Insider Threat: A Guide to Understanding, Detecting, and Defending Against the Enemy from Within

CHAPTER 1: THE HIDDEN THREAT

Someone once told me that none of us are actually afraid of the dark; we’re scared of what it conceals from us. We’re afraid of having something with the potential to hurt us standing right before our eyes and not registering it as a threat. – Unknown⁶

In the past few years, we have witnessed an almost continuous flow of loss and data theft, as governments and businesses have had to admit their security and data protection weaknesses. The impact of these events on reputation and brand, as well as the legal ramifications for high profile organizations, has been broad and damaging. There is now a greater understanding that the hidden rogue insider can cause extreme harm.

The narcissistic co-worker who requires constant ...