Deep Dive Into Defense-In-Depth As A Cybersecurity Strategy

 

Defense-in-depth is a popular security strategy that places the applications and data (or groups of applications and data) that inhabit an architecture into designated security layers. This holistic approach aims to layer defenses across all possible areas of vulnerability, offering not just one but multiple levels of protection. Let's break it down!

Data: Starting with the most critical, we aim to protect the data itself through encryption, access controls, and data loss prevention techniques.

Application: Next, we secure the applications handling data. This includes secure coding practices, regular vulnerability scanning, and patch management.

Host: This layer focuses on securing individual user devices with antivirus software, personal firewalls, and strict access controls.

Internal Network: Here, we employ network segmentation and internal firewalls, limiting lateral movement in the event of a breach.

Perimeter: The outer shell of our digital fortress where we implement network-level defenses such as external firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and secure gateways.

Physical: Often overlooked but no less critical - securing physical access to devices and servers is a must.

Policies, Procedures & Awareness: The human factor - often the weakest link! Here we use education, training, clear policies, and procedures to strengthen our human firewall.

These layers interweave to create a multi-faceted, robust defense strategy. But remember, no castle was ever impregnable! Constant vigilance, regular updates, and evolution in line with emerging threats are vital to maintaining security.

Cybersecurity Acronyms (INFOGRAPHIC)

 

Cybersecurity Awareness Roadmap (INFOGRAHIC)

 

What Are The Essentials Elements Of A NIST Cybersecurity Framework? (INFOGRAPHIC)

 

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The Essential Elements Of Cybersecurity Roles (INFOGRAPHIC)

 

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The 5 Whys For Building A Cybersecurity Plan (INFOGRAPHIC)

 

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Top 5 Cybersecurity Myths And How To Address Them (INFOGRAPHIC)

 

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Expert Advice For Cybersecurity Professionals On Successfully Interacting With Senior Executives (VIDEO)

 

In this video Avrohom Gottheil of AskTheCEO talks with Kayne McGladrey, CISSP cybersecurity strategist for Ascent Solutions and senior member of the IEEE.  They discuss everything a cybersecurity professional needs to know to interact successfully with senior executives and influence desired outcomes.

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Insights On Defense In Depth For Network Security (VIDEO)

 

There are many aspects to the security of a system, but the Defense in Depth strategy guides them all.

There is no one thing that provides full security for a system. All too often people think they’re secure, as they have a firewall.

Unfortunately, that’s not true. Firewalls are important, but they’re not where security begins and ends.

Cyber Security needs to be layered. Consider an example of a virus being sent through email. Will the firewall pick it up? Possibly not. We rely on email security systems, and antivirus software on the workstations. If one part of this fails, there’s still another part to rely on.

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How To Build A Cybersecurity Program From Scratch

 

First we need to understand -- What is a Security Program?

A security program is a set of actions and documents which outline what and how the organization is securing sensitive information. The end goal of a security program is to establish clear and concise metrics and goals which will allow your organization to adapt to new threats and identify weaknesses, in the ever-changing environments.

MY RECOMMENDED APPROACH

THE FIRST STEP

The first step of a security program is to define the program itself in what is called a security plan. The security plan is simply the identification of what is going to be secured, responsibilities, and direction. We’re going to be speaking with stakeholders (leadership, data owners, users, etc.) to identify what sensitive information exists and where.

When speaking of responsibilities, we’re not speaking of who is responsible for securing what data but, rather **who is responsible to establish, test, and maintain the program. ** There needs to be leadership buy-in for the security program to be successful as the inevitable change that will occur is rarely comfortable.

**The ship is doomed to failure is there is not an end goal in mind. **“Total security by December” is not an end goal. Direction is more the ‘how’ than the ‘what’. How is your plan going to be tested, implemented, designed? What are you going to compare your security against? What are the goals of implementing the security program? These are questions that should be answered by the security plan.

THE SECOND STEP

Next, we have the documentation that defines how we take the security plan from a concept to action. This step includes items such as: policies, which define what should be done; procedures, which define how what should be done is done; and checklists, which ensure that what should be done is done correctly. This will honestly take the most time as it will require a change in corporate, user, and system behavior.

THE FOURTH STEP

Finally, we establish 'Metrics' to test that what we have in place is effective in its effort to secure the environment. This is where a penetration test comes into play.

THE THIRD STEP

However, a penetration test by itself isn’t giving you the whole story as we saw above. What should be implemented before a penetration test, and quite frankly before the entire process is started, is the 'Security Assessment.'

This process will provide feedback on:

� How effective your training program is,

� What holes you have in your administration processes,

� How enacted policies may not cover potential use cases

� and, many more areas for improvement.

Taken together with a comprehensive suite of assessments, a penetration test will provide a complementary data set informing you of how well you are securing your organization’s data.

___________________________________

Whether you’re looking to build a cybersecurity program from the ground up, or simply looking to strengthen your existing processes, you would be better off, if you follow these steps:

1. Build information security teams

Creating a security program plan isn’t a one person job. It takes an entire team of people working together. In this case you’ll need two teams:

• The executive team – The senior-level execs in the business responsible for setting the mission, objectives, and goals for the program. They are tasked with building the policy and pushing it throughout the organization.

• The security team – The IT professionals responsible for managing daily IT security operations, threat and vulnerability assessment, and IT controls.

2. Develop The Security Plan (explained above).

3. Take inventory of your information assets

Your teams will conduct a total inventory of hardware, applications, databases, networks and systems. After that is done, every IT asset must be given an owner and custodian who’s responsible for the asset and its data.

4. Determine your regulatory compliance and standards

Your organization may be legally required to follow one or more cybersecurity compliance practices. This could be anything from HIPAA, HITECH, or PCI. Once the executive team has determined which regulatory standards you have to follow, you can get to work.

5. Identify threats, vulnerabilities, and RISKS

What are the threats to your information assets? It’s vital that every significant threat is identified, categorized, and ranked by priority. Similarly, vulnerabilities—flaws in the system—also must be listed and ranked. Finally, risks that could jeopardize the organization’s ability to operate because of threats and vulnerabilities have to be considered.

6. Mitigate risks

The goal of this stage is to either minimize or eliminate a risk, starting with those that pose the gravest danger to your organization and are the most likely to occur. Regardless of likelihood or threat, some risks may be harder to address than others.

7. Build an incident management and disaster recovery plan

Incidents could encompass a wide range of circumstances that cause the loss, interruption, or deletion of assets or data. A smart incident plan details every possibility. It then outlines the steps needed to minimize the damages and get your operations back up and running in as little time as possible.

8. Add security controls

As discussed above, there are hundreds of security controls that you can put in place in order to reduce or eliminate the various risks you face. This touches a wide range of topics, including access controls, hardware and software safeguards, security policies, operational procedures, and personnel training.

9. Train your employees

Once you’ve built your information security program plan, you’ll have to enforce it. The safeguards don’t mean a thing if the employees aren’t following your best practices. All it takes is one weak link to threaten your entire organization, so this step can’t be taken lightly.

10. Periodically conduct audits

The only way to know the efficacy of your plan is to test it frequently. Internal audits or external audits are among the best ways that you can ensure that the policies and procedures in place are working, comply with regulations, and are being updated regularly.

_________________________________

Cybersecurity is not a once-a-year project; it’s a daily process. As the technology landscape continues to evolve, making sure your organization is protected against the latest threats is important.

Please let me know of what you think about this in the comment section. You can also share with all if the information shared here helps you in some manner.

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How To Address Cybersecurity As An Important Component Of Your Business C-Suite Mindset And Reputation (VIDEO)

Cybersecurity is an inevitable aspect of your business C-Suite mindset and company reputation and you need to deal with that appropriately......but how?

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10 Steps To Cybersecurity....A Guide For Information Risk Management

Here is a recap of critical areas of cybersecurity…

The idea behind this post is that IT Risk Management is the central to everything we do in cybersecurity. It is a separate field of study & operations in itself.

But the proper implementation of Cybersecurity would demand you to execute and manage the following 9-tasks/operations:

1. Network Security

2. Malware Protection

3. User Education and Awareness

4. Managing the Mobility and work-from -home

5. Secure Configurations of devices

6. Removeable media controls.

7. Managing User Privileges

8. Security Monitoring

9. Incident Response system

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Every Business Needs To Make A Decision About Their Cybersecurity Focus

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10 Elements Of Business Cybersecurity

 

10 Elements of Business Cyber Security

• Network security

• Manage user privileges

• Malware protection

• Monitoring

• Secure configuration

• Home and mobile working

• User education and awareness

• Incident management

• Removable media controls

• Security policy

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Is Cybersecurity On Your Agenda?

 

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15 Ways To Protect Your Business From A Cyber Attack!

 

15 Ways to Protect your Business from a Cyber Attack!

• Security Assessment

• Spam Email

• Passwords

• Advance Endpoint Detection + Response

• Dark Web Research

• Mobile Device Security

• Backup

• Encryption

• Web Gateway Security

• Computer Updates

• Firewall

• SIEM/Log Management

• Multi-Factor Authentication

• Security Awareness

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Creating An Internal Cybersecurity Hub Inside Your Company

 The dilemma for business is what to do under the growing and increasingly sophisticated global ecosystem cyber-threats. Corporate responsibility not only involves innovation and technological competence, but also protection of corporate assets in this expanding threat environment. Key questions arise for businesses: where should they spend their cybersecurity budgets, who do they hire, how should they evaluate their own vulnerabilities, and what impact will emerging technologies have on helping them achieve their goals?

A smart course of action, an internal company cyber security hub:

Creating An Internal Cybersecurity Hub Inside Your Company

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Cybersecurity Strategies And Resources

FROM THE FRONT LINES OF CYBER WARFARE

 

Just another breach.  We’ve heard about a lot of breaches, more records lost, and we’re getting numb to it.  But in this post, we highlight why December 2020 is a watershed moment in Cybersecurity.  We’ve officially entered the 21^st Century game of cyberwarfare. We’ve always talked about the importance of Cybersecurity, and now we’ve been hit in the face. Hard. It may take months to years to discover the depth of penetration, and all along – the Attackers will have already moved on, using different tools, techniques, and circumventing our defenses.

The implications of this moment are simple: we get serious about Cybersecurity, right now, or we wave the flag of surrender.  We do the former with focus and budget, the latter we simply let our systems, networks, data, and e-commerce be “owned.”  Cyber insurance isn’t going to come in on a white horse to save the day, or your business, or our country.  The only thing that will work is to accept the reality that this is warfare.  Adopt the posture of a warrior, focus your budget, amass your tools, and step up your game.

No, Cybersecurity isn’t easy, and dealing with the seriousness of this breach will significantly burden every enterprise and government agency.  But the threat model has changed, so should your behavior.

CRITICAL BREACHES HAVE CHANGED THE GAME: GAME ON.

Situation Report: FireEye, SolarWinds, and the Departments of Treasury, Commerce, and Homeland Security all announced critical breaches in December 2020. It’s early in the game, but by all reports, it appears to have been executed by a nation-state actor. Intellectual property stolen, footholds planted, depth-of-exposure, and penetration completely unknown. The Intelligence Community (IC) is calling this the largest, most significant cyber-attack in United States history. The Actors are bold, hostile, intentional, methodical, and now in command of more advanced, customized attack toolkits.

Observations: To put the new and alarming situation into more context, let’s examine each element with a bit of a sharper lens:

• FireEye (FE): an industry-leading threat intelligence, forensics, network, and endpoint security company was breached. FireEye/Mandiant has been called to work on the highest-profile breaches in the world. This is what we know as of early December 2020:
  • FE says a 15-year collection of “Red Team Attack Toolkits” were stolen by the nation-state actor (will not provide attribution, but all indicators are Russia).
  • o This means techniques, custom evasion tools, and frameworks, and defensive capability information is now in the hands of this nation-state actor.
  • o FE has been forthcoming and helpful to the defender community, providing signatures, rules, a repository of information, and regular communication.
  • o FE customers are not in increased danger, and likely more enhanced with new detection updates FE is applying to their products.

• SolarWinds (SW): an industry-leading IT management toolset, offering full control, monitoring, and remote administration capabilities of network and host infrastructure within customer’s environments.
  • The Supply Chain was compromised; a backdoor was planted into a download update for their “Orion” software on the official SolarWinds update site.
  • SW states 18,000 systems (i.e., customers) affected during March-June of 2020.
    • SW has 300,000 customers, so it’s fair to assume more exposure is TBA.
  • Due to severity, The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an emergency notification to all Federal departments to disconnect SolarWinds from networks.

 

• US Departments of Treasury, Commerce, and other critical Federal agencies
  • Multiple reports with confirmed sources announced these and other agencies, technology, consulting, and other industry firms had been breached.
  • SolarWinds was the entry point, confirmed by FireEye.
  • Attack behaviors strongly indicate Cozy Bear, a nickname for a Russian foreign intelligence service group that also attacked the State Department and White House systems during the Obama administration.
  • “Ongoing active exploitation.” The DHS warning included this language with SolarWinds as the foothold. Other systems and agencies are compromised for remote surveillance and potential sabotage.

Recommendations:

• Perform a risk assessment. The threat landscape has changed significantly, and so should the threat model. Expect to increase your budget and take this threat seriously.
• Implement and/or enhance an enterprise-wide Cybersecurity framework.
• It doesn’t need to be complex; use consultants to make this practical.
• Increase threat monitoring, management, response, and hunt capabilities.
• Increase vigilance across all sectors, industries, and internet-attached systems.

Conclusion:

The Threat landscape has changed significantly. In all sectors, all enterprises are now on serious notice to increase their security posture, and accordingly, their budgets. This bold attack against the United States and commercial entities has yielded a significant advantage to our adversaries. FireEye, known for actively tracking, reporting, and combatting nation-state actors, investigating the top breaches, was a prized target. This clearly shows the increased hostile nature of cyberwarfare. This successful attack against a prestigious Cybersecurity firm led to the theft of vital intellectual property, a collection of the most advanced, customized cyber weaponry, coupled with defense-evasion information. This is a devastating loss in the game of cyberwarfare.

Game On. We will undoubtedly see many more enterprises compromised because of both the information from the FireEye breach, as it trickles out or becomes part of an active campaign in the future, and the footholds with “ongoing active exploitation” already established by the SolarWinds backdoor. It is proactively smart to assume any organization that owns Orion is compromised, and not just the SolarWinds platform, but the systems under SW management (entire networks, servers, workstations, etc.). Recognizably a non-trivial implication, disconnecting Orion from the Internet must be a top priority until the fog clears.  Seek guidance on patch vs. flatten.  If you don’t know, ask somebody.  The same goes for advanced Threat hunting.

Convene a senior leadership meeting to be smart, clear-eyed, and proactive in your approach. Update your threat models, prioritize your risks based upon criticality.  Contain and mitigate the SolarWinds threat, assume compromise, increase Threat hunting and management, refine your strategy with a framework. Finally, adopt a framework with a continuous improvement mindset; as it’s the only way to be adaptive, resilient, budget-smart, and able to withstand the realities of this 21^st Century game.

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Cybersecurity Strategies And Resources

How Every Business Can Best Protect Themselves From Malicious Cyberattacks

 

Cybersecurity has never been more critical to businesses of all sizes. From the Fortune 500 to SMB, for any business to survive, they need some level of protection from malicious Cyberattacks.

Cyberattacks on businesses are constantly evolving which only brings more danger to consumers and employees, this is why Cybersecurity is so important. Cybersecurity services are provided by suppliers to protect, detect, and remediate business from malicious attacks. We have partnered with some of the top Cybersecurity suppliers in the world that offer everything from evaluations, network monitoring, data and device protection, remediation, and compliance.

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Cybersecurity Strategy And Resources

Building Your Cyber Security Strategy....A Step-By-Step Guide

 A cyber security strategy is fundamental in helping your company take a proactive approach to security instead of reacting to every new threat, which can be time consuming and expensive. Read this article for a step-by-step guide on how to build a cybersecurity strategy for your organization.

Building Your Cyber Security Strategy: A Step-By-Step Guide

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Network Security