September marks National Insider Threat Awareness Month (NITAM), an annual campaign dedicated to shedding light on the risks posed by trusted insiders. Whether employees, contractors, partners, or collaborators, these authorized individuals have the potential to intentionally or accidentally cause significant damage through data theft, system sabotage, fraud, and more. As technology leaders on the front line of your organization's cyber defenses, it's critical to understand your role in insider threat mitigation. Use this month as an opportunity to re-evaluate controls and strengthen vulnerabilities.
Access lies at the heart of insider risk — broad privileges provide openings for abuse. Scrutinize the access rights of users across your systems and data. Are permissions overly permissive based on actual needs? Tighten controls by implementing the least privilege and separation of duties policies. Leverage tools like access management platforms to streamline provisioning and revocation. For highly sensitive resources, enforce multi-factor authentication and monitor for suspicious activity.