An insider threat is a security risk posed by individuals with authorized access to an organization’s systems. This could include employees, contractors, or third-party vendors. Insider threats can be intentional or unintentional, and they can cause significant damage to an organization’s reputation, finances, and intellectual property.
How Cloud Computing Amplifies Insider Threats
- Increased Access: Cloud environments often provide broad access to sensitive data and systems. This increased accessibility can make it easier for malicious insiders to exploit vulnerabilities.
- Remote Access: Cloud-based workforces can work from anywhere, making it difficult to monitor and control access to sensitive information.
- Complex Environments: Cloud environments can be complex and dynamic, making it challenging to identify and mitigate insider threats.
Common Types of Insider Threats in the Cloud
- Malicious Insiders: These individuals intentionally misuse their access privileges to steal data, sabotage systems, or cause other harm.
- Negligent Insiders: These individuals may unintentionally expose sensitive information or compromise security through careless actions, such as clicking on phishing emails or sharing passwords.
- Compromised Insiders: These individuals may have their accounts compromised by external attackers, who can then use their access to launch further attacks.
Mitigating Insider Threats in the Cloud
To mitigate insider threats in the cloud, organizations should implement a comprehensive security strategy that includes the following:
- Strong Access Controls: Implement strong access controls, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), role-based access control (RBAC), and least privilege principles.
- Regular Security Awareness Training: Train employees on security best practices, including phishing awareness, password hygiene, and data protection.
- User Behavior Analytics (UBA): Use UBA tools to monitor user behavior and identify anomalies that may indicate malicious activity.
- Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Implement DLP solutions to prevent unauthorized data transfer and leakage.
- Regular Security Audits and Assessments: Conduct regular security audits and assessments to identify and address vulnerabilities.
- Incident Response Plan: Develop a comprehensive incident response plan to quickly and effectively respond to security incidents.
By taking these steps, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of insider threats and protect their sensitive data and systems.
Capital One Data Breach (2019):
- A former Amazon Web Services (AWS) employee exploited a misconfigured web application firewall to access sensitive data of over 100 million Capital One customers.
- This incident underscores the importance of proper configuration and monitoring of cloud environments, even by cloud service providers themselves.
Jack Teixeira Stole Classified Documents
Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, allegedly exfiltrated classified documents through the following key methods:
- Unauthorized Access: As an IT specialist with a top-secret security clearance, he had access to sensitive military intelligence systems.
- Discord Sharing: He reportedly shared classified military documents on a private Discord server with a small group of young online friends, initially sharing information about the war in Ukraine.
- Photographing Documents: Teixeira would allegedly take photos of classified intelligence documents using his phone, then upload these images to the Discord channel.
- Gradual Escalation: He started with less sensitive information and progressively shared more classified materials over time.
- Initial Discovery: The leak was discovered when the documents began circulating more widely online, leading to an FBI investigation that ultimately traced the leaks back to Teixeira.
He was arrested on April 13, 2023, and charged with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal of classified documents.
Yes, according to court documents and media reports, Jack Teixeira downloaded classified documents from secure military computer systems to which he had access through his role in the Massachusetts Air National Guard. He then transferred these documents to his personal devices, photographed them, and shared them on Discord, significantly broadening the unauthorized dissemination of sensitive intelligence materials.
Insider threat? It’s on the menu!
Michael Scheuer, broke into a proprietary menu creation and inventory system that was developed by a third-party company exclusively for Disney and is used to print menus for its restaurants, the complaint alleges. The complaint alleges he did this soon after being fired by Disney using passwords that he still had access to on several different systems. Once inside the systems, he allegedly altered menus and, in once case, broke the software for several weeks.
“The threat actor manipulated the allergen information on menus by adding information to some allergen notifications that indicated certain menu items were safe for individuals with peanut allergies, when in fact they could be deadly to those with peanut allergies,” the criminal complaint states. According to the complaint, the menus were caught by Disney after they were printed but before they were distributed to Disney restaurants. Disney’s menus have extensive “allergy friendly” sections.
The allegations aren’t limited to whimsical font vandalism, however. The federal complaint also details how Scheuer allegedly changed menu listings to say that foods with peanuts in them were safe for people with allergies, tried to log into Disney employees’ accounts, locked 14 employees out of their accounts by trying to log in with an automated script, and maintained a folder of personal information about employees and turned up at one person’s home. A lawyer representing Scheuer did not comment on the allegations.
