How Secure Are We?

Studies and surveys have repeatedly observed that the biggest threat to information systems and assets are the people using them. All of us want our information to be safe and secure. Security awareness is one way of making people aware of the risks to the things they value the most and how they can protect themselves and their data against those risks. Security awareness should be incorporated on a daily basis as it is a going process. For security awareness, we already have management controls, technical control, and operational controls but what we lack most importantly is human control. Cyber-attacks are on the rise and the greatest threats come from within the company or organization. Different types of cyber-attacks are launched across a range of different sized organizations. The best way to achieve a significant and lasting improvement in information security is by raising awareness through training and educating people who interact with computer networks. Believe it or not, the biggest threat to an organization’s data security is its employees.

Information Security works best when you:

• Stay Alert
• Think
• Act Wisely

Why Security Awareness is important?

• Technology alone is not enough.
• Preventing attacks and breaches is critical
• It enhances employee satisfaction and wellbeing
• It positively impacts company culture
• Proper security protocol is often compliance mandated
• Awareness will help keep your security systems healthy
• A more secure company is a more trusted one
• The cost to protect against a breach is lower than the cost to remediate one
• There are more security regulations every day. It’s important to stay up to date

One of the best ways where you can find whether a company is taking security awareness seriously or not is in their budget. However, security awareness is just one piece of a viable protection plan. Other pieces would include:

• Creating a security policy
• Assessing your company’s vulnerabilities
• Investing in security technology

As companies spend on software and security technologies, they need to focus on spending as much in security awareness as there is it is the most impactful and important part of your company’s technology landscape.

Best Practices in Measuring Your Security Stance

• A key to cybersecurity health is to know the number of systems with vulnerable assets in your environment so that it’s easier to determine the risk in your business.
• Ensure that SSL certificates are configured properly on the server by monitoring security requirements for each certificate and preventing the certificates from falling into wrong hands so that your company’s digital identity is not stolen.
• In the corporate network if there is unrestricted access to the internet, monitoring the volume of traffic will allow you to identify the misuse of company resources.
• Have a set number of days to deactivate former employee credentials as it may leak sensitive information which could lead to compromised devices.
• Frequently review the third-party access. While completing a project or activity, IT managers often grant access to third parties in their network. If a breach occurs on the third-party network, then your internal network could get exposed to the same threat.
• Be aware of business partners’ cybersecurity practices and policies.

Here is a list of some important things to keep ourselves secure:

• Never discuss sensitive information when in crowded places.
• Lock your computer screen before you leave your desk.
• Check your privacy settings on a regular basis whenever you visit social media platforms.
• Always think before you click on any attachments and links.
• Utilize strong passwords and different passwords for different use.
• After completion of installation always remember to update the security software and set it to scan regularly.

To protect your information, all you need to do is THINK AND ACT WISELY.