Understanding and Addressing the Surge in Insider Threats

Updated April 22, 2024

When we think of cyber threats, we often think of the dark web, criminal hacking gangs, and external forces breaching a network. It’s a big misconception as cybersecurity experts know some of the riskiest threats are inside your organization. And these insider threats are on the rise. It’s been reported that the frequency of insider-led incidents was up as much as 44% in 2022.

There are a variety of societal factors impacting the rise in insider attacks. Some employees are disgruntled about return-to-work policies, the labor force is changing jobs more often, we’ve seen massive layoffs in the tech industry, there is looming economic uncertainty, and cybercrime recruitment efforts are on the rise. The 2023 Insider Threat Report from Cybersecurity Insiders found that 74% of organizations say insider attacks have become more frequent and 74% of organizations also felt they are at least moderately vulnerable or worse to insider threats.

Read more about what constitutes an insider threat and some tips for minimizing your risk of an insider attack.