Tatianna Harris
August 16, 2024

Silent Saboteurs: How to Combat Insider Threats and Protect Your Business

Intellectual property theft and internal data leaks can undermine your business. Combat insider threats and safeguard your organization's sensitive files and information with SecureView.

As a leader within an organization, information – often privileged, sensitive, or even proprietary in nature – needs to be shared to do business effectively. And while permission setting, device management, and other hardware or access management options do well in certain situations at preventing unauthorized access, those options can be difficult to use and frustrating to the information sharer legitimately sharing information outside the pre-approved access. Jumping through hoops to ‘get the job done’ can lead to mismanagement of information and careless mistakes. Once information is shared, how can its journey be traced and monitored? Information can’t be un-shared once it’s been copied, downloaded, or forwarded – and therein lies the problem. How can you effectively share information without compromising security? 

We haven't overlooked DLP and DRM solutions. Data loss prevention (DLP) and data rights management (DRM) have their place within organizations and can be a part of data stewardship and helping people understand the boundaries and value of information. However, while DLP “discovers, classifies, and enforces data protection policies” and DRM allows for the secure sharing of files externally, with the ability to revoke access, that doesn’t solve the core issue of data security AFTER it’s already saved or printed. In fact, these traditional solutions often impede legitimate use cases and do not work well across organizational boundaries, causing users to avoid them.

Information sharing creates a gap with the potential for data to fall into the wrong hands, or even worse, misused by the ‘right hands’ that seek to sabotage and threaten their organization. These insider risks can be just as serious and severe as those outside. Intellectual Property (IP) theft and internal data leaks, often perpetrated by those within the company itself, pose a silent but deadly risk to operations, reputation, and business bottom line. There is a critical need for innovative security measures, and EchoMark's SecureView is your essential tool in the battle against insider threats.

The Rising Tide of Insider Threats: Setting the Scene

Imagine a trusted employee, perhaps unnoticed among the hundreds or thousands at your organization, quietly exfiltrates critical data. It's not just a scene from a corporate thriller but a reality faced by companies worldwide. Insider incidents, from IP theft to unauthorized data disclosures, can bypass traditional defenses, making them harder to detect and more damaging in the long run. According to the 2023 Cost of Insider Risks Global Report, “in 2023, the total average annual cost of an insider risk increased to $16.2 million per organization,” with non-malicious insiders accounting for 75% of incidents. 

Intellectual property, from proprietary processes and patented products to customer databases, is a prime target for disgruntled employees or opportunistic insiders. The pervasive nature of IP theft leads to consequences that stretch beyond immediate financial loss, potentially undermining competitive advantages and long-term business strategies.

Whether accidental or deliberate, data leaks can expose sensitive information, leading to legal repercussions, regulatory fines, and damaged stakeholder trust. There are countless examples of insider threats over the years, from the automotive and healthcare industries, to retail and finance giants. 

The Cost of Overlooking Security Innovations 

Ignoring the potential for insider threats can have a far-reaching impact. Without a proactive approach to deterring threats and preventing leaks and data exfiltration, organizations are left vulnerable to devastating losses and questioning leadership’s effectiveness. 

  • Erosion of Trust: The intangible cost of diminished trust—both from customers and within the workforce—is one of the most challenging to recover from. When a business’ brand is spotlighted and questioned, depending on the information shared or discovered, the downstream effects of lost trust can lead to organizational changes in processes, leadership, and overall well being of the company. 
  • Legal and Compliance Risks: Failing to protect sensitive data can lead to severe penalties under regulations like GDPR, further compounded by the financial implications of litigation and fines. If private files containing sensitive customer information, compliance regulated data, or proprietary communications are leaked, there is precedent for taking legal action.  
  • Strategic Vulnerabilities: IP theft can erode competitive edges, allowing rivals to capitalize on leaked innovations and strategies. It’s estimated that the annual cost of stolen IP is between $225 - $600 billion1. Meta’s former vice president, Dipinder Singh Khurana, allegedly stole proprietary information on Meta’s top performers and partners to bolster his own startup. 

Recognizing these vulnerabilities, SecureView offers a proactive and secure approach to mitigating insider risks.

Innovations in Insider Risk Mitigation

SecureView by EchoMark, an innovation in the murky landscape of email attachment and file sharing, is the simplest, most secure way to share. Designed with the unique challenges of insider threats in mind, SecureView offers robust solutions that go beyond the capabilities of traditional file sharing security. No more locking down internal access that causes insecure and irresponsible work-arounds to share documents. No more email attachments that can be downloaded, forwarded, or printed.

With SecureView, you get enhanced visibility and control of your data, and secure handling. Gain peace of mind with the ability to track who accesses your files, ensuring only the right eyes see sensitive information. Our unparalleled real-time insights cover any files shared internally or externally to your organization, putting control back in the hands of every sharer of information. By enforcing strict access controls and monitoring information movement, SecureView helps ensure that sensitive information remains secure from unauthorized exposure or theft, even from within. It’s a paradigm shift in information stewardship, ensuring anything you share is protected and accountable.

The Ultimate Defense Against Information Theft

Don’t wait for a breach from within to fortify your defenses. SecureView helps augment existing preventive solutions such as DLP and DRM, by adding a proactive layer of deterrence and helping promote the seamless flow of information to everyone who needs it. Discover the full capabilities of SecureView and see how it can transform your approach to internal security. Start securely sharing files for free, today!

As security leaders, the responsibility to safeguard your organization’s most valuable assets does not end at the perimeter. Internal threats require equally robust countermeasures. SecureView represents a forward-thinking solution to a modern dilemma, ensuring that your security posture is strong inside and out. Turn the tide against insider risk. Schedule your personalized demo and embrace innovation.