Recent news of the Chinese military involvement in electronic espionage raises the question of how to secure an organization’s systems in an era of advanced persistent threat (APT). According to Wikipedia, APT refers to “a group, such as a foreign government, with both the capability and the intent to persistently and effectively target a specific entity”.
The natures of cyber-attacks have increased in frequency and sophistication. Even information security firms such as RSA, Verisign and Symantec have become victims. Google, Sony, and government agencies such as the FBI, CIA, IMF and the Canadian federal government add to the list of examples. Most importantly, taking simple steps to create an effective security program can greatly reduce your organization’s exposure and risk.
Here are some simple and effective strategies to follow:
Be Focused
Without a Risk Analysis, organizations will not be able to focus limited resources on the information and assets that matter. Going after the “low hanging fruit” (easy to fix items) is not always the best strategy when protecting your systems.
Train your Users
Users are usually the weakest link in any security strategy. All compromises involve tricking a person to take an action (i.e. open a file, visit a malicious web site). Train your users and create your “human firewall”.
Increase Detection
Eventually, someone or something will fail, and then your last defense is to be able to detect and react quickly before any serious damage is done. Think of it as your “air bag”. Proactively monitoring and auditing system logs is an effective strategy most organizations do not implement, and a fundamental element in your information security strategy.
Implement Defense in Depth
Create resilience by relying on many layers of defense such as end-point virus protection, intrusion detection, formal education programs, and background checks.
Written by Kees Pouw, a Senior Litcom Associate.
The Litcom Approach
How can we help? We have great experience helping organizations develop and execute an information security program that is both effective and efficient in term of using limited resources. We can provide expertise both in technology and the management skills required to protect the information and assets that are critical to your business success. Contact us at: [email protected].
