Protecting Against Insider Attacks

This paper will discuss the key factors in helping to enhance security to protect a company from internal attacks. Most companies focus their resources and defensive strategies on protecting the perimeter from outsider attacks but often the greatest damage can be done by someone already inside these defenses. System administrators can be a company's most trusted ally or their worst nightmare depending on their motivation or personal interest. It is imperative that companies implement internal controls to monitor, detect, and prevent access to sensitive resources to only those individuals that require it to perform their specific job function. The goal of this paper will be to identify high risk areas commonly neglected and to provide some best practice tips to enhance internal security controls.