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Scrape Timestamp (UTC): 2023-10-26 20:20:44.365

Source: https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/26/register_kettle_insider_threat/

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Forget the outside hacker, the bigger threat is inside by the coffee machine. After a week of incidents, Register vultures pick over the innards Kettle In this week's Kettle the topic is one that's been much in the news this week - the much-underrated insider threat issue. While there are thousands of security shops willing to sell elaborate firewalls, zero-trust barriers, and AI security systems that claims to be able to spot a wrong'un easily. But time and again the most effective thieves are already inside the building and using their corporate-issued credentials. Such was the case this week in the NSA of all places, where a rogue systems engineer, who resigned in anger, tried to sell purloined documents to a Russian agent in exchange for cryptocurrency. Brandon Vigliarolo covered the case and explains what motivated the plot and the surprisingly easy way he was discovered. News of another insider who did get away with it, it seems, came on Tuesday, as an ex-staffer at Dutch chip-making biz ASML appears to have taken a new job with Huawei, and is accused of taking secrets with him. Tobias Mann has the inside information of the case and, as Biden's sanctions bite harder, we may see more of these sorts of shenanigans. Then there's the ultimate insider - yourself. On Wednesday Jessica Hardcastle reported on an ACLU Freedom of Information lawsuit showing that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement hired security snoops to trawl through social media content to look for anti-American sentiments. She explains the complex web behind this and it's something we all had a lot to say on. You can see the full discussion below. So join us for 15 minutes of news, insight, and more than a little snark in the latest Kettle, hosted by Iain Thomson and spun to gold by producer Nicole Hemsoth. There's also an audio version available now on Apple, Amazon, Spotify and Google.

Daily Brief Summary

CYBERCRIME // The Underestimated Insider Security Threat: Recent Cases

Insider threats have proven consistently more effective than outsider hackers, despite the focus on fortifying external security measures.

Earlier this week, a rogue systems engineer who had resigned from the NSA tried to sell stolen documents to a Russian agent in exchange for cryptocurrency; he was quite easily detected.

An ex-staffer from Dutch chip-making firm ASML allegedly transferred corporate secrets when he took a new job with Huawei.

On Wednesday, a report indicated that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement had employed security investigators to sift through social media content for anti-American sentiments.

This series of insider threat incidents emphasises the necessity for stronger internal security practices to prevent misuse of corporate credentials and protect sensitive information.