Kaden Koskovich
With technology comes convenience. In this age of information, almost all the knowledge in the world can be accessed in an instant from our smartphones, laptops, desktops, etc. However, a large portion of the information that exists in the world today is kept in secure places. Organizations secure their data and information behind layers of firewalls, passwords, and security. Companies protect proprietary data, hospitals protect private patient information, and governments and militaries protect state secrets. The main focus of most organizations, such as these, is preventing outside threats from infriltrating their system. Unfortunately, not all threats attack from the outside, there are some threats that can be found within an organization. Information in this day and age can be quite valuable, depending on what the information is, and the price of the information may be too valuable for some to pass up. Also, if a person just so happens to work at the very company they wish to steal from, then they would have a much easier time obtaining the information. Insider threats bypass almost all the external security measures put in place to prevent theft, especially if they have access to the information to begin with. Depending on the workplace, the insider threat could have access to plethora of information via connected networks, remote systems, local servers, etc. Connected networks can act as backdoors into other systems or databases. Remote systems, such as SCADA, could be sabotaged. Local servers could be bugged or physically stolen. Insider threats are threats that already have one foot in the door. However, a common example of workplace deviance may not be so extreme. In a hospital setting, an example could merely be talking about patients with unauthorized personnel or accessing a person’s private medical profile just because you can. Modern information technologies has given everyone a great deal of convenience accessing data, no matter their intentions.