It is more important than ever for organisations to take measures to protect themselves from cyber attacks. Hackers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and they can do a lot of damage if they gain access to your systems.
Organisations worldwide must revisit their cyber security strategy, budget and company culture to strengthen their chances of defending against threats. Cyber security is an ongoing process, and your business must be prepared to adapt its defences to stay one step ahead of threat actors.
Mitigate the risks of human error
Human error is one of the leading causes of data breaches and cyber security incidents. In July-December 2021, human error caused 41% of Australian data breaches reported to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
So, what can you do to mitigate human error in your organisation’s cyber security strategy?
- Educate employees on cyber security risks and best practices. Make this an ongoing process, not a one-time training session.
- Implement multi-factor authentication for all systems and accounts. Adding an extra layer of security and makes it more difficult for attackers to gain access to systems and data.
- Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments. These can help identify potential issues in your system that attackers could exploit.
- Have an incident response plan in place to know what to do if an incident occurs. You should test this regularly to ensure it is effective.
Implementing these measures can help reduce the chances of a data breach or cyber security incident caused by human error and strengthen your cyber security posture.
Expect your weakest link to be targeted
Your weakest link could be repeated passwords shared within the company, a lack of endpoint security or even a team untrained in recognising cyber security attacks.
You should expect cyber criminals to attack your weakest link at one stage or another. Therefore, you must take steps to strengthen them, such as training staff in cyber security best practices. Additionally, you might consider implementing security controls such as two-factor authentication to protect systems and data further.
By taking these steps, you can help your team protect themselves and the business against attacks and reduce the chances of becoming a victim of cybercrime.
Decide on the best places to allocate resources
There are many factors to consider when allocating a cyber security budget, but one of the most important is understanding your organisation’s greatest vulnerabilities. Knowing where your weaknesses lie, you can better allocate resources to protect against attacks.
It is essential to focus your cyber security efforts on the areas that make the most sense for your business. Doing so can ensure that you’re taking steps to protect your company in the most effective way possible. Here are some steps you start with:
- Determine which assets are most critical to your business and ensure they are well-protected, including both physical and digital assets.
- Identify which threats pose the biggest risk to your business and focus your budget on mitigating them.
- Build a cyber security plan that outlines how you will respond in the event of an attack. Make sure all employees are aware of the plan and know their roles in it.
By taking these steps, you can help keep your business safe from cyber threats. Remember, though, that cyber security is an ever-evolving field. As new threats emerge, you’ll need to adjust your approach to ensure you’re always protecting your company to the best of your ability.
Involve the CXO layer in cyber security
As business moves online in just about every aspect, your company needs to have a robust cyber strategy led by the CXO layer. Cyber security is no longer an issue merely for IT; it is an initiative the entire business must take on.
Here are three reasons why cyber security matters to CXOs:
- CXOs have access to sensitive company information and can become the target of sophisticated cyber attacks attempting to breach high-level company data.
- CXOs also need to lead the charge in creating cyber security policies and initiatives that will protect the organisation.
- Most of all, CXOs are uniquely positioned to champion cyber security initiatives and create a cyber security culture by leading from the front.
As the most senior leaders in the company, they can set the tone for how cyber security is viewed and prioritised. They can better prepare their companies to defend against attacks by prioritising them.
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