7 Steps to Improve Your Security Posture

Assessing Compliance

Cybersecurity compliance is the process of ensuring that an organization meets all the security requirements mandated by external regulations. There are many compliance frameworks, but they all share a common goal: to help organizations protect their systems and data from cyber threats. The most popular compliance frameworks include the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA).

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)

The PCI-DSS requires merchants and service providers that process, store or transmit credit card information to maintain a secure environment. For example, PCI-DSS requirement four may be one of the easiest requirements to comply with, but it depends on your infrastructure. TLS, SSH, and VPN are the most common protocols used for this purpose. Any transmission protocol can be tunneled through one of these methods.

Here are some things to think about when you use TLS to keep communication safe:

• Use an acceptable TLS version, preferable v1.2+.



• Don't use self-signed certificates.



• Accept x.509 certificates issued by a certified Certificate Authority within their validity period.



• Avoid using TLS v1.0, the cipher suites that use RC4, DES, or 3DES, SHA-1, DH, or RSA with a key length of less than 2048, or encryption protocols that use SHA-1, DH, or RSA with a key length of less than 2048.

Another example is encryption. PCI DSS 4.0 requires that cardholder data be encrypted in transit, but not when it is stored on disk or in memory. Actually, two layers of protection should be created, one on the transport layer and one on the application layer. If an attacker manages to compromise the TLS tunnel, he will face an application layer encryption.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires covered entities to put in place physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect patient health information (PHI). To comply with HIPAA, a covered entity might need to encrypt all PHI, restrict access to PHI to only those employees who need it, and train all employees on security best practices.

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) requires financial institutions to put in place physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect customer data. To comply with GLBA, a financial institution might need to encrypt all customer data, restrict access to customer data to only those employees who need it, and train all employees on security best practices.

Security Posture

Security posture, on the other hand, is a measure of how secure an organization's IT infrastructure is at a given point. The organization's posture is a function of the state of its overall security, which is represented by a set of metrics.

In order to ensure both privacy and security, organizations need to implement comprehensive strategies that address both concerns. Risk assessment can quickly and efficiently help ensure that an organization's IT infrastructure is secure, while also providing visibility into potential privacy risks. By implementing a risk management solution, organizations can more effectively protect their data and their customers' data. For example, a company's security snapshot might be "good" if its systems are up to date with the latest security patches, its employees have received security awareness training, and its data is encrypted. However, if the company's systems are not patched, its employees are not trained, and its data is not encrypted, then it would be considered as "poor."

Steps to Improve Your Security Posture

No matter what industry you are in or the size of your organization, here are 7 steps to prioritize to enhance your security posture:

Step 1: Conduct an Internal Security Audit.

The first step for improving it is to conduct an internal security checklist. This will help you to identify any weak points in your current security practices and make a plan to mitigate them.

Here are some questions to consider while conducting your internal security audit:

• What are the organization's policies and procedures for managing security risks?



• How are security risks identified and assessed?



• How are security controls selected and implemented?



• How are cyber incidents investigated and responded to? Is there an up-to-date incident response plan?



• How is information security awareness training provided to employees?



• How are third-party service providers managed?



• What physical security measures are in place to protect assets?



• What logical access controls are in place to protect systems and data?



• What monitoring and logging mechanisms are in place to detect and respond to security incidents?



• Are there any areas of non-compliance with applicable laws, regulations, or industry standards?

Step 2 : Implement Best Practices.

Use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA)
A strong password policy with multifactor authentication is an organization's first line of defense, and greatly reduces one of the weakest links. Strong passwords are those that are at least 12 characters long and contain a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Long phrases are an adequate option too. Multi-factor authentication is a security measure that requires users to provide more than one piece of information in order to gain access to an account or system. This can include a password and a software Multi Factor Authenticator (MFA) such as Google Authenticator or similar.

Implement security measures such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems
A strong password policy with multifactor authentication is an organization's first line of defense, and greatly reduces one of the weakest links. Strong passwords are those that are at least 12 characters long and contain a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Long phrases are an adequate option too. Multi-factor authentication is a security measure that requires users to provide more than one piece of information in order to gain access to an account or system. This can include a password and a software Multi Factor Authenticator (MFA) such as Google Authenticator or similar.

Keep software up to date
Organizations should also make sure that all software is kept up to date. Outdated software can contain security vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers. By keeping software up to date, organizations can help to close these vulnerabilities and make it more difficult for hackers to gain access to their systems.

Restrict Access to Sensitive Data
Only those who absolutely need access to sensitive data should have it. Data such as financial information, customer records, and employee files should be tightly controlled. Access should be logged and monitored regularly.

Regularly back up data
Organizations should regularly back up their data. This ensures that if there is ever a data loss, organizations will have a copy of their data that they can restore from. Backing up data can be done manually or through automated backup solutions, in cloud or on premise.

Step 3: Train Employees on Cybersecurity Procedures.

Moving further, educating your employees should not be missed as part of an organization defense in depth strategy. This can help to ensure that they are aware of the risks and know how to protect themselves and the company's data.

Employees should be taught about the importance of keeping their passwords secure, not clicking on links from unknown, and not opening attachments from unknown sources. They should also be made aware of the signs of a suspicious email and what to do playbook.

There is no one-size-fits-all schedule, as the frequency of cybersecurity awareness education will vary depending on the needs of the organization. However, it is generally recommended that cybersecurity awareness education be done on a regular basis, such as monthly or quarterly.

Step 4: Stay Up-to-Date on Security Threats.

It is also important to stay on top with the latest security technology trends so that you can be sure that your company's system is protected against them. There are many ways to do this, but one of the most effective is by attending conferences and seminars on the threats and vulnerabilities. Many of these events are organized by major companies that deal in computer security products, so you will be able to learn about new threats as well as new solutions.

In addition to learning about new threats, it is also important to learn about the latest security breaches. This can help you keep your system up-to-date and protect against new attacks. There are many different types of conferences and seminars available, so you should be able to find one that meets your needs.

Step 5: Review Your Security Posture Regularly.

It is important to review your company's current level on a regular basis so that you can be sure that it is still effective. Reviewing your third-party risk management will help you to identify any areas where your security and compliance measures may have become outdated and need to be updated. Additionally, reviewing your security posture on a regular basis helps you to identify any new threats that may have emerged since your last review. This may involve conducting delta security checks or making changes to your current system based on new threats or vulnerabilities.

Step 6: Keep Up-to-date with Security News.

At least but not last, it is crucial to keep up with industry trends and ensure that you are aware of new threats as they emerge. This includes staying up-to-date on software patches and keeping an eye out for new cyber threats, malware, ransomware, or phishing scams. By being proactive, you can help to protect your company from becoming a victim of a phishing and ransomware incident, avoiding the cost of a data breach.

Taking these steps will help to elevate your organization's security posture and make it less likely that you will be impacted by a cybersecurity threat. However, it is important to remember that cybersecurity is an ever-evolving field and that no company is 100% safe from all threats. Therefore, it is important to regularly review your cybersecurity measures and make sure that they are up-to-date.

Step 7: Have an Incident Response Plan.

Your incident response plan should be tested periodically, outline what an incident is, who needs to be contacted and when, and how the issue will be resolved. The plan should also include instructions for backing up data and systems, as well as a list of critical contact information. This plan should be reviewed regularly and updated as needed.

Step 7: Have an Incident Response Plan.

Your incident response plan should be tested periodically, outline what an incident is, who needs to be contacted and when, and how the issue will be resolved. The plan should also include instructions for backing up data and systems, as well as a list of critical contact information. This plan should be reviewed regularly and updated as needed.

What Syn Cubes can do for you?

The rapid and ongoing evolution of the cyber threat landscape makes it difficult for organizations to accurately determine their security posture. Additionally, new technologies can make it very challenging for security teams to identify network vulnerabilities. White hacking attempts of your security posture have become a necessity in the digital age, so you need to partner with a knowledgeable vendor that helps you stay protected.

Syn Cubes' Penetration Testing as a Service is an excellent alternative for organizations looking to assess their cybersecurity risk from a highly skilled threat actor perspective.

Not to sure how we can be an important part of that protection? Get in touch and just find out. No strings attached.