What is cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity is a means of ensuring that online data assets -whether personal or enterprise-owned- are not tampered with, stolen, sold, or otherwise compromised. Breached data, and the hackers that weaponized it, can inflict significant harm on affected individuals or organizations. Implementing strong cybersecurity requires a multi-pronged approach that leverages the latest technologies, strategic processes, human resources and more.
The latest technologies range in form and function, but all aim to protect your resources from nefarious individuals. Cybersecurity has turned into a $114 billion dollar industry that’s predicted to reach a net worth of $124 billion by 2024. Industry products secure a multitude of software and hardware environments, ranging from networks, to endpoints, to IoT systems, to the cloud.
Exponential growth in cyber related crimes has spurred continuous cybersecurity innovation, creating an endless array of cybersecurity point solutions (platforms that are tailor made to resolve a particular type of cyber issue) and single management consoles (platforms that broadly protect against a myriad of issues) to arrest the problem.
Organizations with inadequate cybersecurity measures that also suffer a data breach are liable to face litigation under US federal and/or state law. The legal ramifications of immature security measures are even harsher in the UK under the newly implemented GDPR regulations. In the UK organizations found guilty of shoddy cybersecurity practices may pay a penalty of up to €20m Euros, or 4% of their annual global turnover, whichever is greater.
What types of cybersecurity measures exist?
Organizations can implement a variety of cybersecurity protocols to protect assets. Measures include:
- Invest in firewall technology. Firewalls are proven security gateways that offer authentication protection, traffic inspection, network address translation and more. Firewalls are ideal for protecting all types of network environments. In 1994, Check Point Software Technologies created the world’s first firewall, and the company continues as an industry pioneer and leader when it comes to innovative cybersecurity systems. To view Check Point’s firewall products, click here.
- Back up your data. This may seem like an obvious step, but many organizations miss this measure. You will not regret having taken the time to do this if Ransomware hits your system, and the hackers hold your data hostage.
- Consider a zero-trust model. The zero-trust model focuses on network segmentation, and limiting access privileges, minimizing the potential for data theft or data loss. While it is possible to implement a zero-trust approach in conjunction with point-solutions, due to the complex deployment process, it may be most convenient to obtain a zero-trust security product in conjunction with a single, consolidated cybersecurity architecture.
- Turn automatic updates on for your systems. Ensure that your software stays up to date, and always install any newly released patches immediately. You can use Secunia PSI (a free service) to identify any software on your system that is due for updates.
- Ensure that your employees understand their role in assisting with cybersecurity, and that they are aware of company policies and protocols. Help employees recognize potential threats, and learn what to do in the event of a cyber incident.
If you have any questions please email editorinchief@cybertalk.org.