New Dark Reading Tech Center Highlights Insider Threats

Today marks the official launch of the Insider Threat Tech Center, a subsite of Dark Reading devoted to bringing you news, opinion, and analysis of the security threats that come from inside the organization -- and the technologies used to prevent them.

This is the first of what we hope will be several Dark Reading Tech Centers, which are designed to provide you with a more focused view of specific issues, threats, and technologies in the world of IT security. The Tech Centers will offer in-depth reports and studies, breaking news, and links to additional articles and information not found on the main Dark Reading site. Just as a traditional newspaper offers in-depth sections or supplements on sports, entertainment, or politics, the Dark Reading Tech Centers will provide an additional range of news and information for readers who have an interest in specific aspects of IT security.As its name so clearly states, the Insider Threat Tech Center puts the spotlight on the fastest-growing concern in today's enterprise -- attacks, leaks, and data compromises that emanate from within the organization. On this site, we'll offer regular coverage of the many vulnerabilities and incidents that occur -- both accidentally and purposefully -- due to insiders' disregard of security policies and best practices. We'll help you understand how even well-intentioned employees sometimes cause major security breaches -- and how disgruntled employees can inflict even more damage.

Just as important, we'll offer updates and analyses of the latest technologies and practices used to prevent insiders from leaking data outside the organization. We'll offer in-depth coverage of evolving data leakage protection (DLP) technology, as well as tools for classifying sensitive data, controlling data access, and monitoring or restricting users' online behavior. We'll look at best practices for developing internal security policies, and discuss why "user education" isn't always practical or effective.

In addition to news and opinion on insider events and technology, you'll find some powerful ancillary resources on this site in the form of in-depth reports, white papers, and other analyses. Some of these reports have been written by the Dark Reading staff and contributors, while others have been developed by our sponsor, Lumension, which specializes in developing defenses against this emerging brand of threats. In both cases, we think you'll appreciate getting a level of detail and analysis that fleshes out the concepts raised in our news and blog sections -- and that may help you do your job better.

Of course, the creation of the Insider Threat Tech Center doesn't mean that our coverage of this important topic on the main Dark Reading site will decrease. You'll continue to see stories about insider threats on our home page, and the subject will remain a keen topic of discussion among our bloggers and on our message boards. But when you click on those stories or blogs, you'll be brought here, to the Tech Center, so that you can see the full range of news and information that we offer on the topic, and gain additional context to support what you're reading.

We think the Insider Threat Tech Center -- indeed the whole Tech Center concept -- will enhance the perspective we provide on all of our coverage of this critical area of security. But in the end, this is your site. Please let us know what you think of the Tech Center, our coverage of insider threats, and what you'd like to see us cover in more depth. We can't guarantee we'll answer every query with a story or in-depth report, but we'll do our best to meet your needs for additional information and analysis. Our goal is to help you do your job in IT security, and we're committed to keeping our readers informed and happy.

After all, we know how dangerous an *unhappy* user can be.