Cyber Security Strategy: Step 2 – Protect your Assets
A cyber security strategy is something that every business needs. The risk of attack is very real. In July 2017 it was reported that security researchers discovered the availability of six-week online credit card fraud courses aimed at Russian speakers. These courses provide people with the skills and tools they need to initiate a cyber-attack. The course documentation promises the fraudsters they stand to potentially earn up to £9,200 per month. That’s up to 17 times the average real worker’s wage in Russia.
So, having successfully completed Step 1 in the process to establish your cyber security strategy – identify your assets, it’s time to move onto Step 2 – protect your assets. It’s important not to skip Step 1 and the process of identification.
Why? Because you can’t successfully protect something if you don’t know anything about where it is, who has access to it, how it is accessed and what risks and vulnerabilities surround it. Protecting some of your assets, or even most of them, isn’t good enough. Your vulnerabilities could make it a complete waste of money. Think of it as being about as helpful as applying a band-aid in the dark!
Protection for your critical information assets comes in many different forms, including:
- Protective Technology – firewalls, spam filters, web filters etc.
- Policies and procedures
- Access control
- Data Security
- Staff education and awareness
- Backups
- Software patching
- Maintenance
Every business’s protection strategy will be different as each business uses different IT systems and accesses its information and IT systems differently. However, it is critically important that the correct protection strategies are put in place.
Remember, the first and most important step in doing that is to identify what assets you have. There is no point in moving to the protection stage or spending a lot of money until this first stage has occurred.
Protection is not just about deploying tactics and hoping for the best which is why having an IT strategy is crucial. Cyber attackers are experts at finding vulnerabilities and targeting them. Make sure you know what all of your vulnerabilities and risks are.
When it comes to cyber security, it pays to have IT support for business and work with a cyber security consultant. If you’re in any doubt about how to protect your business, talk to someone who can help. Gone are the days of ‘it will never happen to us’.
If you need any assistance with your cyber security or you don’t know where to start please call us on 1300 478 738 or email us at info@suretyit.com.au.
Further Reading:
Cyber Security Strategy Step One – Identify Your Assets
Cyber Security Strategy Step Three -Detecting and Identifying a Breach
Cyber Security Strategy Step Four -Responding to and Recovering from an Incident
