Agencies Provided with New Policies to Target Insider Threats

Agencies have been provided with new standards for protecting classified information from insider threats.

In a Presidential Memorandum issued Wednesday, President Barack Obama issued the new policy and standards to the heads of executive branch departments and agencies. Details on the new National Insider Threat Policy were withheld from the public.

According to the memo, the new standards should give agencies the necessary components of an effective insider threat program, including:

·         The ability to gather and respond to threat information;

·         Monitoring employees’ use of classified networks;

·         Providing insider-threat awareness training to employees; and

·         Protecting employees’ civil liberties and ensuring privacy protections.

“The resulting insider threat capabilities will strengthen the protection of classified information across the executive branch and reinforce our defenses against both adversaries and insiders who misuse their access and endanger our national security,” Obama wrote.