The best way to implement an information security strategy is to understand it better. One thing that you should know is why you need to invest in information security. This article looks into some important reasons investing in information security should be top of your list.
Sensitive data is one of the most vital assets that organizations hold. This justifies why organizations prioritize their security and invest a lot of time and money into it. There are several risks that businesses get exposed to daily, especially with the growing interconnected online environment.
Let’s get into it.
Top 5 Information Security Threats
It is essential to understand potential threats and vulnerabilities that you may get exposed to as a company. This will help you come up with the most appropriate security controls to boost your online safety. Here are the top five information security threats that you need to keep in mind.
1. Malware
Malicious software, shortened as malware, is one of the most common information security threats. It is worth keeping an eye on as it can harm an entire system if not detected and identified in time. Malware, unlike viruses, can stay within a system for too long without detection, causing severe damage.
The best way to identify malware attacks is by noticing any non-standard system behavior. The earlier you can respond to such a situation, the safer your system will be. Otherwise, malware can create a good environment for viruses or trojans to attack your system if not stopped early enough.
2. Internal Threats
Insider attacks pose a danger to organizations that handle sensitive data. These threats happen when someone who has warranted access to a company’s networks uses that privilege to expose sensitive data. Insider threats can happen through negligence or selfish motives.
Like malware, insider attacks can be difficult to detect. This is because security teams sometimes seal external holes, forgetting that an employee could be a major cause of concern. The reality is, internal threats can lead to informational leaks and affect your organization’s reputation.
3. Phishing
Phishing is one of the most commonly used techniques by hackers. They send malicious emails from addresses disguised to be from reputable brands to individuals or organizations. An employee with little or no knowledge about phishing can click on an email, open a link or an attachment, and expose information.
Many industries have information security standards that have to be met by firms. Some bodies ensure every firm meets the required security standards. One such body is the NERC that has put in place NERC CIP security standards that electricity suppliers in North America should meet.
These standards include things like offering employees security training. Proper security training can help employees identify phishing emails and avoid falling into cyber criminals’ traps. This, in turn, protects companies from attacks that mainly result from negligence.
4. Cloud Vulnerability
The cloud has several benefits, and that’s why many businesses are moving their operations to it. But then, it can also be a source of various security threats that can expose an organization. Knowing how to identify informaton security threats in the cloud can boost security for a business moving its operations to the cloud.
First, there are different vulnerabilities that businesses need to know when operating on the cloud. They include client attacks, virtualization threats, hypervisor attacks, etc. These threats aren’t as widespread as those threats outside the cloud but knowing them can help you prepare for the worst scenario.
5. Ransomware
People create and send ransomware to business networks for various reasons. Some could be cybercriminals looking to weaken your systems and access data, while others could be jealous competitors. Ransomware attacks can have significant impacts on business networks.
The good thing about ransomware is that it is easy to identify for a security-trained eye. This is because it shuts your device or network down, making it difficult to work. Thankfully there are different ways to prevent and remove ransomware either with security tools or by following security best practices.
What Does Security Guard Against?
The main question for many people is why information security is important. There are three main things that information security protects for big and small business owners. They include access to information, integrity, and confidentiality.
Speaking of the availability of information, you cannot freely access information from a hacked system. They take over the entire network, locking out visitors and users. This can, for instance, make it difficult to access essential functions such as emails and social media accounts.
The integrity of a business is also vital, especially when working online. But then, cybercriminals hurt reputations and the integrity of brands when they hack into their systems. They can steal important customer data and use it for malicious purposes. This hurts the trust customers have in a brand.
Confidentiality also gets affected if there’s no proper information security. Brands need to keep their data confidential, especially from competitors. Hackers can expose your brand’s best-kept secrets and give competitors a foundation for their strategy.
This makes it easy to build a strategy that can edge out a business. This is one thing that businesses need to avoid by investing in information security.
Information security is a vital topic of discussion for security teams. Reports of cyberattacks have been increasing every day, making it essential for everyone to take caution. Investing time and money in protecting data is one of the best ways for companies to build trust and increase business.
First, knowing the kind of information security threats that you should prepare for is essential. We have already looked into the top 5 security threats that you should prepare to counter. Thankfully, most of these threats are preventable. This is by using security tools such as antivirus software or having proper security training.
In the end, what matters is whether sensitive data remains safe from attackers. Being compliant with security bodies in your industry also matters. You should ensure that you have a solid security policy and invest in good hardware and software to be safe.
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