The Hidden Threat Inside Your Business: How to Stop Insider Information Theft Before It Happens

When people think of cyber threats, they often imagine hackers breaching firewalls or phishing attacks attempting to steal credentials. While those are real dangers, many businesses overlook one of the most dangerous threats: the insider with legitimate credentials who decides to steal confidential information. Think of individuals like Edward Snowden—people with authorized access to sensitive data who, for various reasons, choose to misuse their access.

It’s not just high-profile whistleblowers we need to worry about. Any business, regardless of industry or size, could be at risk of insider theft or an external attacker who manages to phish the credentials of a legitimate user. These attackers can go undetected, blending into the normal activities of day-to-day operations, while exfiltrating your most sensitive information.

The Reality: Trust Can Be Exploited

Organizations naturally place trust in their employees, especially those who have been with the company for years or who hold positions of authority. But the truth is, trust can be easily exploited. You never really know who will turn, when they might act, why they might do it, what information they’ll target, or how they’ll pull it off. And unfortunately, most businesses don’t have the tools or processes in place to detect this kind of betrayal—until it’s too late.

The Cost: Staggering

According to IBM's 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report, insider attacks are among the most expensive breaches, with an average impact of $4.99 million. The average cost of an internal breach in 2024 was the highest ever recorded in IBM's annual report. This was driven by a rise in the cost of lost business, which includes lost customers, downtime, post-breach cost, and regulatory fines. In addition, the average cost per record for intellectual property (IP) theft increased to $173, a notable increase from the previous year.

Guardian: Protecting Against the Unseen Threats

This is where Guardian comes in. Our solution is designed to monitor end-user behavior, not just to track routine activities but to identify when something unusual is happening—whether that’s a user downloading an excessive number of documents or accessing sensitive files at odd hours.

When Guardian detects suspicious behavior, it automatically sends notifications to alert security personnel or management, ensuring the activity can be reviewed immediately. In more serious cases, Guardian can even disable a user’s account until further investigation is completed.

By proactively monitoring user behavior, Guardian prevents internal threats from turning into business crises. In today’s world, trusting your team is essential—but verifying that trust is even more important.

If you’d like to learn more about how Guardian can protect your business from insider threats and credential-based attacks, feel free to reach out.