Unveiling Shadows: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Insider Threat Detection

Abstract

Insider threats pose a significant risk to organizations, necessitating robust detection mechanisms to safeguard against potential damage. Traditional methods struggle to detect insider threats operating within authorized access. Therefore, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques is essential. This study aimed to provide valuable insights for insider threat research by synthesizing advanced AI methodologies that offer promising avenues to enhance organizational cybersecurity defenses. For this purpose, this paper explores the intersection of AI and insider threat detection by acknowledging organizations' challenges in identifying and preventing malicious activities by insiders. In this context, the limitations of traditional methods are recognized, and AI techniques, including user behavior analytics, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Large Language Models (LLMs), and Graph-based approaches, are investigated as potential solutions to provide more effective detection mechanisms. For this purpose, this paper addresses challenges such as the scarcity of insider threat datasets, privacy concerns, and the evolving nature of employee behavior. This study contributes to the field by investigating the feasibility of AI techniques to detect insider threats and presents feasible approaches to strengthening organizational cybersecurity defenses against them. In addition, the paper outlines future research directions in the field by focusing on the importance of multimodal data analysis, human-centric approaches, privacy-preserving techniques, and explainable AI.