Insider threats are on the rise. According to the 2020 Ponemon
Cost of Insider Threats Global Report which uncovered a 47%
increase in insider-caused cybersecurity incidents since
2018. These incidents are costly, both in terms of reputation and
finances – the average annual cost for insider threats is now
$11.45 million, also according to Ponemon.

So, what is an insider threat? An insider threat occurs when someone with authorised
access to critical information or systems misuses that access – either purposefully or
accidentally – resulting in data loss, legal liability, financial consequences, reputational
damage, and more.

Even though insider threat incidents are becoming increasingly prevalent, and valuable
information and intellectual property are at stake, many organisations don’t understand
the causes of these threats, or how to detect and prevent them.

This eBook is intended to provide an introduction to insider threats,
and why organisations need to take a people – centric approach to insider threat
management (ITM) to protect their valuable information and intellectual property
from the risk of insider threats.