Hackers are always looking for ways to infiltrate businesses. They explore systems for vulnerabilities and develop ways to exploit them. That is, after all, their job.
These bad actors force companies to maintain constant vigilance in an effort to thwart their attempts. Businesses impose layer upon layer of security, hoping that if one fails, another will prevail. It is a high-stakes digital game of cat and mouse.
Digital technology is equally a blessing and a curse in today’s world. For all the advantages it presents for companies, it makes them simultaneously vulnerable. Catching up isn’t an option. Here’s how they can stay one step ahead of cyber threats.
Prepare for Day Zero
While businesses will take every precaution possible, it’s the hackers who will usually take the lead. Therefore, it might be argued that companies can’t really stay one step ahead. That’s because the exploited vulnerability is usually found by the hacker before the company knows it’s there.
IT staff routinely develop patches to close up potential windows of opportunities for hackers. For example, they shut down entire systems to perform security updates to apply new fixes. But they can’t patch what they don’t recognize as a hole. That is what’s referred to as zero day vulnerability, and there are ways to mitigate it.
For example, with allowlisting, companies identify files, processes, and applications they allow in their system. Those not on the list are restricted or blocked until they can be investigated. And ringfencing establishes boundaries in which approved applications can occur while protecting deeper system access. If an application is breached with malware, for example, the fence should keep it from doing further damage.
Staying ahead of zero day vulnerabilities isn’t entirely possible. But using these measures to contain damage potential is a step in the right direction.
Don’t Overlook the Danger Within
A vast amount of time and resources companies spend on cybersecurity involve protecting systems against external threats. But the enemy from within may be able to wreak the most havoc of all. That’s how confidential data on some 750,000 employees, intellectual property, customer banking information, and design complaints about Tesla became public.
There are lists of stakeholders who enjoy legitimate access to such sensitive information. They range from the boardroom and the C suite to entry-level employees. And they don’t always respect the company they work for, or they may fail to take security precautions seriously.
There are steps companies can take to avert internal breaches. For example, they can employ user behavior analytics that should alert IT to unusual activity. Monitoring patterns in multi-factor and two-factor authentication processes, biometric screening, and other measures could raise red flags. Limiting administrative credentials using endpoint privilege management could provide only the access employees need to do their jobs.
Being as aware of the potential of breaches from within as those from outside the organization is the first step. Monitoring activity to keep an eye on the nefarious as well as the negligent might help keep inside information from getting out.
Mind the Gaps
Companies can’t assume that simply having layers of security means those measures are effective. Nor can they assume that their security is protecting them against every specific type of threat. Implementing frequent and comprehensive vulnerability assessments is critical to cyber threat protection.
Frequent security audits can help identify potential entry points for hackers which inform steps to closing those doors. Penetration testing simulates attacks, illuminating vulnerabilities and providing the information IT needs to patch them.
A gap analysis evaluates a company’s entire security system for common voids. Those include weak or infrequently changed passwords, a lack of access controls like endpoint privilege management, and inadequate supervision and monitoring. It may also uncover issues with employee security awareness education, outdated policies, and security supply chain risks.
The secret to staying ahead of cyberattacks is making sure you have the right security posture. There’s no room for assumptions. Companies need to know where the gaps are and get them filled in.
Have a Backup Plan
Anyone who has been in the middle of a document that’s lost during a computer crash understands the value of a good backup plan. For a business with vast amounts of data, documents, IP, and other information, the loss can be fatal. The risk of malware and other cyber threats make having a backup plan imperative.
Backing up the system from time to time won’t be much help. Doing so frequently and routinely will make restoring it far more effective. There won’t be huge gaps in it when it’s returned to the mainframe.
Of course, the key to backing up data is to save it on a medium separate from the primary system. That way, whatever breached the system won’t corrupt the backup needed for recovery. The more frequent the backup, the less time it will take to be fully operational again.
Companies may also want to save multiple copies as a little extra insurance. If one backup is faulty, the other should be fine. Then, everyone can get back to work.
Step Up
Cyber threats are as much a part of doing business in the 21st century as paying the light bill. Companies that take as many precautions as they can are hedging their bets against the worst possible outcome. If your business isn’t there yet, it’s time to step up. The bad actors are already in the race.
Lynn Martelli is an editor at Readability. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University and has worked as an editor for over 10 years. Lynn has edited a wide variety of books, including fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, and more. In her free time, Lynn enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her family and friends.
