Organizations are facing an ever-growing number of cybersecurity threats. They need a solid approach to cybersecurity that can adapt as attacks evolve. The following five cybersecurity fundamentals help your organization start a cybersecurity program or enhance what is currently in place.
Security Audit
Identify the current state of your organization’s cybersecurity program (where you are), then determine what needs to be enhanced to reach an optimal baseline. Finally, develop an action plan for implementing improvements to reach that baseline.
- Policies and Procedures
Develop or enhance your organization’s cybersecurity policies and procedures to ensure they align with the technology your organization supports and to match the baseline you established. Consider including a defined policy for how and when to update the policies and procedures as you add and remove devices or enhance your baseline to address new threats and expanded approaches.
- Infrastructure Assessment and Gap Analysis
Examine your network hardware, software, user permissions, user device settings, etc. Once you have a complete list of your IT infrastructure assets, verify that all devices comply with your baseline cybersecurity settings. For any that don’t, create a plan to bring them into compliance.
- Incident Response Plan
Develop or enhance a step-by-step plan describing how your organization will respond to cybersecurity incidents. Consider including specific response approaches to specific attacks (e.g., your plan to respond to ransomware is likely to be very different than your plan to respond to a denial of service attack).
Once you have a response plan, test it with tabletop exercises or “live” simulations, then adjust the plan as necessary to improve any deficiencies. Consider scheduling a regular test of the response plan (quarterly, every time new devices are added/removed, etc). Part of your response plan should include ongoing training for your IT staff as new threats evolve, as well as training for your employees so that they can become part of your cybersecurity defense.
- Vulnerability Scanning
Schedule and perform regular vulnerability scanning. The easiest way to do this is to place a scanning device in your environment to periodically scan for network- and software-related vulnerabilities. Mitigate or negate any vulnerabilities the scan uncovers—and don’t forget to update your policies and procedures to incorporate what you learned from the scan.
Secur-Serv can help you with any or all of these items. Our cybersecurity experts are available to ensure your organization is safe and prepared to counter cybersecurity threats, now and in the future.