Behavioral and policy issues in information systems security: the insider threat

Modern global economic and political conditions, technological infrastructure, and socio-cultural developments all contribute to an increasingly turbulent and dynamic environment for organizations, which maintain information systems (IS) for use in business, government, and other domains. As our institutions (economic, political, military, legal, social) become increasingly global and inter-connected; as we rely more on automated control systems to provide us with energy and services; and as we establish internet-based mechanisms for coordinating this global interaction, we introduce greater vulnerability to our systems and processes. This increased dependence on cyberspace also inflates our vulnerability – isolation is no longer an option. Perhaps no aspect of this phenomenon is as alarming and challenging as the need to understand and address the various risks to the security of the IS on which we depend.