Security Insider Threats Flashcards

Study Notes

Chelsea Manning

Leaked approximately 500,000 army reports and 250,000 US diplomatic cables.
Stored classified documents on a CD, copied them to a MacBook, and transmitted to Wikileaks.

Edward Snowden

Former NSA contractor who disclosed secret agency documents to the media.
As of November 2013, The Guardian reported having published only 1% of the leaked information.

XKeyscore

Tool enabling the NSA to read anyone's email if the email address was known.
NSA asserts that unchecked access to this tool does not exist.

Insider Threat Study [Moore07]

Analyzed 150 insider cyber crimes, focusing on detailed modeling of 30 cases.
Seven key observations for insider IT sabotage include:
- Personal predisposition
- Unmet expectations
- Stressful events
- Behavioral precursors
- Technical precursors
- Unknown access paths
- Lack of controls

Personal Predisposition

Insiders often had existing characteristics tied to a tendency for malicious behavior.

Unmet Expectations

Disgruntlement stemming from unmet work-related expectations often led to IT sabotage.

Stressful Events

High-stress situations increased the likelihood of insider IT sabotage occurring.

Behavioral Precursors

Actions or conditions observable before malicious insider activities serve as indicators of potential threats.

Technical Precursors

Organizations frequently overlook individual actions or conditions involving technology related to insider threats, such as password sharing or persistent system access.

Unknown Access Paths

Insiders may exploit hidden access paths to unauthorized systems, like creating backdoors.

Lack of Controls

Insufficient physical and electronic controls can enable IT sabotage activities.

Business Dynamics Notations

Visual representation of the seven observations: solid arrows indicate positive influence, while dashed arrows indicate negative influence.
Balancing loops drive organizational variables toward stability, while reinforcing loops lead to consistent upward or downward trends.

How to Address Insider Threats

Mitigation strategies include setting clear expectations, proactive handling of disgruntlement, targeted monitoring, closing unknown access paths, and implementing measures upon employee demotion or termination.

Description

Explore key figures in security insider threats with these flashcards. Learn about notable cases such as Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden, who revealed critical information about classified documents to the public. This quiz is perfect for those interested in cybersecurity and intelligence.