How to build a sustainable cybersecurity plan
Cyber attacks are now the greatest threat humanity faces cybersecurity issue. A solid, effective strategy is essential. Cyber threats evolve along with new technologies. They lurk behind the weak security walls of organizations’ IT infrastructures, looking for any gaps that might allow them to get through.
Stephane Nappo said, “It takes 20 years to build a name and a few minutes of cyber-incidents to ruin it.”
Unbreachable security starts with a solid cybersecurity plan. This plan can be used to protect individuals as well as organizations from attacks. It will allow for timely detection and prompt response to a breach or risk and give the organization the ability to address it effectively. A sustainable plan is also measurable and provides actionable insights.
Every organization needs a tailored and customized cybersecurity strategy in order to be secure. A single strategy will not work for everyone. Your organization’s risk landscape, security structure, threat-dealing capabilities, and other factors will all need to be considered when crafting your strategy.
In history, there have been many cyber attacks. Everybody has been a victim of cyber attackers, from small businesses to large multinational corporations to governments. We must work together to improve cybersecurity as we grow our digital capabilities. Let’s look at how we can create a cybersecurity plan that will allow us to survive and succeed in this digital age.
Take a clear picture
First, assess where you are at the moment in terms of attack prevention and risk tolerance. To identify the most vulnerable processes to cyber attacks, map the unique characteristics of your company to create a risk assessment framework. To analyze the current threat actors, find out the viability and extent of existing cybersecurity measures within the organization.
This will eliminate the need for assumptions and allow you to make fact-based strategic decisions. It is easy to create a transparent and effective cybersecurity plan once the weakest and most important links have been identified.
Align your people
People alignment requires a bi-directional approach. You must first get the top management to understand the importance of cybersecurity investments. You would need to encourage staff members to implement best security practices to prevent any possible breach.
Inside threat actors include careless workers, inside agents and disgruntled employees. Malicious insiders and third-party customers were also responsible for two of the most costly data breaches in history. This is because people are not aware of their cybersecurity policies. It is important that everyone in the organization is familiar with the cybersecurity handbook.
The metrics should be set
You will be able to understand the business processes that are most valuable, the areas that require the attention of information security teams and the areas most vulnerable to malicious attacks by performing a risk assessment of your organization. This will give you a good idea of your organization’s risk appetite and help you decide how to allocate your cybersecurity budget and resources.
Every strategy without measurable metrics is just a shot in the dark. There is no way to know if it hits the target or if it is moving in the right direction. The cybersecurity strategy evaluation would require a comparison between Key Risk Indicators and Key Performance Indicators. It is important to evaluate each risk against the mitigation activities and determine if they have any effect on risk levels.
This will allow you to eliminate waste by eliminating inefficient processes and optimize your strategy according to your organization’s risk appetite.
Avoid, Accept, Mitigate, and Transfer
Even if you have a strong strategy, it is impossible to be 100% secure with breach-proof walls. It is important to prepare a war plan, which is the plan of action you will take to address cybersecurity risks.
- Avoid: You should avoid any activities that could compromise the integrity and security of your cybersecurity framework.
- Accept: It is best to accept minor risks that have been identified and deal with them immediately, rather than wasting valuable resources on something insignificant.
- Reduce the risk: You can reduce the likelihood of them occurring.
- Transfer: Assign ownership to different segments of the organization for different risks so everyone is aware of their responsibility in case there is a breach.
Test, Assure Secure, and Protect
The cyber risk landscape is changing with the evolving technology landscape. Organizations should move away from the maturity-based approach and adopt a risk-based strategy.
It is important to conduct application security testing regularly and rigorously, particularly in high-risk areas. A security framework for application testing will strengthen your cybersecurity plan. Additionally, a continuous security testing framework will make your cybersecurity plan more sustainable.
