What is Cybersecurity? Cybersecurity simply refers to the practice of preventing, detecting and defending against cyber attacks and other forms of security breaches. Cybersecurity is the cornerstone of many modern-day business infrastructures and the leading edge of information security. Modern businesses rely heavily on various forms of cybersecurity frameworks to protect themselves from cyber-attacks and other vulnerabilities.
There are several cybersecurity measures that an organization can take to prevent its data from being exploited. These include implementing policies requiring businesses to report security threats to management and engage in prevention efforts. Additionally, most companies now use antivirus and firewall technologies to protect their data. All of this helps to prevent data breaches that result in data breaches that hackers and other cybercriminals can exploit.
However, there are some common themes across the wide variety of modern methods of combating cyberattacks and vulnerabilities. Most of these efforts are focused on detection and prevention. Businesses need to develop their own unique and comprehensive cyber defence strategy. Some of the best practices involve developing prevention and response capabilities. Some organizations have taken a holistic approach by developing an Information Technology (IT) infrastructure that incorporates best practices from various disciplines to form a more robust cyber defence program. Below is a brief description of some of the critical aspects of such an integrated approach:
A proactive approach to combating cyber threats requires that a company develop a strong cybersecurity posture. The primary goal of this aggressive posture is to detect and report cyber-attack vulnerabilities as soon as possible. In addition, an effective and integrated cyber defence strategy also requires that a company develop a response capability or a countermeasures capability when a cyber attack occurs. When an attack occurs, a company must respond quickly and effectively to stop the attackers in their tracks. For this reason, a comprehensive and balanced cybersecurity risk management audit should be completed periodically – typically once a year – to ensure that a company’s security posture is not compromised.
While a company must detect, report, and respond to known or suspected vulnerabilities, it is equally important to take steps to mitigate the threats or vulnerabilities that remain hidden. One of the most important aspects of a comprehensive security posture is regular, timely security scanning and systems testing.
Security testing – which includes vulnerability scans and vulnerability assessment – is an essential component of a comprehensive cyber defence program. This routine scanning and testing help to identify and reduce the vulnerabilities that remain undetected.
Another aspect of a comprehensive security program is continuous monitoring. While proactive measures can slow the progress of cyber threats, monitoring can ensure that even cyber threats are being addressed. When a company monitors its assets regularly, it can determine which assets are being used for malicious purposes and to what degree. In addition, regular monitoring can help to determine whether new threats are being discovered or whether known risks are evolving. By monitoring cyber threats and their impact on your business operations, you can more effectively mitigate the negative consequences of these threats.
These measures can have a positive effect on your business profits and the overall security of your system.
While most attacks do not directly harm end-users, a cyber attack can expose or compromise a computer system, application, or system resource. The vulnerability may enable a hacker to gain access to sensitive and classified information or gain access to a technique used by an end-user. In many cases, an attack vector may rely on a vulnerability that is not easily detected or exploit a weakness already present but has not been exploited. As a result, if an attack vector can compromise one of the various end-user devices that make up an organization’s network, the attack may also be able to compromise the information stored in that same device.
Cloud computing helps mitigate against this threat because it makes it difficult for attackers to access and exploit a system directly. Since no software is running on the device, if attackers have access to one of the cloud’s applications, it would not be easy for them to access cloud-based systems, software, or data. As a result, the cloud presents a solid barrier for cybercriminals since it would be hard for them to penetrate. In addition, cloud computing significantly reduces the cost of deploying cyber-attacks because it requires little or no upfront capital.