Our Founder and CEO, Mike Barry, was recently interviewed for Authority Magazine’s series on The 5 Things Every American Business Leader Should Do to Shield Themselves From a Cyberattack. You should definitely check out the entire article, because it’s chock full of good stuff, but if you don’t have time to do that now, here’s the TL;DR version on the 5 most critical steps:
Establish a Multi-Layered Defense Strategy for Cyber Readiness.
Perhaps the single most important cybersecurity best practice for businesses to follow today is to invest in a multi-layered defense strategy, also known as defense in depth. This layering should include not just perimeter and Zero Trust strategies, but also secure data down at its source via continuous encryption. This approach minimizes the impact of breaches by ensuring that as security controls are compromised, the data remains protected.
Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Across All Systems.
Weak authentication mechanisms or poorly managed access controls can lead to unauthorized access to critical systems and data. MFA provides an additional security layer that dramatically reduces the risk of account compromise, even if passwords are stolen. This simple step can prevent many credential-based attacks.
Create and Regularly Test Incident Response Plans.
CISOs and other technical leaders must collaborate with business leadership to simulate real-world scenarios through unannounced simulations relevant to their business as needed to validate response capabilities as well as to update and test incident response plans to address today’s threats. Having a clear tested plan reduces response time and minimizes damage when attacks occur. Develop detailed incident response procedures, assign specific roles to team members, conduct regular tabletop exercises, and ensure all employees know how to report suspicious activities quickly.
Conduct Regular Vulnerability Assessments and Patch Management.
Vulnerability scans identify software known to be vulnerable to attack. We will continue to see bad actors attempt to inject vulnerabilities into source code of suppliers, deploy ransomware through unpatched and/or under-patched systems. Establish a systematic process to regularly scan all systems, applications, and network infrastructure for known vulnerabilities. Create a prioritized patching schedule based on risk severity, ensuring critical security updates are applied promptly. This includes maintaining an accurate inventory of all software and systems to ensure nothing is overlooked.
Invest in Continuous Employee Security Training.
Many security breaches occur because employees are unaware of best cybersecurity practices or are careless in following them. Phishing is one of the most common and successful cyberattacks. Attackers use deceptive emails or messages to trick users into revealing sensitive information or clicking on malicious links. Provide ongoing cybersecurity awareness training that covers recognizing phishing attempts, safe password practices, and proper data handling. Update training content regularly with current threat examples and conduct simulated phishing exercises.
As Mike phrased it in his conclusion, “I would like to inspire a movement toward
continuous encryption and stopping the ridiculously easy way in which intellectual property and confidential information is being stolen. It’s simply no longer necessary to leave vast amounts of data exposed. Continuous encryption is the only way to protect it. In 5-10 years, I believe that the industry will look back and say, ‘I can’t believe that we used to leave our data in clear text where anyone could read it.’”
That’s the mission of Donoma Seshat in a nutshell. One of the major problems faced by enterprise and government organizations is that data is always vulnerable. Many organizations are operating under the misconception that encryption of data while at rest or in transit provides adequate protection, but that is not the case. Once the application is in use, the encryption at rest ceases to be of benefit and the data is exposed as clear text.
Only continuous encryption, which protects data even while in use, can end many data breaches, data leaks, and the damage they cause. By eradicating data loss, Donoma Seshat can eliminate the damage to brand reputation and ensuing litigation associated with data breaches, as well as the onerous reporting requirements. It not only helps organizations protect their intellectual property, confidential information and trade secrets from competitors, foreign adversaries and criminals – it preserves their brand value and bottom line. Remember: a breach of data in which you don’t have any reason to believe that the encryption was broken does not require reporting the event, because the data was not accessible without the encryption keys.
Are you ready to see how Donoma Seshat can ensure that your organization never has to report a loss of data again? Schedule a conversation with us today.
Learn More
Seshat: Data Privacy Preservation for Enterprise
Perimeter Security Is Not Enough: 5 Steps to Mitigate Risk in a Zero Trust Environment
Cyber Incident Response Planning: Best Practices to Adopt Now
Donoma Puts the Brakes on Data Loss with Next-Generation Privacy-Enhancing Technology
The Case for Continuous Encryption in Healthcare
