Identify & Protect: How to Measure & Mitigate Security Behaviors with User Behavior Analytics and Insider Threat Detection

In today’s cybersecurity landscape, user behavior analytics and insider threat detection are critical for identifying and mitigating risks before they escalate into security incidents. Human behaviors within an organization often pose significant vulnerabilities, making it essential to track and respond to these behaviors in real-time. This guide explores practical steps to implement user behavior analytics and enhance insider threat detection, while highlighting how Living Security’s Unify platform naturally supports these efforts, providing proactive risk management.

Advanced Techniques to Detect & Mitigate Security Behaviors

1. Establish a Baseline of Normal Behavior
   The foundation of effective insider threat detection lies in understanding what "normal" behavior looks like within your organization. Monitoring activities such as login patterns, file access times, and system usage can help establish a baseline of normal user behavior. Once this baseline is in place, any deviations—such as a user suddenly accessing sensitive files outside their usual working hours—can serve as early indicators of potential threats.
   
   Living Security’s Unify platform enhances this process by tracking over 250+ discrete behaviors across various categories, such as identity & access, endpoint, and web security. According to Forrester, Unify’s ability to monitor such a wide range of behaviors was a key factor in receiving the top score for Security Behavior Detection & Measurement, as it gives organizations a comprehensive view of user activities and risk levels (Forrester, 2024).
   
   
2. Implement Continuous Monitoring
   Continuous, real-time monitoring is essential for identifying threats as they happen. By tracking user activities across systems, organizations can quickly detect deviations from established norms. Continuous monitoring ensures that potential risks are flagged immediately, giving security teams the chance to intervene before they become breaches.
   
   Unify integrates seamlessly with over 60+ existing security tools, allowing organizations to tap into data they are already collecting. With real-time data flowing through Unify, security teams gain an ongoing view of user behaviors, such as VPN usage, password practices, and multi-factor authentication compliance, enabling them to catch and address risky behaviors in real-time. As Forrester noted in its recent evaluation, this real-time visibility “provides the critical insights needed to act on human risk before it escalates” (Forrester, 2024).
   
   
3. Leverage Behavior-Driven Risk Scoring with Access Insights
   A key factor in mitigating insider threats is moving beyond static access controls and towards behavior-driven risk scoring that accounts for both user actions and their level of access. It's not just what users are doing that matters—it's also the access they have to sensitive systems and data. By evaluating how users interact with systems and the sensitivity of the resources they can access, organizations can create a dynamic, more accurate understanding of their security risks.
   
   Living Security’s Unify platform provides a comprehensive Human Risk Index (HRI) that combines real-time user behaviors, external threats, and critically, the level of access a user has within the organization. This dual focus ensures that users with high access to sensitive systems are evaluated with greater scrutiny. As Forrester highlights, the HRI “offers an innovative way to quantify human behavior risk while factoring in the potential impact of that user’s access on the organization’s security posture” (Forrester, 2024). This approach allows security teams to not only assess individual risk but also prioritize actions based on the potential consequences of risky behavior from high-access users, ensuring that the most significant threats are mitigated proactively.
   
   
4. Classify and Protect Sensitive Data
   In addition to monitoring user behaviors, it’s crucial to classify and protect your organization’s sensitive data. By identifying key assets and applying role-based access controls, encryption, and data monitoring, organizations can ensure that only authorized users have access to critical information. These controls add another layer of protection, even if an insider attempts to access or misuse sensitive data.
   
   With Unify, organizations can track user interactions with sensitive data, ensuring that access is monitored and restricted based on the user’s role and behavior. According to Forrester, Living Security’s platform excels in delivering “the visibility and granularity needed to ensure that data access is appropriately managed and that unauthorized access attempts are quickly identified” (Forrester, 2024).

5. Identify Employees Who Need Targeted Security Interventions
   While security awareness training is a foundational element in reducing human risk, the key isn't more training for everyone—it’s about providing the right support to the right people. Many organizations still rely on a one-size-fits-all approach, but data-driven insights show that certain employees may require more focused interventions based on their behaviors. With Living Security’s Unify platform, organizations can use real-time behavioral data to identify which employees are at higher risk and in need of targeted support. By tracking actions like consistently clicking on phishing emails or mishandling sensitive data, Unify helps pinpoint the individuals who pose the greatest threat, allowing security teams to intervene with precision.
   
   For example, if a department shows a pattern of risky behavior, Unify can trigger alerts for targeted action, whether it’s deploying specific training or adjusting access controls for that group. As Forrester noted, Living Security “enables organizations to move from blanket security measures to data-driven interventions that address specific risk factors, ultimately reducing the overall human risk profile” (Forrester, 2024). By focusing on data-driven insights, organizations can ensure that training and interventions are directed where they are most needed, making security efforts more efficient and impactful.

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6. Apply Predictive Analytics to Identify Insider Threats
   Going beyond reactive measures, predictive analytics allows organizations to anticipate future security risks by analyzing patterns in user behavior. By assessing historical data, security teams can identify trends and behaviors that suggest potential insider threats, allowing for early intervention before an issue escalates.
   
   Unify’s Behavior Score leverages these insights to help organizations predict and mitigate insider threats. As Forrester explains, Unify’s HRI “estimates the likelihood and impact of human behaviors on a firm’s overall security posture and is based on behaviors, external threats, and user access” (Forrester, 2024). This enables proactive security management, empowering organizations to act before potential threats materialize.

Proactive Mitigation: Taking Action Before a Breach

One of the most powerful benefits of user behavior analytics and insider threat detection is the ability to intervene before a security breach occurs. By closely monitoring behaviors and acting on predictive insights, security teams can deploy targeted training, adjust user access controls, or trigger real-time alerts when high-risk behaviors are detected.

Recent data shows that 68% of breaches involve non-malicious human elements (Verizon, 2024). With Unify, organizations gain the ability to detect these risky behaviors early and respond proactively, significantly reducing the likelihood of breaches while fostering a culture of security awareness. As Forrester concludes, “Living Security’s proactive approach to human risk management gives organizations a significant advantage in preventing human-related security incidents” (Forrester, 2024).