Which term describes a threat actor who is assigned privileges on the system that cause an intentional or unintentional incident?

Which term describes a threat actor who is assigned privileges on the system that cause an intentional or unintentional incident?

• A. Internal threat
• B. Unskilled attacker
• C. Hacktivists
• D. Unauthorized

Answer: (A)

This question tests recognizing insider threats—threat actors who already have access to the system. An internal threat is someone within the organization who has been granted privileges and can cause incidents either on purpose or by accident. Because they already hold authorized access, they can reach sensitive data or critical systems more easily, making their potential to cause harm both intentional (malicious abuse of privileges) or unintentional (negligence, misconfiguration, or human error) possible. Other options describe different attacker profiles. An unskilled attacker is typically external and lacks legitimate access. Hacktivists are external actors driven by ideological goals. The term unauthorized describes lack of permission rather than a type of actor who operates within the system with granted privileges, so it doesn’t fit the description of someone who already has access and can cause incidents.

This question tests recognizing insider threats—threat actors who already have access to the system. An internal threat is someone within the organization who has been granted privileges and can cause incidents either on purpose or by accident. Because they already hold authorized access, they can reach sensitive data or critical systems more easily, making their potential to cause harm both intentional (malicious abuse of privileges) or unintentional (negligence, misconfiguration, or human error) possible.

Other options describe different attacker profiles. An unskilled attacker is typically external and lacks legitimate access. Hacktivists are external actors driven by ideological goals. The term unauthorized describes lack of permission rather than a type of actor who operates within the system with granted privileges, so it doesn’t fit the description of someone who already has access and can cause incidents.