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Cybersecurity is a broad, umbrella term that describe any preventative measure designed to protect information from being stolen, compromised or attacked.
Digital security has three important objectives: confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA). This applies to:
Cybersecurity may also be referred to as information technology (IT) security, digital security or cyber vulnerability management.
Best practices for cybersecurity include the following:
Ensure antivirus software is kept up-to-date.
Be sure to use antivirus/antispyware software and configure it to install updates automatically.
Secure the network
Safeguard Internet connections by using a firewall and encryption. Be sure to password-protect access to the network’s router and make sure the wireless access point (WAP) does not broadcast the network name (Service Set Identifier).
Use strong passwords
Enforce the use of strong passwords and use different passwords for different accounts. A strong password has:
Use multifactor authentication
Require multifactor authentication (MFA) for network access and access to sensitive information, especially financial information.
Use Encryption
Use hashing or encryption algorithms to secure data transfers and protect sensitive information.
Back up data regularly
Set up backups to run automatically and store backup copies in the cloud or off site.
Use secure payment processing
Consider isolating payment systems from less secure programs. Encourage employees who process payments to refrain from using the same computing device to surf the Internet.
Control physical access to hardware
Unattended laptops are vulnerable to attack. Ensure hardware attack surfaces are password protected, require strong passwords and support the Principle of Least Priviledge(PoLP).
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has established October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month and has helped create resources to educate business owners and the general public about cybersecurity.
The website also provides instructions for how information security (IT) professionals can report zero day attacks to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (US-CERT).
Every day companies of all size fend off thousands of cyberattacks. Some of these attacks are simple and some of them are more sophisticated, long-term attacks (APT).
As information technology becomes increasingly integrated with physical infrastructure operations, there is increased risk for wide scale or high-consequence events that could cause harm or disrupt services on a large scale.
In order to proactively address the risk and potential consequences of a politically motivated cyber event (cyberwar), it has become increasing important to strengthen the security and resilience of cyberspace.
It can be difficult for organizations to create and maintain a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. In 2022 there has been an incremental increase in cyberattacks.
Three important things make it difficult to secure cyberspace :
1. Malicious actors can use the internet to conduct an attack manually or with malicious software bots anytime, from anywhere in the world.
2. As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow, physical systems are increasingly being smart clients that use the internet to exchange information.
3. Distributed computing has increased the number of potential attack surfaces and made it more difficult to track breaches.
An attack vector is defined as the technique by means of which unauthorized access can be gained to a device or network resources. Popular attack vectors include:
Cybersecurity preventive measures can be enforced at the personal, corporate or governmental levels. Many companies appoint a chief security officer (CSO) or chief information security officer (CISO) to oversee their cybersecurity initiatives.
Typically, the CSO or CISO becomes the person responsible for risk assessment and is charged with maintaining the organization’s cyber-incident response plan (CIRP). A CIRP describes the organization’s current security posture and documents how the organization plans to protect its digital assets by:
There’s no substitute for dedicated IT support — whether an employee or external consultant — but businesses of more limited means can still take measures to improve their cybersecurity by using government resources.
Free tools sponsored by the United States government include:
FCC Planning Tool
The Federal Communications Commission offers a cybersecurity planning tool that is designed to help organizations build their security strategy based according to their own unique business needs.
Cyber Resilience Review
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cyber Resilience Review (CRR) is a non-technical assessment for evaluating operational resilience and cybersecurity practices. The assessment can be carried out in house, but organizations can also request a facilitated assessment by DHS cybersecurity professionals.
Cyber Hygiene Vulnerability Scanning
The Department of Homeland Security website offers cyber hygiene vulnerability scanningfor small businesses. This free service is designed help small businesses secure their internet-facing systems from known vulnerabilities, including misconfigurations.
Supply Chain Risk Management
The DHSSupply Chain Risk Management Toolkit is designed to raise awareness and reduce the impact of an attack on an organization’s supply chain.
Employee social engineering, malware and phishing emails are popular tactics for data breaches because they can be used to give the attacker a direct path into an organization’s digital assets.
Training employees about basic internet hygiene can lessen the risk of a cyber-attack. The Department of Homeland Security’s “Stop.Think.Connect” campaign offers training and other materials. Training topics include:
It’s important to perform security audits on a regular basis to ensure that security systems, policies and procedures are effective and that no gaps exist. An effective audit provides a comprehensive assessment of an organization’s security and informs an ongoing process of improvement Security audits often include pen testing and typically will include:
A cybersecurity framework is a system of standards, guidelines and best practices for managing digital risk. Frameworks typically match specific security objectives with security controls. For example, if the objective is to prevent unauthorized access, the control might be to require a username and biometric authentication with facial recognition. Security frameworks can be categorized as being either control, program or risk frameworks.
Control frameworks seek to:
Program frameworks seek to:
Risk frameworks seek to: