Page 75 - CDM-Cyber-Warnings-March-2014

Even though it’s largely an intangible and imperceptible attribute, security is vital to business survival and credibility. New methods of attack are developed on a daily basis, meaning this; just because a plan ensured safety yesterday, that safety may not be guaranteed today. Periodic assessments are more necessary to an organization than ever before. Obliged by governmental policies, a mounting number of organizations consciously acknowledge the security measures that should be implemented and how they should be audited. For example, HIPAA, PCI, and Gramm-Leach-Bliley all state how a business can protect their data and systems available to control this information. They also require regular security posture assessments, though they vary on specific requirements and time frames. Besides just complying with governmental regulations, why are periodic assessments so vital? Quite simply, carrying out customary assessments can assist in determining whether or not your security has previously been compromised. By ensuring a focus on IT security is a primary goal, an organization can make certain that staff is being cautious and proactive. Periodic assessments also boost responsiveness and perception involving security problems within a company. These assessments also demonstrate to your customers that security forms a fundamental basis of your company’s mission statement. A customer wants to feel secure and appreciated; a periodic assessment can help display your care for both them and their data. It’s vital that you assess and familiarize yourself with the various paths of attack that threaten your data. Both internally and externally, it is imperative that you appraise the many ways that your security can be compromised. A minor part of the complex jigsaw involves auditing your firewall regulations and observing logs. Nowadays, hacking has become even more advanced, data from a company directory accessible on the Internet can be harvested by hackers, and this makes each of your employees a possible vector for aggressive social-engineering assaults. Within your business, it is essential to check and see if someone has managed to sneak a wireless access point onto your network. If they have done so, this could very well present a new security threat. It is crucial that you acknowledge this; security is not unlimited, but fundamental, so shrewdly assessing risk is as necessary as locking the front door at night. New risks and threats materialize each day, so ensure that you compare your security infrastructure with your peers and ensure compliance with ethical industry practices. " # % " $ " # ! !