By Derek Manky, Chief Security Strategist and Global VP of Threat Intelligence, Fortinet
AI benefits our society at large in numerous ways, however, cybercriminals are using this new technology for nefarious purposes. While there are numerous steps your team can take to better protect your organization from these changes in attacker activity, here are five things to do today to make everyone in the enterprise more aware of—and ready to defend against—an increasingly complex threat landscape.
Build a Cybersecurity Culture
Cybersecurity is everyone’s job, not just the responsibility of your security and IT teams. Building a culture of cybersecurity within your organization starts with making sure that employees at all levels are aware of common cyber risks and understand the role they play in maintaining robust security. Other activities should include conducting regular cybersecurity training sessions, implementing long-term awareness plans, and conducting simulations to test employees’ knowledge of today’s cyberthreats.
Develop (or Re-evaluate) Cybersecurity Processes and Plans
Nearly 90% of enterprises have experienced at least one breach in the last year. Cybersecurity is not a “set it and forget it” effort. Developing a continuous threat exposure management program allows enterprises to evaluate and re-evaluate their efforts, ensuring that you have the right people, processes, and technology in place to manage organizational risk. These periodic checks enable you to identify potential security gaps before they become a problem.
Implement Multi-Factor Authentication and Zero-Trust Network Access
Given that more than 80% of data breaches involve stolen or brute-forced credentials, implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) and zero-trust network access (ZTNA) is essential. MFA adds another layer of security by requiring users to verify their identity in multiple ways, such as using a combination of a password and biometric data (like a fingerprint). This significantly reduces the risk of cybercriminals gaining unauthorized access to your network, even if a user’s credentials are compromised. Adding ZTNA augments secure access to sensitive information through encrypted tunnels, granular access controls, per-application access, and ongoing connection monitoring.
Patch Software and Applications Regularly
Failing to patch software and applications continues to be a leading cause of breaches. According to our recent Global Threat Landscape Report, in almost 90% of the cases, our incident response team identified that unauthorized access occurred through the exploitation of a vulnerability, as the vulnerability was known, and a patch was available. It’s vital to keep all software, operating systems, and applications up to date with the latest security patches. If you don’t have a patch management process in place, establish one today to help streamline updates and ensure patches are implemented promptly. In many instances, AI can help automate tedious patching tasks.
Education and Collaboration Are Key to Disrupting Cybercrime and AI-Powered Attacks
Remember that collaboration across the entire organization is vital to success. Security is not just the responsibility of your security and IT teams. Above all else, strong risk management measures require that cybersecurity be everyone’s job, as every person in your organization has a role to play in disrupting cybercrime.
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