Cybersecurity is a fast-growing industry in this era, where the main aim is to reduce cyberattacks. Cybersecurity professionals are responsible for protecting IT infrastructure and controlling devices, networks, and data. So what is cybersecurity? Why is it so important? What are the effective controls used to oppose cyberattacks? Let us learn in detail in this article.
Cybersecurity is a technique that protects internet-connected systems such as computers, servers, mobile devices, and networks from malicious activity. Cyber refers to technology that includes networks, programmes, systems, and data. And security refers to safeguarding all the above-mentioned cyber assets.
Cybersecurity is also called electronic information security or information technology security.
Every organization wants to have an advantage when it comes to securing the systems and information. So the systems should contain strong security features that should keep the organization's data secure.
Therefore, cyber security provides the following domains:
The above-discussed types are essential to bringing cyber security to life.
We live in a digital era where all of our lives revolve around the computer and other electronic devices. All of the critical infrastructures like a banking system, healthcare, financial institutions, governments, and manufacturing industries use internet-connected devices, to perform core operations.
Some of their important information, such as intellectual property, financial data, and personal data, can be sensitive. To protect that data from intruders and threat actors who would want financial gain, cyber security is implemented.
Cyber-attacks have now become an international concern because hacking, and all other security attacks will endanger the global economy. Hence, it is important to have an excellent cyber security strategy, to protect sensitive information from high-profile security breaches.
Governments around the world are paying more attention to cybercrimes. GDPR i.e. General data protection regulation is the best example of how changes are made in cyber security.
Cybersecurity contains essential security goals, which makes it more effective. Let us learn about cyber security goals in the following sections.
The main objective of cyber security is to ensure data protection. Cyber security offers three related principles to protect data from breaches; the principle is called the CIA triad. CIA can be broken into three parts,
To secure data from malicious activities Cybersecurity contains essential controls, let us know in the following what it has to offer in detail.
Read more about cyber security and the best protocols used for cyber-attacks.
The controls are created to ensure the CIA triad i.e. confidentiality, integrity, and availability of an organization’s information and technology assets. And controls revolve around four essentials of people, technology, processes, and strategy.
Cyber security control is a mechanism that is used to prevent, detect and reduce cyber-attacks and threats. Cyber security controls are every organization's need, as it is used to manage the security program of a company/organization.
Cyber security is the top priority of organizations, where they determine what control they need. Here are some of the effective smaller controls used by every organization,
Update OS: when a threat or intrusion is found in the software, the technical staff try to work on it and will provide an updated version of the software. Keeping the system updated will help control the threats and security features will get better.
Granted applications: Meaning that a computer is configured to only run an application that is permitted by the organization. This control is hard to manage application in cyber security if done, there will be no cyber-attacks or data breaches taking place.
Reinforce system’s security: Being aware of the programmable settings in the OS i.e. operating system and applications are configured for security. And it is recommended to regularly re-install parts of the OS that will never be used.
Implement Multi-factor authentication: adding two-step verification is going to do good, to keep your data secure. The best example is Gmail, where you can set two-step verification so that no one can get into your mail details.
Suggestion: get CISM certification and become a certified security manager
All systems contain weaknesses where some might be simple and some are complex. If a cyber attacker gets to know about the weak points in the system they will try to exploit it. Measures taken by an organization to stop these threats are known as security control.
Cyber security controls are the countermeasures taken up to reduce the chances of a data breach or system attack. The essential and tough work to do in cyber security is to select the right control, but most organizations do it wrong.
Cyber threats are automated and aimed at by cyber attackers. The attacks can be in the forms of malware, formjacking, Cryptojacking, Domain name system attacks, and in various ways they try to get into the system. It becomes a challenge to face all these, cyber security controls help to mitigate most of the threats. Reducing the threats is always a need, errors that happen in the system can be controlled using essential cyber controls like,
Controls in cyber security contain different classes that split up the types of controls, which are considered based on their importance and classification.
The essential cyber security controls are divided into three types, technical, administrative, and physical. The main goal of implementing security control is preventative, detective, corrective, compensatory, or deterrent. Let us understand each of them in the following,
Technical Controls
Technical controls are also known as logical controls. That is used to reduce attacks on both hardware and software. And automated software tools are installed to protect the system.
Examples of technical controls that are used to protect the system are as follows,
Technical control is implemented using two methods,
Access Control Lists (ACL): ACL is a network traffic filter that controls incoming and outgoing traffic. They are commonly used in routers or firewalls, but they can also be programmed in any device that runs on the network, from hosts to servers.
Configuration Rules: It is a set of instructional codes used to guide the execution of the system when information is passed through it.
Administrative controls: Administrative security controls refer to policies, procedures, and guidelines that define the roles or business practices of an organisation’s security goals.
To implement administrative controls, additional security controls are necessary for monitoring and enforcement. The controls used to monitor and enforce them are as follows,
Management controls: This control is used to mainly focus on risk management and information security management.
Operational controls: The security controls that are primarily implemented, like technical and managerial controls executed by people, are saved by operational controls.
Physical controls: Physical security controls in cyber security are implemented based on cyber measures in a defined structure. That is used to detect or prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data.
Examples of physical controls are as follows:
Preventative controls
These controls are used to prevent loss or errors. Examples of preventative controls are as follows,
Detective controls
It is an accounting term, that uses internal control to find errors within the organization. Examples of detective controls are as follows:
Corrective controls
After a system malfunction, corrective controls are used to make the system more effective to use. Examples of corrective controls include,
Deterrent controls
Deterrent controls are used to reduce deliberate attacks, which are usually in the form of a tangible object or person. Examples of deterrent controls include
Compensating controls
Compensating control is an alternative method that is used to satisfy the requirement for security. And certain security measures can’t be implemented due to financial or simple impractical reasons at the time.
Example of Compensating control,
Time-based OTP- One of the best examples for compensating control is OTP, i.e., One-time password, where a code is generated by an algorithm that uses the current time of day as one of its authentication factors.
Cyber security is one of the important aspects of the growing world. Threats are hard to deny and overcoming them is also a difficult task. But there is a need to learn how to defend them and also to manage the security activities of organizations and individuals. That could be done by using proper security controls. Monitor the valuable assets and keep your organization away from cyber threats.
Learn more about networking and security and get certified by CompTIA through Sprintzeal.
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