The Value of HR in Your Insider Risk Management Program

Companies hire people, and each new hire—while ideally an asset—presents some degree of risk. In most cases, that risk is dormant. But insider threats, whether driven by malice, coercion or deception, are a persistent reality.

Because insider risk management is a human problem, it demands human context. No technology can assess an individual’s intentions, stressors or motivations without input from the people who work closest to them. This is where human resources (HR) is not just important—it’s indispensable.

HR: the earliest gatekeeper of insider risk

HR’s role begins before day one: when a job requisition is posted, candidates are screened and hiring managers make their selections. The team validates identity, assesses suitability, and verifies the accuracy of résumés, credentials and professional history.

It’s not uncommon for HR to be the first to flag something amiss—a gap in employment, a misalignment between role and skill, or an interaction that simply doesn’t feel right.

That’s because HR is in the unique position of evaluating both technical capability and cultural fit. But even well-designed hiring processes can be exploited.

What the DPRK IT worker scam reveals about HR’s role in insider risk management

Revelations about North Korea’s IT worker scam reinforce a simple but essential truth: Insider risk isn’t limited to existing employees or contractors—it can begin the moment someone applies for a job.

In hundreds of confirmed cases, individuals affiliated with the DPRK regime used stolen or borrowed American identities to secure remote IT positions at companies around the world. These individuals:

• Falsified résumés and coding portfolios
• Passed background checks using fraudulently obtained credentials
• Used deepfake video and voice technology during interviews
• Maintained long-term access to enterprise systems, often without raising alarms

What makes this campaign notable isn’t just its scope or impact—it’s how it succeeded. These individuals weren’t exploiting software vulnerabilities. They were exploiting trust. And they did so by blending into hiring processes designed to identify talent, not deception.

This underscores why HR is indispensable to any insider risk management program. From pre-employment screening and interview engagement to ongoing behavioral insight, HR sits at a critical intersection of identity, access and intent.

Far from being a failure of HR, the DPRK case serves as a timely reminder: In a world where impersonation and fraud can bypass traditional vetting methods, HR’s partnership with security, IT and legal is vital. Not just at the front door—but across the entire employee journey.

Why is HR data critical to insider risk management?

Insider threats don’t manifest overnight. They evolve—often in subtle, human ways. And the early indicators are almost always seen first by HR.

HR has visibility into:

• Behavioral red flags, such as disengagement or interpersonal conflict
• Disciplinary trends or frequent manager concerns
• EAP usage, performance issues or complaints
• Overperformance patterns that are too consistent or out of sync with team norms

HR context is essential to detect these kinds of anomalies. And when combined with behavioral telemetry from IT systems, it gives insider risk teams a more complete and accurate picture of risk.

What happens when HR and IT are misaligned?

Remote work has extended the employment lifecycle beyond the physical walls of the business—and in doing so, has widened the gaps in access control. These breakdowns often stem from process gaps: HR offboards an employee, but access revocation is delayed or incomplete due to miscommunication with IT.

Even a brief lag between HR action and IT enforcement creates a dangerous window—one in which an individual may still access sensitive resources, systems or data.

Closing this gap requires tight operational alignment between HR, IT and security teams. Every employee event—hire, transfer, departure—must trigger timely, automated updates to permissions and access.

Can insider risk be managed without sacrificing privacy?

Protecting employee privacy and managing risk are not mutually exclusive. With the right frameworks, organizations can uphold fairness while still acting on credible concerns.

Pseudonymization enables analysts to review behavioral anomalies without knowing who the individual is. Only when behavior exceeds a defined risk threshold is the identity revealed—and only under defined policy, with HR as a key participant in that decision.

This approach removes unconscious bias from initial reviews and ensures investigations are proportionate and aligned with policy. Importantly, it positions HR in the critical role of ethical gatekeeper.

The crucial role of emotional intelligence

HR doesn’t just manage people—they understand people. That understanding is rooted in emotional intelligence (EQ), and it’s a crucial layer of defense against insider threats driven by stress, dissatisfaction or a sense of injustice.

When someone never engages, never takes time off, and never participates in the culture, that may indicate either a disengaged employee—or a false identity.

When it is a real employee struggling, HR can intervene through coaching, referrals and support. When it’s not, HR can help determine what’s out of place—and why.

HR’s strategic opportunity in insider risk management

The takeaway is simple but urgent: If it involves an employee, it involves HR.

The human element will always be the most targeted—and the most exploitable. But when HR is engaged, informed and empowered, it can also be the most resilient.

HR can:

• Strengthen identity validation processes
• Establish behavioral baselines that help detect anomalies
• Collaborate on policy enforcement and incident escalation
• Serve as the cultural steward for trust, accountability and fairness

To explore how to deepen HR’s role in your insider risk strategy—or better understand the implications of the DPRK threat—contact DTEX.