When you run a business that has an online presence, you have to be aware of the heightened security risks that this can attract. With the new year around the corner, cyber-attacks are growing more sophisticated and regulatory expectations are expanding, meaning business owners have to adopt forward-looking practices that go far beyond basic protection to not only keep their data safe, but to prevent hefty fines.
So, if you want to stay ahead of cyber threats going forward, here are some basic tactics to follow that will protect your online data.
Prioritize Threat Detection and Response
Cyber-attacks have become too fast and too complex to monitor manually. Thus, digital business owners are advised to integrate AI-powered security tools that can detect anomalies, predict threats, and automate responses in real time. One benefit of this is that these models can analyse much larger data sets than even one hundred people, spotting odd login behaviours within milliseconds. One piece of software to consider is MDR, or Managed Detection and Response, which, as the name suggests, spots and responds to threats. There are different MDR types, so check out the Red Canary guide on it to choose the best solution for your company. Of course, you should pair an AI system of any kind with human oversight, as this is the best defence against online hacks.
Adopt Zero-Trust Architecture Across the Board
When running a business online, with multiple people accessing data and accounts, you will need to adopt a zero-trust policy as the base of your cyber defences. This means you will need to make sure that all internal networks are safe, as well as apply verification for every user and device, and oversee system interactions. You will likely want to have multi-factor authentication (MFA) and conduct regular audits of permissions to prevent breaches. The last thing you want is to succumb to privilege creeping.
Secure the Entire Software Supply Chain
Businesses rely on third-party platforms a lot of the time, especially with the cloud being a common source of data sharing. However, as a business owner, you will need to implement end-to-end security practices, such as conducting vendor risk assessments, dependency monitoring, and security certifications when working with any external party. Your company and any third-party vendor should also conduct regular penetration testing to make sure that your website and accounts are behind as many security features as possible.
Strengthen Data Governance
There are going to be increased regulations relating to online privacy, which is likely to increase data protection and consent management. If you are not able to establish clear data-governance frameworks, you are opening the risk that you may get a fine, simply for not having the right level of security in place for your data. You will need to stay vigilant and ensure that all compliance tools that you have can help to maintain accurate audit trails and minimise administrative burden.
Invest in Cyber-Resilience
It is crucial to have a strong cybersecurity system in place, but you also need to ensure that cyber resilience is common in your business. This will ensure that you can recover quickly should an incident occur. Usually, this will involve developing robust incident response plans as well as performing restoration drills and having isolated, immutable backups in the case of a cyber threat. So, be sure to train your staff regularly on cyber hygiene and how to spot phishing scams.
