The recent cyberattack on a major U.S. pipeline, Colonial, has reaffirmed how vulnerable the internet has made all of us and why cybersecurity is so important. Estimates show that up to $6 trillion a year are lost globally to major cyber-criminal organizations (Morgan, 2020). This prolific practice is rightfully categorized as another pandemic the world is struggling to eliminate.
Today, digital disruption has become ubiquitous as new types of malwares, ransomware and viruses are being created at alarming speeds to ignominiously expose and destroy businesses of all sizes. Passive methods of protection are no longer adequate to defend the volume of intrusions posed on our systems. Organizations need to rethink their approaches to not only secure their systems, but train and educate employees adequately to understand and identify suspicious emails and messages.
If your business is not using comprehensive security strategies, you remain vulnerable to threats that can potentially compromise and damage your company –permanently.
As technology gets more complex and cyber criminals more sophisticated, a proper risk management strategy is essential in preventing costly disasters. 95% of all breaches involve someone making as simple of a mistake as clicking an email link. These practices can be easily confronted and avoided if a comprehensive security plan is in place.
To help show you what it takes to strengthen your infrastructure against threats, we have compiled 4 main frameworks to keep your business safe:
The first is to introduce multi-factor authentication (MFA) to your system. MFA is integrated as a defense against the inevitability that your passwords are already compromised. It is an authentication method that requires the user to provide two or more verification factors to gain access to a resource. It is a core component of a strong security posture.
Second, we recommend that your organization implements an Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution. This system ensures that the right users have the appropriate access to technology resources. It defines and manages access distributed to individual network users. A great and highly recommended level of verification.
Thirdly, create a Security Event Incident Management System (SEIM) to collate events, alerts, metrics, and incidence reports. SEIM is a software that ultimately improves security awareness of your IT environment by identifying, monitoring, recording, and analyzing security events within real-time, providing you with a comprehensive and centralized view of your security scenarios.
Take advantage of Vulnerability scans and proactively identify security weaknesses in employee habits, business processes and information technologies. Quarterly Vulnerability scans are highly recommended to meet compliance requirements.
Lastly… Stop clicking unidentifiable / irregular email links! It’s a trap and is the leading cause to all security breaches.
If these strategies seem unfamiliar and overwhelming, leverage New Value Solutions expertise, and allow us to secure your infrastructure for you. We deliver cyber security solutions that work in harmony with your existing applications, providing you with a silent but effective defense strategy.
“Global Cybercrime Damages Predicted to Reach $6 Trillion Annually by 2021”. Morgan, Steve. (2020)