31 Oct How to Build a Cybersecurity Program
The cybersecurity initiative is taken with the integration of assorted tools and technologies so that the multidimensional security and integrity can be enforced.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or simply trying to enhance your existing procedures, here are six key steps you’ll need to create a cybersecurity program to help you focus on people, processes, and technology.
Identify all data categories and sensitive data that you keep
Every organization keeps, processes, and sends sensitive data to conduct business, whether it’s consumer payment information, patient health records, personal financial information, or intellectual property. It is your responsibility as a business to preserve it. To do so, you must first recognize the kind and type of sensitive data you hold.
Define the location of such information
After determining what sensitive data you have, you must establish where it is kept. Is that information stored in spreadsheets or text documents on file sharing, in addition to obvious places like databases? You can’t safeguard sensitive data if you don’t know where it is. It may be hard to safeguard every device (computer, mobile device, etc.) in your business. However, you may identify sensitive data in your environment and establish controls around the operations that store, process, or transfer it.
Make a list of all the hardware and software components in your network
As basic as this may appear, it is an area where firms are most harmed, including the infamous Equifax incident. When serious vulnerabilities are disclosed, you must know which devices in your environment must be updated or patched. Keeping track of your hardware and software components is essential for developing a good cybersecurity program.
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Create a strategy for training workers and users on cybersecurity best practices
Cybersecurity is a business issue that necessitates the establishment of a security culture. Finally, the end users who handle sensitive data are responsible for its protection. They may unwittingly put you at danger if they do not know or appreciate their duties for securing sensitive data and working securely with a corporate computer system. To secure your systems and data, your staff must be educated to spot and report phishing assaults and baits, as well as be knowledgeable on password management.
For external network access, use multi-factor authentication
Many businesses have staff that have remote access to company technology. In most circumstances, just a password protects access to important systems and data. User-selected passwords are often readily guessed or retrieved by a simple e-mail phishing attempt, according to experience. If multi-factor authentication is not needed for all remote access, an attacker with a password will have little problem accessing remote services, which usually results in access to sensitive data. Nearly half of the events handled by our forensic and incident response team at LBMC Information Security in the last six months might have been avoided if multi-factor authentication had been installed for systems that provide remote access, particularly email platforms.
Find a reliable partner who can assist you
When it comes to successful cybersecurity, the most typical issues that firms encounter are a lack of time and manpower. Having a third-party undertake penetration testing or risk assessments for your firm is critical for obtaining independent validation that your cybersecurity program is successful and your sensitive data is as safe as possible.
