In terms of malicious insiders committing fraud, can anything "really" be done?
There is a popular quote from the 2003 version of the film The Italian Job that comes to mind when I read this question. "I trust everyone. It's the devil inside them I don't trust." The threat from insiders, being fraudsters or otherwise, has always been there - certainly before security companies started talking about them. What has changed, and this is in direct response to the question, is that - yes, there are things that can be done, many in fact.
First, let's look at the advantages insiders have: Trust and access. Consider a college intern, Sam, working for a large financial organization. Sam's job requires him to enter payees into the corporate database, and to do this job he his granted access to the database. Sam eventually realizes that his access doesn't just allow him to create payees, but also pay those payees because of flawed access controls, lack of segregation of duties, poor policies, etc. Sam begins generating false payees associated with a PO Box he set up, and then has checks sent to that PO Box.
This is pretty low tech - not likely to make its way into the newest James Bond film. But Sam's activities are also representative of how many fraudulent, insider incidents are perpetrated using activity that stays below the radar of most security controls. What is needed to address this are solutions designed to do just that - detect suspicious activity carefully concealed as legitimate, normal, and otherwise boring.
Detecting fraudulent, insider activity requires a combination of network and data security. While firewalls, routers, VPNs, and IPS solutions provide tremendous value they are just the peanut butter. Similarly, while applications, database activity monitoring (DAM) solutions, and identity solutions provide valuable insight, they are only the chocolate. However, by putting network and data security solutions together under one monitoring umbrella with SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) you have a delicious treat, and a comprehensive approach to mitigating fraudulent, insider activity.
Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. Simplify, Integrate and Safeguard Your Business with Secure Web Business Enablement
Still Sneaking In: The Threats Your Security Tools Aren't Telling You About
Simplify, Integrate and Secure: Providing Secure Access to Server-based Information and Resources Across Platforms
Everything you need to know about email and web security (but were afraid to ask)
Refresh your AUP: Top tips to ensure your acceptable use policy is fit for purpose
BT saves more than £15 million and improves customer services with comprehensive Identity & Access Management
Radicati Market Quadrant 2008 on Corporate Web Security
Data grids and service-oriented architecture
Zones provide focussed content from Computerworld and leading technology partners.
Security Management
Protect your critical IT assets, achieve sustainable regulatory compliance, reduce IT administration costs and enable new business opportunities with our IT security solutions.
IT Security as a business enabler?
Download Whitepaper
|
Success Stories
Australian Unity minimises costs and maximises productivity with single sign-on for 1,400 users
Australian Unity needed to address its business and security risks including user management and application security management. The company chose an enterprise single sign-on (ESSO) solution and discovered increased employee productivity, reduced help desk costs and elevated data protection.
Download the full Success Story
BT saves more than £15 million and improves customer services with comprehensive Identity & Access Management
To enable future growth and ensure its services remain competitive, BT needed to build closer relationships with its customers and suppliers. Discover how the company is now performing over 36 million transactions a day with their improved Identity & Access Management Solution.
Download the full Success Story
Identity & Access Management
Simplify and Secure: Managing User Identities Throughout their Lifecycles
Organisations are constantly challenged to keep pace with ongoing changes to users and their roles, responsibilities and requirements. Discover how CA can help you create a unified approach for managing users identities, providing them with timely and appropriate access to applications and information.
Download Whitepaper
Simplify, Integrate and Safeguard Your Business with Secure Web Business Enablement
Modern organisations are required to aggressively expand the number and type of Web applications and services provided to customers, partners and employees. Discover how to automate, delegate and centralise your key processes and services including user administration, access policies, auditing and compliance by reading on.
Download Whitepaper
Simplify, Integrate and Secure: Providing Secure Access to Server-based Information and Resources Across Platforms
Distributed servers are a powerful asset in any company’s infrastructure. Over time, most organisations have acquired a variety of different platforms and are relying on them to house an increased amount of critical applications, processes and data. Read on to discover how you can achieve a consistently higher level of server access security across multiple platforms including virtual hosts and guest operating systems.
Download Whitepaper
Buying Guides
Buying Guides
