The missing piece in cybersecurity: Human risk detection

While traditional security solutions focus on external threats, they often fail to detect and mitigate high-risk behaviors happening inside the organization. This gap leaves companies exposed to insider threats, blackmail, data leaks, IP theft and security breaches.

At NetClean, we work with organizations that take security seriously. Yet, we repeatedly see cases where an undetected human risk factor becomes a critical vulnerability—one that could have been identified before it escalated.

Why human risk matters

Most security teams focus on blocking external attacks, but what happens when the threat is already inside the network?

Some behaviors pose severe security risks, including:

• Accessing illegal content, particularly Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), which can lead to blackmail, extortion, and insider threats.
• Using high-risk websites and unsecured channels, which can compromise devices by introducing malware and spyware.
• Misusing privileged access, where employees or contractors gain unauthorized access to sensitive data.

These activities don’t just put an individual at risk—they create security vulnerabilities for the entire organization.

Bridging the security gap with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) came about because of an executive order from President Obama back in 2013. The goal was to create a voluntary, risk-based framework to help protect critical industries—things like energy, finance, and healthcare—from cyber threats. To make it work, NIST pulled in experts from government, private companies, and the cybersecurity world. The first version was released in 2014, and it’s been updated since—most recently with CSF 2.0 in 2024.

A big part of this framework is detection—and that’s not just a technical thing, it’s a business priority. If you can catch threats early, you can avoid financial losses, regulatory issues, and reputational damage. Organizations that treat detection as a core business function, rather than just an IT issue, are better positioned to minimize risk, respond effectively to incidents, and maintain trust with stakeholders.

Although NIST is not a federal law for all businesses, it’s widely adopted and often acts as a de facto standard. The Framework provides a structured approach to managing cybersecurity risk. Its Detect (DE) function focuses on identifying and analyzing potential threats before they escalate. This is where NetClean ProActive comes in.

Our Human Risk Detection solution aligns with the Detect function, helping organizations:

• Identify risky behaviors in real-time.
• Detect and analyze anomalies linked to insider threats.
• Strengthen overall cybersecurity by addressing human risk.

Traditional security tools aren’t designed to detect these behaviors early—but that’s exactly what NetClean ProActive can do.

Want to learn more?

Discover how NetClean ProActive can help your organization detect and mitigate human risk.