Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.
Issue link: https://uscgproceedings.epubxp.com/i/436751
72 Proceedings Winter 2014 – 2015 www.uscg.mil/proceedings And, unlike machines and systems, employees have brains, minds, and hearts. It is the employee that enables a creative work environment that is evolving, productive, and proactive. An engaged workforce is the one that thrives in the workplace, works as a team, and seeks better ways to accomplish individual, team, and organizational goals. However, systems have one advantage over people: They can be secured. Employees are trusted, but not secured. Trust is a diffcult thing to measure, and it is even more diffcult to guarantee. Even the most trustworthy employees can have something in their lives that causes them to turn toward mischief. But what if an employee does become a problem or even a potential threat? One employee, intent on mischief, can cause catastrophic damage to an organization's mission, capabilities, and people. Whether someone steals secrets, prototypes of emerging tools, or keys/codes, the results can be immense in time, capital, and capability to replicate what they gave away. Worse, an employee with malicious intent can sabotage systems, equipment, and the physical plant; harm a co-worker; or deny services. Why is Insider Threat of Concern to the Maritime Domain? Ships and ports are fragile systems that rely on effective cohesion of crews, equipment, and systems. The impact of just one insider — a crew member gone bad — can be cata- strophic. In the port, that can mean loss of time, equipment, or capability to move cargo to and from its intended destina- tion. Sabotage by cyber or kinetic means in peacetime could wreak economic havoc and even disrupt U.S. strategic infra- structure. In wartime, sabotage or espionage could impact military operations as gravely as a major enemy attack. On a ship, the threat is more acute. For one thing, ships are not just workplaces, but living spaces as well. The ship is your world. Therefore, a malicious attack is an attack on the What do we mean by "insider threat?" It is a term for the potential danger posed by a disgruntled, malicious, or trai- torous employee. Moreover, the threat from such employee(s) can be to other employees, national security, proprietary information, technologies, capabilities, infrastructure, or fnancial assets. Most CEOs, directors, and managers will say employees are their most important assets. And, they certainly are. Despite the growth and our reliance on information technology (IT) systems, automated tools, and equipment that seem to per- meate and drive today's workplace, success is still ultimately about people. Employees develop our plans, operate our systems, review information, and conceive new approaches. Insider Threat The Threat Within Protecting against internal enemies. by MR. sCOTT O'COnnell Former Director National GeospatialIntelligence Agency Threat Mitigation Center Fuse / Thinkstock