Due to the cyber threat landscape where attack vectors are constantly shifting, Chief Security Officers and other Security leaders are increasingly asked to ensure safe, reliable online access that enables their employees and clients.
Security principles
There are several ways to optimise enterprise security options if you keep these three principles in mind:
Monitor in new ways
A modern monitoring-centric approach to cybersecurity is critical with bots that have learned to mutate and DDoS attacks growing in size. We experience 16 DDoS attacks every minute; hackers will continuously seek to breach native websites, applications and third-party integrations. Using real-time monitoring and machine learning technologies helps prevent and mitigate attacks quickly.
Collaborate cross-functionally
To gain speed and visibility, successful security leaders are expanding their roles and gaining full visibility into IT priorities, infrastructure and digital strategies which drive their businesses. Increasingly, there’s a stronger collaboration across CTO as well as CIO organisations to ensure breaches won’t impact the business.
Prove your worth
Security is often unheralded, and leaders are hired to reduce risk and prevent attacks with as little notice as possible. Thus it’s important to measure results using ROI, which means the resources or costs used to monitor, test and mitigate must show an economic benefit that’s well communicated and understood.
API vulnerability
One area that enterprises often neglect is Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) which are used by applications throughout enterprises. These are sets of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications that make it possible to subdivide and deliver what would have been monolithic applications into microservices, all designed and optimised to perform a specific function with a high degree of quality and flexibility.
Also Read: Best cybersecurity practices for startups to stay ahead of the curve
Used for client-facing capabilities on websites as well as internal business functions software applications, APIs are connectors responsible for performing functions like delivering data. When using any third-party applications with API calls, there can be vulnerabilities from where the apps are hosted, their origin servers, and other security protocols which are not under direct control by the enterprise.
However, while a large percentage of organisations rely on critical APIs for their respective business models, they are “out of sight” and thus often remain vulnerable to the security risks that are present. In fact, despite the increased spending and investment into APIs, more than two in five organisations (41 per cent) have had an API-related cybersecurity incident in the last twelve months, with almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of those involving a data breach or data loss.
Practice security hygiene
Organisations need to focus on identifying and accurately pinpointing vulnerabilities within their IT infrastructure, which means having a complete understanding of how critical data is processed and managed internally.
Security audits
It is key for organisations to conduct regular cybersecurity audits with internal or external resources. Timely analysis of strange actions or movements of employees, privileged users, or third-party vendors can help address sudden incidents in a timely manner. Likewise, digital threats from bots and DDoS attacks also need proper auditing and ongoing monitoring. With both addressed, security leaders are prepared to respond to any Zero Day threats accordingly.
Documentation
The security controls within an organisation must be well documented and established. Having role-based security ensures that only key personnel are able to access the controls, and this would also track access and changes.
Accessibility
Likewise, to combat software, web applications and API attacks, it is essential that companies stay on top of users, versions, and general maintenance levels that may impact either employees’ or clients’ access to enterprise services. Don’t forget to conduct vulnerability scans for the entire infrastructure and correct issues as soon as they occur.
Is security an enterprise-wide, core competency? As security considerations spike amidst growing threats and an increase in vulnerabilities, IT decision-makers are starting to look towards managed service providers to outsource their cybersecurity needs against a backdrop of limited resources and in-house talent.
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