7 steps to cyber safety

1. Apply software updates immediately and eliminate out of date technology
2. Build awareness….and keep building it
3. Back up data….and check what’s happening is what you think is happening
4. Control who has access to what….and who can do what
5. Make sure you know what’s happening
6. Protect the endpoints
7. Never stand still!

1. Keep technology up to date
Too often patches are not applied promptly or solutions are so old none are available. Using software which is no longer supported is tantamount to leaving the shop door open at the end of the day. And then taking out a worldwide advertisement to tell everyone that’s what you’ve done. We understand perfectly well why this happens; updating legacy software is notoriously complex – and expensive – but that doesn’t mean it can be put in the “too difficult” pile. Updates should be applied as soon as they're available. And if a system is so old that none are available then that creates a risk that should be unacceptable.

2. Awareness
The best defence against all cybersecurity threats is awareness and that doesn’t just mean users being careful about opening emails and attachments. Cybersecurity needs to be built into the ethos of the business because a secure business is based on a foundation of security. And security isn’t just related to work. Personal devices and working from home mean security can only be effective when there’s a global perspective. It’s very tempting for users to think, “it won’t happen to me.” Like burglary, probably it won’t. But most people wouldn’t rely on that as their first line of security.

3. Backups
Obviously, backing up data makes sense anyway – but it’s also eliminates the risk of losing content. Sounds simple – but even at home an effective approach to data backup and restoration is challenging. San Francisco’s transit system was hit by ransomware in 2016. Managers gave passengers a free pass for two days while they restored their systems. Costly and disruptive but a waste of the attackers’ time. Unhappily, the ever-growing popularity of ransomware demonstrates that too often there isn’t a backup and people pay in the hope they’ll get their data unlocked.

4. Access rights
Effective control means users only have access to the data they need – and they can only do what they need to do. Of course, this changes over time so access and privileges need to be regularly reviewed. Administrator rights should only be used when they’re needed, regardless of whether this means logging in and out. Elevated privileges should not be used for normal business and especially not for emails or browsing the web.

5. Monitoring
Effective cybersecurity is impossible without a clear picture of what’s happening. The amount of information about even a small network can be overwhelming and so it’s essential to have a solution in place that provides usable data. Situational awareness is just as important for an IT deparment as it is for the pilot of a plane. In both cases, loss of it results in accidents.

6. Endpoint protection
More and more devices are connected to corporate networks every day. It’s essential they are protected and that protection is kept up to date. Encryption should be mandatory and mobile devices should be managed so that they can be remotely wiped if they’re lost or stolen.

7. Staying up to date
Threats evolve. More government tools will go AWOL and they will be exploited by criminals. Effective cybersecurity requires comprehensive threat intelligence and an active relationship with users so that there is an up to date picture about what’s happening. This is as useful for people in their private lives as it is essential to security at work.