Assessing Current Scenario of Insider Threat in the Perspective of Recent Pandemic

Insider threat is the cybersecurity risk originating within the enterprises. It is found that a few insiders are insidious and misuse their privileged access for malicious activities. Research studies show that it keeps a rising trend and after the COVID-19 pandemic, it has increased tremendously. The challenges posed by insider attacks are detrimental to the very existence and progress of organizations invariably. It results in data breaches, production losses, financial difficulties, and damages to the reputation of organizations. Hence, conscious efforts are required to mitigate and prevent damages caused by insider threats. To frame risk control techniques, a deep awareness about the factors governing the threats and its driving forces are essential. The focus of this paper is to provide an overview about the factors governing the insider threats, such as threat vectors, threat categories, threat risk assessments, and threat impacts. This study covers the present-day status of these factors based on the reports on current insider threat statistics of many research groups. This study also assessed the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on insider threat, the new trends developed and changes in insider threat mitigation techniques.