Understanding insider threats behaviour: An adaptive network model of the evolution of an insider threat

This paper addresses computational analysis of insider threats. Organisational security is significantly at risk from insider threats, which are commonly caused by changes inside the organisation and worsened by unfavourable psychological characteristics and external involvements. In order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the adaptive dynamics that influence insider threats, the presented network model incorporates a variety of factors, including employee satisfaction, interactions, work performance, psychological traits, and technological methods. The simulations demonstrated that organisational changes can have a significant impact on employee behaviour, resulting in altered perceptions of the work environment, reduced satisfaction, reduced communication, and signs of isolation. These factors collectively create an environment where the risk of insider threats is heightened, as disgruntled, isolated, and dissatisfied employees are more likely to engage in malicious or negligent actions. The model’s adaptive characteristics improve its capacity to accurately represent the ever-changing interactions between human behaviour and organisational contexts. This study offers significant insights for companies aiming to improve their security frameworks by identifying crucial triggers and action points. Future efforts involve optimising model characteristics and incorporating sophisticated psychological models to improve the accuracy and practicality of predictions in real-life scenarios.