Seven imperatives to build a “security-first” mindset

Cyberthreats are rampant especially in the current situation, and enterprise cyber teams are being extra vigilant – no surprises here. However, does the buck for securing the enterprise stops with the Cyber team alone? ?Again, no surprises here - the responsibility for cybersecurity must extend beyond the purview of the cyberteam to across the organization. In fact, enterprises must view it as an accountability of the enterprise. The repercussions of not having a collective hold of cybersecurity are severely damaging, and the recovery path is even more challenging. Enterprises must primarily establish a security-first culture to make this happen. The organization can be fully protected only when security is embedded in every facet of an enterprise.

Here is the MINDSET with seven key aspects that everyone must focus to ensure a security-first culture.

1.??????Mindset of “security-first” starts at the top – Leadership including the Board must take active role in supporting cybersecurity programs. They must communicate directly and subtly to emphasize across-the-board accountability. As a best practice, establishing a board-level committee that include the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) or establishing a security council with members across different functions to periodically discuss security issues will send a strong signal.

2.??????Inculcate beyond In-scope & Out-of-Scope mindset: An IT organization thrives on establishing scope and drawing up boundaries to ensure smooth functioning. However, such an approach would not suit the cyberworld and preclude a security-first culture. Moreover, enterprises deal with infrastructure, data, and apps spread globally and across entities outside the organizational ambit. Consequently, a holistic view is necessary.

3.??????Nurture an “Escalate First” mindset – Escalation usually reflects poorly on the team in conventional IT. In contrast, escalating potential cyber issues proactively can save an organization’s significant effort, money, and damage to reputation. A mindset change is warranted in the organizations – employees must not view escalations as negative but as a proactive approach to thwart any threats in cybersecurity and must be rewarded accordingly.

4.??????Deeper awareness - Employees across the organization must be regularly educated on cybersecurity principles and RACI to follow. The cyber team must devise new ways to socialize these principles, spread awareness of their part in cybersecurity programs/operations and coax everyone to practice them.

5.??????Scan and grasp cybersecurity emails from the team – Employees must consider cybersecurity related emails as inputs and weave them into their daily practices. For example, employees must not equate such emails as an outcome of the scouting activities of the cyberteam. Instead, they must learn to view it as a mechanism to protect the organization.

6.??????Err and fail fast than be reticent and sorry – Adopt a cautious approach and address issues even if there is a small element of doubt. With such an approach, false positives are almost certain, but it is worthwhile for establishing a security-first culture. Communicating to all stakeholders is extremely important even if it is a false positive. Cyber employees must exhibit curiosity and intent to get to the root of the issues and get them resolved. In addition, they must be ready to analyze and scrutinize issues. By developing deep knowledge, employees can be better prepared to deal with cyber issues.

7.??????Tread ahead. Skip hierarchies – It’s rare for a software engineer to interact with a C-level executive. However, the cyber team members should not hesitate to reach out to senior leaders to protect customers or their organization as required. Hesitating can spell disaster in this context, and the recommended way is to act promptly, even if they are false positives irrespective of business hours.

Summing it up

To reiterate, every employee is accountable for cybersecurity behavior. Cybersecurity teams must constantly keep employees aware of threats and potential issues. In addition, they can popularize and incentivize employees by rewarding appropriate behavior. For instance, employees who do things right the first time or proactively inform security teams on issues deserve to be acknowledged. It’s clear that a security-first culture is a highly reliable way to combat cyber threats proactively and continue safeguard their organization.

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