Building an insider threat program: the first 90 days
Standing up an insider threat program can feel daunting, but the first ninety days are less about technology than about scope, governance and process. Get those right and the tooling follows.
Weeks 1 to 4: scope and governance
Define what is in scope and what is not, who owns the program, and how it interacts with HR, legal and security. Agree the principles up front: least-privilege access, confidentiality, and a defensible record for every matter. Nothing else matters if the program is not trusted.
Weeks 5 to 8: process
Design the investigation lifecycle you will follow every time: intake, assignment, evidence collection, collaboration, review, reporting and closure. A consistent, repeatable process is what makes outcomes defensible and fair.
Weeks 9 to 12: tooling and signals
Only now bring in tooling that supports the process rather than dictating it: a place to run cases with chain of custody and an audit trail, and explainable risk signals to help prioritise.
Start small, record everything, and iterate. A program that runs a handful of matters defensibly is worth more than an ambitious one that cannot stand behind its findings.
Keep reading
What is an insider threat investigation?
Insider threat investigations are among the most sensitive an organisation runs. Here is what they involve, the lifecycle they follow, and why a defensible record matters as much as the finding.
Chain of custody for digital evidence: a practical guide
Chain of custody is the documented, unbroken record of who handled evidence and when. For digital evidence, getting it right is what makes findings hold up.
UEBA explained: how behavioural analytics surface insider risk
UEBA models normal behaviour and flags deviations. Used well, it helps investigation teams decide where to look first, provided the scoring can be explained.