Page 32 - Cyber Defense eMagazine - November 2017

One of the biggest cyber hacks to date in US history has apparently even been attributed to
human error. In the recent Equifax breach which compromised the private data of more than
145 million people, the company’s CEO alarmingly blamed a missed security patch by a single
IT employee in opening the door for a hacker to target a vulnerability in Equifax’s system. In his
widely publicized testimony to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the CEO noted,
“The human error was that the individual who’s responsible for communicating in the
organization to apply the patch, did not.” In light of this very unfortunate reveal, a Congressman
ruefully noted: “How does this happen when so much is at stake?”

What Can Companies Do for Security Best Practices?

Failing to address the human component of security protection can negate many of the
cybersecurity programs which organizations are investing in. And each year, as companies try
to keep up with and deploy the latest security technologies, attackers in turn develop and launch
new tactics to circumvent those technologies. As the world increasingly becomes more
digitalized, the threat of cyber attacks on organizations large and small grows exponentially.

So what are companies to do when 1) their security programs are not adequate or 2) their staffs
are not adequately overseeing security programs or 3) both?

Once companies realize that in the era of cyber attacks, their chances of being compromised on
security are most likely to happen than not, they need to incorporate and shore up their
detection and response levels. But for many companies, self-managing their security systems is
not realistic, given the level of sophistication of today’s hackers, as well as organizations’ scarce
internal resources.

In a trend that is changing the cybersecurity industry, companies are increasingly looking for
security programs which enable them to focus on their core business and not get caught up in
managing security. As the global management consulting company McKinsey stated in a report
from a few years ago: “Eliminating threats is impossible, so protecting against them without
disrupting business innovation and growth is a top management issue.”

Organizations that feel overwhelmed in running their core business and do not have the
resources to self-manage their own security programs would be well served to contact a
solutions provider who can identify and recommend the best security programs that best fits the
organization’s needs. The benefits of signing on with a security solutions provider are
numerous, including:

• Faster deployment and improved data security. An experienced solutions provider
will be in better position to faster deploy security protocol and programs to protect data
and sensitive information.

32 Cyber Defense eMagazine – November 2017 Edition
Copyright © 2017, Cyber Defense Magazine, All rights reserved worldwide.