With the expansion of digital transformation initiatives, remote work, and cloud computing, organizations are facing a widening threat landscape. As a result, cybersecurity is an essential tool for organizations to ward off malicious attackers. Here, we discuss some of the most common cyberattacks, as well as effective cybersecurity steps organizations should take to protect their IT operations, systems, applications, and data.
Craig Stedman: Effective cybersecurity is crucial to businesses and their operations. And it’s becoming even more critical as digital transformation initiatives cloud computing and remote work expanding organizations and widen the threat landscape. These factors can make it networks and systems and the data they contain more vulnerable to a successful cyber attack that can disrupt business operations inflict substantial costs, and damage a company’s reputation. To dig deeper, click the link above or in the description below to explore our complete collection on all things cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity is the process of protecting IT networks, systems, applications and data from attacks, intrusions, and other cyber threats. Most of these threats come from external attackers, but some cybersecurity incidents involve employees and other insiders who may cause security problems maliciously or inadvertently. Cybersecurity programs incorporate a variety of processes and tools designed to help organizations deter, detect and block threats. They’re typically run by a cybersecurity department or team that’s led by the CISO, the Chief Information Security Officer, the CSO chief security officer or another senior executive. But there’s a maximum among security professionals.
Everyone in an organization is responsible for information security, that makes company wide cybersecurity awareness and employee training vital to successfully build a cybersecurity culture in businesses. First, security teams need to make security risks and the measures required to protect the company against them relatable to C suite executives. And second, they must take a human centric approach to a cybersecurity program including awareness training for all employees. Weak or faulty cybersecurity protections can result in serious business problems, data breaches that gain access to customer records and other sensitive information or a high profile consequence of network intrusions and attacks. In addition to potential lost business because of bad publicity and damaged customer relationships.
Cyber attacks can have tangible financial impacts. For example, federal agencies or state governments could order organizations to pay fines and restitution to victims of a data breach as part of a settlement. Attackers who use ransomware to infiltrate and encrypt data files could demand payments to decrypt them. And similarly, perpetrators who use a denial of service or DDoS attack that disrupts a company’s website may demand a payment to restore normal traffic. Businesses need to guard against many different types of cyber attacks. Malware, malicious software programs use social engineering tactics and other measures to fool users and evade security controls so they can secretly installed themselves on systems and devices. Examples include ransomware, rootkits, Trojan horses and spyware password attacks. By obtaining end user and administrator passwords, attackers can get around security protections and Access systems.
Methods used to discover passwords can include brute force attacks, dictionary attacks and tactics such as sending personalized emails from a fake account. Distributed Denial of Service DDoS attacks overwhelmed targeted websites, servers and other systems with a flood of messages, connection requests or malformed packets that force the system to slow or crash denying service to legitimate users. Phishing usually done via email and attacker poses as a reputable person or entity to trick victims into disclosing valuable information. Spear Phishing targets specific individuals or companies while whaling goes after senior executives.
SQL injection this type of attack uses malicious SQL queries to target databases. A query can be written to create, modify or delete data in a database or to read and extract data. cross site scripting, known as x ss for short cross site scripting injects malicious scripts and code into web applications and website content. It can be used to steal session cookies, spread malware, deface websites and fish for user credentials and botnets. A botnet is a group of computers and devices that have been infected with malware and are controlled remotely by attackers. Common uses include email spamming click fraud campaigns and generating traffic for DDoS attacks.
A combination of technologies and tools can be used to meet today’s challenges of protecting networks and systems that include some widely used ones, anti virus software, firewalls, virtual private networks, and a variety of other tools that support functions like user access control, email filtering, data encryption, network security monitoring, intrusion prevention, vulnerability scanning, and penetration testing. In addition, newer technologies offer more advanced functionality. A zero trust security framework enforces strict authentication and requirements on users and devices. multi factor authentication Most commonly, two factor authentication requires two or more forms of user verification. tokenization of sensitive data, substituting it with a randomly generated string of data better protects the real data from being exposed if a breach occurs.
Extended detection and response or XDR is a combination of tools and data that support endpoint management and protection, data loss prevention and user behavior monitoring to help security teams proactively identify, analyze and respond to cyber threats, and web application and API protection platforms combined the strengths of a web application firewall, API security, distributed denial of service prevention, and bot mitigation. Programming languages like Python, shell scripting, HTML, JavaScript and SQL are also important components of a cybersecurity toolkit. Both for writing code is part of security work and identifying malicious coding activity by attackers. Strong network security and other cybersecurity protections enable organizations to avoid business problems.
Security Teams should track various metrics on cybersecurity to help show business executives and board members how security initiatives contribute to smooth, uninterrupted operations. common metrics include detected intrusion attempts, incident response times and performance comparisons against industry benchmarks. In addition to preventing data breaches and other attacks, building a sustainable cybersecurity program helps support a company’s business goals. Cybersecurity teams face a long and growing list of challenges, security threats and attack methods are constantly evolving and increasing in sophistication. Opportunities for a tax increase as data volumes, digital operations and remote work grow. Attack services expand as the number of systems applications, mobile devices and other endpoint technologies increases. New security needs arise as companies digitally transform migrate to the cloud and employ IoT technologies. Budget, resource and staffing limitations are compounded by a shortage of workers with cybersecurity skills. And typically, many employees lack Cybersecurity Awareness increasing the risk of unintentional insider threats.
The planning process should start with a cybersecurity risk assessment that identifies key business objectives essential IT assets for achieving those goals and potential cyberattacks. First, determine the scope of the risk assessment typically for a business unit, a location or a specific aspect of your business. Second, identify the risks in terms of assets, threats and consequences. Third, analyze the risks and determine the potential impact. Fourth, evaluate, prioritize and classify risk scenarios using a risk matrix and fifth, document all identified risk scenarios in a risk register. Based on your assessments, you’re ready to develop a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy by following these steps. Understand the cyber threat landscape including new trends. Assess your current and desired cybersecurity maturity levels. Decide what actions to take to improve your cybersecurity protections to the desired level, including deployment of new tools and capabilities that are needed.
Document the plans, policies, guidelines and procedures that comprise the strategy and budget accordingly by allocating resources to different aspects of the security process. To maintain a strong cybersecurity strategy. Businesses also need to implement a series of best practices, update cybersecurity policies and practices as needed. institute a sound cybersecurity governance program requires strong authentication methods for all users. Refreshed network security controls to keep users up to date. Prepare for data breaches and other security incidents. Stay on top of current security topics and technologies and of course, improve cybersecurity awareness among all employees, including the need for everyone to do their part. Since the COVID 19 pandemic began security teams have had time to better prepare for and protect against the expanded attack surface that resulted from the sharp increase in remote work.
Also, cyber attacks by well organized groups some surreptitiously funded by countries are increasing and getting more sophisticated. Some other noteworthy cybersecurity trends include increased security automation, AI and machine learning can aid attackers but they can also be used to automate cybersecurity tasks. AI tools can quickly detect potential threats and identify patterns of malicious activities that humans might not see. Zero trust security adoption. Zero trust principles assume that no users or devices should be considered trustworthy without verification improvements in response capabilities. tools and technologies like XDR enable companies to better respond to and mitigate large scale attacks and greater scrutiny of supply chain vulnerabilities.
The massive solar winds backdoor attack against government and enterprise net works in 2020 highlighted another cybersecurity concern. Vulnerabilities potentially exists not only within a company’s own operations, but also in the software it receives from vendors and in its interactions with business partners. We’re also seeing increased adoption of secure access service edge technology, better known as Sase. It combines network and security functions in a single cloud service. The emergence of cybersecurity mesh architectures, a multi layered approach to help manage security and complex IT environments, and modernization of security operation centers or SOCs that continuously monitor systems and respond to security threats. Cyber criminals are relentless in their pursuit to steal sensitive data, disrupt businesses and collect the king’s ransom for enterprises ever vigilant and protecting their precious assets.