Cybersecurity is not an afterthought, but a vital component of any project, business, or organization. Whether you are developing a new product, launching a service, or managing a network, you need to include cybersecurity in your planning from the start. Here are some tips on how to do that effectively and efficiently.
The first step is to identify and evaluate the potential threats and vulnerabilities that could affect your cybersecurity goals and objectives. You can use various frameworks and tools, such as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, to conduct a risk assessment and prioritize your actions. A risk assessment should cover your assets, data, processes, systems, and people, as well as the external factors, such as regulations, standards, and best practices.
Using frameworks like the NIST CF is like fortifying walls, gates, and towers to protect valuable treasures. By thoroughly understanding these threats and vulnerabilities, you prepare your cyber fortress to withstand ANY attacks and maintain the integrity of your digital realm.
Based on your risk assessment, you should develop a clear and comprehensive cybersecurity strategy that aligns with your business or project vision and mission. Your strategy should define your scope, goals, policies, roles, and responsibilities for cybersecurity. It should also outline your governance, compliance, and reporting mechanisms, as well as your budget and resources. Your strategy should be flexible and adaptable to changing needs and circumstances.
A key piece of your strategy should be designating your risk appetite and risk tolerance. A business - rather than cybersecurity - leader should be responsible for doing so. Risk appetite is the "cost of doing business" when it comes to cyber risk, and represents what the organization will accept on a daily basis. Risk tolerance represents the speed with which you must return to your appetite if you exceed it. For example, if you have a newly identified vulnerability in your network that causes you to exceed your risk appetite, your risk tolerance will tell you how quickly you need to fix it. Defining these two things up front is critical to having a coherent strategy which supports business operations.
Once you have your strategy, you should implement the appropriate controls to protect your cybersecurity posture and performance. Controls are the measures and actions that you take to prevent, detect, and respond to cyberattacks. They can be technical, such as encryption, firewalls, and antivirus, or non-technical, such as training, awareness, and audits. You should follow the principle of least privilege, which means granting only the minimum access and permissions necessary for each user, role, or function.
An additional category of controls - which can help the business as well - is data minimization. By reducing the total amount of information collected, you not only reduce your cybersecurity risk but also make it easier for analytics teams to focus on what counts. Consider reducing the amount of data collected via: 1. Email capture and other signup forms. 2. Meeting recordings. 3. Medical intake forms and records. Information that doesn't exist cannot be hacked, so start by reducing the amount you collect.
Cybersecurity is not a one-time event, but a continuous process that requires constant monitoring and evaluation. You should use various tools and methods, such as logs, alerts, dashboards, and metrics, to track and measure your cybersecurity activities and outcomes. You should also conduct regular reviews and audits to verify your compliance and effectiveness. You should be proactive and alert to any anomalies, incidents, or breaches that could compromise your cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity is not a static state, but a dynamic and evolving field that demands constant improvement and innovation. You should always look for ways to enhance your cybersecurity capabilities and maturity. You should learn from your experiences, feedback, and best practices, and implement the necessary changes and updates to your strategy, controls, and activities. You should also leverage the latest technologies, trends, and solutions, such as cloud, AI, and IoT, to boost your cybersecurity.
When it comes to integrating security tools in the CI/CD pipeline, organizations might need to think of a good strategy before starting to add random tools/scanners with different but overlapping capabilities (SAST/DAST/IAST/SCA, etc). It's not necessary to enable all scan capabilities with each build pipeline. Certain scan capabilities are more useful when performed early, even before a commit (shift-left), while other capabilities might be needed less often, such as when the code is about to be deployed in production.
Cybersecurity is not a solo effort, but a collaborative and collective responsibility that involves all your stakeholders. You should engage your internal and external stakeholders, such as employees, customers, partners, and suppliers, in your cybersecurity planning and execution. You should communicate your cybersecurity vision, goals, policies, and expectations clearly and regularly. You should also solicit their input, feedback, and support, and foster a culture of cybersecurity awareness and accountability.