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Insider Threat Special Report: Need-to-Know vs. Need-to-Share

Posted: January 26th, 2017

The cultural shift stemming from a “need-to-know” to a “need-to-share” atmosphere in the intelligence community in the wake of 9/11 has been necessary to operate in today’s complex environment, experts and former national security officials say, but elements of the system may need an overhaul to tackle the increased insider threat problem.

“You can clearly equate today’s vulnerabilities with the response to the criticisms of 9/11. You can,” former CIA and NSA director General Michael Hayden said. “On the other hand, nobody required us to increase information sharing and do it stupidly. And so there is a certain element there — the direction was correct, but maybe more care should have been taken.”

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