimate the Insider Threat

This article in PC World underscores the existing and growing insider threat. A former employee of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has plead guilty to charges of fraudulently obtaining U.S. citizenship and accessing a U.S. government computer system to unlawfully find information about her relatives and the Islamic organization Hizballah. Hizballah is an Islamic movement founded after the Israeli military seizure of Lebanon in 1982, which resulted in the formation of Islamic resistance units committed to the liberation of the occupied territories and the ejection of Israeli forces.

Disgruntled employees and terrorists alike are potential suspects for insider abuse for the purposes of espionage, financial gain, organized crime and political destabilization. The risk of excessive damage from insider threats can be limited by enforcing the policies of least privilege and separation of duties as well as the implementation of security controls that monitor privilege escalation and abuse.