Cyber security is the body of technologies, processes and practices designed to protect networks, computers, programs and data from cyber attack, damage or unauthorized access, hacking attempts.

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF CYBER SECURITY

Cyber security is important because government, military, corporate, financial, and medical organizations collect, process, and store unprecedented amounts of data on computers and other devices. A significant portion of that data can be sensitive information, whether that be intellectual property, financial data, personal information, or other types of data for which unauthorized access or exposure could have negative consequences. Organizations transmit sensitive data across networks and to other devices in the course of doing businesses, and cyber security describes the discipline dedicated to protecting that information and the systems used to process or store it. As the volume and sophistication of cyber attacks grow, companies and organizations, especially those that are tasked with safeguarding information relating to national security, health, or financial records, need to take steps to protect their sensitive business and personnel information. As early as March 2013, the nation’s top intelligence officials cautioned that cyber attacks and digital spying are the top threat to national security, eclipsing even terrorism.

 

CHALLENGES OF CYBER SECURITY

For an effective cyber security, an organization needs to coordinate its efforts throughout its entire information system. Elements of cyber encompass all of the following

• Network security
• Application security
• Endpoint security
• Data security
• Identity management
• Database security
• Cloud security
• Mobile security
• Disaster recovery
• Business continuity planning
• End-user awareness

The most difficult challenge in cyber security is the ever-evolving nature of security risks themselves. Traditionally, organizations and the government have focused most of their cyber security resources on perimeter security to protect only their most crucial system components and defend against known threats. Today, this approach is insufficient, as the threats advance and change more quickly than organizations can keep up with. As a result, advisory organizations promote more proactive and adaptive approaches to cyber security. Similarly, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) issued guidelines in its risk assessment framework that recommend a shift toward continuous monitoring and real-time assessments, a data-focused approach to security as opposed to the traditional perimeter-based model.

 

Steps to Mitigate the Risks of Increasing Cyber Attacks

 

• Classify Assets

One of the first steps in cybersecurity management is to understand security risks in the context of the business. That requires the data security team to classify information assets in terms of their business significance. For instance, the vulnerabilities present in a user’s desktop would be far less critical than those present on a critical database server housing millions of patient records. Once the team understands which assets are most critical, they can prioritize their cyber security and threat mitigation efforts more effectively

• Stay Informed on Threats and Vulnerabilities

The cyber security landscape is constantly evolving, which is why IT and security teams need to stay updated on the latest threats, threat agents, and attack vectors. This will enable them to devise better defenses, and also educate their staff on recent attacks and scams.

Once a new or potential threat element is identified and mapped to information assets, senior management needs to agree on the steps required to minimize these threats, and protect sensitive information. They also need to pitch in with more funds, if necessary, to ensure information security.

• Implement Effective Controls

It is critical for organization security teams to implement appropriate controls around data segregation and infrastructure security. Continuous monitoring mechanisms are also important to ensure that the controls are effective and working in a desirable manner.

Another best practice is to invest in emerging technologies that enable the organization to automatically scan and secure data, log data modification activities as they occur, and immediately alert IT teams about unusual or unauthorized behavior. Organizations would also benefit by implementing an enterprise security incident detection and response program as part of their larger cyber security plan. Additionally, crisis management must be integrated into the business resilience strategy, and steps should be taken to find out what can be done organizationally to tackle different types of breaches.

• Engage Business Associates

After the current changes in India’s digital infrastructure, The businesses, business partners, and vendors of covered  entities have become just as accountable for securing business critical data. However, it is the responsibility of the covered entities to have controls in place to ensure that their business critical data are protected from cyber threats effectively.

Establishing a robust due diligence program to monitor business associates gives organizations the risk intelligence they need to protect their business against fraudulent transactions. For a new business associate, a quarterly review process would be ideal, and as the relationship strengthens, the reviews can be semi-annual or annual. It is also important for organizations to monitor the effectiveness of the due diligence program, especially as new risks, controls, and vulnerabilities emerge.

• Strengthen Governance and Reporting

Right from the beginning, relevant stakeholders and senior management must be kept informed about IT security policies and controls, especially those critical to cyber security. CISOs should establish granular governance and reporting mechanisms that provide an in-depth view of the organization’s IT assets and ecosystem. These mechanisms and tools should be able to handle all risk and compliance related reporting requirements across business operations, and also deliver security risk intelligence in a way that makes sense to business heads and senior management.

• Conclusion

With the IT landscape in organizations growing increasingly complex, it is critical that data security teams choose the right processes and tools to safeguard the enterprise from potential breaches. A comprehensive risk management and mitigation program plays an important role in helping the organization stay one step ahead of cyber criminals, and resolving threats and vulnerabilities before they snowball into larger issues. With the appropriate defense strategies in place, organizations can become more “cyber risk intelligent” and keep data breaches at bay.