[BreachExchange] How to protect your organization from cyber intrusion?

[Audrey McNeil]

https://www.digitaldoughnut.com/articles/2018/april/how-
to-protect-your-business-from-cyber-intrusion

Cybersecurity is an essential precaution against potential threats, which
can hamper the overall working of the business. In this blog, some of the
key factors to avert cyber attacks have been illustrated like; what are the
measures that an organization should adopt internally to counter cyber
terrorism.

Furthermore, this blog post infuses the uses of AI and ML in cybersecurity
and it’s possible outcome.

How to protect your organization from cyber intrusion?

With the evolution of digital technology, cybersecurity threats pose
coercive risks to enterprises. It is advisable for every organization to
adopt sufficient measures to combat network intrusion. Each time technology
for cybersecurity improves, so do cyber attacks. Although firewalls are
strengthened frequently, the cyber-terrorists use the latest technology to
break the seal. It’s an incessant cycle with the hackers always having an
edge.

The question is what are the cybersecurity lapses that lead to critical
loss of information?

Cybersecurity practices are a key focus for any enterprise to function
smoothly. The major drawback with traditional antivirus software and
firewalls is once they are contravened, it takes weeks or months to put
things back in place. Meanwhile, there are chances of any critical data
being hacked in the process. This may cause a major impact on the financial
and economic reputation of the organization in the market.

Phishing emails and malware incidents also account for a majority of cyber
attacks in business. The outcome of these incidents has a deep impact on
any organization. Malware like ransomware attacks, online data infringement
etc. limit the end users from connecting to their system until a ransom is
paid to redeem their access. It is, therefore, essential for every
enterprise to have a scheduled system backup and strong antivirus in place
to combat cyber intrusion. Every organization should take appropriate steps
to manage dynamic data across different lines of business; not only would
this action protect against cyber bugs but also avoid falling prey to
vicious virtual attacks.

Let’s discuss some of the key cybersecurity measures essential for smooth
functioning of a business:

Does your business have a cyber-security plan in place?

In today’s age, cybercriminals are smacking businesses easily. Some of the
firms do not have a proper cybersecurity practice in place. A standard
cyber-security plan generally includes security agreements and best virtual
practices. Some of the important additions in any plan include systematic
security arrangements such as secure passwords, multi-layered
authentication, anti-virus software installation, regular software updates,
firewalls and network monitoring instruments in place, etc.

How can you make a cybersecurity plan deploy security measures effectively?

To answer this question, you need to first interrogate the causes of
security breaches internally and opt for measures to curtail damages caused
by employee errors or omissions. An effective cyber-security plan should be
flexible. Every single day new techniques are coming up to replace old
ones. It is crucial for enterprises to adapt to such a fluid environment.
It is, therefore, evident that smart enterprises check their cybersecurity
environment on a regular basis. They need to implement cybersecurity
measures to educate their employees in dealing with the emerging trends on
a proactive basis.

How do you captivate the interest of employees towards cyber protection?

Organizations should focus on educating their employees about cybersecurity
procedures. Regular training should be conducted, once in every quarter or
so. The training should be tailored in a brief and varied way to engage the
employees in the process. As a cybersecurity expert, you should try to make
the training more realistic and relevant to encourage more participation
from the resources. You should also highlight prior mistakes for their
better understanding. Setting up a distinction between good and bad cyber
hygiene can ensure deeper insight into best practices to protect their
workstation and personal systems from unauthorized usage. Undoubtedly,
there are some firms which use interactive approaches to help employees
comprehend fully. They try to make the training more intriguing and
interactive. However, during a training session, just don’t mention “Do not
click on any phishing email”. Ensure that they have grasped a fair
knowledge to handle any unforeseen situation. Conduct a test run by sending
spoof emails to check if they click on the link. In case any employee
clicks on it, arrange for an additional training. Close supervision is
required for those employees who repeatedly make mistakes and educate them
about the significance of cybersecurity for their better understanding.

So what are the other measures which could possibly obstruct network
seizure? Let’s find out.

Neil Rerup, Founder/CEO of Vancouver-based Enterprise CyberSecurity
Architects (ECSA) states that “True Cybersecurity is preparing for what’s
next, not what was last”. He is one of the leading cybersecurity architect
and security advisor to many of North America’s top most companies. He
recommends the use of latest technical strategies and administers IT
security architectural services to enterprises. Neil is acknowledged for
predicting the upcoming IT security threats and concocting out-of-the-box
strategies to guard any severe cyber attack.

Will Artificial Intelligence(AI) hinder cyber attacks?

In the current age of technology, the extensive use of Artificial
Intelligence(AI) and Machine Learning(ML) is helping many firms to avert
sophisticated hacker attacks. Not just it ensures smart detection of
incidents at an early stage but also empowers cybersecurity experts in
fighting cyber risks to an extent.

Recently, we have witnessed the most sophisticated and poignant virtual
attacks which have exploited businesses globally. Many organizations have
implemented AI systems which endorsed considerable benefits to
cybersecurity experts. Embracing dynamic approaches have enabled them to
respond to various virtual risks. It is amazing to know that these systems
also save a lot of time of the professionals. These systems are precise in
error detection and ensure proper systematic solutions to fight back cyber
attacks.

Hence, we may conclude saying that AI systems can address cybersecurity
issues in a better way and protect your business from dangerous cyber
attacks. Some of the key standards that firms should follow to keep cyber
terrorists at bay are as follows:

- Employee awareness: As discussed above, every employee should be
particularly well trained in the Information Security practices within the
organization. They should be in a position to detect virtual attacks easily
to overcome a potential security breach within the system.
- Discard security attacks and retrieve data: Once the threat is detected,
the security team must identify the infected hosts and adopt precautionary
measures to block all active corrupt practices by the attacker. Once
quarantine is enforced, the team should try to recover the valuable data
and protect it from subsequent similar cyber attacks.
- Be proactive and observant: Organizations should always be alert about
the possible cyber risks and take necessary steps to prevent
cyber-intrusion from any potentially malicious content.


Conclusion

Therefore, we have observed that a cybersecurity plan is indispensable for
every enterprise to guard against any security breach. As the adage goes,
“It takes years to build a reputation, but few minutes to ruin it.” Hence,
every organization needs to accept that cybersecurity is a continuous
process and dealt with due diligence. Security experts should maintain a
close supervision to combat cyber threats. Eventually, being vigil assists
in maintaining clear-cut security checks across multiple regimens and
protects the organization from any possible virtual intervention.
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