<!-- Copyright (c) 2026 defconxt. All rights reserved. -->
<!-- Licensed under AGPL-3.0 — see LICENSE file for details. -->
---
name: implementing-insider-threat-emulation
description: >-
  Emulate insider threat scenarios including privileged user abuse, data
  exfiltration by trusted employees, sabotage patterns, and credential
  sharing to validate DLP controls, UEBA detection, and access governance
  effectiveness.
domain: cybersecurity
subdomain: adversary-simulation
tags:
  - insider-threat
  - data-exfiltration
  - ueba
  - dlp-testing
  - privileged-abuse
version: "1.0"
author: defconxt
license: AGPL-3.0
metadata:
  mitre-attack: ["T1078", "T1074", "T1567", "T1485", "T1490"]
  frameworks: ["MITRE ATT&CK", "NIST SP 800-53", "CERT Insider Threat"]
  tools: ["python3", "canarytoken", "sysmon", "auditd"]
---

# Implementing Insider Threat Emulation

## Overview

Insider threat emulation simulates malicious or negligent actions by trusted
users — privileged administrators exfiltrating data, employees staging files
for removal, credential sharing, and sabotage of critical systems. These
scenarios validate User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA), Data Loss
Prevention (DLP), and access governance controls against threats that bypass
perimeter defenses entirely.

## Prerequisites

| Tool / Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| `python3` | Security tooling |
| `canary tokens` | Security tooling |
| `SIEM with UEBA module` | Security tooling |
| Authorized insider threat testing scope with HR/legal coordination | Environment requirement |
| Test accounts with realistic privilege levels | Environment requirement |
| DLP and UEBA systems deployed for detection validation | Environment requirement |

## Workflow

### Step 1: Define Insider Threat Scenarios

```bash
# Generate insider threat scenario playbook
node scripts/agent.js scenarios --profile privileged-admin --output scenarios.json

# List available insider threat persona templates
node scripts/agent.js list-personas
```

### Step 2: Simulate Data Staging and Exfiltration

```bash
# Simulate data staging to removable media or cloud upload
node scripts/agent.js stage-data --method usb --volume 500mb --target /tmp/staging

# Simulate exfiltration via authorized channels
node scripts/agent.js exfiltrate --method email --data staged-files.zip --dry-run
```

### Step 3: Simulate Privilege Abuse

```bash
# Test unauthorized access to sensitive resources
node scripts/agent.js access-abuse --user testadmin --resource hr-database

# Simulate credential sharing detection
node scripts/agent.js cred-share --user testadmin --location anomalous
```

### Step 4: Detection Validation and Reporting

```bash
# Correlate insider actions with UEBA alerts
node scripts/agent.js correlate --actions actions.json --ueba-export alerts.json

# Generate insider threat assessment report
node scripts/agent.js report --scope full --output insider-report.json
```

## Detection

```yaml
title: Insider Threat Emulation Detection
id: 11310d09-94ad-4b03-bacd-3ac8b4aa2e1c
status: experimental
description: Detects suspicious activity related to implementing insider threat emulation techniques in adversary simulation context
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: windows
detection:
  selection:
    CommandLine: "*implementing*insider*"
  condition: selection
level: high
tags:
  - attack.t1078
  - attack.t1074
  - attack.t1567
  - attack.t1485
  - attack.t1490
  - attack.execution
falsepositives:
  - Authorized red team exercises during approved testing windows
```


**Detection Opportunities**

| Indicator | Source | Detection Logic |
|---|---|---|
| Insider Threat Emulation Detection | windows/process_creation | Sigma rule (high) |
| ATT&CK Coverage | MITRE ATT&CK | T1078, T1074, T1567, T1485, T1490 |

## Verification

- [ ] Insider threat scenarios cover key risk profiles
- [ ] Data staging and exfiltration detected by DLP controls
- [ ] Privilege abuse triggers UEBA anomaly alerts
- [ ] Credential sharing patterns identified by authentication monitoring
- [ ] Report includes insider threat program maturity assessment

## References

- [CERT Insider Threat Center](https://www.sei.cmu.edu/our-work/insider-threat/) — Insider threat research
- [NIST SP 800-53 AC-2](https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-53/rev-5/final) — Account management controls
