Security

PrivacySecurity
— May 30, 2023

What a Hacker Thinks about Your Business

In today’s digitally driven world, businesses of all sizes rely heavily on technology to operate efficiently and reach their customers. While relying on technology offers numerous benefits, it also exposes businesses to potential risks. One big risk is the threat posed by hackers. These individuals possess the skills and knowledge to exploit vulnerabilities in your business’s digital infrastructure. In this blog post, we will take a glimpse into the mind of a hacker and understand what they might think about your business.

Hackers are often driven by the potential value of the data they can obtain. Your business, regardless of its size, possesses valuable information such as customer data, financial records, and intellectual property. From a hacker’s perspective, this data represents a potential goldmine. They understand that this information can be sold on the dark web and potentially used for various malicious purposes. The buyers can then use this data for their own criminal gain.

In addition to this, hackers are always on the lookout for weaknesses in a business’s digital defenses. They analyze your systems, networks, and applications, searching for vulnerabilities that can be exploited. These vulnerabilities could include outdated software, weak passwords, or misconfigured security settings. Hackers appreciate businesses that lack a well-defined incident response plan. Without a plan in place, it becomes challenging to contain and mitigate the damage caused by a cyberattack. Hackers are more likely to target businesses that are unprepared, as it allows them to go undetected and maximize their impact.

Furthermore, hackers know that employees are often the weakest link in the security chain. They actively search for businesses that do not prioritize cybersecurity training. Without proper education on phishing attacks, social engineering, and other common tactics, your employees are more likely to fall for scams and unintentionally provide access to sensitive data. For example, if your employees are not practicing good password hygiene, your business is at risk. Hackers are very aware that many people use simple and easy-to-guess passwords like “123456” or “password.” Weak passwords are an open invitation to access sensitive information. This is the easiest point of entry, allowing them to gain unauthorized access to your sensitive data.

All in all, there are a few ways to effectively safeguard a business against hackers. One example is regular vulnerability assessments and yearly penetration testing. These two should be conducted to identify and address any weaknesses. Additionally, implementing strong access controls, such as two-factor authentication can help mitigate the risk of unauthorized access. Continuous employee training and awareness programs are crucial to fostering a security-conscious culture within the organization. Lastly, maintaining up-to-date software and immediately patching vulnerabilities are essential to prevent exploitation. By adopting a proactive and multi-faceted approach, businesses can significantly reduce the likelihood of successful hacking attempts and protect their valuable assets and sensitive data.

Understanding what a hacker thinks about your business sheds light on the importance of cybersecurity in today’s world. Hackers see businesses as potential targets for valuable data and are constantly searching for vulnerabilities to exploit. By adopting robust cybersecurity practices, staying informed about emerging threats, and educating employees, you can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to a cyberattack. Protecting your business’s digital assets is not just a technological necessity; it is an essential component of safeguarding your reputation and maintaining the trust of your customers.

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DocumentationPrivacySecurity
— May 16, 2023

What Does HIPAA Compliance Mean?

In the data privacy landscape, few terms carry as much weight or notoriety as “HIPAA Compliance.” However, for those outside of the healthcare sector or new to its data protection standards, the concept might seem opaque and intimidating. This post aims to demystify HIPAA Compliance, explaining what it is, what attaining it means, and its significance in the healthcare industry.

Firstly, let’s begin with the basics. HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1996. The primary objective of this legislation was to ensure that employees that may lose or switch jobs would not have their health insurance coverage affected for it, and so standards were set to safeguard the privacy and security of patients’ health information, especially as it pertains to electronic data communications and interchange. HIPAA Compliance, therefore, refers to the adherence to the regulations established under this Act. Any organization that deals with Protected Health Information (PHI), which includes details about an individual’s physical or mental health, provision of healthcare, or payment for healthcare, must be compliant with HIPAA standards or face an array of penalties. These organizations are broadly categorized into two terms: Covered Entities (CEs) and Business Associates (BAs). CEs include healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses, while BAs are entities that perform certain functions or activities on behalf of, or provide specific services to, a CE that involve the use or disclosure of PHI.

To be HIPAA-compliant means an organization must meet several requirements stipulated over a number of rules and related acts. Let’s explore some of the key ones:

  • Privacy Rule – The Privacy Rule requires the protection of all “individually identifiable health information” held or transmitted by a covered entity or its business associate, in any form, whether electronic, paper, or oral. This rule gives the patient rights over their health information, such as rights to examine and obtain a copy of their health records or to request corrections. Additionally, the rule provides guidance over when PHI may be disclosed and requires safeguards to be implemented to protect PHI such as designating a privacy officer and conducting user training.
  • Security Rule – The Security Rule specifies a series of administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic protected health information (e-PHI). These safeguards are designed to be flexible and scalable, allowing a covered entity to implement policies, procedures, and technologies that are suited to the entity’s size, organizational structure, and risks to consumers’ e-PHI. Of these safeguards, some are labeled as mandatory for direct implementation, and others are considered addressable where they may be adopted by alternate measures where appropriate.
  • Breach Notification Rule – This rule requires covered entities and business associates to provide notification to affected individuals, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and, in some cases, the media following a breach of unsecured PHI. These notifications must be provided without unreasonable delay and no later than 60 days following the discovery of a breach to affected individuals, and this notification should be concurrently extended to the HHS if the breach involves over 500 individuals, along with the media if 500 or more residents of a specific state are involved.
  • Enforcement Rule – The Enforcement Rule contains provisions relating to HHS’ enforcement of the HIPAA Rules, and includes procedures for investigations, determination of violations, hearing rights, and the imposition of civil money penalties for violations of the HIPAA Rules. These penalties can range from $100 to $50,000 per violation (or per record), with a maximum penalty of $1.5 million per year for violations of an identical provision.
  • HITECH Act – Although not technically a “HIPAA” rule, the HITECH Act is closely aligned with HIPAA and enhances it. The HITECH Act widens the scope of privacy and security protections available under HIPAA, and it increases the potential legal liability for non-compliance and provides for more enforcement.
  • Omnibus Rule – Enacted in 2013, the Omnibus Rule is a set of final regulations modifying HIPAA in accordance with guidelines set in 2009 by the HITECH Act. It holds business associates to the same standards for protecting PHI as covered entities. It also expands patients’ rights, including the right to receive electronic copies of health information and to restrict disclosures to a health plan concerning treatment for which the individual has paid out of pocket in full.

To maintain compliance, an organization needs to maintain awareness of and compliance with these rules diligently. But the question of how exactly to comply can be complex, and finding a place to start is often challenging. Below are some critical areas that an organization should consider first as a starting point to ensure HIPAA compliance:

  • Risk Analysis and Management – Conduct a thorough and accurate assessment of the potential risks and vulnerabilities to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of PHI. This process should be systematic and ongoing, periodically reassessed to address changes in the organization’s practices or advancements in technology.
  • Policies and Procedures – Develop and implement HIPAA compliant policies and procedures. This includes guidelines on handling, accessing, and disclosing PHI. Policies should cover areas like the use and disclosure of PHI, rights of individuals, administrative responsibilities, and breach notification processes.
  • Training and Awareness – All workforce members, including employees, volunteers, and trainees, should be trained and aware of the HIPAA Rules and the organization’s policies and procedures. Additionally, a major goal is to foster a culture of compliance where employees understand the importance of protecting PHI and feel comfortable reporting potential issues without fear of retaliation.
  • Regular Audits – Audits are essential to ensure that the organization is adhering to its policies and the HIPAA rules. These audits can help identify any gaps or areas of non-compliance and provide an opportunity to address these issues proactively. Regular audits can also serve as a way to monitor the effectiveness of the organization’s training and awareness programs.
  • Incident Response – Even with thorough precautions taken, breaches can still occur. Hence, it is essential to have a robust incident response plan in place. This plan should outline the steps to be taken in the event of a breach, including identifying and containing the breach, assessing the impact, notifying the affected individuals and authorities, and taking steps to prevent future breaches. The plan should be reviewed and tested regularly to ensure its effectiveness.

Although the path to full HIPAA compliance can seem like an imposing process in terms of time and resources, it’s important to remember that the effort fulfills more than just meeting a regulatory requirement – it’s also about building trust with patients and clients. When an organization maintains compliance with exacting standards like HIPAA, it sends a message that it values and protects patients’ privacy and personal information. This trust can translate into stronger relationships with patients, improved reputation, and ultimately, better business outcomes.

Could you use additional guidance or steps to attain HIPAA Compliance? The analysts at CyberData Pros have extensive experience guiding organizations through the intricacies of HIPAA Compliance, including conducting comprehensive risk analyzes, auditing compliance status, training and more. Contact us today for a free consultation and to learn more about our services. 

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DocumentationPrivacySecurity
— May 11, 2023

How AI is Helping and Hurting Cybersecurity

AI is transforming the arena of cybersecurity by providing new tools and techniques for identifying and mitigating threats. AI uses machine learning and deep learning techniques to analyze network behavior and identify deviations or security incidents from the norm. This allows for immediate response and enhances future security measures by blocking potential threats with similar traits. AI’s constant learning process also makes it challenging for hackers to outsmart its intelligence. Machine learning and AI algorithms can detect patterns and anomalies in data that may indicate a cyber-attack. Employing AI-based security solutions alone is not enough though. Cybersecurity teams must carefully evaluate potential limitations within these solutions, such as the risk of false positives or negatives, and account for these issues in their approach.

Moreover, with the increasing deployment of AI in cybersecurity, there is a concern about the potential misuse of AI by attackers. Adversarial attacks, where attackers attempt to fool AI algorithms by feeding them misleading data, can be difficult to detect and mitigate. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that AI is designed to be robust against adversarial attacks.As AI in cybersecurity continues to advance, organizations need to implement AI-based security measures while also considering the complexities and risks associated with its deployment. By doing so, they can enhance their security posture, stay ahead of cyber threats and can analyze massive amounts of data far more quickly and accurately than human analysts. This enables security teams to respond to threats more quickly and proactively.

However, AI can also be used by cybercriminals to launch more sophisticated and targeted attacks. Malware can be designed to evade traditional security measures by leveraging machine learning algorithms to learn and adapt to new defenses. Bots are one of those growing threats in cybersecurity, used for malicious activities like for spreading malware and stealing data for companies and businesses. AI can recognize and block bots by identifying their patterns, creating more secure captchas, and deploying honeypots to trap them.

So, while AI can enhance cybersecurity, it also raises new challenges and risks that must be managed. Organizations need to stay up-to-date on the latest AI-powered threats and aim to implement multilayered security strategies that incorporate AI alongside other security measures. It is important to recognize that AI is not a cure all by any means and should be used in combination with other security measures such as regular security audits, employee training, and maintaining up-to-date software and hardware. Furthermore, AI technology is not immune to vulnerabilities and can be targeted by cybercriminals. Therefore, it is crucial to have contingency plans in place to mitigate the risks associated with AI-based cybersecurity measures.

Overall, organizations should embrace AI in cybersecurity as a valuable tool but also approach its deployment with caution to ensure the protection of data and networks. The key is to strike a balance between leveraging the benefits of AI while also managing the risks associated with its implementation.

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AuditITSecurity
— April 17, 2023

What is a SIEM & Does Your Business Need One?

Cyber attacks are without a doubt one of the most serious threats to modern industry and business. A single security breach can cost a company millions of dollars in lost revenue, damaged reputation, and legal fees – and that’s just scratching the surface of the true extent of the damage they can cause. That is why security posture, or cybersecurity readiness, is such an important part of an organization’s infrastructure that warrants heavy prioritization and investment. While there are lots of ways to do this, each with their own pros and cons, it takes layers of defense, strategy, and planning to build a resilient and reliable perimeter that you can depend on to protect your business and your customers.

One of the most ubiquitous and effective layers of that perimeter is the implementation of a SIEM tool. SIEM stands for Security Information and Event Management, and it is a software platform that collects, stores, analyzes, and reports on security logs from across your network. This data can include things like firewall logs, web server logs, and intrusion detection system (IDS) alerts. The SIEM solution uses this data to identify potential threats and security incidents. This can be done by looking for patterns and correlations in the data or by comparing the data to known threat intelligence. Once a threat is identified, the SIEM solution can generate alerts, send notifications, or even take automated action to mitigate the threat.

Why do you need a SIEM?

There are many reasons why businesses need a SIEM solution. Here are just a few:

  • Increased visibility: A SIEM solution gives you a comprehensive view of your security posture. This information can be used to identify potential threats, investigate security incidents, and altogether boost your security visibility.
  • Reduced risk: A SIEM solution can help reduce your risk of a security breach. By identifying and mitigating threats early on, you can drastically limit the extent to which they can cause damage to your business.
  • Improved compliance: A SIEM solution can help you meet your compliance requirements. By collecting and storing security logs, you can demonstrate to regulators and customers alike that you are taking steps to protect your data.
  • Reduced costs: A SIEM solution can help reduce your security costs. By centralizing your security logging and analysis, you can save money on hardware, software, and personnel.

How to choose a SIEM solution

There are many different SIEM solutions available on the market. When choosing a SIEM solution, you need to consider the following factors:

  • Your budget: SIEM solutions can range in price from a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. You need to choose a solution that fits your budget.
  • Your needs: Not all SIEM solutions are created equal. Some solutions are better suited for small businesses, while others are better suited for large enterprises. You need to choose a solution that meets your specific needs.
  • Your requirements: Some SIEM solutions come with a variety of features and functionality. Others are more basic. You need to choose a solution that meets your specific requirements.

A SIEM solution is a valuable tool for any business that wants to improve its security posture. By collecting and analyzing security data from across your network, a SIEM solution can help you identify potential threats, investigate security incidents, and improve your overall security posture. While there is no such thing as a single solution for cybersecurity, as part of an otherwise robust, and well managed security infrastructure, a SIEM solution provides an unparalleled level of control and insight that will allow you to take your security posture to the next level.

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DocumentationPrivacySecurity
— April 10, 2023

What is A Compliance Calendar and Why You Need One

In today’s digital age, cybersecurity is more important than ever before! With the growing number of cyber threats, it’s important to stay on top of your security measures to protect the personal information and sensitive data within your company. There are multiple ways to ensure that you are keeping up with your security and properly protecting sensitive information from cyber attacks, such as keeping up to date with quarterly vulnerability scans, annual penetration tests, risk assessments, internal security audits and more. One challenge that comes with implementing all of these services, however, is that they all require some form of time and scheduling. This scheduling element can sometimes present an obstacle for a business getting started, so in this blog we will be discussing some of the more important projects for cybersecurity and explore how your schedule may look once we begin.

Having a cybersecurity expert on your team will likely change your schedule in a few ways!

Depending on the scope of the services your business requires, your calendar may include regular meetings with the analyst to discuss ongoing security issues, project deadlines for implementing new security measures or updates, and occasional emergency meetings to respond to security incidents. For example, if your business would like to implement vulnerability scans as a service, there are multiple factors to consider for scheduling. Meetings with the analyst will be needed with some regularity, the frequency depending on scope of the vulnerability assessment. Past those meetings come performing the scans themselves – typically, vulnerability scans should be conducted every quarter, meaning you’ll need to schedule that block of time accordingly. Finally, vulnerability scans can help identify potential security weaknesses or gaps. These weaknesses may include weak passwords, outdated software and any other issues that would be easy for hackers to get into. These scan findings are important to address, so post-scan it’s best to leave some time available for the analyst to discuss the risks and remediation options.

Another service that should be added to your calendar is a ISO 27001 preparation and certification process. The frequency of these meetings can depend on a variety of factors including specific needs and goals. To achieve and maintain an ISO certification, your business may need to have regular meetings scheduled to implement and review security policies and procedures, including items like a business continuity plan, disaster recovery plan, and incident response plan. Additionally, a large part of the ISO process is the internal security audit, which typically requires walkthroughs from various business stakeholders – these can be tricky to coordinate and find time for depending what other projects are going on, which makes them important considerations for the ISO schedule. Past that, when it comes to maintaining an ISO certification, your business needs to have quarterly information risk council (IRC) meetings. IRC meetings are meant to help ensure that your business is at its best practices and ensure that your risk management strategies are up to date and often the party is expected to ultimately approve/review policies by auditors, so these routine meets are critical items to coordinate and account for. The ISO process can sound like a lot on paper, but with attentive scheduling and prioritization the process can often be accomplished fairly smoothly.

Overall, your calendar may become more structured and planned out as you work with a cybersecurity analyst to implement and maintain your security measures. It’s important to prioritize cybersecurity and set aside enough time and resources to ensure your systems and data are properly protected. All in all, there are several reasons why a business should maintain cybersecurity services. A business stores a lot of sensitive data such as financial information, customer data, employee records, and confidential business plans. A successful cyberattack can interrupt business operations, and most importantly, initiate loss of revenue. Therefore, by establishing and maintaining cybersecurity services on your calendar, you will help protect your business from cyber threats, maintain compliance, and most importantly build trust with customers.

To find out how to set up a compliance calendar and for a free consultation, please contact us. We assist hundreds of clients with their compliance calendar and perform other data privacy and cybersecurity services.

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AuditSecurity
— April 7, 2023

Outsourcing SOC 2 Readiness

If you happen to have read through our previous blogs or follow CyberData Pros on LinkedIn, then you may be familiar with SOC 2. For those who aren’t, we’ll recap with a brief summary of what a SOC 2 report is and the benefits it provides for your organization. We’ll then discuss some of the reasons why it makes sense to outsource this service and how CyberData Pros is positioned to help you achieve success.

A System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 report is received following a successful audit by a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in adherence to the standards published by the AICPA. Achieving this designation serves to provide assurances about the controls in place at your organization, as the audit process focuses on some or all of the principles of security, confidentiality, privacy, availability, and processing integrity. 

There are a variety of reasons why a business might pursue SOC 2. It is widely recognized and signals to partners, vendors, and customers that they are dealing with a reputable and secure organization. It provides trust and assurances that bolster your reputation, leading to new business opportunities and sales. It can save time and resources by cutting down on the business interruptions that come with constantly undergoing individual audits and responding to security questionnaires. Finally, it might even be required by certain industries and regulations.

Whatever the reason, going through a SOC 2 assessment requires a commitment of time, involvement, and resources. It can be a complex journey, and it’s imperative that you have experts on the subject in your corner. While it is possible to prepare for and undergo the audit process with only in-house staff, it’s usually not recommended. Ideally, you want an impartial party reviewing your policies and processes to identify gaps and weaknesses so that they can be remedied before the audit. In-house staff may bring a biased-approach, such as not wanting to call out a particular risk out of fear of putting themselves or other coworkers in jeopardy or throwing someone under the bus. Second, staff may be unfamiliar or not have any experience with the SOC 2 process, which could lead to less than desirable results. That said, from a business and HR standpoint, it doesn’t make sense to create a new full-time position just for achieving SOC 2 compliance, either. Additionally, because of the major undertaking and work required, it places a huge burden on staff which hinders them from performing their regular duties.

By working with CyberData Pros as your SOC 2 compliance consultants, all the issues mentioned above can be alleviated. While we are external partners, our goal is to work as a team to help you achieve success. We’ll provide unbiased expert advice, even when that sometimes means having difficult conversations, so that you’ll be ready and prepared for anything an auditor may ask. Our team has helped many organizations successfully through the audit process, so we bring the expert knowledge and real-world experience you need. By outsourcing SOC 2 services, you free up focus and lessen the burden on staff by allowing us to take on the heavy lifting. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

If you’re interested in pursuing SOC 2 designation, reach out to us now for a free consultation and see how CyberData Pros can open up new opportunities for growth and success for years to come. 

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PrivacyRisk AssessmentSecurity
— February 21, 2023

What is an Information Risk Council and Why is it Important?

When people think about what factors are most influential in determining the effectiveness of an information security system, typically the first items that come to mind are technologies, policies, and controls. Often overlooked is one of, if not the most critical components of the system – its leadership. Of course secure tech and methods are vital components of the system too, but their effectiveness can be rendered null if leadership is unable to establish, enforce, maintain, and overall direct their usage. 

Effective leadership, however, is a challenge in and of itself; it’s not as simple as hiring a competent c-suite. As talented as a CISO or CPO might be, no one person can be expected to fully understand the culture, processes, and concerns of every individual department of an organization. Imagine if a president was required to understand first-hand all those factors for each government department before making a decision – by the time they could even get close to a full understanding their information on older departments would become outdated and they’d probably be past their term limit anyway; no decision could ever be made. The problem is that those aforementioned factors are instrumental in determining the true effectiveness of these decisions, and thus cannot be ignored in strong leadership. So, barring omniscience on the CISO/CPOs’ end, upper leadership is going to need advice and influence from department representatives, and that’s where the Information Risk Council comes in.

Now if the term Information Risk Council (or IRC, for short) is unfamiliar, there’s no need to worry. The group often goes by different names at different organizations: Department GRC Committee, Risk Management Council, Risk Governance Committee, and likewise are all names you might encounter instead. What is crucial is not the name but the concept behind it, which is defined in the group’s composition and concerns. In essence the IRC (or its alternate names) is a group of senior infosec leadership and department representatives that focuses on composing, ratifying, and implementing security policies, controls, and initiatives throughout the organization. To better understand the council’s purpose, however, it’s best to go into some detail on the composition and concerns themselves.

  • Composition: The major benefit of the IRC lies in granting the executive security/privacy owners in the company a deeper understanding and a wider perspective of the company’s state and needs, and by grouping in representatives (or heads) of every department, that purpose can be fulfilled. Department representatives should be able to collect and report on their specific department’s state and needs and thus provide valuable insight when decisions are made, affecting, or informed by that department. 
  • Concerns: With a general objective in place to provide a cross-departmental informed direction for the information security program, the IRC often takes on a number of duties/tasks in its operation. As a standard these tasks generally include quarterly meetings to discuss the state/direction of the program, a designated policy/assessment review and approval procedure, risk management discussions and reports, and incident handling/response. Of course additional roles may come into play as the organization’s needs change, but these basic responsibilities will cover the base needs of most effective IRC initiatives and do so more decisively than a CPO/CISO could by taking those same tasks on alone.

Altogether, taking the two fundamental considerations above as frameworks makes a strong starting point for an efficacious IRC. The benefits a team like that can bring to an infosec program often impresses clients who implement them as they’re usually multifaceted. Not only does the improved perspective help with the direction of change, but it also typically makes departments feel heard and more accepting of said change, which can encourage new policies to be acted upon in practice rather than just in writing. No need to just read up on the benefits though- try forming a team at your organization and see for yourself. In almost every implementation the barrier of entry is low and the opportunity for improvement is high.

Could your business use help implementing an IRC? Or could you use some assistance directing and refining an existing team? Either way, CyberData Pros have assisted many committees from inception to maturity and can walk your organization’s to that same state. Contact us now for a free consultation and to learn more about our services.

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CCPADocumentationPrivacySecurity
— January 19, 2023

2023 Data Privacy State Laws Overview

2022 was a big year for data privacy in the U.S., with many states passing or considering data privacy legislation and the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA) nearly passing both chambers of Congress. Had it been successfully passed, it would have been the U.S.’s first national data privacy act, superseding the many state-level provisions. With 2022 in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look ahead to what awaits us for data privacy in 2023.  Five new laws at the state level are coming into effect this year, including CPRA that will supersede CCPA. Over the coming days, we’ll take a look at each one and review how they affect the data privacy landscape.

Many of the core tenets are shared by each state-level data privacy law coming into effect in 2023 and also should be comparable to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in many regards. Though the language varies from statute to statute, each law requires certain consumer rights regarding data privacy to be honored by businesses and data controllers in these states. These rights include the right to access their personal data, the right to correct inaccuracies in their personal data (excluding the Utah Consumer Privacy Act), the right to delete their personal data, the right to a copy of their data, the right to opt-out of the sale of their personal data, and the right to opt-out of targeted advertising. 

Additionally, data controllers subject to these statutes will be required to provide consumers a privacy notice detailing how they handle personal data. In all of the 2023 laws, UCPA data controllers will be required to detail their data retention schedules along with their purpose for retaining such data. All of the 2023 data privacy statutes will also require data controllers to implement and maintain reasonable security controls to protect consumers personal data. Again, these will vary from statute to statute, but their inclusion will help to protect consumers’ sensitive personal data.

Our 2023 State Data Privacy Laws series will look at the requirements in each statute,  along with how each statute varies from another. The similar, familiar core to these data privacy laws should make general compliance manageable. However, there are some tedious edge cases that will only get more complicated as new data privacy laws pass across the nation. Sooner or later, there will be a need for a simplified nation-wide data privacy law like we almost saw passed in 2022. While we don’t know whether 2023 will build on what the ADPPA started, states certainly won’t wait for Congress to act on data privacy.

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AuditPrivacyRisk AssessmentSecurity
— January 18, 2023

Why Ongoing Audits are Good for Business

If you browse cybersecurity literature long enough you’ll find the benefits a business can derive from a privacy or security audit are generally well understood and regarded, but lesser-known are the perks of ongoing audits. This is largely due to a generalized concern some businesses hold that subsequent audits may be redundant – which is a prudent question of cost-efficiency. What’s often misunderstood in this concern is that the benefits of continual audits are at the same time greater and different than those of singular audits, with the difference being seen largely in the distinction between proactive and reactive action. Let’s take a quick dive into this distinction, and discuss a few key benefits continuous audits will bring.

A simple way of highlighting the key point of utility of continual audits is by considering the audits like you might consider a medical check-up – after all, an audit essentially is a health check for your information security system, so this makes for an apples-to-apples analogue. If you’re feeling very sick you might well schedule a one-off check-up. From there a doctor will run tests, make a diagnosis, and create a treatment plan to get you back into good shape. This check-up is generally the role an isolated audit will perform, and it definitely is a step in the right direction. But it’s worth remembering that if routine re-visits aren’t made then afterward you’re liable to miss otherwise detectable signs of illness and become sick again. And although it’s true that you can schedule another appointment at that point, the fact you’re sick to begin with is damaging to the body, and the recovery process can be drawn-out, challenging, and expensive. It’s oftentimes a lot more efficient for both your health and wallet to mitigate the risk of sickness consistently by making check-ups a routine, which represents the emergent perks of continual audits. 

It’s likely you can see how this same concept applies with information security audits – the best way by far to handle incidents is to take measures to avoid them entirely, and these measures are directed by continual audits. With that in mind, let’s look at a few specifics of how exactly these ongoing audits keep your business healthier than ad hoc audits:

  • Layered Net: A single audit might not always detect all risks present – some issues only become apparent in trends between multiple audits. A continual audit process ensures that most every detectable risk present in a system is identified, not just those apparent at a single point in time.
  • Remediation Review: Following the conclusion of an audit should come the process of addressing the identified risks. A common issue with said process is that the remediation efforts are not always fully effective, leaving the organization exposed still to a risk they believe is mitigated. Subsequent audits will review remediation efforts to assess their efficacy and provide guidance on how to improve them. 
  • Currency & Compliance: More frequent audits mean less room exists in-between for organizations to unknowingly diverge from emerging regulations and best practices. This not only simplifies the maintenance of compliance by way of lending more time to react to and prepare for new requirements, but also lends a competitive edge by allowing for quick adoption of new security and privacy best practices. 
  • More Recent, More Value: Over time your organization and the risk landscape it’s exposed to changes, and thus audits lose relevance with time. This makes recency a large variable in the value an audit brings, both internally and externally. For instance, externally it’s often found that potential partners or clients only accept audits from the last year or six months, with more recency generally preferred. Internally, timely findings in developing systems are oftentimes extremely beneficial, as it’s far easier to adjust for security early in that system’s implementation than attempting to retrofit it far afterward.

Altogether, the benefits listed above are most apparent in (if not exclusive to) a continuous audit process. And these points don’t even account for the human benefits of the process, such as improving staff’s understanding of your organization’s risk posture over time or demonstrating your organization’s commitment to cybersecurity and data privacy to prospects. It’s worth remembering that security and privacy are not problems to fix, but an ongoing process of improvement – in that sense, with audits an increase in quantity often boosts the quality of the process altogether.

Is your business interested in the benefits of a new audit? Whether you’re looking to establish an audit process or conduct your first audit ever, CyberData Pros are experts in the process and can walk you through it – from scoping to a polished report. Contact us now for a free consultation and to learn more about our services.

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ITRisk AssessmentSecurity
— December 27, 2022

Your IT Department is NOT your Cybersecurity Team

So, you’ve got yourself a head of IT and they can do it all! You hired the best of the best. They can manage your cloud infrastructure, setup and administer all your company laptops, secure your wired and wireless networks, and even figured out a way to get that ancient printer/copier onto the network for everyone to use. The corporate space has long heralded the prodigious “IT Person’ as the crown jewel of all things computer and technology. However, as technology has advanced, companies have started leveraging more and more of these incredible advancements. From fully cloud-based infrastructure and virtualization to advanced digital communications and collaboration tools, the venerable ‘IT Person’ has never had a plate so full. On top of all that, many of these companies have made the frankly naïve and ultimately costly mistake of handing cybersecurity responsibilities to that very same ‘IT Person’. 

Anyone in the cybersecurity space will tell you the same thing: cybersecurity may be IT, but IT is NOT necessarily cybersecurity. Having someone( or better yet a team of people) with specialized knowledge and focus is absolutely vital to survival in the sea of never-ending cyber threats. One of the best places to start is with a Security Engineer. The job of a Security Engineer is to be able to understand the organization as a whole, including its culture, technology, data assets and liabilities, and leverage that understanding to deeply integrate low friction, seamless security controls around information systems within the organization’s existing structure. The key here is the deep integration, and low friction. A proper engineer is able to provide what your ‘IT Person’ just doesn’t have the specialized skills to deliver. Anyone can set astronomically high password requirements, turn off permissions for important systems unless requested, and set up a messy and slow VPN connection that employees are required to use. But all of those things are perfect examples of high friction systems that lead to constant pushback from employees, and constant holes to plug as people find a way around these frustrating restrictions. A Security Engineer has the skills necessary to build systems that work WITH your organization and its structure to make your workflows more secure, while remaining as low friction as possible. This big picture approach will ultimately lead to better buy-in from employees, which in turn leads to dramatically more secure infrastructure. 

While a Security Engineer is a strong and effective role to fill, it is undoubtedly aspirational for most smaller organizations. It would be entirely unrealistic to say every company has a need or the resources to house an expensive employee focused solely on security. So what about everyone else? Enter the IT Security Specialist. You could reasonably think of this role as something along the lines of a Jr. Security Engineer. This is a role that strives to achieve many of the same goals as a Security Engineer, but perhaps with a few years less experience, and a few less certifications under their belt. However, there is one thing the IT Security Specialist has that makes it a fantastic role for most companies to start with: hands-on IT experience. The IT Security Specialist is designed to work side-by-side with your existing IT operations. By bringing specialized, security focused insights and strategies, as well as the ability to implement those strategies, you’re able to alleviate additional burden on the already famously thin-stretched IT department. This should bring a ‘security first’ mindset into the organization.

So we’ve covered the entry points of small and medium organizations, but say you’ve just signed a handful of your biggest clients yet, and have major expansions planned over the next few years. An IT Security Specialist isn’t going to cut it, and a Security Engineer or two seems nice, but some of these big partnerships have some massive security requirements, including high level management focused on protecting their data. What are you supposed to do? This is exactly where a CISO, or a Chief Information Security Officer, is designed to fit in. Most simply described as the head of all things security, you are committing to establishing an entire division of your organization to the quality, strength, and importance of data privacy and security. A CISO can report directly to the CEO, or to a separate CIO (Chief Information Officer); however, comparing the two roles is an entire conversation in and of itself. From developing and managing security programs like company wide training to implementing network monitoring systems and incident response teams, a CISO is the one responsible for making all these things happen without burdening the CEO or other key areas of the organization. This is a great way to show potential clients, partners, or even investors that you are deeply committed to your organization’s security infrastructure. This shows that they can trust you to take every precaution necessary to protect their data, as well as brand reputation from the devastating consequences of a data breach.

While there is no one-size-fits-all solution to cybersecurity infrastructure, one thing is abundantly clear for organizations of all sizes: your magical, wonderful, and altogether impressive ‘IT Person’ should not shoulder the burden of your cybersecurity infrastructure. With the incredible complexity in which modern organizations operate such as remote cloud infrastructure, nested virtualized networking, and fully digital, internet connected communication and data storage systems, IT has enough on their hands as it is. Specialization is what today’s cybersecurity programs demand. With a seemingly endless stream of new threats and the escalating consequences they bring with them, falling behind is not an option.

Is your business looking for a certified partner to assist your “IT Department”? CyberData Pros has many years of experience in IT, data privacy, and cybersecurity to make sure your business is secure. Contact us now for a free consultation and to learn more about our services.

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