Insider threats are responsible for some of the most devastating data breaches - learn the 3 types you need to protect against and how immutable backups can save your company when traditional security fails.
In this episode, we break down the insider threat problem using examples from Mr. Robot Season 1. We cover everything from Angela getting compromised through extortion to Tyrell potentially going rogue after getting fired. But this isn't just about a TV show - these scenarios play out in real companies every single day.
Here's what you need to know: There are three main types of insider threats. First, you've got compromised employees - people like Angela who get extorted or whose credentials get stolen. These people don't want to hurt the company, but attackers force their hand. Second, there are disgruntled employees who get fired or passed over for promotion and decide to burn everything down on their way out. And third, you have outside attackers who infiltrate your organization specifically to become insider threats - they get hired just to take you down.
The stats are shocking. According to CISA, 31% of insider threat incidents could have been prevented because someone knew about it beforehand but didn't say anything. That's insane! And 58% of the people who committed computer sabotage had communicated negative feelings beforehand.
So what can you do? We talk about three key strategies: implementing least privilege access (only give people the permissions they absolutely need), setting up monitoring systems to detect unusual behavior, and - this is the big one - having immutable backups that even your most powerful admin can't delete.
I can't tell you how many times I've seen companies get wrecked because they didn't have immutable backups. When an insider threat decides to delete everything, you need a backup they can't touch. Period.
We also discuss why the old way of doing things - where everyone had root access and the same password - was absolutely crazy. And we cover modern threats like the Shiny Hunters and Scattered Spider attacks where hackers social engineer help desk workers to gain insider access.
This episode is packed with practical advice you can implement right now to protect against insider threats. Whether you're worried about ransomware, data exfiltration, or just someone going postal and deleting everything, we've got you covered.
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While you're here, Here's some great episodes from last year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZGn5xlYTec
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHz5hGZy0nY&t=2s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov834MWoBXg&t=2s

This YouTube channel is also available as an audio podcast!
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We also have a blog that I've been running for over 20 years!
https://www.backupcentral.com

I've also written four O'Reilly books! My latest:
https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Data-Protection-Recoverability-Workloads-ebook/dp/B093TQTBC3