The Insider Threat: Assessment and Mitigation of Risks

This book provides emergent knowledge relating to physical, cyber, and human risk mitigation in a practical and readable approach for the corporate environment. It presents and discusses practical applications of risk management techniques along with useable practical policy change options. This practical organizational security management approach examines multiple aspects of security to protect against physical, cyber, and human risk. A practical more tactical focus includes managing vulnerabilities and applying countermeasures. The book guides readers to a greater depth of understanding and action-oriented options.

About the Author

Eleanor E. Thompson, PhD, is known as an organizational change agent, and in 2016 was awarded the U.S. Coast Guard Commandant’s Superior Achievement Award for cybersecurity innovation. After conducting a groundbreaking sociological study on an information technology problem―Insider Threat―Dr. Thompson applied her research to transform the U.S. Coast Guard toward a vision for operating in the cyber domain. Dr. Thompson has a 20-plus year career history with the U.S. Coast Guard and has worked at the senior-most levels as a policy and operations advisor, including on the commandant’s staff (Tom Collins and Thad Allen), as well as advising those who would become commandant (Robert Papp).

Dr. Thompson holds an associate degree in applied criminal justice; a BS in sociology; a master’s degree in public administration (justice administration), all from Columbus State University, Georgia. She also holds a master’s degree in human resource management from Troy State University, Alabama, and a PhD in public policy and administration (information technology security and management) from Walden University, Minnesota. She has been an associate faculty member for over a decade for the University of Phoenix―Online and Northern Virginia Campus―where she is also a subject matter expert for curriculum development for both criminal justice and security in critical infrastructure protection and cyberspace, as well as for network security in information systems and technology.