‘Inside Job’ Cyber Insights for 1st February from The National Cyber Skills Centre

You are more likely to be attacked from the inside by ‘one of your own’ than you are by a distant faceless cyber criminal.

 

In a far-off land, huddled behind a back of glowing computer monitors, there is a criminal gang planning its next great cyber attack. We can only imagine what their ultimate aim is but it’s safe to conclude that money will be a motivating factor.

If the headlines are to be believed then at any moment and without any warning they will strike – ninja like – and your years of hard work building your small business, or progression up the corporate ladder will be undone. But is that reality?

While it’s true that wide-ranging phishing attacks and ransomware are affecting many, there is a far greater chance that a business will suffer an attack from the inside. It’s more likely to be ‘Bob’ from down the corridor then some sophisticated code warrior who can break encryption technologies with nothing no more than a notepad and their overly developed intellect.

The ‘Cyber Insider’, or the ‘Insider Threat’ as it also gets referred to is someone who (knowingly or unknowingly) misuses legitimate access to commit a malicious act or damage their employer. The most notorious of this breed is Edward Snowden who famously copied and leaked classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013 without prior authorisation. His motivation was that of a political stance, as he wished to expose wide scale surveillance programs that were being undertaken at the time.

So, what would motivate an ‘insider’ within your business or organisation to commit a cyber crime?

 

Read the rest over at Cyber Insights, brought to you by the National Cyber Skills Centre.

Certes specialise in IT staffing for all sectors and industries. We are now working with the National Cyber Skills Centre in order to provide staffing to companies in need of cyber security. For cyber security jobs, Click here.