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Ever had a mouse in your house? You don’t realize it at first. Then, a few chocolate chips go missing. Later, you notice holes in the cereal box. One day, you open the pantry and freeze. Droppings, crumbs, shredded cardboard. You realize something has been living behind your walls. Eating away while you weren’t looking all along. That’s how insider threats work. Slowly chipping away at your business from the inside, while everything still looks normal on the surface.

It’s easy to think this kind of threat is a problem for just big agencies and corporations, but it’s not. Small and medium-sized businesses are just as vulnerable to betrayal. Client databases, financial records, vendor contracts, login credentials. They’re all assets someone might want—and that someone doesn’t need to hack a firewall, because they already have a badge, a desk, and your trust.

MICE in the Walls: What Motivates Insider Threats

In the context of a small or medium-sized business, an insider is anyone within your organization who has legitimate access to your systems, data, or physical assets. This person misuses that access, intentionally or unintentionally, to cause harm. Insiders could be:

• Entry to executive-level employees
• Contractors or freelancers
• Vendors or service providers
• Former employees
• Even a business partner or investor

In an SMB, roles typically overlap and security processes are flexible. Employees might even have more access than they should. If that person becomes disgruntled, desperate, or compromised, they can inflict serious damage. So, your insiders don’t need to hack their way in. They just log in. Want to know who’s really behind that resume before hiring them on? Our due diligence process can help.

What Motivates an Insider? 

Meet MICE. Security agencies have long studied what drives insiders to betray trust. It comes down to four key motivators: MICE—Money, Ideology, Coercion, Ego.

M – Money

Example: Aldrich Ames, sold CIA secrets for financial gain

Motivation: Financial desperation, greed, or feeling underpaid

SMB Relevance: Maybe it’s not secrets but it’s your client list, your pricing sheet, your payroll data. An underpaid or desperate employee sees it as a quick way to get even, or to get out.

I – Ideology

Example: Ana Montes, leaked classified intel for political beliefs

Motivation: Disagreement with organizational values, political beliefs, or ethical opposition

SMB Relevance: Inside your office, it might be someone who disagrees with how your company operates. They leak internal emails to a competitor. Or they derail a project because they don’t like the mission.

C – Coercion / Compromise

Example: Edward Lee Howard or other blackmail cases

Motivation: Blackmail, threats, or manipulation

SMB Relevance: Your employee? Maybe they’re deep in gambling debt. Someone notices and they’re offered a deal: hand over access, or else.

E – Ego / Excitement

Example: Robert Hanssen, who just did it for the thrill

Motivation: Narcissism, boredom, desire for control or recognition

SMB Relevance: That tech admin in your office? The one who gave himself boss-level access “just to see if he could”? He might be poking around systems no one asked him to touch.

A Real-World Wake-Up Call

In 2024, a U.S. company hired a remote IT contractor who seemed like a perfect fit. Resume checked out. The interview was smooth. They even passed the skills test. Only later did the company discover the contractor wasn’t in the U.S. at all, but they were operating out of North Korea. Over time, they infiltrated internal systems, copied sensitive data, and demanded six figures in cryptocurrency as ransom. The small business literally never saw it coming.

Other companies have even unintentionally hired fake employees, who were using manipulated photos and documents. Some of these insiders were part of coordinated state-backed operations. The target is not just money, but access.

Why SMBs Are Prime Targets

Small and medium sized businesses move fast and people wear multiple hats. That efficiency is a strength, but it also opens doors.

• Rarely are there insider threat detection programs.
• Access controls are loose, if they exist at all.
• Background checks are skipped.
• Offboarding procedures are incomplete or non-existent.
• Training and awareness on insider risk are usually not part of onboarding.
• Employees under stress—financial or emotional—often don’t know where to turn.

Attackers and opportunists notice all of these things and they move quickly when they do.

Signs a Mouse Is in the Walls

• Employees accessing files they don’t need
• Logging in after hours without reason
• Complaining more than usual about leadership or pay
• Visible signs of stress, financial or personal
• Behavioral changes: suddenly secretive, defensive, or withdrawn
• Attempts to bypass security or questioning policies

What You Can Do Right Now

You can’t control motivation, but you can remove opportunity.

1. Run access audits. Who has access to what and why? Trim it down.
2. Use the least privilege access policy. Give people only what they need, nothing more.
3. Vet thoroughly. Even for remote roles. Especially for remote roles.
4. Have an offboarding process and cut access before someone leaves.
5. Support your team. Employees in distress are more vulnerable to outside pressure.
6. Create reporting channels. Anonymous, confidential, and safe.
7. Train everyone. Teach the MICE model. Show what to watch for.

Final Thought

The reasons insiders turn haven’t changed. Money, beliefs, pressure, pride. What’s changed is the playing field. Today, the threat could be working at the desk next to you. Or three time zones away on your payroll. The question isn’t if that someone might have a reason. It’s if you’ve left the door open for them.
Safe Haven Risk Management offers Security Vulnerability Assessments built specifically for small and mid-sized businesses. We dig into your access controls, identify your weak spots, and help seal the walls before something dangerous starts chewing through them. Let’s take a look inside, before it’s too late.