October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. There is no time better than the present to evaluate your current cybersecurity measures. 

The goal of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is to bring awareness and a clear understanding to the importance of a safe online presence.  Let’s start with a simple question.  If you were to rate your current cybersecurity program, how confident do you feel?

1. Confident
2. Adequate
3. It’s a disaster!
4. Hack me now!

If you answered “confident”:

If you are confident about your cybersecurity, then it’s a safe bet you have incorporated the following 12 steps:

1. IT systems fully secured
2. Separation of critical systems from the rest of the IT network
3. The physical securing of IT devices and industrial controls
4. Strong policies and policy management
5. Antivirus solution, software updates and firmware patching
6. Regular cybersecurity education training 
7. Ongoing phishing testing for employees
8. Vulnerability testing and routine foothold analysis
9. Ongoing monitoring of suspicious activity
10. Redundancy for critical systems
11. Disaster recovery planning
12. Cybersecurity insurance

If you’re continuously monitoring your networks, you should be getting a concise list of what needs to be mitigated. All alerts generated are being responded to within hours. Vulnerabilities are immediately locked down so they don’t pose any risk to the rest of the network. For any IT system or device that has been implemented, they are receiving proactive management and monitoring. You have a firm understanding of how critical it is for employees to understand how to navigate attacks with ongoing education.  Employee training is then followed up with phishing testing to determine behavior.

If you haven’t changed your answer after reading up to this point, then job well done on your cybersecurity.  One parting note for you is that it’s always helpful to consult with a Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) to determine if they can provide any cost savings with the same level of care, which comes with the added benefit of a Service Help Desk at your disposal.

If you answered “adequate”:

We have to break it to you, there is no “adequate” solution that will suffice when cyber securing your devices.  It only takes one vulnerability to compromise and financially cripple your business.  COVID-19 has shed light on the vulnerabilities that end users are subject to.  How many recent headlines have you seen about spam CDC-like emails that you normally wouldn’t think twice about?  Threats are growing in intensity and are regularly being positioned as a credible source. These, among many others, are the reasons there is no partial solution.

If your answers were “below adequate”, we’ve got you!

Cyber criminals are constantly working to outsmart businesses, especially during vulnerable times.  As threats evolve, so should your cyber program. If you are not sure where to start, let us provide you with an assessment.  For the month of October, we are running a complimentary dark web scan and vulnerability assessment to get you steered in the right direction. We provide businesses with a robust and reliable cyber program that covers all the bases.  A bonus perk is the Virtual Chief Security Officer who reviews assessments, advises stakeholders on policies and creates in-depth strategies so there is no need to hire internally.

 Contact us today at 844-466-2474 to take the secured approach to ensure the future stability of your business.