Next, agencies can try to change their mindset about cybersecurity; improving cybersecurity readiness involves thinking like an IT security pro.
Security professionals talk about the importance of layered fortification, or “defense in depth.” This means applying protection across the entire stack — the system, network, application and transmission levels. Miss one, and an infrastructure’s private data is open to attack.
Unfortunately, cybersecurity is often an afterthought in technology purchases. Much-needed safeguards aren’t added until later in the form of anti-virus, firewalls and other limited solutions.
The key is to put security ahead of all other purchasing considerations. If an endpoint device isn’t secure at its core, it shouldn’t be allowed to touch the network. Ultimately, an endpoint purchase is a security decision.
Employ the Latest Security Technologies
Finally, load up on security features for endpoints. If a hacker modifies a lightly protected computer’s BIOS — the basic input/output system that enables the computer to start before an operating system gets going — he or she can seize control and use the computer to penetrate agency networks.
Prioritizing endpoint devices with an array of protective measures is an important step in security protocol. This would include automated threat monitoring, configuration maintenance, and attack detection and remediation.
Devices should also include integrated features (beyond traditional anti-virus software) that recognize when malware has been launched on a device from an infected website. These programs sniff out threats and isolate them in virtual containers where they cannot harm a network.
Whatever approach an organization takes, it must accept the need for change and embrace the idea that every technology decision is a security decision. The cybersecurity challenge isn’t getting easier, especially with the rise of a mobile workforce and so many people working remotely.