Menu

  • Alerts
  • Incidents
  • News
  • APTs
  • Cyber Decoded
  • Cyber Hygiene
  • Cyber Review
  • Cyber Tips
  • Definitions
  • Malware
  • Threat Actors
  • Tutorials

Useful Tools

  • Password generator
  • Report an incident
  • Report to authorities
No Result
View All Result
CTF Hack Havoc
CyberMaterial
  • Education
    • Cyber Decoded
    • Definitions
  • Information
    • Alerts
    • Incidents
    • News
  • Insights
    • Cyber Hygiene
    • Cyber Review
    • Tips
    • Tutorials
  • Support
    • Contact Us
    • Report an incident
  • About
    • About Us
    • Advertise with us
Get Help
Hall of Hacks
  • Education
    • Cyber Decoded
    • Definitions
  • Information
    • Alerts
    • Incidents
    • News
  • Insights
    • Cyber Hygiene
    • Cyber Review
    • Tips
    • Tutorials
  • Support
    • Contact Us
    • Report an incident
  • About
    • About Us
    • Advertise with us
Get Help
No Result
View All Result
Hall of Hacks
CyberMaterial
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Insider Threats Exploiting Privilege

December 11, 2023
Reading Time: 2 mins read
in News
Insider Threats Exploiting Privilege

A report by CrowdStrike, covering data from January 2021 to April 2023, reveals an increasing trend in insider threats, particularly leveraging privilege escalation flaws. These flaws constitute 55% of insider threats, with the remaining 45% involving the unwitting introduction of risks by downloading or misusing offensive tools. Rogue insiders, motivated by financial incentives or disputes, often exploit these vulnerabilities to gain administrative privileges, allowing actions such as installing unauthorized software, wiping logs, or using diagnostic tools with elevated privileges. The report emphasizes the financial costs of insider attacks, averaging $648,000 for malicious incidents and $485,000 for non-malicious ones.

CrowdStrike highlights the significance of privilege escalation vulnerabilities in insider attacks, allowing individuals to start with low-level access and later escalate privileges to perform potentially harmful actions. The most exploited flaws include CVE-2017-0213 and CVE-2022-0847 (DirtyPipe) for Windows and Linux, respectively. These vulnerabilities, listed in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, have historical use in attacks by threat actors. Even if systems are patched, insiders can exploit other means, such as DLL hijacking, insecure file system permissions, or Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks.

The report outlines specific cases of insider threat incidents, including an employee in a European retail firm using WhatsApp to download an exploit for installing unauthorized software. Additionally, an Australian tech company employee attempted to gain administrative rights using the PwnKit exploit for computer troubleshooting. The study distinguishes between intentional malicious actions and unintentional mishaps, such as security professionals testing exploits on production workstations or downloading unvetted code. CrowdStrike emphasizes the need for comprehensive cybersecurity measures to counter the evolving threat landscape posed by insider attacks and underscores the potential risks associated with introducing flaws into corporate networks.

Insider threat incidents recorded by CrowdStrike encompass both intentional malicious actions and unintentional mishaps, contributing to a higher overall security risk. The report sheds light on instances where security professionals inadvertently introduced risk by testing exploits directly on production workstations instead of using segmented virtual machines. Threat actors often exploit these situations to create fake proof-of-concept exploits or security tools that install malware on devices. Introducing such flaws into corporate networks not only increases the risk of exploitation by threat actors but can also lead to cyber espionage, data theft, or ransomware attacks, emphasizing the importance of proactive cybersecurity measures to mitigate these risks.

Reference:
  • Rising Insider Threats with Privilege Escalation Exploits Impacting Cybersecurity
Tags: CrowdStrikecyber incidentsCyber NewsCyber News 2023Cyber RiskCyber threatscybercrime expertsCybersecurityDecember 2023Insider Threatprivilege escalationVulnerabilities
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

New EU Vulnerability Database Launched

New EU Vulnerability Database Launched

May 14, 2025
Google Hunts Malicious Linux Desktop Files

Aussie Data Breach Reports Hit 5 Year High

May 14, 2025
Google Hunts Malicious Linux Desktop Files

Google Hunts Malicious Linux Desktop Files

May 14, 2025
DoppelPaymer Ransomware Suspect Apprehended

Hackers Trade Nearly $2 Billion in Japan

May 13, 2025
DoppelPaymer Ransomware Suspect Apprehended

New UK Law for Enterprise IoT Security

May 13, 2025
DoppelPaymer Ransomware Suspect Apprehended

DoppelPaymer Ransomware Suspect Apprehended

May 13, 2025

Latest Alerts

Microsoft Defender Bug Allows SYSTEM Access

Uncanny Automator Bug Risks WordPress Sites

Devs Hit By PyPI Solana Token Secret Theft

Hackers Exploit Output Messenger Zero-Day

ASUS Fixes Critical Flaws in DriverHub

Apple Fixes Critical Bugs in iOS and MacOS

Subscribe to our newsletter

    Latest Incidents

    Alabama Cybersecurity Event Hits Services

    Andy Frain Data Breach Impacts 100k People

    Hong Kong DSC Hit By Ransomware Attack

    Alleged Steam Breach Exposes 89M Records

    Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation Hacked

    Madison County Iowa Systems Disrupted

    CyberMaterial Logo
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Jobs
    • Legal and Privacy Policy
    • Site Map

    © 2025 | CyberMaterial | All rights reserved

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password?

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In

    Add New Playlist

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Alerts
    • Incidents
    • News
    • Cyber Decoded
    • Cyber Hygiene
    • Cyber Review
    • Definitions
    • Malware
    • Cyber Tips
    • Tutorials
    • Advanced Persistent Threats
    • Threat Actors
    • Report an incident
    • Password Generator
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us

    Copyright © 2025 CyberMaterial