Threat Agents: Insider Threats: Motivations

Insider threat actors can be motivated by different factors. I try to summarize possible motivations in the following table, and it is not a complete list.

Also the attackers can gain access to a workstation of an employee through mechanism like phishing, and if there are controls to prevent insider threats, the damage that could be done by this attacker can be minimized.

Threat Agent		motivated by		Possible Motivations
Insider		Government		Patriotism, Blackmail, Financial gain, Legal gain, Psychological manipulation
Insider		Criminal Organization		Blackmail, Financial gain, Psychological manipulation
Insider		Criminal Organization - Criminal Community		Blackmail, Financial gain, reputation on sharing with community
Insider		Criminal Organization - Hacktivist groups		supporting a ideological cause, reputation on sharing with community, guilt/remorse
Insider		Criminal Organization - Terrorists		supporting a ideological cause, reputation in a like-minded community,
Insider		Competitor		Financial gain
Insider		Hacker		Financial gain, Blackmail
Insider		family/friend		Financial gain, helping family/friend from difficult situation
Insider		own-self		revenge, remorse/guilt, financial reward, patriotism, ideological cause, fame
Criminal Organization		Government		Financial gain, blackmail, patriotism
Criminal Organization		Competitor		Financial gain
Hacktivist		Government		Manipulation of facts