Executive Order 13587, issued by the Obama administration to draw attention to the insider cyber threat problem within federal agencies, set the requirements for programs to protect classified information. In the wake of a series of damaging insider threat incidents, the U.S. government has had no choice but to focus more attention protecting sensitive data.
These policies are a step in the right direction and have generated awareness and a sense of urgency to address insider threats, but it is critical that agencies do not bring a check-box mentality to following these policies. Continuous efforts must be made in order for agencies and contractors to successfully detect, prevent and mitigate insider threats.
