Cyber-readiness Strategy 12: Multi-Layer Security Strategy

Security is asymmetrical. Where businesses must plan, prepare and defend against every threat or scenario, cybercriminals only need to find a single weakness or hole in your defenses to carry out their malicious plans.

Protect your data and your business by deploying multiple security strategies together as one. By using a multi-layer security approach, you can make it much more difficult for cybercriminals to penetrate your organization and cause serious damage.

When it comes to cybersecurity, businesses cannot afford to take chances. Deploying a multi-layer security strategy is the best way to protect your data and your business from the ever-growing threat of cybercrime.

A multi-layer security approach uses multiple security measures to create a defense in depth. By using multiple layers of security, you can make it much more difficult for cybercriminals to penetrate your organization and cause serious damage.

Here are 5 tips for building an effective multi-layer security strategy:

1.     Implement Strong Authentication Measures

One of the most important components of a multi-layer security strategy is strong authentication. Authentication is the process of verifying that someone is who they claim to be. There are many different authentication methods, but the most common are something you know (like a password), something you have (like a security token), or something you are (biometrics).

Using multiple authentication factors – known as two-factor (2FA) or multifactor authentication (MFA) – is the best way to ensure that only authorized users can access your data. Requiring MFA makes it much more difficult for cybercriminals to gain access to your systems, as they would need to have possession of all the required factors.

2.     Encrypt All Sensitive Data

Another important element of a multi-layer security strategy is encryption. Encryption is the process of transforming readable data into an unreadable format. Encrypting sensitive data helps to protect it from being accessed by unauthorized individuals, even if they can penetrate your defenses.

Encryption should be implemented for data “at rest” and “in flight”. Most web services today will use secure socket layer (SSL) encryption to encrypt communication sessions “in flight” between users and the service. Data sitting on a storage device – hard drive or SSD – is “at rest” and can most often be encrypted using features the device operating system (OS). It usually needs to be activated during setup and a policy control needs to be set so it cannot be turned off.

3.     Implement Perimeter Security

Your workforce and company resources in your offices need to be protected by sophistication perimeter security techniques. A firewall controls the flow of traffic between your private network and the public Internet. It can be used to allow or block traffic based on a set of rules. This helps to protect your network from unauthorized access and malicious activity.

Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) are another important layer of security. These systems are designed to detect and prevent unauthorized access to computer networks. IDPS can be deployed as hardware, software, or a combination of both. They work by monitoring network traffic and looking for suspicious activity that may indicate an attempted intrusion. When IDPS detect suspicious activity, they can take action to block the attempt and alert the system administrator. This helps to prevent attacks before they can do any damage.

4.     Utilize Perimeterless Defense Systems

When your workforce is working outside the office, they are also outside the firewall. When this is the case, other “zero-trust” or “perimeterless” tactics need to be added. If the user’s device OS supports a firewall, it should be activated and managed by policies that can be pushed from a central authority. DNS Security – both DNS filtering and DNS encryption should be implemented to prevent users being redirected to fraudulent sites without their knowledge.

Finally, endpoint detect & respond (EDR) software should be installed on any user device to help prevent malware, ransomware or other malicious code from infecting the device.

5.     Educate Your Employees

One of the most important components of a company security strategy is education. It is essential that all employees are aware of the risks associated with cybersecurity and the best practices for avoiding them. Employees should be trained on how to identify phishing emails, spot social engineering attacks, and understand the importance of keeping their passwords safe.

In addition, employees should know what to do if they suspect that their account has been compromised. They should know how to report suspicious activity and whom to contact for help. By educating your employees about cybersecurity risks and best practices, you can help to protect your business from attacks.

A multi-layer security strategy is the best way to protect your business from cybercrime. By implementing multiple security measures, you can make it much harder for cybercriminals to succeed in their attacks.

By following these tips, you can make it much harder for cybercriminals to succeed in their attacks. Implementing a multi-layer security strategy is an essential part of protecting your business from the ever-growing threat of cybercrime. By doing so, you can help to ensure that your business is as safe as possible from the ever-growing threat of cybercrime.

So what are you waiting for? Implement a multi-layer security strategy today to help keep your business safe from cybercrime. If you would like more information or have questions about how strong your cyber-readiness is, please contact Montra at sales@montra.io.

Cyber-readiness Strategies 9 and 10: Passwords and Insurance

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with the cyber security threats out there. From ransomware and phishing to malicious insiders and business email compromises, there are many dangers lurking in the digital world that can affect your organization. To stay safe, it’s important to have a robust cyber readiness strategy in place. This starts with making sure your employees are aware of the threats and know how to protect themselves, but it also includes implementing technology solutions and procedures that can help you mitigate or prevent attacks. In our prior installment of this series, we touched on Continuous Network Intelligence and Security Awareness Training. Keep reading for strategies #9 and #10; Combating the Password Crisis and Don’t Skip Insurance.

Combat the Password Crisis 

In today’s fully connected world, passwords are the first line of defense against cyber-attacks. However, they are also often the softest target for attacks. This is because many people use weak or easily guessed passwords, and they often reuse them across multiple accounts. This makes it easy for hackers to gain access to your systems if they can just crack one password. To combat this, it’s important to have strong password policies in place. This includes using a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters, as well as changing passwords regularly. This can be managed by policy on many systems so that users are forced to use strong passwords and unique passwords across systems. For some systems, these controls cannot be set, but alerts can be triggered so that IT staff will get notified when users set their passwords poorly. 

When users are forced to use difficult and unique passwords, it’s also critical to use a password manager to help users keep track of all their different login credentials. This will make it easier for your users to comply with the password policies. Some desktop browsers have a basic password manager built-in and third-party software can also be used that provides additional features like secure password sharing within groups. 

Don’t Skip the Insurance 

No matter how well you prepare, there’s always a chance that your organization could be the victim of a cyber-attack. This is why it’s so important to have insurance in place. Cyber insurance can help cover the costs of an attack, including business interruption, data recovery, and legal fees. It can also help with reputational damage control if your organization’s name is dragged through the mud. 

Cyber-insurance is a relatively new area of business insurance, so there are a wide variety of cyber insurance carriers with different underwriting policies. It is important to do your research and find one that fits your organization’s needs and that is cost-effective. It is also helpful to work with cyber experts, who can help you make some small changes to your IT operation that can have a big impact on your cyber insurance costs. Implementing multi-factor authentication across all your applications and using DNS Security can have a positive impact on your risk scoring with an insurance carrier. 

These are just two more of the many things you can do to improve your cyber readiness strategy. Stay tuned for our next, and final installment, where we’ll be covering strategies #11 and #12; Reduce Supply Chain Vulnerabilities and Deploying a Multi-Layer Security Strategy. If you would like more information or have questions about how strong your cyber-readiness is, please contact Montra at sales@montra.io.

12 Cyber Readiness Strategies #7 and #8

In our last blog post, we discussed cyber readiness strategies: #5 Back-Up Everything and #6 Don’t Neglect Compliance. Continuing our series this week are discussing strategies #7 and #8, Continuous Network Intelligence and Security Awareness Training. In 2021 businesses suffered 50% More Cyberattack Attempts per Week in 2021 and as a business owner, it is not only important to continuously monitor your networks for any suspicious activity, but also to prepare employees for any type of cyber attack 

7. Continuous Network Intelligence

Technology is always changing and advancing, which can mean new vulnerabilities for your organization. Staying on top of these changes is critical to reducing the risk of a cyberattack. This is where continuous network intelligence comes in. By monitoring your network and systems continuously, you can quickly identify and patch any vulnerabilities. In fact, continuous monitoring is one of the best ways to detect a cyber-attack early. One of the strategies attackers will use is ransomware attacks. What is a ransomware attack? A ransomware attack is when an attacker encrypts your data and demands a ransom to decrypt it. These attacks can be devastating to businesses, as they can lose critical data and be forced to pay a ransom. To prevent these attacks, it is important to set up your network to detect access from outside sources. As soon as anyone outside your network enters, you will be able to kick them out before they can cause harm. If you don’t have monitoring tools in place already there are a few ways to start implementing continuous network monitoring: 

  • Use a network security solution that provides real-time visibility into your network traffic and activity. 
  • Keep systems up-to-date by continually watching for OS and application security updates and patching the systems as soon as reasonable. 
  • Conduct regular penetration testing to identify any weaknesses in your system. 

By continuously monitoring your network, you can quickly identify and patch any vulnerabilities. This will help reduce the risk of a cyber-attack and keep your business running smoothly. 

8. Security Awareness Training 

In addition to continuously monitoring your networks, it is also important to prepare employees for any type of cyber attack. This is where security awareness training comes in. Around 91% of breaches started with a phishing attack and 81% of cyber-attacks are related to stolen or weak passwords. By educating employees on the latest cybersecurity threats and how to prevent them, you can reduce the risk of a successful attack. There are a few things to keep in mind when creating a security awareness training program. 

  • Make it mandatory for all employees. 
  • Keep it up-to-date with the latest threats. 
  • Test employees regularly to ensure they are understanding the material. Examples of this include: 
  • Computer-based awareness training 
  • Phishing simulation exercises 
  • Awareness campaigns 
  • In-person security awareness training 
  • Monthly notifications or newsletters 

By following these tips, you can create a security awareness training program that will help keep your business safe. And by educating employees on the latest cybersecurity threats and how to prevent them, you can reduce the risk of a successful attack.  

These are just a few of the many precautions that should be taken to protect your business from a cyberattack. If you would like more information or have any questions, contact Montra at sales@montra.io

 

12 Cyber Readiness Strategies #3 and #4

3. Keep Updates – Up to Date

While software updates often introduce new or enhanced features into your apps, programs, and systems, they also install security and performance fixes known as patches. Undiscovered defects or flaws can leave your systems exposed. Cybercriminals will exploit any vulnerability or security gap they find. Keeping your systems updated is vital for keeping your business cyber-ready. 

Failure to Patch systems results in a breach. Of the companies who reported that their business experienced one or more data breaches in the past year, 57% confirmed that these breaches probably occurred because a patch was available for a known vulnerability but not applied. 

Why are Security Patches Important? Security patches address known vulnerabilities within software systems. Once these flaws or weaknesses become known, cybercriminals begin looking for ways to exploit them. The sooner a security patch is installed, the faster your business can restore protection and security against threats associated with vulnerabilities. Below are the five effective elements for applying security patches: 

1. Automate. With an automated system, analyzing and deploying patches can be as easy and provide significant time savings. 

2. Plan your approach. Group systems by department, location, etc. to better handle your environment and more productively manage patches. 

3. Test patches. Don’t just push out patches before testing them. All patches should be thoroughly lab-tested.

4. Know the configurations. Make sure you synchronize and validate your development, test, and development patch configuration settings. 

5. Maintain patch levels. Be proactive and schedule scans on a daily or weekly basis to analyze the environment and deploy all critical patches.  

Learn more about system updates and patches with our infographic, or contact Montra to see how we can automate and optimize your system patching process. sales@montra.io 

4. Enforce Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)

Threat of cyberattack has never been greater. According to the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, nearly 80% percent of all data breaches are due to lost, weak, or stolen passwords. And a recent study by Omdia/Ovum, 76% of employees report experiencing regular password problems. Verifying user identity and managing access to your business data has never been more important. 

One-level security or single-factor authentication is no longer enough. Even the strongest passwords are vulnerable to theft or exposure. Requiring more than one method to authenticate user identity or access permissions can reduce or eliminate the risk of stolen or unauthorized credentials being utilized. 

Using Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) makes gaining access to resources more secure and less vulnerable to credential theft. MFA provides enhanced security to identity management by requiring two or more forms of authentication. Mobile devices which support push notifications or texts, can be used for one-time passcodes, or third-party authenticator applications such as Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator can be used to generate one-time passcodes also. 

MFA must be implemented to meet the security requirements to achieve and prove compliance for most regulatory bodies such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR, NAIC, NIST CSF, CMMC, ISO 27001, CCPA, NY SHIELD Act, GBLA, SOX and more. 

Get cyber-ready by setting up all your accounts with MFA today. Download our infographic for more information on MFA and password hygiene. If you want to understand how Montra can help you set up all your accounts, contact us at sales@montra.io. 

12 Cyber Readiness Strategies #1 and #2

Is your business ready to handle a targeted cyber-attack? Maybe you have been attacked and don’t even know it. According to the the 2020 Thales Data Threat Report, 49% of US companies have already experienced a data breach. To help you become more proactive and effective at defending against cyber threats, we are discussing 12 Cyber Readiness Strategies over the next few blogs.

1. Have a Cyber Readiness Plan

It may seem obvious, but to properly address all of the cyber-security threats to your organization, you first need to have a plan – specifically a Cyber Readiness Plan. Your ability to quickly and cost-effectively overcome security threats or breaches determines your business’s success and survival. How you handle and protect your data is central to your business’s security and customers, employees, and partners’ privacy expectations. You need a cyber readiness plan that includes prevention, continuity, and recovery strategies. The Federal Communications Commission provides an excellent planning guide that identifies six critical areas of cybersecurity for companies to address:

1. Privacy and Data Security

2. Scams and Fraud

3. Network Security

4. Email

5. Website Security

6. Mobile Devices

Download the associated cheat sheet as an easy outline to understand each of these areas to help you quickly navigate these best practices and assess your readiness.

2. Establish Strict Policies and Procedures

Cybersecurity policies and procedures help guide secure business operations and are essential for defining the standards of business conduct, system controls, employee awareness, and workplace definitions and expectations. While establishing strict, security-focused protocols is crucial, a system of validation and enforcement is equally important. In fact, all major cybersecurity and privacy frameworks, such as NIST CSF, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and PCI DSS, all require periodic auditing or continuous monitoring to make certain that policies are properly put into operation.

To help you start building your cybersecurity policy and procedure library, we have provided a few policy templates to start. Click to download 12 IT policy templates that are critical to any IT operation.