Even “minor” security breaches can hurt your company. Taking a proactive cybersecurity approach will help you stay ahead of the threat.
How to get ready to implement proactive cybersecurity.
Each year, the number of cybersecurity threats grows. In addition, there are more than one billion malware programs out there. Furthermore, there are around 560,000 new pieces of malware found every day.
While all this is going on, rules like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are continually changing. Therefore, taking a proactive cybersecurity strategy is key for data survival. It is critical to ensure that your company is secured on all fronts. This is because we live in a dynamic, complex, and changing threat landscape.
Therefore, the proactive cybersecurity approach entails, first, gaining a thorough understanding of your organization. This includes its systems, applications, and user base. In addition, it covers seeing and correcting security issues before an attack occurs.
Look for help from professionals.
You can prepare your company by identifying and assessing the risks to your assets. Find out exactly what could be harmed by cyberattacks. After that, with the possible help of a professional security group, you can begin to take the proactive cybersecurity road.
Understanding, controlling, and removing risk to your company’s key assets is at the heart of a proactive cybersecurity strategy. Conducting a full risk audit is the simplest approach to accomplish this aim. It helps ensure that any gaps in your IT infrastructure are effectively addressed. To achieve a smooth risk assessment within your company, follow these simple steps:
1. Identify and prioritize assets.
This is where you’ll decide on the scope of the audit and which valuable assets attackers may want to target.
2. Identify the security risks.
Look at anything that could potentially hurt your organization. Make a list of things such as hardware failure, natural disasters, human mistakes, and more. Include anything that is or could be considered a cyber threat.
3. Identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
This is where you’ll look for any flaws in your organization or infrastructure. Check for anything that could be used to compromise security and corrupt or steal data from your company.
4. Analyze security controls.
Do you already have safeguards in place to reduce or minimize the risk of a cyberattack? They should either be classed as preventative or detective in nature.
5. Calculate the likelihood of a cybersecurity assault.
At this stage, you can calculate the chance of a specific attack. You can do this based on your organization’s present control environment.
Finally, you may create a risk management report. This report will assist your management team in making decisions about cybersecurity. It will help them prioritize budgets, rules, and methods for your security system.
6. Invest in cybersecurity preventative measures.
There is no single cybersecurity strategy that can handle all of your company’s demands. Similarly, there is no single security solution that can totally cover all of your organization’s weaknesses.
Instead, now is the moment to invest in a multi-layered, integrated cybersecurity approach. This should include network security, cloud security, application security, Internet of Things (IoT) security, and more.
Be thorough in your assessment. Check and double-check everything.
Furthermore, it’s critical to accomplish the following to build the groundwork for an effective cybersecurity strategy:
- Know the hazards your company faces on a regular basis.
- To detect and neutralize dangers, start a defensive monitoring system.
- Prepare safe data backups to stay operational in case of a successful cyberattack.
- As your organization grows and changes, revisit its cybersecurity plan.
7. Never underestimate the importance of cybersecurity education.
Awareness is the first step in taking a proactive approach to cybersecurity.
It’s true that a lack of sufficient training might leave staff more than vulnerable. Properly educating your staff is a key part of a proactive approach. In addition, it makes them less vulnerable to cyberattacks on your company.
Make sure you are investing in proper cybersecurity training. Practice, in addition to education, is vital in the battle for security. This could make the difference between your company’s success and failure.
Get leadership buy-in. Starting training early and regularly. Furthermore, make your organization’s security health an ongoing, group effort. This helps to prioritize cybersecurity training for your employees.
It is always the employer’s job to ensure that employees have the knowledge they need. Empower your employees to make the best decisions. In addition, they must know exactly who to contact if they have any issues about cybersecurity.
8. Don’t rely on a reactive cybersecurity plan.
If your company’s current cybersecurity plan consists solely of the simple and the ordinary, you may be in trouble.
Firewalls, antivirus, or anti-malware software are certainly helpful. In addition, ad blockers and other measures detect the telltale symptoms of a security breach.
However, if this is all you are doing, then you are currently using a reactive approach. Regrettably, reactive cybersecurity measures alone are not enough. They do not form an effective cybersecurity defense.
To actively avoid data breaches and limit cyber threats, you’ll need both proactive and reactive procedures.
In conclusion, consider hiring specialists. Look for more cybersecurity options, including cloud security services. Adding more tools to your cybersecurity toolbox is a good way to stay ahead of the threat.
