Gurucul's research, which involved a survey of over 400 IT and cybersecurity professionals, highlights the growing issue of insider threats. In 2023, 60% of organizations reported insider attacks, but this figure escalated to 83% in 2024. Moreover, the number of organizations encountering six to ten attacks yearly doubled from 13% to 25%. Nearly half of the organizations surveyed by Gurucul indicated that insider attacks have become more frequent in the past year.
Insider threats refer to security breaches from within an organization, typically involving employees, contractors, or business partners with legitimate access to the organization's systems and data. These threats can be malicious, such as employees intentionally stealing sensitive information, or unintentional, such as inadvertently exposing data through negligence or lack of awareness.
Several factors contribute to the growing prevalence of insider threats. First, the complexity of modern IT environments makes it harder to detect and prevent unauthorized access. Second, the rise of remote work has expanded the attack surface, as employees access corporate networks from various locations and devices. Third, the increasing sophistication of cybercriminals means that traditional security measures are often insufficient to protect against advanced threats.
Gurucul researchers identified that the primary driver behind insider attacks is the increasing complexity of IT environments, which creates significant visibility gaps. As technology becomes more intricate, and with more employees accessing system networks, the attack surface expands, making it more challenging for cybersecurity staff to ensure protection.
Moreover, the rapid adoption of new technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), cloud services, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications also contributes to this growth, outpacing the ability of organizations to keep up.
The introduction of new technologies adds layers of complexity, posing difficulties for existing staff to counter threats, leading to overwork and burnout among IT personnel. Nearly 30% of respondents indicated insufficient staffing to implement and maintain security tools, and even when adequate staff is available, many lack the training and expertise to manage these tools effectively.
The researchers recommended that organizations facing these challenges should transition to more intuitive tools that can "reduce alert triage and false positives by providing comprehensive evidence with context and advanced behavior analytics."
According to the report by IANS Research and Artico Search, there is indeed a fair probability that expanded security budgets will continue to rise in 2024, albeit at a slower pace compared to the last couple of years. For this year, security spending has been jacked up some 8%, one notch higher than the 6% increase in 2023. That's still miles away from the increases of 16% and 17% seen in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Meanwhile, the security budget grew rather insignificantly, and the share of security spending in an IT portfolio has grown from 8.6% in 2020 to 13.2% in 2024. This means that cybersecurity is finding its place as one of the critical components of an IT setup—at least for organisations which depend most on digital technologies today.
Security teams must become the protective force of organisations but are perennially challenged to not get subjugated by competitive priorities and small budgets. "Security is getting pulled closer to the core of the business," said IANS Senior Research Director Nick Kakolowski. "While the level of protection desired by companies goes up, the tools and skills given to security teams fall short of what would satisfy their growing expectations.".
Reduction in the Recruitment of Security Personnel
One of the most striking trends underscored in this report is the remarkable shrinkage in hiring that is taking place in the cybersecurity sector. Security teams were 12% higher in 2024 than a year earlier, but that growth was slower compared to the 31% jump in 2022 and a 16% increase in 2023. This takes place at a time of general economic uncertainty, with businesses placing greater control on the management of their overall costs.
While security remains a top priority for most organisations, economic pressure has held businesses back from increasing teams at the same rate. With shrinking budgets, most security teams have no alternative but to do more with less, further compounding the task of keeping pace with an unprecedented surge in threats.
The Future of Cybersecurity Spending Analysts note that, with the world of business strategies hinging on cybersecurity, the budgeting for security will remain on an upward trend albeit at a slower and more incremental pace. The reasoning is that business success increasingly calls for comprehensive security due to increasing dependence on digital technologies in all its functions. Currently, security investments are set to reach $212 billion by 2025; Gartner has 15% growth estimated over its forecast levels by 2024. That kind of projection accentuates beliefs that spending on cybersecurity is going to remain one of the most critical investments for companies. Overall, with continued rises of security budgets—cybersecurity is on a higher spending bracket than IT budgets; the slow hire rate actually points to the hardship organisations face in trying to grow their security teams as fast as they would want. Because another major business function is the need for organisations to strategically pay attention not only to investment in but also to the management and sustainability of their security postures, especially in periods of economic disfavour.
American cybersecurity firm KnowBe4 recently discovered that a new hire, brought on as a Principal Software Engineer, was actually a North Korean state actor. This individual attempted to install data-stealing malware on the company's devices, but the threat was identified and neutralised before any data breach occurred.
This incident is the testament to the persistent threat from North Korean operatives posing as IT professionals, a danger that the FBI has been warning about since 2023. North Korea has a well-organised network of IT workers who disguise their true identities to secure employment with American companies. The revenue generated by these infiltrators funds the country's weapons programs, cyber operations, and intelligence gathering.
How the Hacker Bypassed Checks
Before hiring the malicious actor, KnowBe4 conducted extensive background checks, verified references, and held four video interviews. Despite these precautions, the individual used a stolen U.S. identity and AI tools to create a fake profile picture that matched during the video calls. This deception enabled the hacker to bypass the initial vetting process.
On July 15, 2024, KnowBe4's Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) system flagged an attempt to load malware from the Mac workstation recently issued to the new hire. The malware, designed to steal information stored in web browsers, was intended to capture any leftover credentials or data from the computer's previous user.
When confronted by KnowBe4's IT staff, the state actor initially offered excuses but soon ceased all communication.
Deceptive Hiring Practices
KnowBe4 CEO Stu Sjouwerman explained that the scheme involved tricking the company into sending the workstation to an "IT mule laptop farm" near the address provided by the fraudster. The hacker then used a VPN to connect to the device during U.S. working hours, making it seem like they were working as usual.
To prevent similar incidents, KnowBe4 advises companies to use isolated sandboxes for new hires, keeping them away from critical network areas. Additionally, firms should ensure that new employees' external devices are not used remotely and treat any inconsistencies in shipping addresses as potential red flags.
This incident at KnowBe4 zeroes in on the intricate methods employed by North Korean hackers to infiltrate American companies. By staying vigilant and implementing robust security measures, firms can protect themselves from such threats.
Training courses in GenAI cover a wide range of topics. Introductory courses, which can be completed in just a few hours, address the fundamentals, ethics, and social implications of GenAI. For those seeking deeper knowledge, advanced modules are available that focus on development using GenAI and large language models (LLMs), requiring over 100 hours to complete.
These courses are designed to cater to various job roles and functions within the organisations. For example, KPMG India aims to have its entire workforce trained in GenAI by the end of the fiscal year, with 50% already trained. Their programs are tailored to different levels of employees, from teaching leaders about return on investment and business envisioning to training coders in prompt engineering and LLM operations.
EY India has implemented a structured approach, offering distinct sets of courses for non-technologists, software professionals, project managers, and executives. Presently, 80% of their employees are trained in GenAI. Similarly, PwC India focuses on providing industry-specific masterclasses for leaders to enhance their client interactions, alongside offering brief nano courses for those interested in the basics of GenAI.
Wipro organises its courses into three levels based on employee seniority, with plans to develop industry-specific courses for domain experts. Cognizant has created shorter courses for leaders, sales, and HR teams to ensure a broad understanding of GenAI. Infosys also has a program for its senior leaders, with 400 of them currently enrolled.
Ray Wang, principal analyst and founder at Constellation Research, highlighted the extensive range of programs developed by tech firms, including training on Python and chatbot interactions. Cognizant has partnerships with Udemy, Microsoft, Google Cloud, and AWS, while TCS collaborates with NVIDIA, IBM, and GitHub.
Cognizant boasts 160,000 GenAI-trained employees, and TCS offers a free GenAI course on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure until the end of July to encourage participation. According to TCS's annual report, over half of its workforce, amounting to 300,000 employees, have been trained in generative AI, with a goal of training all staff by 2025.
The investment in GenAI training by IT and consulting firms pivots towards the importance of staying ahead in the rapidly evolving technological landscape. By equipping their employees with essential AI skills, these companies aim to enhance their capabilities, drive innovation, and maintain a competitive edge in the market. As the demand for AI expertise grows, these training programs will play a crucial role in shaping the future of the industry.