Cybersecurity’s Best Practices

What is cyber security?

The use of technology, procedures, and controls to defend against cyberattacks on systems, networks, programs, devices, and data is known as cyber security. Its objectives are to lower the danger of cyberattacks and safeguard against the unauthorized use of technology, networks, and systems.

What makes cyber security crucial?

• Cybersecurity breaches are becoming more expensive.

Organizations that experience cyber security breaches may be subject to heavy penalties. Non-financial expenses like reputational harm must also be taken into account.

• Cyber-attacks are increasingly sophisticated.

Cyber-attacks continue to grow in sophistication, with attackers using an ever-expanding variety of tactics. These include social engineering, malware and ransomware.

• Cyber security is a critical, board-level issue.

New regulations and reporting requirements make cyber security risk oversight a challenge. The board needs assurance from management that its cyber risk strategies will reduce the risk of attacks and limit financial and operational impacts.

• Cybercrime is a big business.

According to a 2020 study by McAfee and the CSIS, based on data collected by Vanson Bourne, the world economy loses more than $1 trillion each year due to cybercrime. Political, ethical, and social incentives can also drive attackers.

Who needs cyber security?

It is a mistake to believe that you are of no interest to cyber attackers. Everyone who is connected to the Internet needs cyber security. This is because most cyber-attacks are automated and aim to exploit common vulnerabilities rather than specific websites or organizations.

Types of cyber threats

Common cyber threats include:

• Malware, such as ransomware, botnet software, RATs (remote access Trojans), rootkits and bootkits, spyware, Trojans, viruses, and worms.
• Backdoors, which allow remote access.
• Formjacking, which inserts malicious code into online forms.
• Cryptojacking, which installs illicit cryptocurrency mining software.
• DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attacks, which flood servers, systems, and networks with traffic to knock them offline.
• DNS (domain name system) poisoning attacks, which compromise the DNS to redirect traffic to malicious sites.

What are the five types of cyber security?

1. Critical infrastructure cyber security

Critical infrastructure organizations are often more vulnerable to attack than others because SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems often rely on older software.

2. Network security

Network security involves addressing vulnerabilities affecting your operating systems and network architecture, including servers and hosts, firewalls and wireless access points, and network protocols.

3. Cloud security

Cloud security is concerned with securing data, applications, and infrastructure in the Cloud.

4. IoT (Internet of Things) security

IoT security involves securing smart devices and networks connected to the IoT. IoT devices include things that connect to the Internet without human intervention, such as smart fire alarms, lights, thermostats, and other appliances.

5. Application security

Application security involves addressing vulnerabilities resulting from insecure development processes in designing, coding, and publishing software or a website.

Cyber security vs information security

Cyber security is often confused with information security.

• Cyber security focuses on protecting computer systems from unauthorized access or being otherwise damaged or made inaccessible.
• Information security is a broader category that protects all information assets, whether in hard copy or digital form.

The legal requirement for cyber security

The GDPR and DPA 2018 require organizations to implement appropriate security measures to protect personal data. Otherwise, you risk substantial fines.

Cyber security is a critical business issue for every organization.

Challenges of cyber security

Mitigating the cyber security risks facing your organization can be challenging. This is especially true if you have moved to remote working and have less control over employees’ behavior and device security.

What are the consequences of a cyber-attack?

Cyber-attacks can cost organizations billions of pounds and cause severe damage. Impacted organizations stand to lose sensitive data and face fines and reputational damage.

Managing cyber security

Effective cyber security management must come from the top of the organization.

A robust cyber security culture, reinforced by regular training, will ensure that every employee recognises cyber security as their responsibility. Good security and effective working practices must go hand in hand.

How to approach cyber security

A risk-based approach to cyber security will ensure your efforts are focused where they are most needed. Using regular cyber security risk assessments to identify and evaluate your risks is the most effective and cost-efficient way of protecting your organization.

Cyber security checklist

Boost your cyber defenses with these must-have security measures:

1. User education

Human error is the leading cause of data breaches. Therefore, you must equip staff with the knowledge to deal with the threats they face. Staff awareness training will show employees how security threats affect them and help them apply best-practice advice to real-world situations.

2. Application security

Web application vulnerabilities are a common point of intrusion for cyber criminals. As applications play an increasingly critical role in business, it is vital to focus on web application security.

3. Network security

Network security is the process of protecting the usability and integrity of your network and data. This is achieved by conducting a network penetration test, which assesses your network for vulnerabilities and security issues.

4. Leadership commitment

Leadership commitment is key to cyber resilience. Without it, it is tough to establish or enforce effective processes. Top management must be prepared to invest in appropriate cyber security resources, such as awareness training.

5. Password management

Almost half of the UK population uses ‘password’, ‘123456’ or ‘qwerty’ as their password. You should implement a password management policy to guide staff to create strong passwords and keep them secure.

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