What is a characteristic of insider attacks?

Insider attacks are characterized primarily by being executed by individuals who already have some level of access or trust within an organization. This means that the perpetrators typically hold roles such as employees, contractors, or business partners. Because they are insiders, they often have knowledge of internal processes, systems, and security measures, which can make their attacks particularly effective and difficult to detect.

This trust and access enable insider threats to bypass many of the traditional security mechanisms designed to protect against external attacks. For instance, an insider may exploit their access rights to extract sensitive information, manipulate data, or disrupt operations without raising immediate suspicion from security teams. The ability to act from within with a certain level of legitimacy makes these attacks a significant concern for organizations.

The other options do not accurately describe the nature of insider attacks. For example, while some may occur remotely, they do not exclusively happen that way; physical access is not a requirement for insider attacks; and they can be just as damaging—if not more so—than external attacks due to the inherent trust and access the attacker possesses within the organization.