Want to boost your cybersecurity? Here are 10 steps to improve your defences now

Today’s interconnected world is more dependent on technology than ever before. Despite the overall organization’s rosy perception of modern advances, cyber threats and attacks through modern tech are a real danger. Since 2004, the president of the United States and Congress have declared October, the month of cybersecurity awareness. It ensures all organizations across the world and the government make a collaborative effort to work together and combat cyber crimes. 

Moreover, recently, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) cybersecurity council has issued a warning against national digital infrastructure and assets about the rising number of organizational cyber-attacks. 

This cautionary note by the UAE serves as a stark reminder that no organization is immune to cyber threats, and it is imperative to take proactive steps to enhance your organization’s cybersecurity posture. 

The UAE government underscores the severity and prevalence of these threats, urging all nationwide organizations to take immediate measures to protect their digital assets and businesses’ sensitive information. 

The cybersecurity council has urged public and private sectors to activate their Emirates emergency response systems, which further share their data with the authorities to limit the prospect of cyber crimes.

Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, UAE cybersecurity chief, says in a news report that increasing government collaboration with global entities, notably Interpol, will bring more expertise to protect the country’s cyberspace. 

Why is Cybersecurity Crucial for Your Organization?

Neglecting cybersecurity is a recipe for disaster that can have far-reaching consequences affecting your business adversely. As the technology continues to evolve, your organization must remain vigilant, adaptive, and proactive in its approach to cybersecurity. 

Cybersecurity is essential for any organization because it safeguards sensitive data, ensures regulatory compliance, protects the organization’s reputation, prevents financial losses, maintains business continuity, secures intellectual property, provides a competitive edge, supports supply chain security, builds employee trust, and addresses the ever-changing landscape of cyber threats. Neglecting cybersecurity can lead to severe consequences for an organization’s finances, operations, and reputation. Here are some compelling reasons why every organization, regardless of size or industry, should prioritize cybersecurity:

• Protection of Sensitive Data: Organizations handle vast amounts of sensitive data, including customer information, financial records, and intellectual property. A security breach can lead to data theft, financial losses, and severe damage to your business’s reputation.

• Compliance and Legal Obligations: Organizations must follow stringent data protection and privacy regulations to safeguard their sensitive information. Failure to comply with these results in huge fines and legal consequences that can prove fatal for your business. 

• Business Continuity: Cyberattacks can disrupt operations, leading to downtime and financial losses. A robust cybersecurity strategy ensures business continuity even in the face of threats.

• Reputation Management: A cybersecurity incident can erode trust and credibility with customers and partners. It helps you get more ROI if your business’s reputation is not on the line. 

• Competitive Advantage: If you can commit to cybersecurity, it gives a competitive edge to your business. Clients and partners are more likely to trust organizations with strong security measures. 

Practical Steps/Guide Your Organization Should Take to Improve Cybersecurity

Educate Your Team

The first line of defence against cyber threats is your employees. An employee’s rapid response can often minimize the impact of a cyber breach and prevent further damage. And, if you wish to make this first line, the strongest defence against cyber threats, you should: 

• Conduct regular cybersecurity awareness training programs 
• Educate them about the latest threats, phishing schemes, and best control practices
• Encourage employees to report any suspicious activity immediately
• Enforce strong password policies that require employees to use complex passwords
• Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible
• Educate them not to click on unrecognized files and links 

Keep Your Software Updated

To dial down the cyber breaches in your organization, regularly updating all software is of utmost importance. You should upgrade your operating systems and software applications, to ensure that they have the latest security patches to combat any security breach in your organization. The attackers generally exploit vulnerabilities in legacy software systems that lack the latest security techniques. Always use: 

• Firewalls
• Intrusion detection systems
• Intrusion prevention systems 
• Regular monitoring techniques
• Robust network segmentation 

Develop a Cyber Incident Response Plan

Huge cyber attacks can expose the personal information of your customers including their names, birthdays, security numbers, driver’s license information, PINs, and other sensitive data. 

T-Mobile US Inc. has had similar data breaches since the year 2019 and lately, this telecommunications company had its seventh breach in March 2023, where the attackers had customers’ personal information enough for identity theft. According to the news, this incident affected their 836 customers. 

If you do not wish your organization to go through a similar situation, you should: 

• Create a detailed incident response plan 
• Ensure all employees know their roles in such scenarios
• Regularly test the response plan through simulations
• Periodically conduct security audits 
• Time-to-time vulnerability assessments
• Address any issue promptly to minimize the attack surface  
• Encrypt sensitive data 

Collaborate and Share Threat Intelligence

Effective government collaboration and threat intelligence sharing are crucial for detecting, mitigating, and responding to cyber-attacks in a rapidly evolving digital footprint of organizations globally. This aims to bolster cybersecurity in your organization while protecting critical infrastructure and sensitive data. 

• Information Sharing
• Public-private partnerships
• Legislation and regulation
• Incident response and coordination
• Threat-intelligent platforms 
• Protecting critical infrastructure 
• Classification and security clearance 
• Policy and strategy development 

Third-Party Vendor Assessment

Keeping track of the third-party vendors or partners who can access your data or systems is crucial for your organization’s safety. As a responsible organization, getting them on board with your organization’s security standards helps protect your organization from potential security breaches, data leaks, and reputational damage.

This is how you can conduct a third-party vendor assessment for cybersecurity: 

• Identify your third-party vendors
• Categorize your vendors based on the level of risks they pose
• Develop a comprehensive questionnaire for vendors
• Assess the response to this questionnaire and mark loopholes
• Conduct in-depth security audits and assessments 
• Check their compliance with data protection and privacy regulations
• Make them aware of your security policies
• Check their security certifications 
• Implement continuous monitoring 

Cyber Insurance 

Cyber insurance can be a valuable component of your organization’s risk management strategy in today’s digital age. It helps mitigate financial risks associated with cyber threats and provides support in the event of a security breach or data breach in your organization. However, it’s essential for your organization to carefully evaluate your needs, select appropriate coverage, and maintain robust cybersecurity practices to maximize the benefits of cyber insurance. 

• Ensure first-party coverage and third-party coverage
• Data breach coverage 
• Cyber extortion/ransomware coverage
• Business interruption coverage
• Network security liability 
• Privacy liability 
• Regulatory and legal defence
• Crisis management and public relations 

Policies and coverages may vary significantly among insurance providers, so thorough due diligence and policy review are crucial when selecting a cyber insurance policy.

Cybersecurity Compliance 

Non-compliance with cybersecurity regulations and standards can result in legal consequences and increased cybersecurity risks in your organization. Therefore, you must prioritize and invest in cybersecurity compliance efforts to protect your business data and systems while meeting legal and regulatory obligations. Adhering to specific regulations, standards, and guidelines established by governments, industry bodies, or internal policies is the key to protecting your organization against cyberattacks. 

• Compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• Compliance with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
• Compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Industry-specific standards and frameworks – National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework
• Adhering to ISO/IEC 27001 for best security practices
• Following the guidelines given by the Center for Internet Security (CIS) Controls.

Backup and Recovery

A well-designed and regularly tested backup and recovery plan is essential for your organization. It helps minimize data loss and downtime in the event of a cybersecurity breach. Backup and recovery are a crucial part of your overall cybersecurity strategy and disaster recovery planning for your organizational sensitive information. 

• Identify critical data and systems 
• Implement a regular backup schedule 
• Optimise storage space and recovery times
• Encrypt the backed-up data
• Regularly test your backup and recovery process
• Implement redundancy in your system
• Establish retention policies
• Keep multiple versions of the files
• Limit access to backup systems
• Integrate your backup and recovery plan
• Document your entire backup and recovery procedure

Backup and recovery involves creating a comprehensive strategy for securely backing up important data and systems, as well as establishing procedures for recovering from cybersecurity incidents such as data breaches, ransomware attacks, natural disasters, and hardware failures.

How VisionTech can help you with Cybersecurity Consulting Services?

The necessary controls for security threats can be mitigated with only best-fit security solutions. Major organizations in the UAE trust Visiontech for its cybersecurity consulting services, the reason behind this is that we keep the organization one step ahead of cyber-attacks. From design to implementation, from maintaining and renewing the EDR licenses, we host the perfect security solutions that work best for your organization. Explore the security solutions listed below that best suit your business requirements.

• Endpoint Security 
• Network security 
• Cloud Security 
• Data security 
• Identity management 
• Data privacy 
• Governance, risk, and compliance 

Final words 

The UAE’s warning over cyberattacks is that organizations worldwide must remain vigilant and proactive in safeguarding their digital assets and business’s sensitive information. Cybersecurity is a continuous process that requires a multi-layered approach, involving technology, education, and collaboration to protect your organization. However, the aforementioned steps help your organization to significantly improve its cybersecurity posture and reduce the risk of falling victim to cyber threats.

Remember, no organization is immune to cyberattacks, but with the right strategies and a commitment to cybersecurity, you can greatly enhance your defences and protect your organization’s data, reputation, and business continuity. Stay informed, stay prepared, and stay secure in the digital age.