6 Steps to Strengthen Your Security Posture

Strengthen Your Security Posture: The need for multilayer cybersecurity has never been this important. Frequent cyber-attacks have caused immeasurable losses to companies. A report by IBM indicates that the cost of a data breach caused globally in 2020 was USD 3.86 million. 

The growth of data breaches permeates all sectors – business organizations, government institutions, healthcare organizations, educational institutions, and more.

It is not just the monetary loss that these attacks cause. The goodwill and reputation that have been built down the lane are brought down to pieces after a company is subjected to a cyberattack. 

No customer would wish to continue with an organization or allow anyone in his close circles to do business with the company if he loses his personal information that he confidentially shared with an organization into the wrong hands

What Should Organizations Do? 

The proverb ‘prevention is better than cure’ is quite applicable in the case of data security too. Organizations could do damage control after an attack, but that is not enough today due to the increased number of data breaches. 

They need to implement security policies and preventive measures to avoid cyber attacks. With this in mind, password management is essential. Imprivata states that in order to meet cybersecurity best practices, organizations need visibility and control over privileged accounts, including protecting privileged accounts in a secure enterprise password vault. A password vault improves security by storing passwords, certificates, and other credentials for shared business accounts and systems in a secure, IT-managed location. This article looks at the concept of security posture, what type of data is safeguarded by it, what measures can be taken to make it more effective and stronger within an organization.

What Is Security Posture?

An organization’s capacity to safeguard its IT resources such as data, system – both hardware and software, and network is known as its security posture. Put it in other words; if an organization has a weak security posture, it will mean there are higher chances for data breaches and cyber-attacks. 

On top of that, an organization’s agility to accept quick measures when any potential attack or breach occurs also comes under security posture. For example, if the organization has backed up and encrypted all its critical data and implemented an enterprise solution for secure file sharing the consequences of a data breach could be minimal.

Having a clear idea about the potential data breach and areas it would affect within an organization is essential for crafting a reliable security posture. If you do not know the extent and scope of the attacks, it would be hard to implement recovery measures and accept preventive actions. 

Although security threats and data breaches happen because of a potential external attack, often by malicious parties, they can also result from an employee’s unintentional act within the organization. Below are the two essential areas safeguarded by an effective security posture.

Cyberattacks

Cyber-attacks are intentional acts committed by malicious parties to imperil an organisation’s function or steal critical data. It is not always possible to know who will conduct such ill acts in advance.

Although external parties mostly do them, they can sometimes be committed by people who have hijacked an organization or entered it under the disguise of employees. An intelligently designed security posture would minimize such possibilities.

Data Breach

A data breach is when confidential data is leaked into unintended hands. Often, this happens when a hacker accesses a private network by utilizing its vulnerabilities and exposing it. However, this can also happen when an employee is wrongfully given permissions. To assist with data protection, especially with file transfers, learn more about secure file transfer.

Six Effective Strategies to Improve Security Posture

Whether you have already implemented security posture or thinking of integrating it into your organization, here are five effective strategies to improve it.

Keep Your Networks and Software Under the Radar 

Even if you have addressed all the loopholes for data breaches in your organization, it is essential to keep a close eye on the software and networks for any signs of vulnerabilities. 

In case of any suspicious developments, accept rapid measures to address them. Similarly, employ advanced encryption options like an SSL certificate that secures data flows between the server and the browser.

Develop A Practical Response Plan 

Create a practical cybersecurity incident response plan (CSIRP) with the help of an expert. This would keep you prepared in the event of a serious security attack. 

The plan should consist of guidelines for staying prepared for attacks, identifying the loopholes, containing the risks rapidly in an attack, and effective post-attack measures.

Frequent Assessment of Security Posture

Knowing your position in the security posture is as important as having it first. Anyone can stay alert about common or expected risks, but the challenge is in addressing risks of which you are unaware. Keeping your security posture assessed from time to time will equip you for the same.

Define And Assign Risk Management 

An organization consists of multiple departments, and each department is subject to varying degrees of risk. Address them effectively and keep the security posture intact throughout these. It is essential to define the risks that each segment is subject to and assign risks management duties to the responsible members of the entity. 

Demonstrate The Landscape of The Existing Threat 

Conduct a thorough study of the cyber security vulnerabilities your organization currently faces and prepare a visual landscape of it. Then, demonstrate the same to each team or department and provide them with metrics to assess them and devise actionable policies. 

The metrics can include the frequency of the threats, time taken to address vulnerabilities, number of intrusion attempts identified over a period, the quantity of confidential data stored in the organization, and more. 

These metrics would help each member of the organization have an idea about potential risks and the need to have a serious approach when dealing with data.

Inspect Security Control Gaps Frequently

Every organization has security controls like processes, technologies, policies, procedures, and more to minimize vulnerabilities. The frequency of devising these controls must be kept under the radar too. Long gaps in the controls would mean increased chances for data breaches and threats.

Wrapping Up 

Data breaches and cyberattacks have become commonplace today. But they will not imperil the smooth functioning of an organization or damage its reputation if proper initiative-taking measures are taken in advance. From SSL certificate integration to implementing a well-planned security posture, organizations can effectively keep such risks out of sight by incorporating the right security measures.