Do you know the five main components of cybersecurity?
According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework, businesses of all sizes need a cybersecurity plan that addresses these five steps:
Identifying. Protecting. Detecting. Responding. Recovering
And these same five steps can be and should be applied at home as well, for personal computers, mobile devices, and/or smart devices.
Personal
No matter who you are, your medical records, banking information, personal data… all bring a pretty penny on the dark web.
Don’t just shut your front door, lock it, turn on the porch light, check all your windows and secure the key.
Don’t hit “later” when updates pop up. Is your computer performing differently than usual? Know what signs to watch for.
Suspected hacks or attacks should go immediately to the top of your to do list.
Do you have everything you need to get back to normal? Don’t risk losing what is valuable to you.
Five Main Components
Identifying – Know what others want. Too many people think they don’t have anything a hacker would go after.
Protecting – Make the path to your data full of roadblocks.
Detecting – Ignorance is not bliss. The sooner you know, the sooner you can respond.
Responding – Have a plan and beat the early bird.
Recovering – Have a spare key and build a better plan.
Professional
Hackers can sell your customers’ private information as well as shut down your business with ransomware.
Make sure all your endpoints are secure. Which employees are using their personal hardware or connecting to an unsecure site over your network?
Is all your hardware and software up to date with patches? If employees suspect something is wrong, who do they reach out to? Who is monitoring for attacks?
What is your action plan for a breach? Do your employees know that?
Is everything backed up? Do you have a PR plan? Did your action plan work, or does it need to be updated?
