Cybersecurity

SafeGuard Your Data

Cybersecurity describes the tools and practices a company employs to protect its digital infrastructure from malicious attacks and other cyber threats. It is designed to secure your company’s data while protecting all devices connected to your system, including servers, computers, tablets, and mobile phones. As threats continue to increase in number and scope, many businesses employ a cybersecurity company in an ongoing effort to ensure maximum protection.

What Can a Cybersecurity Company Help With?

Network Security

Network security protects your company’s data, applications, and IT systems from any misuse, unauthorized access, or disruptions in service. This requires the use of hardware and software systems in addition to technical expertise that is often provided by an outside digital security company. Regardless of the size or what industry they operate in, nearly every business requires some measure of network security to protect against potentially crippling damage.

There are three areas of concern for network security: physical, technical, and administrative. Physical security prevents unauthorized people from accessing routers, cables, and other equipment, while technical security protects stored and mobile data. Administrative security refers to the range of policies and operational guidelines meant to manage user behavior, system access, and authenticating team members at all levels of your company.

Cybersecurity Framework

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework is a flexible and adaptable set of guidelines that can help organizations better manage and protect their systems and data. The framework is based on best practices from both the public and private sector, and provides a common language for businesses to communicate their cybersecurity posture.

The framework is designed to be used by organizations of all sizes, and can be tailored to the specific needs of each one. It is composed of three main parts: the Core, Implementation Tiers, and Profile.

The Core consists of five functions – Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover – that represent the core cybersecurity activities all organizations should be undertaking. Each function has a set of associated outcomes that describe what an organization should achieve in order to be considered successful in that area.

Implementation Tiers provide a way for organizations to communicate their current state of cybersecurity maturity, and also identify areas where improvement is needed. There are four tiers – Partial, Risk Informed, Repeatable, and Adaptive – each representing a different level of maturity.

Finally, the Profile is a snapshot of an organization’s current security posture against the Core functions and Implementation Tiers. It serves as a baseline against which future improvements can be measured.

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is a powerful tool that can help businesses improve their cybersecurity posture and better manage risk. By understanding the Core functions and Implementation Tiers, businesses can mitigate cyber threats.

Application Security

This refers to protecting your company’s software applications from external and internal threats such as unauthorized access and modification. Today’s applications are often connected to the cloud and available across multiple networks, which leaves them vulnerable to attack. Hackers know this and now engage in direct application attacks much more often than they used to.

While network security is the first step, your company thus also needs protection within the applications themselves. Application security may include things like encryption, user authentication, and logging, which keeps time-stamped records of who accessed your applications. Logging is a critical tool for finding the source and severity of an attack so you can take immediate measures to limit the damage.  

Data Security

Many companies are concerned with protecting their internal data, as corporate value can depend on things like patented technologies and privileged client lists. Data security is critical to a company’s success, employing the use of sophisticated storage methods that protect against theft, data corruption, and unauthorized access. These methods are designed to protect both stored data and data that may move from one system device or platform to another.

Data security measures may include tools such as encryption, which translates your company data into a digital code that can only be accessed using a decryption key that is shared with select authorized personnel. Hashing is another tool that can help verify your data has not been tampered with. There is also tokenization, which uses data “tokens” to represent and shift risk away from the actual data they are meant to protect.

Cloud Security

Many companies use cloud computing to host data and software applications. Cloud computing offers numerous benefits, including lower costs and increased IT efficiency. However, they also present new security challenges that must be addressed to avoid damage to your company’s infrastructure. Cloud security has thus become a critical part of cyber security, employing high-tech measures to protect your digital assets and secure company data.

Cloud security threats include malicious theft from outside parties, leakage, and accidental deletion. To protect against these threats, cloud security incorporates the use of tools such as firewalls, two-factor authorization, penetration testing, and the installation of virtual private networks in the appropriate IT systems. Cloud security firms can also help install and manage tools that govern the use of public internet connections to secure network integrity.

Identity Management and User Access

A key part of cybersecurity is managing digital identities and user access to your company’s IT systems and data. Both robust technological tools and sound policies are required to limit your risk of identity-related attacks. It’s important that users only have access to the data and systems they need to perform their jobs, and nothing more. Unnecessary access enables unnecessary internal threats to company security.

In addition to maximizing security, a sound user access management program will also optimize efficiency by simplifying new access and training procedures as team members are promoted or transferred into different roles. A tightly managed system will eliminate the need for time-consuming security reviews.

These are some of the most common elements of a solid cybersecurity strategy that will keep your company protected against today’s increasingly complex digital threats. Contact Cyber Command to help devise the right security strategy for your company so you can focus on servicing clients and growing your business. 

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