Predicting Insider Threat Risks through Linguistic Analysis of Electronic Communication

Organizations face growing risks from malicious or careless insiders. An insider threat may take many forms, including disgruntled workers, individuals under financial stress or intentional acts of espionage. Waiting for threats to manifest may leave an organization open to liability, hurt morale and in extreme cases lead to physical harm of others. However, predicting who may pose the greatest risk is challenging. Legal and economic concerns make direct psychological examinations challenging, while reliance upon supervisor or co-worker assessments may lead to unfounded accusations. This research investigates the potential for active monitoring of electronic communications as a method that may identify problems early, allowing for proactive mitigation through coaching, assistance programs and where warranted, termination. Research has found correlations between word use and behavior. This research demonstrates that subtle but measurable differences in the frequency of common words found in electronic communication may provide clues about potential insider threat risks.