A business team can take a wait-and-see reactive approach to cyber security, delaying action until it is a victim. Or, it can play a proactive role in anticipating the risks, finding the weaknesses, and putting the processes in place that may prevent or soften a cybercrime from even happening. Cyber security monitoring is one such proactive move that can pay back an initial investment many times over.
Cyber security monitoring involves the collecting and analyzing of information to detect suspicious or unauthorized behavior or changes on a network, triggering alerts, and often taking automatic, precautionary actions. Think of it as a high-quality security alarm. You can leave your doors unlocked and check every now and then to see if anything has been stolen and, if so, notify the insurance company. That’s reactive. Or, you can set an alarm, and not only will you know when a break-in occurs, but the system can notify the police, lock doors, and stop the break-in its tracks.
Now, or never?
Even the most secure system can be broken into, and even the most experienced IT professional can leak a password. But with proactive cyber security monitoring you can find and respond swiftly to these mistakes, and threats. In contrast, a reactive cyber security policy leaves you vulnerable, and recovery can be slow. According to the Ponemon Institute, it takes an average of 191 days for a business to detect a hack. The consequences of being hacked for days, weeks or months before noticing it may be substantial, with data continuously compromised or leaked, used and shared across a broad network of cyber criminals. The immediate and long-term ramifications of such a delay is likely to far eclipse any cyber security monitoring investment. Just a few months ago for example, Marriott International announced their network had been hacked since 2014, and wasn’t discovered until September, 2018. Information from 500 million customers was compromised.
As one security industry company writes, “You need to assume that your business will be breached at some point and have appropriate monitoring controls and procedures in place to mitigate the risks.”
Cyber Security Monitoring Basics
Cyber security monitoring utilizes a variety of mechanisms to continuously keep tabs on network traffic, and then send out alerts or take action at the right moment. As international cyberthreat intelligence provider Blueliv reports, there are typically four stages to the lifecycle of a breach:
- Attempting to get the information, like passwords and network credentials (via phishing or other schemes)
- Collecting the information (from people falling for the schemes)
- Validating the information (to make sure the information works, often though an automated bot)
- Monetizing the information (selling it to a third party, using it to steal data, and so on).
With the right threat intelligence, however, an IT security team can step in and stop the lifecycle midstream. With cyber security monitoring, action can be taken while attackers are still attempting to validate the information, or before they’ve finished fully collecting it.
Proactive Help
From hackers to disgruntled employees, to outdated devices to third-party service providers, companies are routinely exposed to security threats, often from unexpected sources. Quick response time is essential, and automated, continuous cyber security monitoring is the key to fast threat detection and response.
At DYOPATH our proactive monitoring services have saved our clients countless times, not only from outside threats, but from a whole host of unexpected issues. For example, our proactive cyber security monitoring for the Chicago White Sox revealed signs of imminent failure within their Contact Center Server. We were able to apply a patch to the server before it failed, preventing any disruption to customer service. At DYOPATH, our 24/7 proactive cyber security monitoring and problem-solving are part of what make us an outstanding partner in the continual battle against cyber security breaches or issues, and is just one of our many IT as a Service offerings.
Contact us to find out more.