One of the greatest security threats to the homeland is from insiders. This threat is one of the most difficult because it manifests from within an organization despite the typical presence of a vetting process, whether it is a government or commercial organization. Insider threats take various forms, which range from information collection to theft to actual acts of subversion and sabotage or terrorism.
The U.S. has faced its largest increase of illegal immigration in the last four years. Millions of illegal immigrants have been able to disappear into the U.S. population and integrate into society. While the vast majority of these individuals are here for a better life, there is a significant risk of criminals, terrorists, foreign intelligence officers, and foreign special operation forces who are here to perpetrate illegal activities. One of the classic techniques of infiltration used by militaries, paramilitaries and terrorists is to enter their target areas by posing as fellow migrants, sanctuary seekers and/or asylum seekers. Just look at the massive numbers of Chinese, Russian and Middle Eastern illegal immigrants who transited our border in the last several years. Some of these individuals were nefarious actors who then integrated and established “normal” lives while intent on their goal, whether it be criminal activity, intelligence collection, subversive activities, and/or terrorist activities.
Our capability to counter insider threats has become much more difficult with the significant increases in illegal immigrants integrating into our system. It has become a problem of sheer numbers versus our capacity to identify and verify the identity of these persons within a government or commercial organization. Aggressive insider threat mitigation and procedures are needed, and creating “security as a culture” within organizations will become a necessity. This will require the use of techniques and protocols such as continual vetting of personnel using open-source data tied to biometric identification; employment of unpredictable security measures and deterrence operations; enhanced monitoring of internal and external communications; and compliance and introduction of cyber security monitoring measures.
Forecast: Countering insider threats will become a significant issue for Department of Homeland Security personnel during 2025. Organizations will need to embrace “Security as a Culture” and enhance their internal security systems. The need to provide enhanced insider threat protocols will become essential. Without adequate insider threat mitigation, organizations will see increases in theft, technology transfer compromise, criminal activity, disruption of supply chains and worse, to include possible acts of terrorism.