Insiders have always posed a unique threat to national security. From Benedict Arnold’s treacherous turn to Robert Hanson’s dramatic betrayal, America’s own have caused grievous damage to the nation. The evolution of the internet, the relative ease of transferring data and the ability to send/receive anonymous money transfers have opened new holes in America’s defenses, dramatically increasing the risk of insider attacks. America needs to adapt current policies to combat the growing insider threat to critical networks.
The modern internet has become socialized. Online social networking is changing the way people view their relationships. Sites like TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, Nextdoor and Twitter allow individuals to escape into a virtual world. For some, online relationships become more important than physical ones and virtual personas become more significant than reality. Online communication allows people around the globe to interact and bond in a new way, creating friendships and forming alliances. For example, TikTok, a popular video platform where users create short videos for likes and interactions, boasts over 1 billion monthly active users. Due to the anonymity that a person can assume, these hidden relationships could be easily exploited to provide incentives for insiders to attack network systems and exfiltrate data including that which is essential to our national defense. Additionally, in a world where people live online as much as they do in the physical world, allegiance to a country, company, political affiliation or cause may diminish over time due to the pressure and influences they see on a daily basis based on their multiple social networking feeds.