Preventative Directions For Insider Threat Mitigation Via Access Control

Abstract

Much research on mitigating threat posed by insiders focuses on detection. In this chapter, we consider the prevention of attacks using access control While recent work and development in this space are promising, our studies of technologists in financial, health care, and other enterprise environments reveal a disconnect between what "real world" practitioners desire and what the research and vendor communities can offer. Basing our arguments on this ethnographic research (which targets both technology and the human business systems that drive and constrain it), we present the theoretical underpinnings of modern access control, discuss requirements of successful solutions for corporate environments today, and offer a survey of current technology that addresses these requirements. The paper concludes by exploring areas of future development in access control that offer particular promise in the struggle to prevent insider attack.