Cyber Tips

For effective cyber security, an organization needs to coordinate its efforts throughout its entire information system. Elements of cyber encompass all of the following:

1. Network security: The process of protecting the network from unwanted users, attacks and intrusions.

2. Application security: Apps require constant updates and testing to ensure these programs are secure from attacks.

3. Endpoint security: Remote access is a necessary part of business, but can also be a weak point for data. Endpoint security is the process of protecting remote access to a company’s network.

4. Data security: Inside of networks and applications is data. Protecting company and customer information is a separate layer of security.

5. Identity management: Essentially, this is a process of understanding the access every individual has in an organization.

6. Database and infrastructure security: Everything in a network involves databases and physical equipment. Protecting these devices is equally important.

7. Cloud security: Many files are in digital environments or “the cloud”. Protecting data in a 100% online environment presents a large amount of challenges.

8. Security for mobile devices: Cell phones and tablets involve virtually every type of security challenge in and of themselves.

9. Disaster recovery/business continuity planning: In the event of a security breach, natural disaster or other event data must be protected and business must go on. For this, you’ll need a plan. End-user education: Users may be employees accessing the network or customers logging on to a company app. Educating good habits (password changes and having a strong password, 2-factor authentication, etc.) is an important part of cybersecurity.

The most difficult challenge in cyber security is the ever-evolving nature of security risks themselves. Traditionally, organizations and the government have focused most of their cyber security resources on perimeter security to protect only their most crucial system components and defend against known threats. Today, this approach is insufficient, as the threats advance and change more quickly than organizations can keep up with. As a result, advisory organizations promote more proactive and adaptive approaches to cyber security. Similarly, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) issued guidelines in its risk assessment framework that recommend a shift toward continuous monitoring and real-time assessments, a data-focused approach to security as opposed to the traditional perimeter-based model. 

Cybersecurity strategy is a complex topic. Companies and individuals need to go well beyond simple anti-virus software and solve for a variety of different malicous threats and different type of attacks. 

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