Many organisations spend heavily on firewalls, encryption, and external threat intelligence. But some of the sharpest risks come from inside: trusted people with access, whose actions—intentional or accidental—can cause serious damage. Recognising those threats, understanding how data exfiltration happens, and knowing what to do when suspicious behaviour emerges is vital.
What Are Insider Threats?
Insider threats can take different forms:
- Malicious insiders: people who purposely misuse access—stealing information, sabotaging systems, or helping external attackers.
- Negligent insiders: employees who make mistakes—uploading private data where they shouldn’t, clicking on phishing links, or ignoring policies.
- Compromised accounts: when external attackers gain access through stolen credentials or by manipulating insiders.
Because insiders already have permissions, they can often evade traditional security controls.
Why Simulations Are Effective
Reading policies or watching training videos helps, but it doesn’t prepare people for the complexity of real incidents. Hands-on simulations provide:
- Contextual understanding: seeing why an event is suspicious in real time.
- Muscle memory: rehearsing responses builds habits that stick.
- Team coordination: identifying process gaps across security, IT, and leadership.
- Security mindset: participants learn that insider risk is everyone’s responsibility.
What Makes a Strong Scenario
Effective exercises usually include:
- Realistic scenarios drawn from actual risks.
- Clear objectives about what behaviours or decisions should surface.
- Defined roles for responders, investigators, and communicators.
- Measurable outcomes such as detection speed and reporting accuracy.
- A debrief that locks in lessons learned.
Learning by Doing: MOLE WARS
That’s why immersive events like MOLE WARS: Rise of the Insider Menace are powerful. Instead of passively listening, participants work through realistic threats:
- tracing how sensitive data could be moved,
- using investigative strategies in near-real time,
- making decisions under pressure.
You can try a cybersecurity hands-on experience.
The Broader Benefits
Organisations that invest in scenario-based insider threat drills often see:
- Early discovery of monitoring or policy gaps.
- Improved communication between departments.
- Leadership more aware of insider risk dynamics.
- Employees more confident in recognising and reporting issues.
Hands-on training turns theory into practice. By stepping into realistic scenarios, participants build instincts, teamwork, and awareness that make insider threats easier to spot and stop.
