- Insider threats now represent more than half of cases, 57%
- Employee devices and credentials are among the most attacked
- Companies should recognize this and restrict access for a quick fix.
New data from Orange Cyberdefense has suggested that the biggest risks businesses now face could come from within, with insider threats rising from 47% to 57% in less than a year.
For the first time, internal threats have become more common than external ones, with hacking remaining fairly stable at 31% of attacks compared to employee misuse, which increased from 29% to 45%.
However, while it is employees who may be creating the greatest risk internally, companies could be doing more to protect themselves in much more than just the basic cybersecurity sense.
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Internal risks are now the biggest threat facing organizations
The report attributes some risks to the rise of shadow IT, something we’ve heard a lot about lately as companies struggle to apply AI correctly in their organizations. Frustrated workers often turn to unapproved tools, and often enter sensitive company information into public applications.
There’s also the fact that hackers themselves are more frequently targeting people inside the company, exploiting the everyday behavior of employees rather than having to rely on more sophisticated and elaborate external attacks.
“While not inherently malicious, employee misuse of policies can be just as damaging as a sophisticated breach, especially as attackers are increasingly turning policy solutions into external entry points,” explained senior security researcher Carl Morris.
Endpoints continue to be one of the main targets: workers’ devices are involved in more than half (53%) of incidents. And although they represent a smaller percentage overall, identity attacks also increased from 10% to 17% in about a year.
Looking ahead, Orange Cyberdefense urges companies to recognize that many risks now come from within an organization. Tightening access controls and privileges can completely reduce the attack surface, while simple multi-factor authentication can also serve to prevent attackers from gaining access.
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