What is Cyber Security?
Cybersecurity can also be called Information Technology Security. Cyber security may be described as a collection of techniques, technologies, and processes that assist in protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of computing systems, networks, and data from cyberattacks or unauthorised access. Cyber security is the field which covers the ways in which devices and services are protected against electronic attacks from malicious actors, such as hackers.
An ever-evolving field, best practices in cyber security need to be developed in order to adapt to increasingly complex attacks carried out by malicious actors. The process of keeping pace with emerging technologies, security trends, and threat intelligence is a daunting challenge. The growing number and complexity of cyberattacks and attack technologies make it an even more difficult challenge.
Of growing concern is the cyber threat to critical infrastructure, which is increasingly susceptible to sophisticated cyber intrusions posing new risks. As the volume and sophistication of cyber attacks increase, companies and organisations–particularly those that are charged with protecting information related to national security, health, or financial records–must take steps to secure companies and organisations critical business and personnel information. Whether your organisation is a small or large company, a site with significant traffic, or a government agency or non-profit serving a societal purpose, preparation for and protection from cyber security threats should be among your top concerns.
A sound cyber security strategy can ensure that you have a good security posture against malicious attacks designed to gain access, modify, delete, destroy, or exfiltrate the systems and confidential data of your organisation or users. Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting critical systems and sensitive information against digital attacks. Cybercrime is any unauthorised activity that involves a computer, device, or network.
An organised group of cybercriminals may compromise data, including confidential customer data, steal funds, and destroy or damage key systems. Depending on the systems targeted, these could lead to malicious actors gaining access to critical systems, causing disruptions to services, and damaging confidential data. Many API endpoints can be manipulated by an attacker in order to misuse services behind an API, as well as being a gateway into the organisations key systems.
In recent years, specialised API security solutions have emerged that help organisations to secure API endpoints, secure them against malicious traffic, and protect them against DDoS attacks. Sophisticated cyber actors and nation-states are leveraging vulnerabilities to steal information and money, and are developing capabilities to disrupt, disrupt, or threaten the delivery of critical services. Great Britain faces persistent and increasingly sophisticated malign cyber campaigns threatening public, private, and ultimately, British public safety and personal privacy.
Traditionally, organisations and governments have focused the majority of cyber security resources on perimeter protection, protecting only the most critical components of a system, and protecting against known attacks. Because organisational assets are composed of a multitude of disconnected systems, effective and efficient cyber security postures require a coordinated effort on all its information systems. Without robust cyber security protections, modern-day necessities such as power grids and water purification plants, which enable smooth operations around the globe, could easily be destroyed.
Incremental improvements will not provide the necessary security; rather, the british government must undertake bold changes and substantial investments to protect vital institutions that are at the core of the British way of life. The private sector needs to adapt to the constantly changing threat environment, ensuring private-sector products are built and operated safely, and working collaboratively with the British Government to promote a safer cyberspace. HSG is encouraging private sector companies to follow the lead of the British government and adopt aggressive measures to enhance and align cyber security investments, aiming to minimise future incidents.
Ofcom’s role in cybersecurity is to enhance the protection of critical communications infrastructure, assist with maintaining network reliability during a disaster, assist in rapid post-disaster recovery, and ensure first responders have access to effective communications services. All government information systems must meet or exceed the standards and requirements for cybersecurity established by this Order and issued in accordance with it. This report should also recommend procedures for ensuring mission-critical systems are not breached, procedures for advising system owners about government systems being compromised, and the range of techniques that may be used in the examination of information systems.
Some provisions on cyber security were included in regulations established by the Information Technology Act 2000. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) issued guidelines within their Risk Assessment Framework, which recommended moving towards continuous monitoring and real-time assessments, a data-centric approach to security, in contrast with the traditional perimeter-based model. The organisation Open Security Architecture defines their security architecture as a design artifact describing how the security controls (security countermeasures) are placed, and how they are related to the overall IT architecture.
Many people apply heuristics and behaviour analysis to observe program and code behaviours in order to protect against viruses or trojan horses, which alter their form on every execution (polymorphic and metamorphic malware). Security programs may confine potentially harmful programs in a virtual bubble separated from a users network in order to analyse their behaviour and learn to better detect new infections.
Using devices and techniques like dongles, trusted platform modules, intrusion-aware enclosures, disk locks, disabled USB ports, and access enabled by cellular networks may be considered safer because of the physical access (or complex backdoor access) required for compromising. Of course, the threat for these electronic assets is hackers with malign intentions of stealing proprietary data and information through data breaches.
The extent of the protection offered to the assets can be determined only once the value is known. Perform a Compute Asset Inventory: Determine what applications and data an organisation has, as well as their implications should it be attacked or compromised. Putting processes in place not only guarantees that each of those buckets is being monitored on an ongoing basis, but should cybersecurity attacks occur, reference to the well-documented processes could save your business time, money, and the confidence of your most precious resource, your customers.
When it comes to your business information don’t leave it to chance. Contact us today.
