Europe's Blind Spot: Geopolitics Turns Employees into Security Risks

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – January 27, 2026 – An alarming 84% of European organizations with high-risk profiles feel ill-equipped to manage threats that originate from within their own ranks, according to a stark new report. The findings, published today in the ‘Insider Risk Trend Report 2026’ by advisory firm Signpost Six, paint a grim picture of corporate vulnerability, where escalating geopolitical tensions are transforming trusted employees, contractors, and suppliers into the continent's most significant security liability.

The report argues that insider risk—encompassing espionage, sabotage, or strategic influence by internal actors—is no longer an incidental problem but a structural vulnerability. In a world where global conflicts are increasingly fought through economic, technological, and social channels, the human element has become the new frontline.

The New Battlefield is Inside Your Walls

Traditional security models focused on external threats like cyberattacks are proving dangerously insufficient. The new doctrine of hybrid warfare, where state actors blur the lines between military and civilian domains, has firmly placed commercial enterprises in the crosshairs. According to the report, state actors, criminal networks, and activist movements are strategically targeting individuals who already possess legitimate access to sensitive systems, knowledge, and decision-making processes.

This approach is often more effective and harder to detect than a conventional digital breach or physical sabotage. Critical infrastructure providers, technology companies, and logistics hubs are now considered prime targets for destabilization from within. The report underscores that the threat is not abstract but a calculated strategy by external powers.

"State actors and organised criminal networks are increasingly targeting employees within organisations. Their direct access to locations, people and sensitive information make them an attractive and effective target," states Dennis Bijker, CEO of Signpost Six, in the press release accompanying the report. This shift demands a fundamental re-evaluation of corporate security, moving beyond firewalls and fences to address the complex human dynamics at play.

From Global Supply Chains to Local Threats

The report identifies several converging factors that are amplifying this internal threat. The increasing use of criminal networks as proxies by state actors allows for operations with minimal traceability, creating a layer of plausible deniability. Employees are facing unprecedented pressure through sophisticated and often extreme methods, including lucrative financial temptations, coercive threats against family members, and blackmail.

Furthermore, decades of globalization have created intricate and opaque supply chains, which are now a source of systemic fragility. Critical access to a European company's systems and processes may lie with a third-party vendor operating under a completely different legal and political regime. As geopolitical fault lines deepen, these dependencies can be exploited, turning a trusted partner into an unwitting vector for an attack.

This complex web of vulnerabilities means that geopolitical events occurring thousands of miles away can have a direct and immediate impact within the walls of a European business. The report warns that ignoring this reality leaves employees dangerously exposed and unintentionally targeted.

Beyond the Firewall: A Human-Centric Crisis

The core of the issue lies in a widespread over-reliance on technical and physical security measures that fail to account for human behavior and vulnerability. Experts agree that the 'human factor' is the weakest link. Insider incidents can be both malicious, driven by greed or ideology, and unintentional, stemming from simple human error, distraction in a hybrid work environment, or susceptibility to social engineering.

Addressing this requires a paradigm shift. Resilience can no longer be the sole responsibility of the IT or security department. The report calls for explicit risk ownership at the executive and board levels, fostering intensive cooperation between Human Resources, security, risk management, and legal departments. Building a resilient enterprise means creating a security culture that is proactive, not reactive. This involves robust employee training, clear ethical guidelines for monitoring, and creating an environment where employees feel safe to report concerns without fear of reprisal.

A Regulatory Awakening Across Europe

European regulators are beginning to respond to this evolving threat landscape. A suite of new directives aims to force organizations to bolster their defenses against a range of threats, including those from within. The Network and Information Systems Directive (NIS2) and the Critical Entities Resilience (CER) Directive are central to this effort.

The CER Directive, in particular, directly addresses the issue by mandating that organizations in eleven vital sectors—from energy and transport to banking and digital infrastructure—enhance their physical and organizational resilience. Member states were required to conduct national risk assessments by this month, January 2026, and must identify their 'critical entities' by July. These entities will then be legally obligated to conduct their own risk assessments and implement measures to mitigate threats, including insider risk.

These regulations signal a clear move away from voluntary security measures toward a legally mandated framework for corporate resilience. For the 84% of organizations that feel unprepared, the clock is ticking not only against external adversaries but also against a new wave of compliance and governance standards that will hold them accountable for the security of their own people and processes.