What does the term 'insider threat' refer to?

The term 'insider threat' refers specifically to a current or former employee who poses a risk to the security of the organization. This encompasses a wide range of potential risks, including malicious actions taken by individuals who leverage their knowledge of the organization’s systems, protocols, and sensitive information to cause harm. Insider threats are particularly concerning because these individuals typically have authorized access, making it challenging to detect and prevent their potentially harmful actions.

Factors leading to insider threats can include personal grievances, financial motivations, or even workplace dissatisfaction, and they might involve stealing data, sabotaging systems, or leaking confidential information. Recognizing and mitigating insider threats is a critical component of any security strategy, as these threats can be more difficult to identify and address than external attacks.

In contrast, the other options describe scenarios that do not fit the definition of an insider threat. For example, a hacker attacking from outside the organization pertains to external threats, while a system failure and physical security breach focus on operational vulnerabilities rather than the actions of individuals within the organization.