Identify Weak Spots In Your Cybersecurity Policy

The average time required to identify and contain cyberattack violations is 280 days. Statistics such as this highlight the importance of closing security gaps to keep hackers out. Let’s review some common cybersecurity vulnerabilities and how we can address them.

People

As we would like to assume that all cybersecurity threats are external, the fact is that employees are often accused of putting companies at risk. Their actions may not be cruel; data breaches are often the case of people who act honestly in responding to illicit thoughts and crimes. However, a lack of work knowledge about cyber security could leave your business vulnerable to attack.

Consider what happened earlier this year, when more than 5,000 people were affected by data breaches at the health insurance company Flexible Benefit Service Corporation (Flex). What is the cause? An employee became a victim of a phishing scam that exposed the details of their clients from addresses and birthdays to Social Security numbers.

The majority of the cyber security issues are not an external attack, rather an employee disclosing the details or making an innocent mistake. Employees who made a mistake could easily make an attack.

The best way to reduce employee risk is by creating a company culture that puts cyber security and communication first. Hire staff you can trust, and make privacy and security training a continuous mandatory effort for all. Promote awareness campaigns that educate your employees on the difference between spear-stealing crimes (identifying high-value victims and / or companies), committing identity theft (fraudulent emails replicating legitimate corporations), and embezzlement (targeted at senior management) so they can detect suspicious activity and know what to avoid. Encourage communication between team members and IT, and as a company leader, commit yourself when someone fails to keep your organization safe.

The more you prioritize security, the more powerful it will be in your company's policy.

Unprotected devices

With hybrid staff, there is a good chance that your employees will be transporting laptops to and from the office regularly. Increase mobility equal to increased risk. Ensure that devices accessing corporate data have security measures in place that prevent third parties from gaining access, such as antivirus software, encryption, and password protection.

Unsupported Firmware and Software

New viruses and threats appear daily indicating the vulnerability of firmware and software. Make sure you keep your firmware and software updates up to date and supported warrants.

Unattended Networks

An unsupervised 24x7 network can be infiltrated by cyber criminals watching and waiting until the right time to attack. Whether outdoors or indoors, all organizations in the market must install 24x7 Security Operations Center (SOC) to reduce the risk with effective monitoring.

Strengthening Security System

Creating a culture of safety begins with a comprehensive plan throughout the organization. A good place to start to deal with your cyber security plans is not a tool, or advertising policies, but a cyber security plan that includes your company structure, your company’s intent, and your company’s goals.

Personal Firewall

Human error is always one of the weakest links in organizations and a well-known fact for criminals, so further staff training is needed to ensure that your firewall is as safe as possible.

Invalid Email Click

One wrong click of an email can open the door for your network, exposing you to sensitive information and spearheading schemes. With the dramatic increase in email and social engineering, it can be easy to miss a bad link. If you receive a suspicious email, make sure it is from a trusted source and verify the URL by hovering over the link before actually clicking.

Safe Websites (SSL)

Before entering information on a website, train users to ensure that the sites they visit are reliable and have secure socket (SSL) protection. Do not say if the site is secured with SSL in the presence of “HTTP” and the lock bar in the address bar.

Weak Passwords

Complex passwords that are often changed are fundamental to personal and corporate security. Simple ways to prevent unauthorized access enable multiple authentications, which adds an important layer of protection.

Expired Apps

Expired applications cause systems to lose critical updates that affect potential security risks. This will be especially important to monitor as employees return office equipment - devices that have been operating outside the company network for more than a year. Using tools and services such as automated application management can help ensure that the devices in your network are up to date and secure.

Firewalls with outdated warranties

This means that your front-end protection may be weakened and easily compromised by interference because your systems do not have access to the latest firmware and security updates to help keep your environment safe and sound. Follow good safety practices in the industry and make sure your fire logs are not only used but also the next generation.