São Paulo/SP – December 12, 2022. Being compliant and learning best practices will give the team the opportunity to protect its own information, that of its customers and suppliers
*By Ana Medeiros
The new internet age has severely changed the way we work and cybercriminals are becoming more skilled. Today, cloud computing and web services tweaked with machine knowledge are fast becoming one of the best ways to manifest skills and stay ahead of the curve. However, due to the gradual increase in the use of mobile devices and cloud storage, even greater gaps were opened for attacks through networks, emails and websites.
An organization falling victim to cybersecurity events can lead to constant regulatory review, forcing the organization to comply with audits, additional tax compliance, incident response plans, judicial recovery plans, among other needs. The even more disturbing part is the ruining of reputation with your customers, creditors, insurance companies and investors if sanctioned by regulations.
A data breach is considered any event that has the potential to affect the main pillars of IT security ''confidentiality, integrity or availability of information'', being responsible for successful implementation and efficient protection strategies. It encompasses everything, from the invasion of viruses in computers, network systems and cases of hacked or revealed passwords, to the transfer of data insecurely, leaving confidential documents accessible to all.
It is a fact that there is no way around this, but having and maintaining a technology and cybernetic security plan will help to mitigate the eventual situations that occur. It's worth noting that every business is different and require unique security protocols, depending on the systems in place. Below we will cover eight tips on how to protect your business by investing in technology and cyber security:
1st Define a team responsible for the Cybersecurity area: When a security incident occurs, it is essential that there is a responsible and prepared team to identify and handle the events. It is essential to appoint professionals who are prepared to coordinate projects, structure safety programs, as well as implement, monitor and test them. In addition to establishing measures to protect virtual IT assets and physical assets.
2nd Awareness training for employees: Better than training that lasts from 2 to 4 hours is putting into practice an awareness program so that employees learn on a daily basis what precautions they should take and how risks arise consciously and without exhaustion.
3rd Learn to recognize threats: Identifying spam and phishing threats is a great start. However, vulnerability management goes far beyond these threats. Cyberattacks work in different ways, represented in the techniques used by hackers, such as: sending malicious attachments, invading systems or networks, overloading servers, spying, stealing information and social engineering.
4º Establish a Security Policy: The Security Policy establishes measures and procedures for the protection of information, involving the treatment of measures for both physical and digital security. In this way, it prevents data and systems from being violated, accessed, copied or destroyed without authorization. They are measures that should include the management of encryption keys, detection systems against network or device intrusions, standardize access and authentication mechanisms.
5º Hire Antivirus and protection mechanisms: There are several entrance doors that organizations have for cyber attacks, the main ones being malicious software in the system, spam and phishing in emails and web browsing, even mobile devices such as pendrives. Automating the installation and updating of antivirus and malware protection software will protect the workstation and infrastructure. Preventing vulnerabilities from serving as gateways for appropriate threats. Some of the tools that perform protective barriers:
O Firewall, a tool that helps prevent malware, preventing it from spreading and infecting other devices;
O WAF, known as the web application firewall, solution that protects web environments against attacks, monitors HTTP and HTTPS traffic between web application and the internet;
O AntiSpam Filter, a solution that filters e-mail messages, detecting and blocking e-mails considered malicious;
The solution DLP, which performs prevention and helps diagnose problems that may compromise the integrity of private data, ensuring that they are not lost.
6th Manage access properly: Modern business conditions are totally different from what was usual just 20 years ago. The world we live in is an information age. Looking at the scenarios, you can see that even basic activities are deeply integrated into the technology. Running a business is no longer just about providing quality services or products, it's also about protecting your data and implementing confidentiality. Identity and Access Management refers to the IT security discipline, structure and solutions for dealing with digital personas.
Access management systems provide an extra layer of security on the Organization's network. Gives you control over which groups of employees have access to which apps. IAM systems are easy or complex, with customization possibilities to reveal certain files, documents and records.
Identity and access management is the information security practice that allows users to access relevant technological resources as needed. It includes three main concepts: identification, authentication and authorization. Together, these three processes combine to ensure that specified users have the access they need to do their jobs while protecting sensitive resources and information from unauthorized users.
7º Establish a backup process: In the event of a disaster, your data recovery strategy is the difference between business survival and business closure. A disaster can lead to data loss, not to mention the cost of recovery. The purpose of the backup procedure is to ensure that there is a consistent and reliable method for restoring your data. It emphasizes the importance of data and system backups and defines procedures for performing and validating backups. The procedure includes activities that ensure data is backed up to secure storage media, it should also include recovery point objectives (RPO) and metrics that determine how long data should be stored before it needs to be backed up again.
Backup data storage should not be stored in the same location as the original data. Otherwise, if they are needed in a recovery situation, the backup can also be affected, leaving the Organization in a delicate situation. A copy should be stored in the cloud to ensure availability and recovery.
8º Allocate a percentage of the company's profits for investments in Cybersecurity: It is a challenge to change the vision and culture of companies, especially with regard to the IS area. In the digital era, cybersecurity incidents are increasing, cybersecurity is no longer a luxury, but a necessity that can influence the survival and success of Organizations' businesses. And since cybercriminals are always looking for new ways to infiltrate sensitive company data, investments in proper cybersecurity systems must be ensured. Non-compliance with cybersecurity regulations brings severe penalties and fines with very short deadlines. Consumers are becoming smarter and more aware of the importance of data security and privacy, after suffering a cyber-attack and the Organization is labeled non-compliant, it may lose the reputation and trust of investors and business partners.
While the threat is still real and could cause serious harm, investing in and practicing proper cybersecurity training among employees, consultants, vendors and contractors can quickly identify suspicious activity and prevent incidents that could destroy the business.
Conclusion
It's a smart decision for companies to invest in technology and cybersecurity. This will give credibility and advantage among competitors, reduce costs for insurers and good image with customers, banking institutions and shareholders. Being compliant and learning best practices will give staff the opportunity to protect their own information, that of their customers and suppliers. By measuring the losses caused by the impacts of an unexpected event, the allocation of a preventive investment will be much more reasonable.
— Ana Medeiros is GRC, Privacy and Information Security Consultant at [SAFEWAY]
How can we help?
THE SAFEWAY is an Information Security consulting company recognized by its clients for offering high value-added solutions through projects that fully meet the needs of the business. In 14 years of experience, we have accumulated several successful projects that have earned us credibility and prominence with our clients, who largely make up the 100 largest companies in Brazil.
today through 25 strategic partnerships with global manufacturers and our SOC, SAFEWAY is considered a one stop shopping with the best solutions in technology, processes and people. We have both the technical skills and the experience necessary to assist your company in the process of structuring controls and preparing the environment for the implementation of an ISMS, SGS or SGCN and, consequently, certification of operations, services or companies to the ISO27001, ISO20000 or ISO22301 standards.
In order to support companies in this process of evaluation and adaptation to the requirements of the LGPD, [SAFEWAY] has in its portfolio of services, the Cybersecurity Health Check whose objective is to carry out a diagnosis of the CyberSecurity, Information Security and Data Privacy implemented in your company, contemplating the pillars of Law Suit, People and Technology.
through the Cybersecurity Health Check, risks associated with information security and privacy of internal processes and activities are identified, existing controls and new controls evaluated according to the size of your organization to increase the level of maturity and compliance, in accordance with good information security practices. If you would like more information, contact one of our experts!
