Among organisations that experienced insider incidents, 55% reported data loss, 41% experienced operational downtime, and 47% reported reputational damage.
Organisations in the Middle East incurred an average of US$2.41 million in costs from insider-related security incidents over the past 12 months, according to new research from Trellix. The finding is part of Trellix Mind of the CISO: The New Insider, which examines how AI and autonomous systems are changing insider risk. The research also explores the consequences when trusted access goes wrong, and what this means for CISOs.
Insider Incidents Impact
According to the report, the financial figure, while substantial, is only one measure of the fallout. Among organisations that experienced insider incidents, 55% reported data loss, 41% experienced operational downtime, and 47% reported reputational damage. An incident can therefore compromise information, interrupt services, and affect the relationships a business depends on, finds the research.
On average, accidental or negligent actions by employees and other trusted users accounted for 45% of insider-related incidents, while malicious human actions accounted for 30%. Most strikingly, actions taken by AI-driven or autonomous systems already account for one in four insider-related incidents. As these systems become more widely used and act through trusted access at machine speed, mistakes or misuse could spread before security teams intervene.
“When AI agents operate inside your trusted boundary at machine speed, the resilient organisations will be the ones governing them like the privileged identities they are, while simultaneously building an agentic SOC to respond at the speed of the threat, not a human workflow,” said David Soto, Chief Information Security Officer, Trellix.
In the Middle East, 94% of CISOs said their responsibility for managing insider risk has increased over the past 12 months, while 70% are concerned about their personal liability if an insider-related security incident occurs. Yet 83% say senior leaders or board members lack a clear understanding of insider risk and its potential impact. CISOs are being asked to account for a growing range of trusted activity and explain its business consequences to leaders who may not yet see the full picture.
The findings also show where CISOs can start strengthening their position. More than three-quarters (78%) agree their organisations lacks sufficient visibility into how employees use AI tools, while 76% say it is not fully prepared to manage risks associated with AI and autonomous tools.
“Across the Middle East, the pressure on security leaders has shifted. The conversation used to be about whether AI belonged in the SOC, and now it is about control: who can see what AI is doing, who can act on it, and how fast,” said Siju Ramachandradasan, Vice President, Customer Success & Professional Services – EMEA at Trellix. “Organisations here are operating in complex regulatory environments with real consequences for getting it wrong. CISOs need the ability to track activity across both human and AI actors, understand the full picture, and shut down a threat before it becomes a wider business problem.”
Disclaimer: This article is based on a research commissioned by Trellix and conducted by independent market research agency Vanson Bourne. Readers are advised to review the full report for its methodology and complete findings. The article has been edited for length and readability.
