601-401-2404

Summary

Keep an eye out this month for events related to mitigating insider threats through the month of September from NCSC and NITTF. We advise organizations to consider their security programs are just about firewalls and antivirus. There are many threats inside an organization that need to be mitigated. Proper planning and implementation of a security program based on  industry accepted best practices goes a long way towards addressing this risk.

The National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) and the National Insider Threat Task Force (NITTF) are today partnering with U.S. government agencies and private sector entities to kick off “National Insider Threat Awareness Month” during September 2020. 

NCSC, NITTF, the Office of the Under Secretary for Defense for Intelligence and Security, the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and will be holding Insider Threat events during September. The goal is to educate federal and industry employees about the risks posed by insider threats and encourage employees to recognize and report anomalous activities so early intervention can occur, leading to positive outcomes for at-risk individuals and reduced risks to organizations. 

All organizations are vulnerable to insider threats from employees who may use their authorized access to facilities, personnel or information to harm their organizations — intentionally or unintentionally. The harm can range from negligence, such as failing to secure data or clicking on a phishing link, to malicious activities like intellectual property theft, sabotage, espionage, unauthorized disclosure of classified information or even violence. 

“Most insider threats display concerning behaviors before engaging in negative events. Our objective is to help government and corporate organizations get ahead of the problem by bolstering their insider threat programs so they can detect, engage and assist at-risk employees before they go down the wrong path,” said NCSC Director William Evanina. “COVID-19 has posed new challenges — with employees subject to new stresses and more of them working from home — and we’ve been working with partners to enhance their employee engagement.” 

The theme for this year’s National Insider Threat Awareness Month (NITAM) is resilience. Effective Insider Threat programs promote personal and organizational resilience to mitigate risks. These programs provide positive interventions when employees are struggling, offering them help before they potentially become insider threats. Insider Threat resources are available at the NITTF website or DCSA’s NITAM website. 

A sample of recent arrests and prosecutions underscores the risks posed by insider threats to government agencies, businesses, research facilities and universities.

Pursuant to a 2011 Executive Order, all federal agencies with access to classified information are required to have their own Insider Threat detection and prevention programs. The Executive Order also directed the creation of the NITTF under the leadership of the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence. NITTF is co-directed by the FBI and NCSC, and is currently directed by a career FBI official. 

Since its inception, the NITTF has been working to assist federal agencies build programs at their agencies that deter, detect and mitigate Insider Threats, taking into account the distinct needs, missions and systems of each individual agency. NITTF has also expanded its outreach to entities beyond federal agencies to help raise awareness of insider threats and best practices for mitigation. NITTF assistance has included:

It is important to note that Insider Threat programs across the U.S. government target anomalous activities, not individuals. Each agencies’ Insider Threat program is coordinated with their respective legal counsel, civil liberties, and privacy officials to guarantee civil liberties, privacy, and whistleblower protections.

 

Leave a Reply