IT governance and management software specialist Compuware yesterday unveiled a new suite on 16 January which is designed to help firms detect insider security threats.

Version 7.6 of the company's Hiperstation application testing suite features a new module capable of recording and reporting on all application use across a business, providing auditors with a valuable tool for identifying the source of any insider security threat.

"A great deal has been done to tackle external security threats," said Compuware product manager Mark Schettenhelm, " but very little has been done to stop the security breach that comes from an insider with legitimate access to your applications."

He added that the new suite would help tackle this problem by auditing all application activity and allowing auditors to search for anomalous behaviour. " You can set up a search to look at all transactions that are over £10,000 or all transactions with a specific client that you have reason to think may be suspicious," he explained.

The news was welcomed by Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of data security research body the Ponemon Institute, "Our research shows that insider threats represent one of the most difficult management challenges for data security and privacy professionals," he said in a statement. "Detecting, deterring and mitigating the insider threat within a complex organisation cannot happen without using enabling technologies."