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Insider Threat Matrix™

  • ID: IF009.005
  • Created: 28th April 2025
  • Updated: 28th April 2025
  • Platforms: Windows, Linux, MacOS,
  • Contributor: The ITM Team

Anti-Sleep Software

The subject installs or enables software, scripts, or hardware devices designed to prevent systems from automatically locking, logging out, or entering sleep mode. This unauthorized action deliberately subverts security controls intended to protect unattended systems from unauthorized access.

 

Characteristics

  • Circumvents policies enforcing session locks, idle timeouts, and mandatory logout periods.
  • May involve third-party applications ("caffeine" tools), anti-idle scripts, or physical devices such as USB mouse jigglers.
  • Typically deployed without organizational approval or awareness.
  • Leaves systems continuously unlocked and accessible, undermining endpoint security and physical safeguards.
  • Renders full disk encryption protections ineffective while the system remains powered and unlocked.
  • Creates opportunities for unauthorized access, data exfiltration, or device compromise by malicious insiders or third parties.

 

Example Scenario

A subject installs unauthorized anti-sleep software on a corporate laptop to prevent automatic locking during idle periods. As a result, the device remains accessible even when left unattended in unsecured environments such as cafes, airports, or shared workspaces. This action bypasses mandatory screen-lock policies and renders full disk encryption protections ineffective, exposing sensitive organizational data to theft or compromise by malicious third parties who can physically access the unattended device.

Prevention

ID Name Description
PV012End-User Security Awareness Training

Mandatory security awareness training for employees can help them to recognize a range of cyber attacks that they can play a part in preventing or detecting. This can include topics such as phishing, social engineering, and data classification, amongst others.

PV003Enforce an Acceptable Use Policy

An Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is a set of rules outlining acceptable and unacceptable uses of an organization's computer systems and network resources. It acts as a deterrent to prevent employees from conducting illegitimate activities by clearly defining expectations, reinforcing legal and ethical standards, establishing accountability, specifying consequences for violations, and promoting education and awareness about security risks.

PV038Insider Threat Awareness Training

Training should equip employees to recognize manipulation tactics, such as social engineering and extortion, that are used to coerce actions and behaviors harmful to the individual and/or the organization. The training should also encourage and guide participants on how to safely report any instances of coercion.

PV033Native Anti-Tampering Protections

Commercial security software may include native anti-tampering protections that prevent attempts to interfere with its operations, such as deleting or renaming required files.

PV002Restrict Access to Administrative Privileges

The Principle of Least Privilege should be enforced, and period reviews of permissions conducted to ensure that accounts have the minimum level of access required to complete duties as per their role.

Detection

ID Name Description
DT046Agent Capable of Endpoint Detection and Response

An agent capable of Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) is a software agent installed on organization endpoints (such as laptops and servers) that (at a minimum) records the Operating System, application, and network activity on an endpoint.

 

Typically EDR operates in an agent/server model, where agents automatically send logs to a server, where the server correlates those logs based on a rule set. This rule set is then used to surface potential security-related events, that can then be analyzed.

 

An EDR agent typically also has some form of remote shell capability, where a user of the EDR platform can gain a remote shell session on a target endpoint, for incident response purposes. An EDR agent will typically have the ability to remotely isolate an endpoint, where all network activity is blocked on the target endpoint (other than the network activity required for the EDR platform to operate).

DT045Agent Capable of User Activity Monitoring

An agent capable of User Activity Monitoring (UAM) is a software agent installed on organization endpoints (such as laptops); typically, User Activity Monitoring agents are only deployed on endpoints where a human user Is expected to conduct the activity.

 

The User Activity Monitoring agent will typically record Operating System, application, and network activity occurring on an endpoint, with a focus on activity that is or can be conducted by a human user. The purpose of this monitoring is to identify undesirable and/or malicious activity being conducted by a human user (in this context, an Insider Threat).

 

Typical User Activity Monitoring platforms operate in an agent/server model where activity logs are sent to a server for automatic correlation against a rule set. This rule set is used to surface activity that may represent Insider Threat related activity such as capturing screenshots, copying data, compressing files or installing risky software.

 

Other platforms providing related functionality are frequently referred to as User Behaviour Analytics (UBA) platforms.

DT047Agent Capable of User Behaviour Analytics

An agent capable of User Behaviour Analytics (UBA) is a software agent installed on organizational endpoints (such as laptops). Typically, User Activity Monitoring agents are only deployed on endpoints where a human user is expected to conduct the activity.

 

The User Behaviour Analytics agent will typically record Operating System, application, and network activity occurring on an endpoint, focusing on activity that is or can be conducted by a human user. Typically, User Behaviour Analytics platforms operate in an agent/server model where activity logs are sent to a server for automatic analysis. In the case of User Behaviour Analytics, this analysis will typically be conducted against a baseline that has previously been established.

 

A User Behaviour Analytic platform will typically conduct a period of ‘baselining’ when the platform is first installed. This baselining period establishes the normal behavior parameters for an organization’s users, which are used to train a Machine Learning (ML) model. This ML model can then be later used to automatically identify activity that is predicted to be an anomaly, which is hoped to surface user behavior that is undesirable, risky, or malicious.

 

Other platforms providing related functionality are frequently referred to as User Activity Monitoring (UAM) platforms.