TOP TIPS FOR IMPROVING IT SECURITY

PERFORM A SECURITY ASSESSMENT

Assessing your company’s security threats is the first step towards keeping your IT

environment secure. Security assessments should include checks for vulnerabilities in your IT systems and business processes, as well as recommending steps to lower the risk of future attacks.

Identify:

»  Your critical assets

» External vulnerabilities that could be potential security gaps that would allow hackers access to your network and information

» System protocol leakage – outbound protocols that shouldn’t be allowed

»  Lack of web browser controls

»  Wireless network security issues

»  Network share permissions

 

SET UP A SECURE VPN FOR REMOTE WORKERS TO ACCESS APPLICATIONS THAT REQUIRE IT

VPNs encrypt internet traffic making it unreadable to anyone intercepting it. It’s

important to have an easy and automated process to set up VPN on your remote endpoints.

Here are a few guidelines:

»  Use a strong encryption method for VPN

» Consider Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) over Internet Protocol security (IPsec)

» Consider OpenVPN over Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP)

» Use an endpoint management tool to deploy, configure and monitor VPN clients on remote endpoints

» Automate the process of redeploying the VPN client if it goes down

 

HAVE A BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE (BYOD) POLICY THAT SPECIFIES SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

Outline essential elements for your BYOD policy to ensure maximum endpoint security:

» Chart out the minimum required security controls for devices

» Provide components such as SSL certificates for device authentication

»  Enforce strong password policies

»  Control and monitor the installation of apps

 

BACK UP SYSTEMS AND SAAS APPLICATION DATA WITH INTEGRATED BACKUP AND DISASTER RECOVERY SOLUTIONS

Implement a robust backup solution that:

» Integrates with your endpoint management solution for seamless backup management

»  Automates testing for guaranteed recovery

»  Ensures clean instant recoveries

Back up your SaaS data for speedy restoration in case of malware, phishing or user errors.

 »  Define policies to be followed in case an employee leaves the company and data needs to be wiped

» Your BYOD policy should require an agent to be installed on the endpoint for managing the device

AUTOMATE SOFTWARE PATCH MANAGEMENT AND VULNERABILITY MANAGEMENT

Install, deploy and update software on each endpoint automatically using an endpoint management solution. Timely patching helps keep your software up to date and

addresses known vulnerabilities, thus strengthening cybersecurity. A best-in-class RMM effortlessly automates the complete patching lifecycle. From sourcing patches to installing them based on specified policies and priorities, it should do everything for you.

» Have real-time visibility into the patch status of your on-and-off network devices.

» Have visibility into the software

vulnerabilities that impact your IT environment

» Set up auto-remediation of vulnerabilities through proactive scanning and automated patching

IMPLEMENT MULTIFACTOR AUTHENTICATION (MFA) AND SINGLE SIGN-ON (SSO)

SSO and MFA increase authentication security by:

» Reducing the need to remember user credentials

» Requiring additional information, beyond passwords, to log into the user’s account.

» For example, with two-factor authentication, you would get a one-time passcode

» Letting users log in securely to multiple applications with one set of credentials

EDUCATE YOUR EMPLOYEES AND MONITOR YOUR EXPOSURE TO THE DARK WEB

Monitor the dark web to take proactive steps to prevent a security breach

»  Scan the dark web for stolen credentials

»  Set up alerts if any company data or

employee personal data is found on the dark web

» Change the passwords as needed and implement strong password policies

» Educate employees with simulated phishing emails and security awareness training videos

DEPLOY AN ANTIVIRUS/ANTI-MALWARE AND ENDPOINT DETECTION AND RESPONSE (EDR) COMBINED SOLUTION

Go beyond traditional antivirus and anti-malware and implement an EDR solution to combat cyberattacks. EDR solutions record system activities and events taking place on endpoints and provide security teams with the visibility they need to uncover and remediate incidents.

A sophisticated EDR solution identifies and removes cyberthreats from your

environment by

» Constantly monitoring your environment for security incidents and anomalies

» Providing real-time threat detection and automated remediation

» Delivering fast incident triage, investigation and response

» Offering pre- and post-compromise attack visibility (Root Cause Analysis)

IMPLEMENT AND PRACTICE YOUR INCIDENT RESPONSE PLAN

All organizations need to be prepared for major security incidents that could drastically affect their business. Plan and practice a step-by-step incident response strategy that incorporates the following:

» Define the roles and responsibilities of

each member of your incident response team

» Have a business continuity plan

» Identify the tools, technologies and resources that must be in place.

» Define all critical network and data recovery processes

» Identify and remediate the root cause of the incident – apply patches, update systems,

» Remove malware, etc.

» Have a communications plan for both internal and external stakeholders.

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