Screening & Vetting

MITRE’s long-history of rigorous research on insider threat is being used as much as possible for screening and vetting, however, it has focused mostly on insider risks after on-boarding. MITRE discovered the current background investigation approaches were developed over time from good ideas and anecdotal situations, not from any research into attitude, intentions, or behavior identification. The screening and vetting community needs research to make the best decisions about how to move forward more efficiently, while protecting their organizations and identifying risks involving potential new hires and employees receiving enhanced access to an organizations’ resources. We are beginning a behavioral analysis of a large quantity of existing derogatory background investigation data to identify data-driven patterns in critical behavioral flags, develop validated indicators, and identify most appropriate data sources for employment decisions. MITRE is starting to lead community efforts to provide an evidence-based strategy for improving screening and vetting data collection processes and decision-making.