What do malicious insider threats typically involve?

Malicious insider threats primarily pertain to situations where individuals within an organization, such as employees or contractors, intentionally misuse their authorized access to confidential information or systems. This includes actions like stealing sensitive data for personal gain, sabotaging systems, or leaking proprietary information.

The key aspect of these threats is the malicious intent behind the actions, differentiating them from other types of security threats. For example, while unauthorized access by external hackers involves individuals outside the organization exploiting vulnerabilities, a malicious insider starts with legitimate access that they exploit for harmful purposes. Similarly, accidental data leaks occur when employees unintentionally expose information, and technical failures in security systems refer to system malfunctions that compromise security without any intent from the user. Thus, option A is the most accurate representation of what malicious insider threats typically encompass.