Category: Information Security

In today’s business landscape, information security is of paramount importance. With nearly all business operations going digital, companies are increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats. Malicious actors are constantly on the lookout for weak links that they can exploit for financial gain. To bolster your organization’s information security posture, here are ten essential tips and actionable guidelines.

1. Prioritize Employee Education and Awareness

In a 2022 study by Edapp, it was revealed that 74% of data breaches occur due to human error. Therefore, investing in employee training and fostering awareness about the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape is crucial. This empowers your workforce to recognize and thwart phishing attempts, avoiding the pitfalls of clicking on malicious links and falling victim to email scams. Regular training sessions are essential to keep your staff updated on current cyber threats.

2. Keep Software and Hardware Updated

Regularly updating technology software and hardware is imperative. Outdated devices can lead to data breaches and ransomware attacks, as threat actors seek to exploit vulnerabilities in operating systems, web browsers, applications, and hardware.

3. Implement Strong Passwords and Authentication

Unauthorized logins are often the result of password guessing attacks. Protecting your data and applications with strong passwords and multi-factor authentication is a sound strategy in the current cyber landscape. Ensure that passwords consist of a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Consider using a password manager for added security.

4. Embrace Data Encryption

Data encryption is an effective way to safeguard sensitive information. Encrypting data both at rest and in transit prevents threat actors from stealing or manipulating it during transmission.

5. Enhance Network Connection Security

Securing network connections is essential to prevent data leakage to unauthorized parties. Educate your staff to avoid using public Wi-Fi networks for transmitting sensitive information, thereby thwarting eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks.

6. Deploy Anti-Malware Solutions

Installing reputable anti-malware and antivirus solutions is crucial for keeping malicious infections at bay.

7. Prioritize Data Backup

Regularly backing up your data is essential to secure it when facing threats like ransomware attacks. This not only facilitates data restoration but also helps you avoid paying substantial ransoms. Ensure that your backup solution is automated and includes two to three copies stored in off-site locations to maintain data integrity and reliability.

8. Implement Network Intrusion Prevention

Utilizing network intrusion software to analyze anomalies in network traffic patterns and behavior is key to defending against unauthorized activities and breaches.

9. Embrace Regular Auditing

While some companies may shy away from security audits due to budget concerns, they are essential in preventing losses resulting from malware attacks and breaches. Engaging companies that offer preventive services such as penetration tests is a wise move.

10. Develop an Incident Response Plan

Having a well-defined incident response plan is essential for mitigating losses during cyber incidents. It not only enables a quick recovery but also facilitates communication with employees and partners, outlining steps to mitigate risks stemming from an incident.

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In an era where technology plays an indispensable role in every aspect of our lives, the protection of sensitive information has become a paramount concern. As threats to data security continue to evolve, organizations are seeking innovative ways to safeguard their digital assets. One such avenue gaining momentum is information security automation. By harnessing the power of automation, businesses are discovering a host of benefits that enhance both their security posture and operational efficiency.

1. Rapid Threat Detection and Response: Information security threats are relentless, requiring organizations to be agile in detecting and neutralizing them. Automation empowers security teams to monitor networks, systems, and applications in real time, ensuring that any anomalies or suspicious activities are promptly identified. Automated threat detection tools can analyze vast volumes of data at speeds beyond human capacity, promptly raising alerts when potential breaches are detected. This immediate response reduces the window of vulnerability, safeguarding critical assets and minimizing the potential impact of cyberattacks.

2. Enhanced Incident Response: In the unfortunate event of a security breach, effective incident response is crucial. Automation streamlines this process by initiating predefined workflows that guide security teams through a coordinated response plan. Automated incident response not only accelerates the containment and recovery phases but also ensures consistency in actions taken. This approach reduces the risk of human error and aids in preserving valuable evidence for post-incident analysis.

3. Consistency and Compliance: Maintaining a consistent level of security across an organization can be challenging, especially as operations expand. Automation ensures that security policies and configurations are applied uniformly across all systems and devices. This consistency is particularly beneficial in industries subject to regulatory compliance, where deviations from established standards can result in severe consequences. Automation helps organizations adhere to these regulations by automating audits, generating compliance reports, and promptly addressing non-compliance issues.

4. Resource Optimization: Manual security tasks can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. Automation liberates security personnel from repetitive, mundane tasks, allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives and complex problem-solving. As a result, teams can allocate their expertise and time to activities that require human intuition, creativity, and critical thinking, ultimately driving innovation within the organization.

5. Scalability and Flexibility: As businesses grow, so do their security needs. Automation scales seamlessly to accommodate these changes, ensuring that security measures keep pace with organizational expansion. Automated systems can handle a higher volume of data, devices, and transactions without sacrificing quality or speed. Additionally, automation offers flexibility by allowing organizations to customize security workflows and responses to align with their unique operational requirements.

6. Threat Hunting and Analysis: Automation is not limited to predefined responses; it can also be employed proactively for threat hunting and analysis. Automated tools can sift through vast datasets, identifying patterns and indicators of compromise that may elude manual analysis. By assisting analysts in identifying potential threats, automation contributes to a more proactive approach to security.

7. Cost-Efficiency: Investing in information security automation can yield cost savings in the long run. While there is an initial investment in acquiring and implementing automation tools, the reduction in manual labor, minimized downtime due to quicker threat response, and prevention of costly security breaches contribute to a positive return on investment.

Conclusion 

Information security automation is a powerful tool that empowers organizations to address the evolving landscape of cyber threats with efficiency and confidence. By rapidly detecting threats, streamlining incident response, ensuring compliance, optimizing resources, and embracing scalability, automation enhances an organization’s ability to protect its valuable digital assets while allowing its security experts to focus on strategic initiatives that drive innovation and growth. As threats continue to evolve, the integration of automation into information security strategies is no longer a luxury but a necessity for modern enterprises.

The post Benefits on Information Security Automation appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

First is regarding a ‘Rapid Security Update’ that is being issued by Apple Inc to all iOS devices and applies to iPads and macOS. The technology giant confirmed that the update is a necessity and can be automatically updated as well, if the settings are tweaked. It disallows hackers from taking control of the device and was released to patch up vulnerabilities within the software. Therefore, all users of the device should focus on getting their device installed with the latest update.

Second is the news about a Sydney-based cancer treatment facility that became a victim of a ransomware attack. The Crown Princess Mary Cancer Center is the healthcare facility that is in discussion and federal government agencies are trying to contain the incident on the servers of the facility, which is part of the Sydney West Cancer Network.

Third is the news related to the City of Dallas, where the servers of the Dallas Police Department have fallen prey to a ransomware attack, thus disrupting systems related to emergencies and other calls. The Royal Ransomware Group is said to be involved in the incident, and the cyber arm of the Dallas Police Department is finding ways to mitigate the risks and recover the data as early as possible.

Another alert has been issued against the ROYAL ransomware gang by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). According to the advisory, all healthcare providers operating in the Indian subcontinent and in the whole of South Asia should be cautious about the said file-encrypting group that mainly targets the healthcare sector. Therefore, computer admins are being warned to be aware of phishing emails, malicious downloads, and be wary of other social engineering attacks.

The next news is related to Pediatric Healthcare Provider Brightline, which is in the field of treating child mental health and trauma. According to sources, a hack has exposed data of over 780,000 children who were patients of Brightline. The data breach took place on January 30th, 2023, impacting about 783,600 people. A related notice has been displayed on the website and investigations revealed that the hackers infiltrated the database with a zero-day vulnerability.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, released a press statement yesterday that its cybersecurity teams have disrupted a malware spread campaign that was discovered to be spreading malware like Ducktail and the newly identified NodeStealer. Primary analysis made by the technology giant stated that the malware was being distributed via browser extensions and fake ads running on compromised business accounts.

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Many of you get confused with terms cybersecurity and Information Security and think that both these words are same and synonymous. However, in reality, both these terms are different and confused with one another.

Cybersecurity is one of the significant business function that focuses on protecting IT infrastructure such as data, applications, communication infrastructure and network. As organizations face constant threats in cyberspace like DDoS, ransomware, malware and data breaches, cybersecurity helps track and mitigate threats to eliminate business risks.

Instead, Information Security is a part of a cybersecurity program that focuses mainly on protecting data from breaches and damage. A business which operates with a motive of ‘data means life blood’, should be extremely focused on Information Security, as any slight laxity in doing so can break the business on a permanent note.

As companies are going digital, protecting their IT infrastructure and data from disruptions, breaches and other such critical threats becomes extremely difficult.

Career paths involved in information and cyber security

As both these words are technically overlapping each other, like in education, skills and shared security practices, companies offer jobs that have common career paths.

For instance, in the stream of Information Security, roles such as Information Security Analyst, Information Security Specialist, IT Security Consultant prevail, with a salary package ranging between $80,000 to $120,000,

Regarding cybersecurity, roles such as Cybersecurity Analyst, Cybersecurity Consultant, Penetration Tester, Cybersecurity Engineer are prevailing with interchangeable job descriptions and having the same salary packages as stated above.

 

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There is a confusion among a few that the terms Information Security and Cybersecurity are the same as the two areas take the same strides to a large extent. But technically in practical, both are different, and here’s a brief explanation to prove.

Information Security- Protection of information and the information storing systems from unauthorized access accounts to Information Security. The term InfoSec aka Information Security is often used to determine availability of the systems and to protect the data integrity and confidentiality.

Cybersecurity- It’s a way broader term and Information Security can be treated as a subset of this larger digital ecosystem of IT Infrastructure. Protecting electronic communications services and infrastructure from cyber attacks and restoring them from unexpected downtime makes up for cybersecurity.

Both these terms are well defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the latter includes protection of computer networks, cloud infrastructure and utilities such as nuclear power infrastructures.

As both the terms are related to cyberspace, some tech geeks are mistakenly found using both the said terms as synonymous terms while addressing certain issues on the social media.

A degree in cybersecurity, computer science, and IT can help land a person in jobs such as an engineer, specialist, and analyst, and in some terms, as a tester. However, having knowledge about networks, software interface, databases, viruses and protection and web development will help enhance your skills and get better pay packages in both the said careers, as in most cases, these two technologies overlap in time.

 

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After years of falling behind, the construction industry has realised the importance of its data. Construction-related businesses invested a remarkable 188% more in cybersecurity in 2018–19. Data leaks and cyberattacks have jolted sectors worldwide, affecting everyone. 55% of UK businesses experienced a cyberattack in 2019 alone, and the average damage resulting from breaches is £176,000. […]… Read More

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With business and technology becoming increasingly intertwined, organizations are being forced to rethink how they look at digital security. Once overlooked or viewed as a mere afterthought, today it has become a business-critical necessity. As a result, organizations across industry lines are racing to improve their security postures. Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) are at […]… Read More

The post The ClubCISO report reveals a fundamental shift in security culture appeared first on The State of Security.

Have you ever confused your acronyms?  Perhaps you have laughed when someone has had to explain some of the acronyms used in text messages.  Business, and especially technology acronyms are almost as plentiful as text acronyms.  There are few things as embarrassing as being in a business meeting, and mistaking one acronym for another.  This […]… Read More

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