Cybersecurity Doesn’t Have to Be So Scary

How to flip the script and defend against the monsters (adversaries) in your closet

Despite its ever-changing nature, it seems like it’s always “spooky season” in the cybersecurity industry.

Every week there’s a new critical vulnerability, a massive breach, or another headache for cybersecurity professionals to deal with. It’s undoubtedly scary out there, but the job of someone working in the infosec industry is scary, NOT hopeless. In today’s blog post we detail why the industry is so scary, what we can do about it, and how to flip the script on those spooky adversaries.

Click here to learn more about a tool for warding off evil spirits adversaries: PlexTrac, the cybersecurity industry’s premier security reporting automation and collaboration platform.

Why is cybersecurity scary? The spine-chilling truth.

You’ve heard it before, but it’s now more true than ever. Cybersecurity attacks are both more plentiful and more advanced than ever before… Yep, that’s pretty scary. According to a roundup of cybersecurity stats in Forbes, a whopping 90% of companies report being affected by ransomware in 2022. Even more scary… “83% of large businesses see security as a significant threat to their business growth. Yet only 43% of large businesses consider security a top three tech budget priority to invest in.”

Cyberattacks are BOTH more plentiful and more advanced than ever. Despite acknowledging the threat, businesses by and large aren’t prioritizing budget for security, which is compounded further by the increased amount of resources put towards criminal cyber activity. This sounds like a nightmare.

But are we living in a nightmare? Are we the helpless teenagers at the mercy of the serial killer on the big screen? No, I don’t think we are. Let’s walk through some of the ways we can fight back against these threats and emerge victorious.

What is being done about the scary nature of cybersecurity?

Before we get into what we can do to flip the script on adversaries, let’s talk about the macro-state of the cybersecurity industry. Finally, some good news! Cybersecurity has never been a more important issue for organizations across the globe, as well as for the United States government.

First off, the industry is growing. According to Fortune, in 2017 Cybersecurity had an approximate market size of $86.4 billion, a healthy total. However, the industry is projected to grow over 80 percent by 2027, resulting in a market size of over $403 billion. Wow. And with that continued growth and investment of resources comes more jobs and workers, more tools and platforms to help workers do the job more efficiently, and a continued investment in the growth and maturity of one of the world’s newest industries. Hurray!

But that’s not all. In 2021, both Google and Microsoft—two of the biggest companies in the world—pledged to invest over $30 billion in cybersecurity over the next five years. This investment shows the increased prioritization of cybersecurity by the world’s leading technology companies. In fact, this news has prompted follow ups by many of the world’s other business juggernauts, including Apple, Amazon, and IBM. The actions by these companies show the extreme importance of resources for cybersecurity pros to fight back against adversaries. But wait, there’s more!

The White House has joined these companies in the effort to strengthen the cybersecurity of the United States. The bipartisan bill will continue the investment in the government’s cybersecurity through increased funding to ensure critical infrastructure is smart and secure, countering ransomware and other advanced cyber attacks, and working with partners and allies to deliver a more secure cyberspace. That support from the Biden Administration has continued in 2023 with the National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy (NCWES) designed to address the cybersecurity talent shortage.

Needless to say, the country’s investment in cybersecurity has never been greater. But what can we do as organizations and individuals to flip the script on the growing number of “spooky” adversaries out in the wild?

How do we flip the script on spooky adversaries?

The cybersecurity fight takes all of us, from the Googles and Microsofts of the world, all the way to the small mom-and-pop shops down the street. Here are a few tips to take as an organization to improve your security posture and brace for the inevitable breach attempt on your networks.

1. Invest in security training for all employees

“People are an organization’s weakest security link” is a phrase that gets used quite a bit in the industry. However, the honest truth is that the people you employ DO often make or break the security posture you work so hard to build. Consider investing in yearly comprehensive cybersecurity training and be sure to keep employees in the know of new social engineering tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used to exploit employees and break down defenses.

2. Mandate single-sign on (SSO) and/or multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all workspaces

Single-sign on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) are two popular tactics used by security teams to ensure that when (not if) an outside party is able to crack a password or obtain access to a credentialed account, they are not able to make it past the second wall of defense and into a database of your organization’s precious assets.

These tools are an important way to control and manage access to platforms and tools, as well as secure all connected devices and double-check credentials in a world that has shifted away from a traditional office environment and towards a hybrid / work from home (WFH) lifestyle.

3. Limit employee access to data and information with role-based access controls (RBAC)

The principle of least privilege is a great foundation for the permissions you set for employees across your organization and its potential attack surface. This principle states, “security architecture should be designed so that each entity is granted the minimum system resources and authorizations that the entity needs to perform its function.” Deploying detailed, strict permissions ensures that all employees are on a need to know basis.

Why is this important? Well, considering the sheer number of breach attempts in the world, this principle ensures that damage is mitigated in the case of any breach. If every employee has access to all company data, even one account breach could be catastrophic for your organization. Keeping all accounts locked down to the essentials helps silo all of your data and streamline your incident response (IR) plan in the event of a breach.

4. Outline specific incident response (IR) plans for your security team

The honest truth of the matter is that it’s not if, but when you will be breached. 

Everyone is a target in today’s world, and you need to be ready to spring into action when something goes wrong. Having a comprehensive, actionable incident response plan is a must for companies of all sizes, as it ensures all key roles and responsibilities are covered and accounted for in the case of a breach.

The six phases of a comprehensive IR plan include preparation, identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned. These phases are broken down expertly in this guide from UpGuard on how to create an incident response plan.

PlexTrac is a scary-good solution to cybersecurity goblins and ghouls

So yeah, it’s scary out there. But instead of sleeping under the covers and hoping they’ll protect you, cultivate a proactive and thorough mindset to security that can ACTUALLY help protect you from the monsters in your closet.

If you’re looking for a platform that takes the fright out of your security reporting and collaboration workflows? Look no further, PlexTrac has you covered! Click here to book your demo of the platform today.