Detecting Insider Threats: Effective Techniques to Protect Your Business with Syteca

According to the 2025 Ponemon Institute Cost of Insider Risks Report, it takes an average of 81 days to detect an insider incident. Worse still, the average cost per incident exceeds $17 million. Malicious insiders, negligent staff, and hijacked accounts can all expose sensitive data, disrupt operations, or compromise trust. Softprom, together with our partner Syteca, offers a modern approach to mitigating insider risks with advanced threat detection, privileged access monitoring, and automated incident response. Let’s explore how insider threats work, the techniques attackers use, and how Syteca helps organizations detect and stop threats before damage is done.

Why Insider Threats Are So Dangerous

Insider threats come from within - employees, contractors, partners, or even former staff who retain access. These individuals may act maliciously, fall for phishing scams, or unintentionally bypass security protocols. Real-world examples underscore the risk:

• In 2024, a former Google engineer leaked proprietary Pixel chip designs, tagging competitors Apple and Qualcomm in the post. The leaked material forced Google to abandon a critical development line, damaging their competitive edge.
• The same year, a phishing attack on MedStar Health exploited employee negligence, leading to a breach of over 183,000 patient records. The attack went unnoticed for nine months. Each case involved insiders with access to critical systems, and each was preventable.

Common Insider Threat Techniques

Based on the MITRE ATT&CK framework, insider threat techniques vary in complexity and intent:

• Data exfiltration via cloud apps, USB drives, or automated scripts
• Privilege misuse, such as abusing or creating accounts (T1078, T1098)
• Use of stolen or weak credentials (T1552)
• Internal phishing and social engineering (T1534)
• Destructive actions, like data wiping (T1485) or disabling backups (T1490)

Malicious insiders often combine several of these techniques in a single attack, making detection even harder.

3 Critical Insider Threat Scenarios

1. Data Exfiltration

A user moves sensitive data to an external location — a personal email, cloud storage, or removable media. Common red flags include:

• Accessing files at unusual hours
• Uploading to non-corporate platforms
• Disabling backups or erasing audit logs

2. Privilege Misuse

Users with legitimate credentials escalate privileges or access unauthorized areas. Indicators:

• Requests for sensitive access without clear need
• Lateral movement across departments
• Configuration changes or installation of admin tools

3. Sabotage

A disgruntled insider may delete data, damage infrastructure, or leak confidential information. Look for:

• Behavioral changes, conflicts, or signs of dissatisfaction
• Configuration changes to security tools
• Data deletion or unauthorized reconfiguration

7 Best Practices for Detecting Insider Threats

To stop insider threats effectively, organizations must go beyond traditional perimeter security.

1. Monitor User Activity

Track on-screen behavior, application use, file access, and device connections — not just logins.

2. Use User Behavior Analytics (UBA/UEBA)

Leverage machine learning to flag abnormal patterns, like accessing files during off-hours or downloading too much data.

3. Review Privileges Regularly

Prevent "privilege creep" by auditing account access and eliminating orphaned or excessive permissions.

4. Integrate SIEM Systems

Combine logs, alerts, and system data into one view to detect multi-stage attacks and correlate suspicious activity.

5. Implement an Insider Threat Program

Establish a cross-functional team that includes IT, HR, and compliance to investigate, track, and prevent insider risks.

6. Educate Employees

Make staff aware of warning signs and encourage reporting suspicious behavior.

7. Proactively Hunt Threats

Go beyond passive detection — actively investigate logs, user behavior, and potential vulnerabilities before incidents occur.

How Syteca Protects Your Business

Syteca, distributed by Softprom, is an advanced insider threat detection and response platform. It combines visibility, automation, and contextual analysis to safeguard your critical assets.

Full User Session Monitoring

• Captures on-screen activity with detailed metadata
• Records applications used, websites visited, keystrokes, and commands
• Helps reconstruct incidents with forensic accuracy

AI-Powered Behavioral Analysis

• Detects unusual login times or access behavior
• Flags activity outside normal working hours
• Supports proactive alerting and investigation

Real-Time Alerts + Automated Response

• Notifies security teams of high-risk actions
• Can auto-log out users, block USBs, and kill processes instantly
• Tied to recorded sessions for fast triage and evidence collection

Privileged Access Management

• Finds unmanaged, orphaned, or excessive accounts
• Centralizes access control to reduce lateral movement
• Supports just-in-time access with admin approval

SIEM Integration & Reporting

• Feeds detailed activity logs to your SIEM
• Generates audit-ready reports with cryptographic validation
• Enables security, compliance, and HR teams to investigate and act confidently

Ready to Secure Your Organization?

Insider threats aren’t just technical — they’re human. With Syteca, you gain a powerful ally to monitor, detect, and respond to insider risks in real-time. Request a free demo from Softprom and see how Syteca can help protect your infrastructure, data, and reputation.