Forty-six percent of federal information professionals surveyed by SolarWinds and Market Connections cited insufficient cybersecurity training as a key hurdle in the prevention of insider threats.

The research polled 200 IT leaders across civilian, military and intelligence agencies regarding obstacles to federal cybersecurity programs, SolarWinds said Monday.

More than half of respondents said careless and untrained computer users are the greatest source of malicious threats in their organizations.

Almost 50 percent said government data stored in federal employees’ and contractors’ computing devices tend to be most at risk from breach.

The study also found that 69 percent of agencies increased spending on tools to address external threats over the past two years and 46 percent increased investment to fight insider threats.

Federal IT professionals surveyed believe agencies should also invest in identity and access management, intelligence, log management and network admission control tools to avoid accidental insider threats.