Insider threats are one of the most persistent risks facing organizations today. Whether malicious, negligent, or compromised, insiders have legitimate access that makes them uniquely dangerous. Human Resources and other sensitive roles are especially vulnerable because they handle confidential data and critical systems. According to IBM Security (2024), the average cost per insider attack is nearly $5 million, and Ponemon Institute (2025) reports the annual cost of insider threats has reached $17.4 million. These figures often exceed the damage caused by external attacks.
To counter this, organizations are turning to Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) and Privileged Access Management (PAM). When deployed effectively, these solutions detect and block unauthorized account creation, privilege escalation, and data exfiltration across hybrid and cloud native environments.
Understanding Insider Threats
Insider threats come in three forms: malicious insiders who intentionally abuse access, negligent insiders who make mistakes, and compromised insiders whose credentials are hijacked. Privileged accounts are especially attractive targets because they allow attackers to alter configurations, access sensitive data, and erase audit trails (MITRE ATT&CK, 2025).
HR teams are particularly exposed. They manage personally identifiable information, payroll data, and organizational secrets. Incidents often involve unauthorized account creation, privilege escalation, or data exfiltration. A striking example occurred in December 2024 when members of the U.S. Treasury Department’s DOGE team were mistakenly granted elevated access to payment systems, showing how mismanaged privileges can create systemic risk.
Identity Governance and PAM Basics
Identity Governance (IGA) centralizes identity and privilege management. It automates lifecycle processes like onboarding and offboarding, enforces role-based access, and provides visibility into who has access to what.
Privileged Access Management (PAM) secures privileged accounts through credential vaulting, password rotation, just-in-time access, and session monitoring. PAM also integrates with SIEM and SOAR platforms to automate detection and response (CyberArk, 2025). Together, IGA and PAM enforce least privilege and reduce opportunities for insider abuse.
Blocking Unauthorized Account Creation
Unauthorized accounts are a common tactic for persistence and privilege abuse. Advanced IGA and PAM solutions continuously scan directories and cloud environments to discover hidden accounts. Policy-based workflows ensure account creation requires multi-level approval and justification (Keeper Security, 2025).
Real-time monitoring tools like Palo Alto Cortex XSIAM automatically investigate suspicious account creation and disable rogue accounts within minutes (Palo Alto Networks, 2025). Integration with HR systems ensures accounts are provisioned or revoked in sync with employee lifecycle events (SecurEnds, 2025).
Detecting Privilege Escalation
Privilege escalation is a critical step in insider and external attacks. Organizations can mitigate this risk by enforcing least privilege and role-based access control. Just-in-time and just-enough-access techniques grant elevated rights only when needed, sharply limiting exposure (KeeperPAM, 2025).
Behavioral analytics and UEBA platforms detect anomalies such as unusual privilege elevation or rapid changes in access rights (Microsoft Sentinel, 2025). CyberArk and ManageEngine PAM360 provide real-time session monitoring and termination to stop suspicious activity before damage occurs (CyberArk, 2025).
Preventing Data Exfiltration
Data exfiltration is often the endgame for insiders. Modern Data Loss Prevention solutions like Cyberhaven track sensitive data lineage across endpoints and cloud environments. By integrating with UEBA, they detect unusual transfers such as mass downloads or uploads to unsanctioned apps (Cyberhaven, 2025).
Context-aware controls block risky transfers based on user risk scores or device health. SIEM and SOAR integration correlates alerts and automates containment actions such as disabling accounts or blocking traffic (SearchInform, 2025). A healthcare provider recently used Cyberhaven to stop an employee from uploading patient records to a personal cloud account, demonstrating the effectiveness of these controls.
Behavioral Analytics and UEBA
Behavioral analytics establish baselines of normal activity and flag deviations like unusual login times, large data transfers, or rapid privilege changes (Forbes Tech Council, 2025). By focusing on behavior rather than static rules, UEBA reduces false positives and alert fatigue. Integration with SIEM and SOAR platforms enables automated responses such as suspending accounts or blocking access (SSH Academy, 2025).
Privacy remains a concern, so organizations must balance detection with compliance frameworks like GDPR and CCPA.
Automated Access Reviews
Access reviews ensure users retain only the permissions necessary for their roles. Platforms like Microsoft Entra and SecurEnds automate review cycles and integrate with HR events to adjust access during onboarding, role changes, or offboarding (SecureFrame, 2025). Best practices include aligning review cycles with business cadence, assigning ownership to managers, and leveraging automation for enforcement.
Emerging Trends
AI and machine learning are enhancing behavioral analytics, enabling proactive detection of subtle anomalies (ACE Journal, 2025). At the same time, generative AI introduces new risks, such as data leakage through AI-powered chatbots. PAM and DLP solutions are adapting to monitor and control data flows to these platforms.
Future directions include Zero Trust architectures, passwordless authentication, and deeper integration of PAM and IGA into cloud-native and DevOps environments.
Conclusion
Preventing insider threats in HR and sensitive roles requires a layered approach. Identity Governance and PAM solutions, combined with behavioral analytics and automated response, provide the visibility and control needed to stop unauthorized accounts, privilege escalation, and data exfiltration. As insider risks grow and compliance pressures mount, mature PAM and IGA programs are no longer optional—they are essential for resilience and trust.
Sources
- IBM Security (2024). https://www.ibm.com/security
- Ponemon Institute (2025). https://www.ponemon.org
- MITRE ATT&CK (2025). https://attack.mitre.org/mitigations/M1018/
- CyberArk (2025). https://docs.cyberark.com/pam-self-hosted/latest/en/content/pasimp/privileged-account-security-solution-architecture.htm
- Keeper Security (2025). https://research.aimultiple.com/pam-solutions/
- Palo Alto Networks (2025). https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/security-operations/automating-response-to-unauthorized-user-account-creation/
- SecurEnds (2025). https://www.securends.com/blog/secure-employee-offboarding-guide/
- Microsoft Sentinel (2025). https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sentinel/identify-threats-with-entity-behavior-analytics
- Cyberhaven (2025). https://www.cyberhaven.com
- SearchInform (2025). https://searchinform.com/articles/cybersecurity/measures/siem/deployment/siem-and-soar-integration/
- Forbes Tech Council (2025). https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2025/06/11/understanding-ueba-the-behavioral-defense-against-ai-powered-attacks/
- SSH Academy (2025). https://www.ssh.com/academy/pam/integrating-privileged-access-management-with-siem-for-comprehensive-threat-monitoring
- SecureFrame (2025). https://secureframe.com/blog/onboarding-and-offboarding
- ACE Journal (2025). https://www.acejournal.org/2025/05/19/behavioral-analytics-insider-threat-det
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