Insider Threat Within Government

Whether it's an Edward Snowden situation or "simply" just someone clicking on a rogue link, insider threat is a real issue for every organization. Insider threat is defined as a malicious threat to the security of an organization and its data that comes from people within the organization, such as employees, former employees, contractors or business associates. These people have some level of legitimate access to systems and information and therefore can open an organization up to attack or a breach. One statistic estimates there is one insider threat for every 6,000 to 8,000 employees within a government agency.[Tweet "Agencies need a combination of monitoring and detection technologies. #GovEventsBlog"]

To mitigate this threat, government agencies need a combination of monitoring and detection technologies, identity management tools, process and policy reviews, forensic capabilities, and user training.  It's a complex problem to "solve" but luckily there are a number of events and resources available to help make sense of all of the issues.

We've pulled together a list of several upcoming events to help in understanding and mitigating insider threats to any agency or organization.[Tweet "Upcoming events covering insider threats to any agency or organization. #GovEventsBlog"]

• 2018 Joint Annual NDIA/AIA Industrial Security Committee Spring Conference (April 30-May 1; Scottsdale, AZ) -- This bi-annual conference addresses major government security topics including continuing security clearance reforms and implementation, newly mandated insider threat guidance, and transitioning cyber security requirements and policy. Diverse perspectives are shared through moderated expert panels and keynote speakers.
• connectID 2018 (April 30-May 2; Washington, DC) - Billed as "THE Identity Technology Event," this conference brings together over 1,400 identity professionals to share cutting-edge revelations, future insights, case histories and panel discussions. The event, organized by Science Media Partners and the International Biometrics + Identity Association (IBIA), also includes an expo featuring hands on demos of the latest identity technologies.
• GovEdge 2018: Cyber Exposure for the Modern Era (May 3; Washington, DC) -- Cyber Exposure is an emerging discipline for managing and measuring every aspect of a modern computing environment to accurately understand and reduce cyber risk. This event is an opportunity to join a conversation about approaches to understanding Cyber Exposure and how it will enable today's digital transformation agenda.
• Cyber Security Summit: Dallas (May 15; Dallas, TX) - This summit is for senior-level executives responsible for protecting critical infrastructure. It is focused on educating attendees on how to best protect highly vulnerable business applications and critical infrastructure.
• 5th Annual Cyber Threat Intelligence Forum (May 31; Washington, DC) - With intelligence and security experts providing an up-to-date overview of the threat landscape, attendees will learn how to use threat intelligence to focus security programs on the threats that impact their organization.
• Securing Federal Identity 2018 (June 5-6; Washington, DC) - This event will feature an in-depth view of the future of federal government policies and technology developments for securing federal identity and access control of facilities and network systems.

Let us know where you're learning about insider threat prevention. Add your thoughts and events in the comments.