Basically, insider risks refer to potential threats originating from people within an organization, including employees, former employees, or business partners who possess inside information about security procedures and data protection policies.
These risks could pose threats including, but not limited to, data theft or unauthorized release of information, which could result in significant financial losses or damages to a company’s reputation.
Microsoft Insider Risk Management
To mitigate insider risks, Microsoft provides a solution known as Insider Risk Management. This tool enables organizations to detect, assess, and mitigate risks stemming from activities within their boundaries.
The Insider Risk Management tool generates alerts based on policy violations, abnormal behavior, and other suspicious activities. These alerts serve as vital indicators for potential security threats and must be responded to promptly and correctly.
Investigating Alerts from Insider Risk Policies
When an alert is generated, the first step is to investigate. Each alert contains detailed information about the activities that triggered it and provides insights into where and how any suspicious or unusual activity occurred.
For instance, if an employee tries to download a significant amount of sensitive data, an alert is triggered. The investigation should then target the factors surrounding the event, such as: identifying the type of data that was being downloaded, establishing the size of data, identifying the device used, the location, time, etc.
Microsoft’s Insider Risk Management tool provides comprehensive information for each alert, making the investigation process more efficient.
Responding to Alerts
Once an alert has been thoroughly investigated, the next step involves determining the appropriate response. This largely depends on the gravity and nature of the threat.
The response could involve a wide range of actions, such as:
- User Education: In some cases, users might inadvertently violate policies due to lack of awareness. In such instances educating the user can rectify the situation.
- Policy Reinforcement: Where a serious violation occurs, reinforcing or strengthening the policy might be necessary.
- Disciplinary Actions: In extreme cases, disciplinary actions may be taken against the perpetrator.
- Technical Measures: This involves implementing additional security measures or upgrading existing ones.
Here is a simple comparison table between different levels of violations and possible responses:
| Level of Violation | Suggested Response |
|---|---|
| Minor violation/Inadvertent action | User Education |
| Recurring minor violations | Policy reinforcement/User education |
| Major violation | Disciplinary action/Technical measures |
| Recurring major violations | Disciplinary action/Technical measures |
In conclusion, investigating and responding to alerts generated from insider risk policies is a critical function for a Microsoft security operations analyst. It involves analyzing alerts, investigating related activities, and determining the most appropriate response to counteract the threat. Microsoft’s Insider Risk Management tool plays a fundamental role, providing crucial data to facilitate the entire process.
Practice Test
True or False: Insider risk policies are mainly designed to protect against threats originating from outside organizations.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: Insider risk policies are specifically designed to address risks coming from users within the organization.
Which of the following is NOT a common alert generated by insider risk policies?
- A) Unauthorized access attempts
- B) Usage of non-standard software
- C) Excessive download of sensitive data
- D) Weather updates
Answer: D) Weather updates.
Explanation: Weather updates are not related to insider threats or risks.
True or False: A good response to an insider risk alert would include logging the alert, analyzing the possible threats, taking appropriate defensive action, and reporting to relevant stakeholders.
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: This process helps in managing the potential threat and communicating the situation effectively.
In the context of insider risk policies, who within an organization is generally considered an ‘insider’?
- A) CEO
- B) Employees
- C) Contractors
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above.
Explanation: Anyone who has authorized access to the organization’s internal resources can be considered an ‘insider’.
Which of the following does NOT generally contribute to an insider threat risk?
- A) User behavior on the network.
- B) Unusual data access patterns.
- C) The number of customers the organization has.
- D) The user’s role and access privileges.
Answer: C) The number of customers the organization has.
Explanation: The number of customers does not usually impact the internal threat landscape of an organization.
Which of the following is NOT a response strategy for an insider risk alert?
- A) Ignore the alert
- B) Analyze the alert
- C) Respond to the alert
- D) Report the incident
Answer: A) Ignore the alert.
Explanation: Ignoring an alert can increase the insider risk level. All alerts generated from insider risk policies should be taken seriously.
True or False: Training and awareness campaigns about insider risk can help in reducing the number of alerts.
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: By educating employees about the risks and potential signs of insider threats, organizations can help prevent such incidents.
Insider risk alerts can be generated from which of the following sources?
- A) User behavior analytics
- B) Data loss prevention tools
- C) Threat intelligence feeds
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above.
Explanation: All these sources can provide valuable inputs for generating insider risk alerts.
True or False: Quick response to insider risk alerts can help to minimize potential damage.
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: The quicker the response to an alert, the lesser the chance of a potential threat causing significant damage.
Who should be notified when an insider risk alert is generated?
- A) The IT department
- B) The HR department
- C) The user who triggered the alert
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above.
Explanation: In most situations, all relevant departments, including the person involved, should be notified to ensure transparency and effective action.
The effectiveness of an organization’s insider risk policy depends on…
- A) Effective monitoring of user activities for unusual behavior
- B) Timely response to alerts
- C) Training employees about insider threats
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above.
Explanation: All these factors contribute to the effectiveness of insider risk policies, as they work hand in hand in identifying, mitigating, and preventing insider threats.
True or False: Firewalls are enough to protect against insider threats.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: Firewalls mainly protect against external threats. Comprehensive strategies including user behavior analytics, access rights management and training are needed to protect against insider threats.
Insider risk policies should be implemented in…
- A) Large organizations only
- B) Small organizations only
- C) Government agencies only
- D) All organizations regardless of their size
Answer: D) All organizations regardless of their size.
Explanation: Insider threats can happen in any organization as long as there are people with internal access rights, regardless of the organization’s size or sector.
True or False: Once an organization has set up its insider risk policies, it never needs to update them.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: Insider risk policies need regular updating to adapt to changing technologies, threat landscapes, and organizational structures.
An effective response to insider risk alerts requires…
- A) Investigation and root cause analysis
- B) Consequential disciplinary action only
- C) Remediation of identified vulnerabilities
- D) Both A and C
Answer: D) Both A and C.
Explanation: While a response may include disciplinary action, the primary focus should be understanding the root cause and remediation to prevent future incidents.
Interview Questions
Which type of Microsoft tool helps in identifying and managing insider risk?
Microsoft 365 compliance center is the tool utilized in identifying and managing insider risks.
What are Insider Risk Management policies?
Insider Risk Management policies are tools that organizations can use to detect risky activities within their organization, with Microsoft 365 lending assistive technology and resources.
What is the primary purpose of an alert policy in Microsoft 365?
The primary purpose of an alert policy in Microsoft 365 is to monitor various activities and events, triggering alerts when potentially harmful or non-compliant actions are detected.
In Insider risk management, what does a “precedence” mean?
In Insider risk management, a “precedence” is a provision that allows one policy to take precedence over another when there is a conflict.
What type of risks are addressed by Insider Risk Management?
Insider Risk Management addresses potential risks stemming from within the organization, such as data leaks, privacy breaches and non-compliance to data regulations.
Name the three types of Insider risk indicators in Microsoft 365?
The three types of insider risk indicators in Microsoft 365 are Activity indicators, Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) labels, and Security and Compliance signals.
What should you do when an insider risk alert is triggered in Microsoft 365?
When an insider risk alert is triggered, perform an investigation to understand the risk, its impacts, and take necessary actions to mitigate the risk. This can be done using the “Insider risk management” dashboard within the Microsoft 365 compliance center.
How does Microsoft 365 Privacy Management relate to Insider Risks?
Microsoft 365 Privacy Management ensures that the process of identifying and managing insider risks is compliant with privacy rules and regulations, making sure the rights of employees are not violated.
What are some examples of Insider risk activities that can trigger alerts?
Examples of insider risk activities that can trigger alerts include data leaks, unusual behaviors, policy violations, illicit activities, or any other activities that could potentially harm the organization.
How does Microsoft 365 manage a false positive Insider risk alert?
In case of a false positive, the alert can be dismissed from the Microsoft 365 compliance center. The response team can provide feedback on the alert to help improve the accuracy of future alerts.
How can user privacy be maintained while assessing insider risks in Microsoft 365?
User privacy can be maintained by anonymizing user data during the investigation, only revealing the identity when necessary and approved by designated stakeholders.
Why might you want to use Microsoft Information Protection labels as part of your Insider Risk Policies?
Microsoft Information Protection labels can help identify sensitive information and monitor its movement, providing an additional layer of protection and alerting when such data is involved in risky activities.
Can administrators access the content of user activities that trigger insider risk alerts?
No, administrators cannot access the content of user activities that trigger insider risk alerts. Microsoft’s approach to insider risk management is designed to respect user privacy and provide a balance between risk management and privacy protection.
What actions can be taken once an alert for insider risk is generated?
Once an alert has been generated, it can be investigated further to understand the scope of the risk factor, its potential impact, and then appropriate mitigation steps can be taken such as counseling the implicated user, changing their access permissions, or even legal actions as per company policy and law.
How can insider risk management solutions help to detect departing employees who might carry risk?
Insider risk management tools often include departure indicators which can help flag actions commonly associated with departing employees who may be trying to take proprietary or confidential data with them. This can aid in preventing data loss or theft.
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