2. Know your inventory. An inventory of software, hardware, and data assets is essential. Having control over the assets with access to your corporate environment starts with an inventory. Inventories can be a part of the overall vulnerability management program to keep all assets up to date, including operating systems and software. Furthermore, a data inventory or catalogue identifies sensitive data, which allows appropriate security controls like encryption, access restrictions, and monitoring to be placed on the most important data.
3. Delete redundant data. Reducing your overall data footprint can be an effective way of reducing risk. Data that resides in multiple locations may not have equal protection in each environment. Understanding what data is required and what can be archived helps to keep control over data assets.
4. Early detection systems. Detecting anomalies and suspicious activities can resolve issues before they become a breach. Today’s XDR (extended detection and response) and EDR (endpoint detection and response) systems include automated responses to common attacks. For example, suppose an employee downloads a malicious email attachment. In that case, the EDR system can prevent the execution of the malware hidden inside and alert security staff. These detection systems can be monitored by internal cybersecurity staff or monitored by third-party security companies who can alert management of incidents as they occur.
5. Data back-ups. Having a robust, immutable data backup plan can help an organization quickly recover from an incident. The frequency of the data backup depends on the risk the organization is willing to take. “Can we afford to lose a week’s worth of data or a day’s worth of data?”
6. Limiting staff access. Employing the least privilege principle reduces overall risk by only allowing access to data and services required to perform specific duties. Establishing processes for provisioning and de-provisioning user access with approvals, audit trails, reports, and regular attestations can limit what an attacker may be able to access in the event of compromised credentials. It’s not uncommon for end users to have unrestricted administrative access to their endpoint laptops. This allows users to install unauthorized software or be more easily targeted for malware attacks.
7. Hire a third-party company to conduct a security audit: know your vulnerabilities. An outside assessment of your organization’s security posture, based on established cyber security frameworks such as NIST or CIS, can provide a clearer picture of strengths and weaknesses and a roadmap to address your greatest vulnerabilities.
8. Establish new passwords with two-factor authentication. Traditionally users are authenticated by one of three ways: What you know (password). What you have (card access or one-time passcode). What you are (biometrics). Adding a second factor to the ubiquitous password authentication adds another layer of security for access.
9. Update your computer programs with the latest security features. Most data breaches occur because a known vulnerability was exploited. Establishing a vulnerability management program that regularly scans software assets and applies patches is one of the most crucial security activities a company can perform.
Four Physical Security Industry Trends For 2023
10. Physical security. As employees return to the office, there will be employees who are coming back to the office for the first time. Reinforcing clean desk policies and reviewing physical access controls, including access to secure areas, may be required to ensure assets are not stolen or lost. Work-from-home employees who have company assets should be routinely educated on keeping those assets secure while at home as they would in the office.
¹ The online survey was conducted by Forum Research between December 2–14, 2022 and consisted of 882 IT professionals throughout the United States (589) and Canada (293). A poll of this size is considered accurate +/- 3.3 per cent 19 times out of 20.
