CIS Control 6 merges some aspects of CIS Control 4 (admin privileges) and CIS Control 14 (access on a need-to-know basis) into a single access control management group. Access control management is a critical component in maintaining information and system security, restricting access to assets based on role and need. It is important to grant, refuse, and remove access in a standardized, timely,...

When it comes to cybersecurity, vulnerability management is one of the older technologies that still play a critical role in securing our assets. It is often overlooked, disregarded, or considered only for checkbox compliance needs, but a proper vulnerability management program can play a critical role in avoiding a series of data breaches.CIS Control 07 provides the minimum requirements and table...

Audit logs provide a rich source of data critical to preventing, detecting, understanding, and minimizing the impact of network or data compromise in a timely manner.Collection logs and regular reviews are useful for identifying baselines, establishing operational trends, and detecting abnormalities. In some cases, logging may be the only evidence of a successful attack.CIS Control 8 emphasizes...

DSPM, CSPM, and CIEM are more than just a mouthful of acronyms. They are some of today’s most sophisticated tools for managing data security in the cloud.While they are all distinct entities and go about protecting data in different ways, the fact that they all seem to do very much the same thing can lead to a lot of confusion. This, in turn, can sell each of these unique solutions short – after...

Web browsers and email clients are used to interact with external and internal assets. Both applications can be used as a point of entry within an organization. Users of these applications can be manipulated using social engineering attacks. A successful social engineering attack needs to convince users to interact with malicious content. A successful attack could give an attacker an entry point...

With the continuing rise of ransomware, malware defenses are more critical than ever before with regard to securing the enterprise. Anti-Malware technologies have become an afterthought in many organizations, a technology that they’ve always had, always used, and never really thought about. This control serves as a reminder that this technology is as critical as it ever was and lays out the...

Data loss can be a consequence of a variety of factors from malicious ransomware to hardware failures and even natural disasters. Regardless of the reason for data loss, we need to be able to restore our data. A data recovery plan begins with prioritizing our data, protecting it while it is being stored, and having a plan to recover data. Key Takeaways for Control 11Prioritize your data and come...

When we think about cybersecurity, we think of malicious actors constantly devising new ways to breach our defenses. While this is critical, it's equally important to understand that another menace can be sitting down the hall. The risk of insider attacks is significant and should not be overlooked.These attacks have floored businesses of all sizes and in various industries, frequently with dire...

Most modern organizations have complex IT infrastructures made up of various components like Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), public cloud, and sometimes hybrid environments. While these infrastructures bring significant benefits, including improved scalability, flexibility, and cost savings, increasing complexity has made it...

Networks form a critical core for our modern-day society and businesses. These networks are comprised of many types of components that make up the networks’ infrastructure. Network infrastructure devices can be physical or virtual and include things such as routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless access points. Unfortunately, many devices are shipped from manufacturers with “default”...

Networks form a critical core for our modern-day society and businesses. People, processes, and technologies should be in place for monitoring, detecting, logging, and preventing malicious activities that occur when an enterprise experiences an attack within or against their networks.Key Takeaways for Control 13Enterprises should understand that their systems and networks are never perfectly...

Data shows that financial motivation is a huge incentive for threat actors, which explains the rising prevalence of ransomware and other extortion breaches in the corporate world. In 2023 alone, business email compromise (BEC) complaints received by the FBI amounted to over 2.9 billion. SourceThis situation highlights an uncomfortable truth that has...

File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) is a key intelligence and audit tool in an advanced security portfolio. While it is a logical component to integrate into your Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) tooling, it’s important to consider your approach to ensure you can gain the most benefits from it.Classify FirstThe sensible starting place for your integration is to consider your FIM...

Users who do not have the appropriate security awareness training are considered a weak link in the security of an enterprise. These untrained users are easier to exploit than finding a flaw or vulnerability in the equipment that an enterprise uses to secure its network. Attackers could convince unsuspecting users to unintentionally provide access to the enterprise network or expose sensitive...

Enterprises today rely on partners and vendors to help manage their data. Some companies depend on third-party infrastructure for day-to-day operations, so understanding the regulations and protection standards that a service provider is promising to uphold is very important.Key Takeaways from Control 15Identify your business needs and create a set of standards that can be used to grade service...

The way in which we interact with applications has changed dramatically over the years. Enterprises use applications in day-to-day operations to manage their most sensitive data and control access to system resources. Instead of traversing a labyrinth of networks and systems, attackers today see an opening to turn an organization's application against it to bypass network security controls and...

Also known as change monitoring, File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) solutions monitor and detect file changes that could indicate a cyberattack. They determine if and when files change, who changed them, and what can be done to restore files if those changes are unauthorized. As such, FIM solutions are useful for detecting malware and achieving compliance with regulations like PCI DSS and are a...

We all know that it is a question of when you will be compromised and not if you will be compromised. It is unavoidable. The goal of CIS Control 17 is to ensure that you are set up for success when that inevitable breach occurs. If an organization is neither equipped nor prepared for that potential data breach, they are not likely to succeed in responding to the threat.Key TakeawaysOne takeaway...

The threat of cyberattacks is at an all-time high. In fact, research shows that worldwide cybercrime costs are anticipated to reach $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. Cybercriminals threaten all, as 43% of cyberattacks target small enterprises. The rise of these threats underscores the importance of a robust cyber defense strategy, and one key way to do that is through layered cybersecurity...

Penetration testing is something that more companies and organizations should be considering as a necessary expense. I say this because, over the years, the cost of data breaches and other forms of malicious intrusions and disruptions are getting costlier. Per IBM Security’s “Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024,” the average cost of a breach has increased 10% year over year, with the healthcare...