Preventing Insider Theft: Lessons from the Casino and Pharmaceutical Industries

Abstract

Through structured interviews and a literature review, we assess which approaches to protection against insider thefts in the casino and pharmaceutical industries could be usefully applied to strengthen protections against insider theft in the nuclear industry, where insider thefts could have very high consequences. Among other measures, we suggest consideration of constant video surveillance of all vaults and insider-material interactions; frequent and rigorous material accounting; requiring everyone who touches material to sign for it; implementing an expanded two-person rule; rewarding attention to security; and establishing incident databases and experience sharing. While many of these measures are in place for some operations with weapons-usable material in some countries, they should be considered for more universal application.

These recommendations and others appear in an article in the Spring 2013 issue of the Journal of Nuclear Materials Management.

Preventing Insider Theft: Lessons from the Casino and Pharmaceutical Industries