Cyber Security is the process of defending computer systems, networks and data against attacks. It is an essential part of any business’s information technology strategy.
Cyber attacks are a growing concern for businesses around the world. They can damage or completely wipe out modern-day systems and services, ranging from power grids to water treatment facilities.
Information Security
The term information security refers to a system of processes and policies that ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of digital data. This includes protecting data in transit, in process and at rest.
Cyber Security involves preventing, detecting and responding to computer threats or breaches of sensitive information, such as financial records, health data and customer accounts. These threats are driven by various actors, including government agencies, organized crime, and terrorists.
One of the most important elements of a strong cybersecurity strategy is employee awareness and training. Organizations can raise staff awareness by offering classes, workshops, and online courses on computer security best practices and company policies.
Enterprises should develop a robust information security policy based on the CIA triad of confidentiality, integrity and availability. This triad is the foundation for a solid InfoSec plan, and includes privacy measures such as data encryption, multi-factor authentication, and data loss prevention.
Application Security
As organizations shift to cloud native development and other agile working methods, security has become an essential part of the software process. It involves the use of hardware, software and procedures to find, fix and prevent security flaws within applications.
Application security best practices involve preventing cyber attacks and other threats to a business's data and code from entering the system. They also include a proactive approach to finding and fixing issues before they cause harm.
The goal is to protect against a broad range of threats, from insiders who might be vulnerable to exploitation, to external attackers who want access to valuable data.
Vulnerability detection is critical in catching and remediating these vulnerabilities. A tool that uses machine learning to identify and prioritize them is ideal, as this ensures they're detected early in the attack cycle.
A comprehensive application security strategy includes the implementation of security standards, tools and procedures during design and development and in production environments. It also includes strong authentication for applications that store sensitive data and are mission-critical.
Network Security
Network security consists of the technologies and practices that keep a computer network safe from external threats. This includes protecting intellectual property, preventing data loss and keeping network traffic flowing.
The most effective network security solutions employ a variety of tools, including firewalls, antivirus software and intrusion prevention systems (IPS). Some companies also use behavioral analytics to detect anomalies and identify attacks before they spread across the network.
Today’s cyber threat landscape is more complex than ever before, which means that implementing security solutions requires constant innovation. This means that security strategies must evolve to meet new threats, which can be challenging for organizations to accomplish.
Employees should be aware of security best practices and be trained on how to prevent cyber threats. They should also understand the importance of deleting old accounts and changing passwords regularly.
Infrastructure Security
Cyber security is not only important for individual users and applications, but also for the underlying network infrastructure that makes it possible. This includes hardware (PCs and servers), software, data facilities, networks and other underlying systems that are all vulnerable to attacks.
There are many ways to secure your infrastructure, including firewalls, access control, behavioural analytics, intrusion prevention and more. In addition, implementing security policy is essential.
The government has a National Infrastructure Protection Plan that addresses the threats that impact critical infrastructure sectors, like energy, transport, healthcare and water. Its goal is to protect these assets by reducing risk and improving resilience.
A robust security strategy requires constant progress and effort. This includes ensuring that new online threats and vulnerabilities are discovered and addressed, and maintaining vigilance over possible errors and sources of attack.
