It is the wish of everyone for their organization to be more secure. The number of insider threats and hackers as well other threats is constantly increasing.
So, organizations should keep on updating their security measures to counter these threats. This is why you find that the most serious organizations are developing and enacting new cyber threat countermeasures every day.
This article will not deal with data encryption of firewalls because many organizations have already implemented them. The following are some of the best practices in IT security which many organizations have not considered, but they definitely should. If you are a manager, take a look at the following list and see what your organization lacks.
Monitor the applications which can access data
Applications play a very important role in organizations. They usually give them the tools they need to operate and be productive. However, their greatest limitation is that they put the organization’s sensitive data at risk.
The main role of IT security is to protect critical information, and this involves setting up firewalls and developing infrastructure around the data which needs to be protected. Only after that, it’s when you can allow applications to access your data.
Today, hackers don’t want to waste their time trying to force their way through your firewall. They basically look for the most vulnerable system which has access the data they need.
Create specific access controls
Once you have secured your IT network, you need to be careful on how you grant access and the people you allow access to your network. Naturally, not everyone should be granted access to your network.
You can create specific access controls to limit what your users can access. Through this, all users can only access the specific systems they need to perform their tasks. Additionally, this also limits the exposure of your sensitive data.
Collect detailed logs
It is very important for you to create detailed logs as well as report data. The logs should comprise of a complete record of the things which happen in your systems and is very critical for troubleshooting and most importantly security purposes. This is very important, especially for applications which do not require internal logging.
You will be able to cover any security loopholes created by these applications when you add tools which can log the activities of the applications.
Maintain security patches
Cyber-criminals are always coming up with new techniques and also searching for new vulnerabilities in their targets. So, organizations should constantly keep their network security optimized to be able to counter these threats.
Some of the organizations have been hacked when trying to install new security patches to improve their network security. This signifies the importance of keeping your hardware and software security updated using any new patches or anti-malware signatures.
Be cautious of social engineering
Common sense and human error cannot replace the technical IT security which organizations try to implement. For decades now, hackers have successfully used social engineering to get login details and access encrypted sensitive data.
A good example of this is the Rogers Communications security breach. In this case, a hacker pretending to be working in the IT department called an employee and was able to get the employee’s login information.
Similar attempts can come nearly from anywhere, like emails, phone calls or any other form or communication. So the best way out of this is to educate and train your users.
Educate and train your users
It doesn’t matter how smart your users are. They will always be the weak points when it comes to information security. But this doesn’t mean that one cannot limit this risk. This can be controlled by educating your users regularly on cyber security best practices.
This training should assist your users to be able to recognize malicious emails, create strong passwords and to avoid critical applications. The training can also help the users identify the ways in which they can accidentally leak company’s information and other important security risks.
