National Insider Threat Awareness Month serves as a crucial reminder for organizations to strengthen their most powerful cybersecurity defense—their employees. While many may label a disgruntled ex-employee or someone looking to gain an edge in a new job as the ultimate insider threat, the reality is that every individual, from an intern to the CEO, has the potential to pose a risk, especially when using email.

In fact, the more common danger arises from well-meaning employees simply trying to perform their duties. These individuals may inadvertently click on phishing links, send sensitive data to the wrong person, or recklessly forward company information to personal email addresses to work on after hours, all in an effort to ‘get the job done’. It quickly becomes clear that a business’ most powerful defense is also its biggest cyber vulnerability.

The implications of insider threats are widespread, with 96% of organizations experiencing negative fallout from successful phishing attacks and 91% facing repercussions from data loss and exfiltration. Such incidents can lead to severe consequences, including financial loss, customer churn, regulatory intervention, and reputational damage. However, it is also important to recognize that even the inadvertent insider themselves can feel the sting, with 51% of employees being disciplined and 39% being fired as a result of falling for a phishing attack.

As we approach National Insider Threat Awareness Month, I urge organizations to continue shifting away from a culture of blame to one that fosters learning and improvement. Establishing a psychologically safe environment where employees are educated about cyber risks is the only way a business can effectively manage insider threats. Organizations need to focus on making sure they’re doing enough to support each individual, such as providing them with personalized coaching tailored to specific roles and departments. When combined with advanced anti-phishing and data loss protection technologies, this approach can create a bulletproof cybersecurity strategy for any company.

Ultimately, every organization has the potential to turn an insider threat into their greatest cyber asset by fostering a culture of continuous education and vigilance.