2025 Unauthorized Disclosure Study
MITRE Insider Threat Research & Solutions behavioral scientists built and analyzed an evidence-based Unauthorized Disclosures (UD) research dataset to identify behavioral characteristics associated with UD. MITRE identified 142 UD cases (2001–2025), of which 45 had necessary available data for analysis. The research team executed an end-to-end data integration effort to negotiate access to data, retrieving records directly where available, and integrating different data sources into a single research dataset. The dataset spanned sources including government background investigation (BI) and Continuous Vetting (CV) files, open-source legal and media records, and commercially available public-records data. Data for the 45 UD cases were structured then manually hand-annotated using a detailed codebook of 250+ behavior, action, and event types across multiple categories (e.g., Drugs/Alcohol, Discipline/Criminal, Foreign Influence/Preference, and Other Behaviors). Quantitative analysis then identified patterns in the behavioral characteristics that differentiate UD subjects across subtypes (e.g., disclosure type and recipient focus), demographic and position factors, activity timelines, and other factors. UD patterns were also compared against a baseline of background investigations for comparison set of “presumed good” individuals with security clearances. The UD study research delivers the national security community a scientifically-grounded, data-driven foundation for understanding and mitigating UD risk within the DOW—and provides other government agencies and critical infrastructure industry with a baseline for comparison. The dataset, findings, and recommendations support policymakers and practitioners by informing clearance and vetting modernization, strengthening guidance for adjudication and public records checks, and improving how insider threat and UD programs prioritize limited resources. UD Study findings can only be shared with government and critical infrastructure industry insider risk/threat and personnel vetting practitioners in a closed setting. The MITRE Insider Threat Research & Solutions team continues to expand the dataset as new, closed UD cases emerge for the benefit of the insider risk/threat and personnel vetting communities.
For more information, please contact the Project Lead, Dr. Deanna D. Caputo (dcaputo@mitre.org).