Complying With Cyber Security: How To Keep Up?

We all know what cyber security is and how it works, generally speaking, but beyond knowing the what and how comes the specifics of integration. Cyber security is not a simple field, rather it is a complex system which incorporates a resilience-focused approach towards internet-exposed software and hardware infrastructures – in summary, cyber security is how you protect your business data, assets and systems. Knowing that cyber security is complex, and knowing what it protects, it comes as no surprise that businesses are legally obliged to bring their cyber security approach in line with established standards and regulations – the expectation of confidentiality, integrity and availability.

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Understanding the regulatory landscape

While there are many cyber security regulations, let’s look at the three most prominent and how they play a crucial role in businesses internationally.

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General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Introduced by the European Union, GDPR demands strict data protection and privacy standards for any organisation handling personal data – this could be as little as a first name to as significant as payment details. GDPR emphasizes three main concepts: transparency, consent, and data subject rights.

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Although GDPR doesn’t just regulate businesses, it establishes several rights for data subjects [consumers] over their personal data, including the right to:

• Access their data
• Rectify inaccuracies
• Erase information under certain circumstances
• Restrict processing activities

To that end, GDPR necessitates businesses to obtain explicit consent before processing personal data and provides guidelines on obtaining valid consent. Additionally, GDPR demands organisations promptly notify authorities of any data breach that may jeopardise individuals' rights and freedoms.

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Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

It could be argued that health records are as important as your billing details, and they should be protected as such. HIPAA sets specific standards for protecting and securing sensitive health information, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of patient data.

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HIPAA was passed in the US to help maintain patient trust and ensure that personal health details are safeguarded from unauthorised access or misuse. HIPAA not only protects individuals' privacy rights but also shields healthcare organisations from legal penalties and reputational damage.

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Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)

Payment data is arguably one of the most sensitive, and PCI DSS outlines specific security controls and best practices for organisations handling this data. It ensures the secure processing, storage, and transmission of cardholder data to prevent fraud and data breaches.

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PCI DSS includes a robust framework that includes network security measures, access controls, regular system monitoring, and vulnerability management. The framework also stresses the importance of maintaining a secure network infrastructure by implementing:

• Firewalls
• Encryption protocols
• Intrusion detection systems

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is one such encryption standard which safeguards sensitive information across networks and systems.

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Let’s now understand how to achieve compliance

Compliance should never be a party you’re late to because one lapse in security could make or break your organisation and derail your mission permanently. It can be daunting, but like your first step, you need to persist and make a conscious effort to align your business with international, national and industry regulations. Let’s review ways in which you can begin complying:

Conducting regular risk assessments

You can’t take preventative action if you don’t understand what you’re up against, and this all comes down to regular risk assessments to evaluate the threat landscape. Risk assessments identify vulnerabilities, threats and compliance gaps in your systems, as well as catalyses risk management and security enhancement measures.

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Businesses should adopt proven methodologies such as:

• Frameworks such as NIST or ISO 27001
• Qualitative and quantitative risk analysis
• Mitigation efforts, driven by risk assessment data
• Risk treatment strategies

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Implement strong password policies

It may seem small, but ensuring employees always set strong and unique passwords can go a long way to keeping your systems and network secure. Passwords should generally include:

• Uppercase and lowercase letters
• Numbers
• Special characters

Passwords should never include identifiable or personal details that could easily be guessed!

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Your policy should also include password rotation to further mitigate the potential risks attached to compromised credentials. Additionally, utilise password managers! They’re designed with robust encryption and protection in mind so instead of memorising, or worse, writing your passwords down, store them conveniently and safely in a dedicated password manager such as Bitwarden or LastPass.

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Train employees on best practices

A recent study showed that human risk is the biggest security gap, with 74% of all cyber breaches being attributed to human factors. Knowing this, organisations need to better equip employees with the knowledge and tools to know what a tangible threat looks like and steps they can take to prevent or mitigate it. You can:

• Conduct phishing simulation tests to evaluate employees' responses to phishing emails. This enhances their ability to detect and avoid falling victim to malicious attacks.
• Perform regular incident response drills to prepare employees to act quickly in the event of a security breach. This minimises potential damage and ensures a coordinated response.
• Enforce security policy adherence through training, reinforcing the importance of following established protocols and procedures to safeguard organisational data and assets.

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Update, update, update!

You are a sitting duck if you postpone or outright refuse to conduct software and system updates. At their core, they are designed to patch newly identified vulnerabilities and integrate layered protection against new and evolving threats. Help your business by always performing the latest updates so that you can promptly close security gaps and protect your assets!

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Monitor and respond to security incidents

Don’t become complacent once you’re compliant and protected because new threats are emerging daily. Efficient monitoring allows your organisation to detect potential security incidents quickly, enabling you to assess the severity of the threat and take necessary actions to contain and resolve the issue before it escalates. Incident response on the other hand involves the triaging of incidents to prioritise and address them based on their severity and potential impact on business operations.

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Where to start on your road to compliance?

We’re proud to have a proven track record of delivering the best cyber security solutions and advice to countless businesses globally. As industry leaders in cyber security and a prominent certification body, we understand the challenges across many industries and have the means to help companies overcome them.

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With trusted partners such as Microsoft, Google, AWS and Redstor, we’re able to offer it all:

• Information security reviews
• Risk assessments
• Sanctions compliance
• Vendor risk management
• Cyber security training
• Vulnerability assessments
• Compliance consultations
• Penetration testing

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Comply The GTL Way

Reach out to book your free consultation with us today at https://gemrajtechs.com/contact/.