Cybersecurity Operations : The Basic Guiding Principles for an Efficient Cyber Security Operations Team

Cybersecurity is the fastest growing core area of information technology, mainly because of the rapid increase in Cyber threat that is currently being witnessed. Here are some of the factors that majorly contribute to the rising risks:

The Human Factor: Phishing scams remain such a popular technique for cyber criminals because they rely on human error. A lack of knowledge or simple carelessness are often the difference between a successful or thwarted cyber-attack. In fact, human error caused 90% of cyber data breaches in 2019, according to a CybSafe analysis of data from the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”).

The Digital Supply Chain: The increasing interconnection of businesses allows third party suppliers to enable domino-effect-style breaches, whereby a hacker gains access to one organisation, and then hops from there to client and supplier systems.

The Covid-19 Pandemic: The pandemic has impacted businesses in many ways and cyber criminals preyed on the heightened levels for their own benefit. The Council of Europe noted a rise in phishing scams, where cyber criminals impersonated official health bodies in a bid to steal sensitive data, and observed an increase in ransomware attacks targeting medical organisations.

The Changing Nature of Work: The pandemic accelerated the shift towards remote working and, with it, created a host of new cyber threats. The increased attack surface, together with human errors and weak authentication practices are all factors that cyber criminals have been able to exploit when looking to infiltrate a company’s network. On top of this, the UK Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2021 found that only 23% of businesses have cyber security policies in place to cover remote working; underscoring the vulnerability of many home working setups.

The basic guiding principles below help to position the cybersecurity operations teams’ efficiency:

1. Understanding various types of threats and how they crystalise
2. Knowing what to protect
3. Ensuring your protection plan adequately provides the right cover for your environment and ecosystem of operation

The opportunity for a cyber-attack has never been greater.  Do you have the right cyber measures in place to provide maximum security?

Our continuous cybersecurity learning paths are essential to equip your cybersecurity operation team with the knowledge and skills they need to ensure their readiness to protect your organisation.

CompTIA

• Network+
• Security+
• Cysa+
• CASP+

EC‑Council

• CND

(ISC)²

• CISSP
• SSCP
• CCSP

ISACA    

• CISM