Best Cybersecurity Practices For Organizations

To achieve optimal health and well-being, there are many things you can do. These include flossing, meditation, eating green vegetables, scheduling a colonoscopy, and even scheduling your appointment for blood work.

The confusion is compounded by the fact that recommended practices change as people age and their health needs change, as well as as as medical science advances. Or more recently, a pandemic.

To achieve optimal computer security, there are also many things you can do. The process of achieving the best cybersecurity posture is not easy. There are many recommendations, and constantly changing threat landscapes. A good IT security framework and cybersecurity standards can be helpful in organizing and managing a cyber hygiene program. They use established policies, processes and practices to prioritize and set priorities.

Checklist Organizations Can Use To Improve Cybersecurity

Allow listing/block listing

You can control which websites, applications and email addresses are allowed and not. Two methods of controlling access are blacklisting and whitelisting. This allows users to access a limited number of files, processes, and applications. With employee training from SpartanTec in Charleston you can find out the pros and cons of each method.

Access control and authentication

Cyber hygiene is incomplete without authentication. This is the process of confirming that a user is who they claim to be. Organizations can choose between at least six types to secure their networks.

Knowledge-based authentication is the most basic. It requires that a user share pre-established credentials such as a username, password, or PIN. A good practice is to require at least two authentication factors. These include a password and a unique code that is sent to the user’s email address or cellphone.

Biometric authentication uses biological identifiers such as fingerprint scanning and facial recognition. Other authentication options include certificate-based, token-based authentication, single sign-on and token-based authentication.

Cybersecurity hinges on access control and authentication — the ability of certain users to be verified and admitted while excluding others.

Common access control mechanisms are role-based access control which grants network permissions based upon a user’s formal position within an organization and the principle of less privilege which allows users access only to the resources they need to perform their job.

IT security professionals must regularly review the user access entitlements to make sure that no one is granting them inappropriate or out-of-date privileges. This could lead to a compromise in overall security.

Backup strategy. Create a backup strategy to ensure mission-critical data is stored in a secure place and regularly duplicated. Experts recommend the 3-2-1 rule for backup. This requires three copies of data stored on two media types, such as tape, disk, and cloud (preferred). One copy should be kept off-site if not using cloud backup.

Cloud access security broker (CASB). A CASB is a cloud access security broker (CASB) that should be implemented by any organization that depends on IaaS/PaaS/SaaS. CASB software allows secure connections between end-users and the cloud.

It enforces enterprise security policies such as authentication, encryption and data loss prevention. Alerting, malware detection, and logging are all possible with CASB software. A CASB provides greater visibility for cloud-based apps by employees and gives organizations greater control over cloud-based data security.

Management of cybersecurity assets

Protecting IT assets requires first knowing they exist. Cybersecurity asset management is a subset IT asset management (ITAM). It involves the discovery, inventory and management of assets in an organization with the aim of protecting them. This is a difficult task for three reasons.

1. It is logistically impossible to keep track of IT assets in an enterprise today because of the sheer volume and variety.
2. The corporate attack surface expands minute by minute because of short-lived temporary ephemeral entities or virtual entities, such as containers, microservices, virtual machines and containers.
3. ITAM tools are often not able to reach areas of an organization’s environment, such as smart facilities equipped with IoT devices.

Despite these difficulties, cybersecurity asset management can be done, however, it may require outside assistance from companies such as SpartanTec, Inc.

Encryption. Encryption is used to protect sensitive corporate data in transit and at within the organization.

Endpoint security. Endpoint security. In today’s workplace, many endpoint devices go beyond the traditional security perimeter. This requires ia process to identify, manage, and secure devices ranging in size from PCs to IoT Nodes.

Management strategy and incident response. To minimize the risk to an organization’s business from a security incident, it must have a pre-established incident response (IR), and management strategy. An IR team must have a mix of legal, executive, legal, and operational expertise.

Data breaches can cause financial losses as well as operational disruptions and reputational damage. This group records the who, what and when of its anticipated IR. It also creates a plan to guide in future crises.

Network segmentation. Segmentation of the network restricts how far cybercriminals are able to move, if they manage to penetrate a network. This will reduce the impact and extent of an attack.

Password policy. Hackers are open to using simple or recycled passwords. By establishing expectations, rules and requirements around user credentials, a company’s password policy can help protect enterprise security.

Patch management. The flossing of cyber hygiene is patch management. While everyone knows it’s important, not all do. Failure to floss can increase your risk of developing heart disease. However, failure to patch security breaches increases your risk.

Recent surveys found that 60% of data breach victims admitted they could have prevented their attackers from accessing their systems by simply patching known security holes. The stakes are high so it is important to learn and follow best patch management practices.

Many technologies, including CASBs and firewalls, VPNs and Secure Access Services, can be used to provide secure connectivity for users regardless of their physical location.

Training in security awareness. Mike Chapple, senior director of IT services delivery at the University of Notre Dame, suggests that employees be educated about the critical role they play in mitigating cybersecurity risk by creating a comprehensive cybersecurity training program.

Management of security logs. Security programs are only as good as their ability to detect suspicious or inappropriate activity in the IT environment. According to Michael Cobb, security logging is “the heartbeat of any security strategy.”

It’s not easy, however. Security log management best practices include logging and storing the correct events, assuring their accuracy and integrity, analyzing log data to find problems, and using log tools to manage the event volume.

Security monitoring. Security monitoring. Regularly scan the network for vulnerabilities and threats, including open ports that hackers could use to launch port scan attacks. Use tools like SIEM or vulnerability scanners. Regular scanning and monitoring improves cyber hygiene, flagging both active threats and weak points that could allow attackers to gain access.

Cyber hygiene and email security

Despite the rise in popularity of collaboration platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, most organizations still use email as their primary method of communication. Cybercriminals still use email to gain access to corporate networks and data, making it a very popular attack vector.

Email security refers to a variety of techniques, technologies and practices that prevent cybercriminals from gaining unauthorized access to email accounts or message content. Email security, like all cyber hygiene measures is shared responsibility by individuals and organizations.

Clear, concise and informative policies set cultural norms for safe email use and establish behavioral expectations. It is important to clearly define email’s inherent risks and dispel any security concerns employees may have about using this ubiquitous technology.

IT leaders need to understand the importance and benefits of email security protocols. Further reducing the threat of phishing or BEC attacks can be achieved through antimalware, antispam and email security gateways.

Good cyber hygiene isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. It is a dynamic mix of practices, habits and initiatives from users and organizations with the goal to achieve and maintain the best possible security posture.

We all know creating a good hygiene schedule is important for your health. Creating a cyber hygiene schedule is even more important for your companies health. If this seems intimating or even impossible, give SpartanTec in Charleston a call. We can show you how to make the impossible – possible with employee training and a continuity plan.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Charleston, SC 29407
843-418-4792
https://manageditservicescharleston.com/

Serving: Woodhaven, Lighthouse Point, Farmington, Lynnwood, Hillside, Oak Forest, Oceanview, Mount Pleasant, Green Acres, Northbridge