Unauthorized Disclosure: Can Behavioral Indicators Help Predict Who Will Commit Unauthorized Disclosure of Classified National Security Information?
Abstract : Federal government security-cleared personnel have been disclosing federal government classified national security information, whether to a foreign government or the United States media, at an increasing rate since the 1980s. Can common personal or psychological characteristics or motivations be identified from historical cases that could indicate the likelihood of a current or potential federal employee to disclose national security information without authorization? Reasons for unauthorized disclosure range from financial, to whistle-blowing, to a desire to change international policy, to sympathy and strong ties with a foreign government. The focus of this research is on the behavioral characteristics that are similar or different between known, studied historical cases of personnel associated with the federal government who have disclosed classified information without authorization. Upon review of existing data, the prevalent behavioral characteristic of the cases is one of a disgruntled employee (ideology/disillusionment/loyalty). A disgruntled employee becomes the largest concern as an insider threat, one who is willing to compromise his or her feelings of loyalty to the organization and the nation for a myriad of reasons.
Trusted Insiders Are Committing Fraud and Embezzlement Within Organizations: Is There a Connection to Addiction, as the Motivating Factor for Their Illegal Activities?
Abstract : Extensive studies and research have been conducted on insider threats, the possible causes, predictive models and best practices for prevention, early detection, and mitigation of the threats of insider attacks to a wide range of critical infrastructure, government agencies, and the private sector. Current research shows a great deal of attention directed at the cyber threats toward organizations. In contrast, relatively little research has been conducted on the insider threat with regard to financial fraud and embezzlement to organizations. Left undetected, insiders can cause irreparable and devastating consequences to private and public sector organizations, which compromise the integrity of the overall financial system. Recent criminal cases have revealed a disturbing trend linking many of the trusted insiders convicted of conducting fraud or embezzlement within the victim organizations to an addiction to gambling or prescription drugs. Also alarming is the frequency of trusted insiders conducting fraud within government agencies to support their addiction. This paper studies research on insider threats, and suggests that addiction is a contributing factor to the motives of the insiders criminal behaviors. Research also suggests that accurate reporting by law enforcement agencies is not occurring in police reports on motives or causes of the reasons insiders are committing their crimes.
Public Hospitals : Options for Reform through Public-Private Partnerships
Globally, health expenditures rose from an average of 3 percent of GDP in 1950 to 8 percent (US$3 trillion) in 1999 (WHO 2000). The increase in spending has been driven by rising income, changing demographic and epidemiological trends, and costly new pharmaceuticals and technology. Although technology is allowing a shift to outpatient care, hospitals still account for 30–50 percent of health expenditures. Public funding has not kept pace with the growth in spending. Much of the increase has been financed from private sources (out-ofpocket payments and private insurance), while the share funded publicly (by tax revenue and national insurance) declined by 6 percent between 1977 and 1997. Constraints on public funding, combined with rising costs, have forced public hospitals to cut costs wherever possible while still endeavoring to guarantee universal (and often free) access to public patients.1 Governments have used different strategies to address these problems, such as shifting financing from general tax revenue to payroll-financed national health insurance, narrowing the basic package of services available to all citizens, linking hospital funding to outputs and efficiency, amalgamating hospitals into networks, increasing autonomy and incentives for management, and reducing the number of hospital beds. Some governments have also turned to public-private partnerships to bring private sector efficiency into public hospitals.