When performing behavioral analysis to detect insider threats, what is the first step to take?

When conducting behavioral analysis for detecting insider threats, the initial step involves extracting behavioral patterns. This is essential because understanding these patterns provides the foundation for recognizing deviations or anomalies that may signify malicious behavior or security risks. By establishing a baseline of normal behavior, security teams can more effectively identify unusual activities that deviate from this norm, which is critical for detecting potential insider threats.

Extracting behavioral patterns allows organizations to systematically analyze various data points, such as login times, resource access, communication frequency, and other relevant metrics. This step helps in building a comprehensive understanding of what constitutes "normal" behavior for users within the organization, making it easier to spot significant changes or outliers in subsequent analysis.

Once these behavioral patterns are established, other steps such as discovering outliers, comparing behaviors across multiple users, and building profiles of various groups can follow. However, establishing the baseline through behavioral pattern extraction is key to ensuring that all subsequent analysis is grounded in a solid understanding of what normal behavior looks like within the organization.