The New Year is always a time to reflect and start anew. We look back at the highs and lows of the year with either a heavy heart or an elated one (maybe a little of both)—and apply the lessons learned from these observations going forward.
When it comes to 2016’s cyber threat developments – from breaches at the IRS to the most expansive hack of all time at Yahoo! – the postscript is dire: Protect your data or risk a breach in the year ahead. Here’s 5-point cybersecurity checklist to help guide you in the right direction:
1. Patch Now, Patch Often
As cybersecurity experts emphasize, being timely about updating and patching software is critical. Criminals are always inventing new ways to steal data, and they constantly look for vulnerabilities. What this means is that an optimized security network is only up-to-date for so long. The attack on POS systems at Home Depot last summer is a prime example. At the time, Home Depot was in the process of installing a security patch that would have protected them; but the hackers were too fast.
2. School Your People
You may very well hire the best and brightest, but even brainiacs need schooling. And when it comes to cybersecurity, your users will always be your weakest link. This is why regularly educating your users on cyber security best practices is so important. Training should include how to spot phishing emails, creating strong passwords, steering clear of dangerous applications, and understanding the risks associated with taking data out of the company.
3. Build It
An advanced, adaptive technology platform will take your cybersecurity efforts from an F to an A. The key is extending it beyond the firewall and creating a collaborative ecosystem of security tools across your network that work together as a cohesive, fluid defense— monitoring on premise, mobile and IoT devices, segmenting your network, sharing and correlating local and global threat intelligence — all to quell threats wherever they are in the attack chain.
4. Boost Security With The Best Technology
Studies indicate that many companies are planning to increase their cybersecurity spending. If this applies to your organization, we recommend considering the Advanced Threat Protection Framework (ATP) from our partner, Fortinet.
A multi-pronged approach to preventing, detecting and mitigating known and unknown threats, the ATP integrates security solutions that leverage dynamically generated threat intelligence from FortiGuard Labs as well as Fortinet’s advanced sandbox solution. The ATP can be deployed as part of the Fortinet Security fabric, an open architecture that enables multiple security components to work together to provide end-to-end protection across all endpoints, data centers and the cloud.
5. Test
Another critical component is testing your own network for security weaknesses. Network vulnerability scans, application vulnerability scans and penetration tests are all recommended.
Resolve To Assess Your Cybersecurity Posture
Xiologix has the expertise and best-in-class technology solutions to help organizations meet their cybersecurity challenges head on. A great way to start is by contacting us for a complimentary online cyber threat assessment. Get a jumpstart on your New Year’s resolution to keep your data safe in 2017.
