Security analysts predict an increase in both the number and size of cyberattacks in 2017. Based on the sheer scale of the recent WannaCry attacks (200,000 systems across 150 countries), testing systems for vulnerabilities is no longer a hypothetical. It’s a must. So is testing employees’ mastery of cybersecurity lessons learned from cyber threat awareness training.
The Logic in the Testing Process
A substantial contributing factor to the success of cyberattacks is organizations’ failure to test employees’ knowledge of good cyber hygiene and how to recognize and report suspicious online activity. Potentially compounding the problem is insufficient testing of security systems already in place.
Human intervention is important but often happens too late. Regular system tests using a variety of tools eliminate any potential threats before they’ve had a chance to spread.
Testing Tools to Prevent Attacks
Thorough, effective testing of your organization’s systems can’t wait. Ongoing, continuous testing of both system vulnerabilities and employees’ understanding of social engineering scams can help expose the weakest links in your security posture. The following testing tools are user-friendly and effective.
- Phishing Security Test: This software was designed to test the effectiveness of employees’ responses to phishing scams in order to evaluate overall company cybersecurity awareness. The software sets up a dummy phishing scam to see how many (and which) employees respond to the scam.
- Phish Alert Button: If a phishing scam is detected, Phish Alert Button software provides a simple and safe way for employees to alert your company’s security team.
- Domain Spoof Test: Email addresses are cloned by hackers regularly. This program tests whether or not the emails within your organization are vulnerable to a ‘domain spoof.’
- Ransomware Simulator: This simulator tests ten different ransomware scenarios that your organization could encounter — and shows you what to do if any of those instances happen.
- Weak Password Test: Test security passwords that use this program within your organization. Most passwords that employees choose to use are easily hackable. Weak password scans systems and lists accounts with sub-par passwords. This tool will help you determine whether or not the passwords used within your company are sufficient.
- Email Exposure Check: How simple is it to find one of your organization’s emails on the Internet? Email Exposure Check will find email addresses that are floating around cyberspace and list them—phishing scams often target easy-to-find emails.
- USB Security Test: Employees often plug USB keys into a networked device without a second thought. This software includes an ‘infected’ program that can be downloaded onto any USB. Alerts are sent when the trick file is opened.
- CTap: Fortinet’s Cyber Threat Assessment Program (CTap) assesses application vulnerabilities, employee productivity and network performance. CTap can be accessed for free through an online Xiologix program.
- Test Your Metal: This tool tests how well your firewall and antivirus program detects an EICAR sample virus. Regular updates point out vulnerabilities.
To help determine whether or not your organization could be hacked during the next big cyberattack, contact Xiologix. We can guide you to the to best-of-breed cybersecurity technology to bolster your organizations’ defenses, targeting solutions to testing results.
