Cyber Attack Preparedness: Steps to Safeguard Your Digital Assets

You probably wouldn’t leave the doors to your car unlocked when parking it out in the open. Although you might not have valuables in your vehicle, you don’t want to deal with a stolen car. If you’re like most, you may also have sensitive data stored in your glove compartment, such as insurance policies. When someone you don’t know and trust gets their hands on this information, the consequences could be long-lasting.

Your organization’s digital assets also contain sensitive information, attracting the interest of cybercriminals who want to profit from it. Sometimes, the profit doesn’t come from electronic data but from compromising your company’s network. Ransomware is often deployed in this type of attack where your org must pay to restore network functionality.

Preparing for cyber-attacks isn’t just smart and essential. Solid preparation protects your digital assets from misuse and damage. Let’s examine the steps your team can take.

Include Zero Day Vulnerabilities in Your Plan

Nearly all software eventually has a flaw cybercriminals try to or successfully exploit. Automating updates and the installation of security patches are routine in cyber-attack prep. But have you thought about the vulnerabilities for which there aren’t any fixes yet? A zero day vulnerability is a flaw so recent developers haven’t had time to come up with a patch.

If you think an anti-malware scanner will find it, think again. These flaws are too new for these programs to detect. However, cybercriminals are aware of the vulnerabilities and have probably already created a plan of attack. The traditional method of checking for updates and installing them won’t do anything to stop it. Still, there are other defense mechanisms you can implement.

These methods are more proactive because they stop unauthorized apps from running. Even if a cybercriminal writes a script to exploit an unknown vulnerability, it won’t work. Allowlisting denies all apps, scripts, and libraries that aren’t on your approved list. Ringfencing puts up a barrier around approved software and components, such as the command prompt, that criminals usually take advantage of. Both are effective at stopping attacks and mitigating damage. 

Perform Audits

To prepare proactively for a cyber-attack, you must look for problems before they become obvious. There’s a reason the experts recommend performing regular maintenance on your car and your home’s major appliances. For one, it keeps all the components running in the best possible shape. Second, testing the functionality of the entire system identifies lurking performance issues.

If a failing part needs to be replaced, you catch it early and the system doesn’t break down. Security audits play the same role in preparing for the worst-case scenario. You’re identifying vulnerabilities before it’s too late. Plus, you’re assessing how well your infrastructure runs and the effectiveness of your guardrails.

A thorough audit usually includes examining more than your network monitoring procedures. You want to include who has physical access to equipment, including servers. For example, it’s best practice only to let those who need to touch server equipment into server rooms. Data encryption methods and employee training are other items to include in your audits. Are your encryption methods up to the test and can staff members correctly identify phishing tactics?  

Implement Strong Password Practices

The human factor is often the weakest link. Besides falling for a phishing scam, using easy-to-guess passwords is where humans create vulnerabilities for cybercriminals to discover. Examples include commonly used words, consecutive numbers, and personal information. As easy as it is to remember, don’t use your birthday or home address as your password.

This information isn’t kept under wraps. Anyone can usually find it online with a cursory search. Simultaneously, choosing unique credentials is challenging. And if you’re constantly updating your passwords every 90 days, you can run out of ideas. While it’s good practice to have your IT team implement strong password rules, it doesn’t guarantee they’ll be 100% foolproof.

Say network policies require changes every 90 days plus a combination of words, numbers, and special characters. But what if employees only change one of the numbers in the password, keeping the rest of it the same? That’s why requiring the use of unique password generators can be more beneficial. So can mandating the use of two-factor authentication on top of passwords. It’s much harder for cybercriminals to steal someone’s fingerprint or be physically present.

Back-Up Everything

In the event a cyber-attack happens, you don’t want to be unable to recover your data. Every digital asset you have should be backed up regularly. Your backup schedule will depend on the extent of your resources. The more assets you have, the higher the frequency.

A good rule of thumb for larger organizations is nightly backups. Yet, that’s not to say smaller companies should only back up data every six months. A weekly schedule is probably more appropriate. Automating the schedule is also preferable so your team doesn’t forget.

Another critical aspect is to have your backup files go to a separate location. It doesn’t make sense to store them on the same network. Smaller companies might use an external storage drive. Larger businesses could use offsite servers. Regardless, it’s important to ensure the data is in a different but secure location.

Preparing for a Cyber Attack

No business wants to fall victim to an attack. But the reality is it’s more likely to happen than not. In 2023, there was a 72% increase in data breaches from 2021, which represented an all-time high. Plus, 94% of organizations have reported security incidents related to email.

Criminals are stepping up their activities while also getting bolder and more sophisticated. It’s fair to assume your business is a target and take steps to create secure, effective defenses. From considering zero day vulnerabilities to regularly backing up data, it’s best to cover all your bases.