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Data breaches caused by insiders can happen to a company of any size and in any industry. According to the 2019 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, 34% of data breaches in 2018 involved internal actors. These breaches are harder to detect than attacks perpetrated by outsiders because insiders act normally most of the time.
Insiders are not only present and former employees, they can also be third-party contractors and business partners, technology or service providers, and physical goods suppliers. All these people also have legitimate access to your company’s information. They also know more than outsiders about your security practices, infrastructure, and vulnerabilities.
Some employees are just careless or negligent; others may steal your information for personal gain or because they have a grudge. They can be agents of competitors, or moles who spy on your company. A third party can also compromise your data security for various reasons.