{"id":14187,"date":"2021-06-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-23T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syteca.com\/blog\/en-blog-portrait-malicious-insiders\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T11:35:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T18:35:22","slug":"portrait-malicious-insiders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syteca.com\/en\/blog\/portrait-malicious-insiders","title":{"rendered":"Malicious Insiders: Types, Characteristics, and Indicators"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>While organizations are spending a good deal of money protecting their data against unauthorized access from the outside, malicious insiders may pose no less harm. According to the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.verizon.com\/business\/resources\/reports\/2024-dbir-data-breach-investigations-report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Verizon 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report<\/a>\u201d, 35% of all data breaches experienced by large organizations in 2023 were caused by internal actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Organizations that become victims of malicious insider threats face many negative consequences: from loss of confidential data, revenue, and clients to reputational harm or even going out of business. Let\u2019s look closer at how your organization can detect malicious insiders before they cause harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2  class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is a malicious insider?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERT) Insider Threat Center <a href=\"https:\/\/insights.sei.cmu.edu\/blog\/cert-definition-of-insider-threat-updated\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">defines a <strong>malicious insider<\/strong><\/a> as one of an organization\u2019s current or former employees, contractors, or business partners who intentionally exceed or misuse their authorized access in a manner that negatively affects the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the organization&#8217;s information or information systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Malicious insiders are harder to detect than outside attackers, as they have legitimate access to an organization\u2019s data and spend most of their time performing regular work duties. Thus, detecting malicious insider attacks takes a lot of time and effort. The 2025 Cost of Insider Risks Global Report by the Ponemon Institute states that it takes an average of 81 days to detect and contain an insider-related security incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2  class=\"wp-block-heading\">Types of malicious activity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the <a href=\"https:\/\/insights.sei.cmu.edu\/library\/common-sense-guide-to-mitigating-insider-threats-seventh-edition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Common Sense Guide to Mitigating Insider Threats<\/a>, CERT classifies the activities of malicious insiders as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t<div  class=\"block-1cf78f19-512c-4944-a800-38e52d1d4a20 areoi-element container template-1 px-0\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t<div  class=\"block-839cadeb-ee6e-4c55-abc0-d23c71a62575 areoi-element p-3 table-head\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"areoi-background  \">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"container-fluid\" style=\"padding: 0;\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row justify-content-start\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col \">\n\t\t\t            <div class=\"areoi-background__color\" \n\t                        \tstyle=\"background: rgba(26, 59, 78,1)\">\n\t                        <\/div>\n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\t    \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t<\/div>\n\t    <\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center p-poppins mb-0 has-text-color\" style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:1.25rem;font-style:normal;font-weight:600\">Types of malicious insider activity<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t<div  class=\"block-ad50dd84-d6c2-4e8a-8186-ec7fadc6f80f areoi-element container\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t<div  class=\"block-5ddb4ab0-cc83-40b6-863f-a9857000a57d row areoi-element row-cols-1 row-cols-md-4\">\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t<div  class=\"block-827b4d90-706b-4090-a343-7ed959e9ddbf col areoi-element\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"areoi-background  d-none d-sm-none d-md-block\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"container-fluid\" style=\"padding: 0;\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row justify-content-start\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col \">\n\t\t\t            <div class=\"areoi-background__color\" \n\t                        \tstyle=\"background: rgba(55, 84, 115,0.05)\">\n\t                        <\/div>\n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\t    \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t<\/div>\n\t    <\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"mb-0 p-4\" style=\"font-size:1.19rem;font-style:normal;font-weight:600\">Intellectual property theft<\/p>\n\n \n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t<div  class=\"block-af6987dc-0ef5-413e-9f98-04085ef6ca68 col areoi-element\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"areoi-background  d-md-none d-lg-none d-xl-none d-xxl-none\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"container-fluid\" style=\"padding: 0;\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row justify-content-start\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col \">\n\t\t\t            <div class=\"areoi-background__color\" \n\t                        \tstyle=\"background: rgba(55, 84, 115,0.05)\">\n\t                        <\/div>\n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\t    \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t<\/div>\n\t    <\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"mb-0 p-4\" style=\"font-size:1.19rem;font-style:normal;font-weight:600\">Sabotage<\/p>\n\n \n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t<div  class=\"block-827b4d90-706b-4090-a343-7ed959e9ddbf col areoi-element\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"areoi-background  d-none d-sm-none d-md-block\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"container-fluid\" style=\"padding: 0;\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row justify-content-start\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col \">\n\t\t\t            <div class=\"areoi-background__color\" \n\t                        \tstyle=\"background: rgba(55, 84, 115,0.05)\">\n\t                        <\/div>\n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\t    \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t<\/div>\n\t    <\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"mb-0 p-4\" style=\"font-size:1.19rem;font-style:normal;font-weight:600\">Fraud<\/p>\n\n \n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t<div  class=\"block-ba99ae81-2ad4-4d79-8326-d38f2f7f89ab col areoi-element\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"areoi-background  d-md-none d-lg-none d-xl-none d-xxl-none\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"container-fluid\" style=\"padding: 0;\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row justify-content-start\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col \">\n\t\t\t            <div class=\"areoi-background__color\" \n\t                        \tstyle=\"background: rgba(55, 84, 115,0.05)\">\n\t                        <\/div>\n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\t    \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t<\/div>\n\t    <\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"mb-0 p-4\" style=\"font-size:1.19rem;font-style:normal;font-weight:600\">Espionage<\/p>\n\n \n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\t\t\t \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/blog\/best-practices-to-prevent-intellectual-property-theft\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Intellectual property (IP)<\/strong> <strong>theft<\/strong><\/a> is the unauthorized acquisition of sensitive business information, such as trade secrets, source code, scientific research, or proprietary designs. According to CERT researchers, more than half of IP theft cases involve technical personnel \u2014 developers, researchers, engineers \u2014 whose skills and access level enable them to discreetly extract large volumes of data. Common triggers include financial need, job dissatisfaction, a desire to aid a new employer, or the belief that the stolen work belongs to them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>IT sabotage<\/strong> is an abuse of information technology to direct specific harm to an organization or individual. These attacks are also usually performed by system administrators, programmers, or other technically savvy employees who can hide their malicious actions and disable an organization&#8217;s operations. These people are typically motivated by a desire to get revenge for a negative work experience, and they generally execute their attacks during employment or shortly after termination.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/blog\/insider-fraud-prevention\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Fraud<\/strong><\/a> involves gaining unauthorized access to or modifying an organization&#8217;s data. Usually, the motivation for fraud is personal gain or data theft with the intention of identity theft or credit card fraud. These attacks are usually committed by employees in finance, accounting, or executive roles who can manipulate records, issue unauthorized payments, or access personally identifiable information (PII). In most cases, these people are motivated by greed or financial pressure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"\/en\/blog\/prevent-industrial-espionage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Industrial espionage<\/a><\/strong> is the unauthorized collection and transfer of an organization\u2019s sensitive information, such as trade secrets, customer data, or strategic plans, for the benefit of a foreign government or competing entity. Espionage is typically conducted by trusted insiders with legitimate access, such as engineers, researchers, or project leaders, and can be motivated by ideology, pressure, or profit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s important to understand that attacks by malicious insiders are rarely committed randomly, as insiders usually thoroughly plan their actions in advance or act after a triggering event. Understanding a user&#8217;s path to committing a malicious act is key to identifying potential threats from malicious insiders early and preventing damage before it occurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t<div  class=\"block-0822eeca-bad2-4e14-abc5-9fbfee199dff areoi-element pattern-request-demo-1 rounded-bg-13px d-flex flex-column align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"areoi-background  \">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"container-fluid\" style=\"padding: 0;\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row justify-content-start\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col \">\n\t\t\t            <div class=\"areoi-background__color\" \n\t                        \tstyle=\"background: rgba(71, 144, 234,0.15)\">\n\t                        <\/div>\n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\t    \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t<\/div>\n\t    <\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center p-poppins mb-2 lh-sm pt-2 has-text-color\" style=\"color:#1a3b4e;font-size:1.75rem;font-style:normal;font-weight:600\">Request access to Syteca&#8217;s online demo!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center p-poppins mb-0 has-text-color\" style=\"color:#1a3b4e;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">See how Syteca can help safeguard your organization against malicious insider threats.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<button data-bs-target=\"#hsModal-demo\" data-bs-toggle=\"modal\" \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"block-335fbb31-df56-4872-9cee-98a182d98c22 btn areoi-has-url position-relative mb-2 hsBtn-demo btn-info mt-4 btn-info\"\n\t >\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tAccess the Demo Portal \n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n<h2  class=\"wp-block-heading\">How trusted users become malicious insiders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>CISA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisa.gov\/resources-tools\/resources\/insider-threat-101-fact-sheet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Insider Threat 101 Fact Sheet<\/a> outlines six distinct stages that mark an insider\u2019s path leading up to a malicious incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Grievance and ideation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A user&#8217;s malicious intentions against your organization are often triggered by an emotional response to injustice or a personal setback. This could result from professional rejection, financial problems, social conflicts, or ideological differences. Over time, the user holds onto these negative emotions and starts to believe that causing harm to your organization is justified. If the user&#8217;s frustrations aren\u2019t addressed, they may take their first step toward committing a malicious act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Preparation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In this stage, the user moves beyond frustration and starts planning how to inflict the most damage. They may start by identifying tools, gathering information, or looking for weaknesses in your systems or workflows. Malicious actors may also begin stealing sensitive files or manipulating processes. While some individuals abandon their plans at this stage, others feel increasingly committed \u2014 especially if the root of their negative emotions remains unresolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Exploration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>What distinguishes this stage from the others is the shift from planning to testing how, when, and where they can act with the least chance of detection. Insiders may investigate system vulnerabilities and evaluate which assets of your organization are most valuable. Sometimes, they attempt to involve other employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Experimentation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At this point, the insider can begin testing parts of their plan in real-world conditions. They may attempt to access restricted areas, run scripts, or simulate hostile attacks to see how your organization\u2019s security system responds. These tests help them evaluate risks and adjust their plan accordingly. If no response follows, the insider may feel encouraged to move forward with their malicious actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Execution<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The insider carries out their plan at this stage. They use their access and knowledge of your internal systems to steal data, sabotage operations, damage infrastructure, etc. They choose the moment of attack carefully to avoid detection and cause maximum harm. If you haven&#8217;t detected any warning signs by now, you might not discover the threat until it has already caused damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Escape<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>After the incident, the malicious insider focuses on avoiding consequences. They may try to tamper with evidence or mislead investigators. Some may leave the organization right away, while others stay on so they can continue to exploit their access.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With this blueprint in mind, let&#8217;s now delve into several key behavioral and technical indicators of an employee gone rogue who may pose a malicious threat to your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t<div  class=\"block-b12cb0ac-92e1-4b8c-90fa-07a42cd00a21 areoi-element pattern-read-also rounded-bg-13px\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"areoi-background  \">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"container-fluid\" style=\"padding: 0;\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row justify-content-start\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col \">\n\t\t\t            <div class=\"areoi-background__color\" \n\t                        \tstyle=\"background: rgba(16, 206, 158,0.1)\">\n\t                        <\/div>\n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\t    \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t<\/div>\n\t    <\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"p-poppins opacity-50 has-text-color\" style=\"color:#1a3b4e;font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Learn more about<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p-poppins\" style=\"font-size:1.38rem;font-style:normal;font-weight:600\"><a href=\"\/en\/product\/user-activity-monitoring\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Monitoring User Activity with Syteca<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n<h2  class=\"wp-block-heading\">Behavioral indicators of malicious insiders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Not all employees become malicious insiders, so there\u2019s no need to cast suspicion on everyone. When hiring, pay attention to the following signs of a potentially risky insider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Background checks including official records of arrests, harassment, hacking, or security violations at former workplaces<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>History of non-compliance with corporate policies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Falsification of hiring information<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cases of unprofessional behavior<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Abusive behavior towards other employees<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Personality conflicts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Misuse of travel, time, or expenses at former workplaces<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Conflicts with former coworkers or supervisors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Behavioral indicators can also appear during employment with your organization and signal an employee\u2019s disgruntlement and potential readiness to take malicious actions. Your human resources (HR) department should pay closer attention to employees or contractors who:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Violate corporate policies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have conflicts with colleagues<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Perform poorly<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are deeply interested in projects they aren\u2019t involved in<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use sick leaves too often<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Work without vacations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In these cases, the HR department should discuss the reasons for this behavior with the employee and try to facilitate a solution. They also should inform security officers so they can conduct targeted technical monitoring of the employees in question. While there may be no signals of an ongoing attack during these periods, it\u2019s important to constantly monitor suspicious events and detect anomalies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"\/en\/resources\/white-papers\/how-to-build-an-insider-threat-program-10-step-checklist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"825\" height=\"256\" src=\"https:\/\/syteca_site_uploads.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/14063529\/How-to-Build-an-Insider-Threat-Program-10-Steps-Checklist.png\" alt=\"Download Syteca's white paper on how to build an insider threat program\" class=\"wp-image-55911\" srcset=\"https:\/\/syteca_site_uploads.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/14063529\/How-to-Build-an-Insider-Threat-Program-10-Steps-Checklist.png 825w, https:\/\/syteca_site_uploads.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/14063529\/How-to-Build-an-Insider-Threat-Program-10-Steps-Checklist-300x93.png 300w, https:\/\/syteca_site_uploads.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/14063529\/How-to-Build-an-Insider-Threat-Program-10-Steps-Checklist-768x238.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 825px) 100vw, 825px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2  class=\"wp-block-heading\">Technical indicators of malicious insiders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Technology-related indicators of a malicious <a href=\"\/en\/blog\/insider-threat-statistics-facts-and-figures\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">insider threat<\/a> in your midst include actions that involve computers or electronic media. To execute their attacks, insiders may misuse legitimate authorized access to critical corporate data or create a new path in order to access unauthorized assets and conceal their identity or actions. Let\u2019s look at some indicators of different types of malicious insider activities \u2014 IP theft, sabotage, fraud, and espionage \u2014 and examples of real-life breaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Indicators of IP theft<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In cases of IP theft, insiders try to access, steal, and share critical data with competitors or future employers, or keep it for personal use. Since insiders may have regular access to data when performing their duties, it can be quite difficult to detect data theft. However, security officers should pay attention to the following actions that may be a sign of <a href=\"\/en\/blog\/prevent-data-exfiltration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">data exfiltration<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"825\" height=\"547\" src=\"https:\/\/syteca_site_uploads.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/14073735\/1-Portrait-of-Malicious-Insiders.svg\" alt=\"Indicators of IP theft\" class=\"wp-image-55922\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/transactional\/google-sues-ex-engineer-texas-over-leaked-pixel-chip-secrets-2024-11-20\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Google sued former engineer<\/a> Harshit Roy for leaking proprietary chip designs. Roy, who had worked on hardware for Google Pixel devices, left the company and later began sharing detailed specifications of Google&#8217;s chip technology on X and LinkedIn. He even tagged Google\u2019s competitors like Apple and Qualcomm to exacerbate the damage caused by the IP disclosure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Indicators of sabotage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In cases of sabotage, insiders aim to damage an organization\u2019s systems, operations, or reputation. \u0421ertain activities may serve as early warning signs of potential sabotage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"825\" height=\"610\" src=\"https:\/\/syteca_site_uploads.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/14073750\/2-Portrait-of-Malicious-Insiders.svg\" alt=\"Indicators of sabotage\" class=\"wp-image-55929\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Sabotage can cause serious operational and reputational harm. In 2023, Tesla became the target of an incident in which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/autos-transportation\/tesla-says-two-ex-employees-behind-may-data-breach-2023-08-21\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two former employees leaked sensitive employee data<\/a> to a foreign media outlet. The breach compromised the names, addresses, phone numbers, employment histories, and Social Security numbers of over 75,000 individuals. This case illustrates how insider sabotage doesn\u2019t always involve direct system damage \u2014 it can also result in large-scale data exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Indicators of fraud<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Typically, fraud includes making changes to data files that benefit the malicious insider through some small financial reward. While these actions are hard to notice, the fraud can continue as long as the attacker wants. Insiders can also abuse their legitimate access privileges and sell data to external parties who can then carry out identity theft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"825\" height=\"459\" src=\"https:\/\/syteca_site_uploads.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/14073814\/3-Portrait-of-Malicious-Insiders.svg\" alt=\"Indicators of fraud\" class=\"wp-image-55936\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2024, Paul Steed, a Global Price Risk Manager at Mars Wrigley\u2019s Global Cocoa Enterprise, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ctinsider.com\/news\/article\/stamford-mars-candy-executive-detained-20243833.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">exploited his position to embezzle more than $28 million<\/a> from the company. He carried out a complex plan by creating fake invoices and misusing export credits, using the stolen money to buy personal items, and sending over $2 million to accounts in Argentina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t<div  class=\"block-aba5a1e9-f18a-4278-b316-4dd93cd1796d areoi-element pattern-read-also rounded-bg-13px\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"areoi-background  \">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"container-fluid\" style=\"padding: 0;\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row justify-content-start\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col \">\n\t\t\t            <div class=\"areoi-background__color\" \n\t                        \tstyle=\"background: rgba(26, 59, 78,1)\">\n\t                        <\/div>\n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\t    \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t<\/div>\n\t    <\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"p-poppins opacity-50 has-text-color\" style=\"color:#ffffff;font-style:normal;font-weight:600\">Case study<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p-poppins white-link has-text-color\" style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:1.38rem;font-style:normal;font-weight:600\"><a href=\"\/en\/resources\/case-studies\/european-bank-compliance-case-study\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">European Bank Ensures Compliance and Combats Insider Threats with Syteca<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Indicators of espionage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Insiders involved in espionage use their access to gather and leak valuable internal data to outside groups. The user actions listed below may point to potential attempts at espionage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"825\" height=\"592\" src=\"https:\/\/syteca_site_uploads.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/14073833\/4-Portrait-of-Malicious-Insiders.svg\" alt=\"Indicators of espionage\" class=\"wp-image-55943\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2025, Keith O\u2019Brien, a former employee at HR tech company Rippling, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/technology\/former-rippling-employee-admits-spying-rival-firm-deel-2025-04-02\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">used his access to spy for a competitor company<\/a>, Deel. He was secretly recruited by Deel\u2019s CEO and paid \u20ac5,000 (~$5,500) a month in cryptocurrency to steal confidential information. O\u2019Brien was pulling information from services like Slack, Salesforce, and Google Drive \u2014 mainly about payroll plans and customer details \u2014 until he was discovered by Rippling\u2019s security team.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fortunately, with the help of dedicated tools for employee activity monitoring and <a href=\"\/en\/blog\/insider-threat-techniques\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">insider threat detection<\/a>, security operators and system administrators can spot the early signs of malicious activity before irreversible damage occurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2  class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prevent malicious insider activity with Syteca<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Syteca<\/a> is a cybersecurity platform that secures organizations against insider threats. Syteca ensures robust protection of internal systems and assets by enabling you to control access permissions, get real-time visibility into user actions, and swiftly detect and respond to suspicious activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"825\" height=\"292\" src=\"https:\/\/syteca_site_uploads.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/14073849\/5-Portrait-of-Malicious-Insiders.svg\" alt=\"Syteca's capabilities that can help you prevent malicious insider activity\" class=\"wp-image-55950\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Syteca limits insider threat exposure by granularly controlling who can access sensitive systems and data and under what circumstances. With Syteca, you can enforce the principles of <a href=\"\/en\/blog\/the-principle-of-least-privilege\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">least privilege<\/a>, <a href=\"\/en\/blog\/just-in-time-approach-to-privileged-access-management\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">just-in-time access<\/a>, and <a href=\"\/en\/blog\/zero-trust-implementation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">zero trust security<\/a> to make it much harder for malicious insiders to misuse access permissions or escalate their level of access. Syteca <a href=\"\/en\/product\/privileged-access-management\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Privileged Access Management<\/a> (PAM) enables you to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Regularly <a href=\"\/en\/product\/privileged-account-discovery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">identify unmanaged privileged accounts<\/a> in your IT environment<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Verify user identities with <a href=\"\/en\/two-factor-authentication-tool\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two-factor authentication<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Control endpoint access with one-time passwords<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Establish access request and approval workflows<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/solutions\/privileged-user-monitoring\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Record privileged user sessions<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/product\/workforce-password-management\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Secure corporate account credentials<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Syteca <a href=\"\/en\/product\/user-activity-monitoring\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">User Activity Monitoring<\/a> (UAM) helps you oversee all activity inside your infrastructure and look for unusual events while <a href=\"\/en\/user-privacy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">respecting user privacy<\/a>. By continuously monitoring user activity across endpoints, Syteca allows security teams to spot the early signs of malicious insider threats. With Syteca UAM, you can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/product\/session-recording\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Record users\u2019 on-screen activity<\/a> or watch it live<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Log and search through metadata<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/product\/employee-keylogging\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Monitor users&#8217; keystrokes<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/product\/usb-blocking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Manage the use of USB devices<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Generate <a href=\"\/en\/product\/reports-and-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">user activity reports<\/a> for IT security audits<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Export user sessions for forensic investigation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When suspicious activity occurs, Syteca doesn&#8217;t just send real-time notifications to your security team \u2014 it makes it easy to take quick, effective action. <a href=\"\/en\/product\/alerts-and-notifications\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rule-based alerts and response actions<\/a> empower security teams to address incidents driven by malicious insiders before they damage your organization. Syteca lets you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use a <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.syteca.com\/view\/default-alerts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">library of preconfigured alerts <\/a>that can detect:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>deployment of hacking software<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>sharing files via cloud-based services<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>visits to FTP websites, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.syteca.com\/view\/adding-alerts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tailor custom alerts<\/a> to address your unique security needs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Automate incident response by configuring rules that can:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>display warning messages to users<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>block unauthorized USB devices<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>block malicious users<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>kill harmful processes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether deployed <a href=\"\/en\/product\/program-structure\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">on-premises<\/a>, <a href=\"\/en\/product\/saas-deployment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in the cloud<\/a>, or in hybrid environments, Syteca easily integrates with your infrastructure. The platform is designed for fast deployment and scalability, allowing you to secure your environment quickly and efficiently adapt as your organization evolves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By leveraging Syteca, you can strengthen your cybersecurity defenses and reduce security risks from malicious insiders to your organizational assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2  class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Detecting a malicious insider is a complicated task for organizations. However, with close cooperation between security teams and other departments in your organization, you can identify the early indicators of an insider attack and stop it before any damage occurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the Syteca cybersecurity platform, you can not only swiftly detect insider threats but also enhance the preventive measures your organization takes to combat malicious activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t<div  class=\"block-745b709d-a96f-4f79-b699-1b97f75d0157 areoi-element container pattern-request-demo-2 rounded-bg-13px\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"areoi-background  \">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"container-fluid\" style=\"padding: 0;\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row justify-content-start\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col \">\n\t\t\t            <div class=\"areoi-background__color\" \n\t                        \tstyle=\"background: rgba(71, 144, 235,0.15)\">\n\t                        <\/div>\n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\n\t                    \n\t    \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t\t<\/div>\n\t    \t<\/div>\n\t    <\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t<div  class=\"block-2d33673f-31bb-46fc-89cf-a8e3f1d77231 row areoi-element align-items-center row-cols-md-2\">\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t<div  class=\"block-9e962fe6-f77f-40f9-898c-abaef3f48ccb col areoi-element d-flex flex-wrap flex-column align-items-center align-items-md-start col-md-6\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left p-poppins pt-3 text-center text-md-start lh-sm has-text-color\" style=\"color:#1a3b4e;font-size:1.75rem;font-style:normal;font-weight:600\">Want to try Syteca? Request access<br>to the online demo!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left p-poppins pb-3 text-center text-md-start\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">See why clients from 70+ countries already use Syteca.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<button data-bs-target=\"#hsModal-demo\" data-bs-toggle=\"modal\" \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"block-9170fdac-8fec-4c73-a86c-338093dbf9d9 btn areoi-has-url position-relative me-lg-2  me-md-2 me-sm-2 me-lg-4 mb-3 hsBtn-demo btn-info  btn-info\"\n\t >\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tAccess the Demo Portal \n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\n \n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t<div  class=\"block-f840f051-f300-4ade-9e70-68d6c65e619d col areoi-element col-md-6 d-none d-sm-none d-md-block\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"369\" height=\"248\" src=\"https:\/\/syteca_site_uploads.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/02014220\/Group-584.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24868\" srcset=\"https:\/\/syteca_site_uploads.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/02014220\/Group-584.png 369w, https:\/\/syteca_site_uploads.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/02014220\/Group-584-300x202.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 369px) 100vw, 369px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n \n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While organizations are spending a good deal of money protecting their data against unauthorized access from the outside, malicious insiders may pose no less harm. According to the \u201cVerizon 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report\u201d, 35% of all data breaches experienced by large organizations in 2023 were caused by internal actors. Organizations that become victims of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":55957,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-security"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Is a \u2018Malicious Insider\u2019? Indicators and Examples | Syteca<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover different types of malicious insiders, the threats they pose, and indicators you can watch for to expose them in your organization.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.syteca.com\/en\/blog\/portrait-malicious-insiders\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Is a \u2018Malicious Insider\u2019? Indicators and Examples | Syteca\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover different types of malicious insiders, the threats they pose, and indicators you can watch for to expose them in your organization.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.syteca.com\/en\/blog\/portrait-malicious-insiders\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Syteca\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-06-23T07:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-03T18:35:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/syteca_site_uploads.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/14074256\/OG-Portrait-of-Malicious-Insiders.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Oleg Shomonko\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/syteca_site_uploads.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/14074259\/OG-TW-Portrait-of-Malicious-Insiders.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Oleg Shomonko\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.syteca.com\/en\/blog\/portrait-malicious-insiders#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.syteca.com\/en\/blog\/portrait-malicious-insiders\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Oleg Shomonko\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.syteca.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/719a80db7e0ee1e11433c5afd4cd4f69\"},\"headline\":\"Malicious Insiders: Types, Characteristics, and Indicators\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-23T07:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-03T18:35:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.syteca.com\/en\/blog\/portrait-malicious-insiders\"},\"wordCount\":2291,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.syteca.com\/en\/blog\/portrait-malicious-insiders#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/syteca_site_uploads.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/14074251\/banner-Portrait-of-Malicious-Insiders.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Security\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.syteca.com\/en\/blog\/portrait-malicious-insiders\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.syteca.com\/en\/blog\/portrait-malicious-insiders\",\"name\":\"What Is a \u2018Malicious Insider\u2019? 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