Demystifying the insider threat concept: similarities with and distinctions from counterproductive workplace behaviors

Clay Posey and Mindy K. Shoss

Chapter 31 in Handbook of Counterproductive Work Behavior, 2025, pp 560-575 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: ‘Insider threats’ is an umbrella term for how insiders can negatively influence their organizations’ physical and cyber security, and it has become a significant concern for organizational leaders. As we have studied insider threats, however, we have encountered substantial variance in others’ understanding of and approach to the concept. Such confusion could be due to security scholars not fully differentiating their focal constructs from similar concepts typically discussed by their industrial and organizational psychology and organizational behavior colleagues. Or perhaps questions about the construct uniqueness of insider threats have been caught up in the counterproductive workplace behavior (CWB) literature’s attempts to define CWB and understand the relationship between the many constructs that capture misbehavior in organizations (e.g., CWB, deviance, sabotage, revenge). Whether these or other explanations are correct, we use this chapter to help demystify this important concept and offer our thoughts about insider threats to help guide future research and industry approaches.

Keywords: Insider threats; Behavioral information security; Security violations; Organizational insiders (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035306664
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