According to a new study from MeriTalk, 45% of all federal agencies were targeted by insider threats, with 29% losing data to an insider incident over the past year. The report also found that although 76% of federal agencies are increasing attention on combating insider threats compared to a year ago, nearly half still suffered from an insider attack. The challenge comes because, as agencies are entrusted with storing and managing a range of sensitive information, the potential channels for data loss are becoming more complex. That makes breaches perpetrated by insiders — whether malicious or unintentional — very real and growing problem. Create a formal insider threat program, with annual in-person security training; real-time alerts for inappropriate access/sharing and data loss; agency-wide security technologies; and government-wide initiatives to support the effort.

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