R09 — Insider Threat

Q: How do security teams mitigate Insider Threat?

In CISO Game, Insider Threat is reduced by Detection (35%), Identity (25%), Awareness (20%) subscores. Real-world programs use the same control families, with category investments such as Open-Source SIEM (self-hosted), Commercial SIEM (mid-market), Enterprise SIEM (heavy/full-featured).

Q: Why does Insider Threat matter to a CISO?

Severity 8 (Major). Insider threat is the risk most CISOs are least comfortable discussing publicly. Real-world incidents range from the malicious (Edward Snowden, Tesla insider IP theft) to the negligent (sharing customer data with personal AI tools, mass-downloading client lists before resignation). Tooling helps (UEBA, DLP, PAM session recording) but the program-design lever — offboarding rigor, just-in-time access, separation of duties — is where the leverage lives.

Stress-test Insider Threat in the Post-incident recovery scenario You took the job because the previous CISO was fired after a breach.

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R09 Insider Severity 8 · Major Residual offset +20

Always somewhat exposed — you can't fully mitigate the human factor.

What is Insider Threat?

Always somewhat exposed — you can't fully mitigate the human factor. CISO Game tracks this as R09 in the live risk register, severity 8 (Major), category Insider.

How does CISO Game model Insider Threat?

Exposure for R09 runs from 0 to 100, recomputed live as you buy, cancel, or reassign products. How the exposure model works →

Real-world parallel

Insider threat is the risk most CISOs are least comfortable discussing publicly. Real-world incidents range from the malicious (Edward Snowden, Tesla insider IP theft) to the negligent (sharing customer data with personal AI tools, mass-downloading client lists before resignation). Tooling helps (UEBA, DLP, PAM session recording) but the program-design lever — offboarding rigor, just-in-time access, separation of duties — is where the leverage lives.

How do security teams mitigate Insider Threat?

The dominant subscore levers for this risk are:

Detection subscore — weight 35%
Identity subscore — weight 25%
Awareness subscore — weight 20%

Residual offset: +20 exposure points are structural — no product fully removes them. Real-world parallels: zero-day windows, vendor monoculture, regulator unpredictability.

Which investments mitigate Insider Threat?

Products in CISO Game that reduce exposure to R09:

Which related risks should you also watch?

Risks with similar dominant subscores or shared category — addressing one often helps the others:

Why does Insider Threat matter to a CISO?

Insider risk is uncomfortable but persistent — every employee with access can be the threat. Insider Threat is mitigated by both technical controls (DLP, behavioral analytics) and program design (offboarding rigor, morale).

How can you test your mitigation strategy?

Click Play CISO Game free to see R09 appear live in your risk register and watch each purchase move the exposure number in real time. No signup required.

Stress-test Insider Threat in the Post-incident recovery scenario →