Cyberattack Prevention Begins With a Fundamental Approach

Cyberattack prevention is a crucial consideration for every business operating today. Virtually every modern company relies on a network of computers, servers, access points, routers, cloud capabilities and more to operate in our digital-first world. There’s also the assortment of applications and additional platforms that improve efficiency and streamline operations. Each of these devices, applications and networks delivers a tangible benefit but also represents a risk. 

It’s far easier to define a cyberattack than list out all the ways one can occur. In the simplest terms, a cyberattack is a malicious attempt by criminals to steal data, disable computers and/or their networks and related systems, or use breached assets to launch additional attacks.  

Cybercrime is based on the exploitation of vulnerabilities. Security teams are at a disadvantage because they must protect all possible entry points, while attackers only need to find and exploit one weakness or vulnerability. Once a vulnerability is found, there are many ways criminals can capitalize — from malware (including ransomware) and phishing, to Dedicated Denial of Service (DDos) attacks and zero-day exploits, and more.  

These threats simply can’t be ignored, especially for smaller or mid-sized organizations. It’s estimated there is at least one cyberattack every minute in the U.S. and increasingly, criminals are targeting small businesses. An organization’s size offers no protection as smaller organizations often have less sophisticated security measures in place. If cracked, these groups then offer a foothold for hackers to work their way up the supply chain.    

Thankfully, when it comes to cyberattack prevention, the potential solutions are seemingly endless. Today, we’re examining the building blocks of a strong risk-management strategy and how implementing these fundamental tenets can add resiliency to your organization. 

Eliminate Reactive: Talk to one of our experts to begin adding tailored security solutions paired with innovative technologies to safeguard your business.  

The Foundational Elements of Cyberattack Prevention 

Taking care of fundamental components of your security plan and system offers a strong way to shore up an organization’s resilience to the threats present in today’s digital environment. Let’s examine three core competencies that help protect your data, network, systems and environments.  

Risk Assessment 

Conducting a risk assessment should be at the very top of your punch list when tackling cyber security. This tool helps businesses identify what their most valuable assets are, how they’re protected, and how well those measures work or are constructed. Without an assessment, including the perspective provided by a trusted outside consultant, you won’t have visibility into what your problems are, what particular threats should be most concerning, or how to shore them up. Some of the many questions an assessment can answer include: 

• How many devices do you have on your network? 

• What are the devices? Where are they? 

• How many users have local admin rights?  

• How many privileged accounts are in your environment? 

Covering the Basics 

The basics include many things, but three core elements include the following: 

Regular Patching — The US government’s National Vulnerability Database (NVD) has more than 176,000 entries that regular patching helps address. That’s a whole lot of potential loopholes that can be closed with a regular and consistent patching schedule.  

MFA & Password Management — Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) consists of tying a second method (in addition to a password) to key devices, systems, networks and applications. This simple solution can make an immediate impact; Microsoft found that adding MFA was effective in preventing 99.9% of all identity-based attacks. 

Developing a consistent process for regularly changing your passwords, or utilizing a tool to generate and keep track of passwords, can help you use separate log-in credentials for every need — while removing the mental bandwidth to keep track of them all.  

Identity and Access Management (IAM) — Securing your Active Directory properly, implementing password management and MFA, and more are all components of a strong and secure IAM policy framework. These are basic maintenance items that improve your security footprint. Setting up who can access what helps keep sensitive or particularly valuable sections of your environment from being widely accessible if low-level credentials are compromised.  

Everyone Plays a Part 

A growing trend of cyber crime is the increased number of attacks that target people (for their credentials and access) versus going after application or system vulnerabilities. Ensuring ongoing training on proper security functions and establishing a culture of personal responsibility are ways to instill that every employee is a potential target.  

Hybrid and remote work scenarios mean employees are likely to send work information or data to their personal devices or accounts. Reinforcing appropriate policies handling these situations, noting the importance of having home routers on the latest firmware, and offering tips on managing passwords can help secure your overall profile even if portions of your workforce are remote. 

Discover What NOT To Do: It can be easy to fail at cyber security. Learn what to avoid in our free e-book. 

Enhance Your Cyberattack Prevention with Inversion6 

Inversion6 provides customized security solutions to support your internal security efforts. We’re serious partners dedicated to protecting your organization relentlessly — every hour of every day — by investigating and detecting potential threats, then communicating those concerns to help you eliminate security issues. 

While this post outlines several achievable ways to improve your resiliency, it just scratches the surface of all the tools and offerings in place that can help your organization prevent a cyberattack.  

• Fractional CISO Services — Our tenured CISOs get to know your business, tailor solutions to fit your objectives and are readily available when you need support. 

• Security Operations Center (SOC) —  Our seasoned professionals are equipped with advanced technology, proven processes and knowledge of the threat landscape to effectively help manage your security 24/7/365. 

• Managed MDR — This proactive method of threat prevention combines best-in-class tech with our SOC resources, advanced analytics, threat intelligence and expertise in incident investigation and response processes.  

• Autonomous Penetration Testing — See through the eyes of the attacker and identify ineffective cloud security controls — no persistent or credentialed agents required. 

Connect with our team today to explore all the ways we can help your business improve your cyberattack prevention capabilities.