Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

The business world continues to move to a knowledge-worker-based economy. Companies derive less and less value from widgets and more from the processes, ideas, and innovations they create — their intellectual property (IP). But IP needs to be protected. IP theft is the appropriation of unique ideas, inventions, or theft of trade secrets, usually by malicious insiders.

Employee fraud is not just a rare occurrence, but a prevalent issue in the American workplace. Shockingly, three out of four employees have confessed to stealing from their workplace at least once for personal gain. The types of fraud are diverse, ranging from petty theft to complex schemes involving benefits, accounts receivable fraud, or intellectual property. The risk of employee fraud affects both small and large businesses.

Unauthorized access continues to be one of the biggest cybersecurity problems for organizations of all sizes. Its consequences can be severe, ranging from data breaches and financial losses to reputational damage and lawsuits. Therefore, it’s critical for organizations to establish a robust cybersecurity strategy and implement best practices to effectively detect and respond to unauthorized access.

Intellectual property (IP) is the intangible property belonging to a company, such as its designs, creative expressions, inventions, or trade secrets. Intellectual property theft leads to serious financial damage for a company, including decreased business growth and loss of competitive edge. Sometimes, companies aren’t even aware that their IP has been stolen, making tracking IP theft difficult. Even though it’s a federal crime, only a small percentage of all IP theft cases are reported.

Nowadays, financial organizations rely heavily on information and communication technology (ICT) to support remote operations. While ICT enhances operational efficiency and customer experience, it significantly increases cybersecurity risks in the financial sector. To mitigate cybersecurity risks related to ICT, the European Union (EU) has developed a specific regulation: the Digital Operational Resilience Act.

In today’s digital world, cyber threats are a constant concern for businesses of all sizes. According to a 2024 survey by the UK government’s Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT), 74% of large and 70% of medium businesses reported experiencing a recent cyber attack. Data breaches, malware attacks, and phishing scams can cripple operations and damage your reputation.

Some of the potential indicators of an insider threat include users viewing data unrelated to their role, requesting access to privileged accounts and resources, downloading and transferring data, using unauthorized software and hardware, and unusual login behavior. Continue reading to learn in-depth about potential insider threat indicators to be on the lookout for in your organization and how to prevent them.

Could your employees be unintentionally putting your business at risk? While companies prioritize protection against external cyber threats, the often-overlooked unintentional insider threats can lead to significant financial and reputational risks for your business. These threats can come from simple human errors, such as accidental data sharing, misconfigurations, or falling victim to phishing attacks.