Managing the Insider Threat

CHAPTER 1

The Problem and Limits of Accepted Wisdom

The greatest obstacle to discovering the shape of the earth, the continents and the ocean was not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge.

Daniel J. Boorstin

INTRODUCTION

A frontal attack can be countered through force or maneuver, but a hostile insider attack may do its worst before activating a single defense. All a malicious insider needs to carry out an attack are access to a worthy target, an open door, and a dark corner from which to study and strike. Frontal attacks can be anticipated or met with traditional fortifications whose effectiveness is limited only by resources and imagination. However, attackers operating from within can carry out attacks that are fatal to an organization ...