Software Engineering Institute

This report is based on the fifth article in the Spotlight On quarterly series published by the CERT® Insider Threat Center. Each report focuses on a specific area of concern and presents analysis based on hundreds of actual insider threat cases cataloged in the CERT insider threat database. The focus of this report is on current or former employees, contractors, or business partners who were affiliated with, or are considered to be part of, organized crime. The case material came from a mixture of court documents, Department of Justice press releases, interviews, and media reports. This report defines malicious insiders and organized crime and provides a snapshot of who malicious insiders are, what and how they strike, and why. This report concludes with a summary of the relevant details of the highlighted cases and offers recommendations that could potentially mitigate the risk of similar occurrences.