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Evaluating your Cyber-Security Approach: The Argument Against Return on Investments

October 15, 2018

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20 min read

A company’s cyber-security strategy should tailor to the unique needs and characteristics of your business. When considering whether or not a strategy needs improvement, organizations will often ask one another about their security budget. This evaluation involves asking questions about whether or not the budget is similar to budgets of the same size, or how to calculate the return on investment (ROI) for security spending. On the contrary, corporate leadership should focus on network defender first principles instead of ROI as a means of evaluating a cyber-security’s efficacy. ‍

What Are Network Defender First Principles?

‍The first principles approach stems from Greek philosophy. Aristotle believed that first principles, atomic in their nature, couldn’t be broken down any further. As building blocks, first principles drive every decision that one makes. Keeping this in mind, ask yourself the following question. Is your organization, above any other priority, driven by what other organizations are doing? Most likely, the answer to the question is no. Comparing one organization to another and/or calculating ROI are rarely a motivation factor behind business decisions, but rather an afterthought.

In this example, let’s evaluate material impact as a security first principle. A single cyber hack can inflict hundreds upon thousands of dangerous consequences on an organization. If you decide to follow the lead of other organizations and determine an ROI in the process, you are inadvertently focusing on how to make a profit on diffusing a hack. This approach is inadequate, and should instead be sculpted around how dismantling a hack preserves your business’s most essential functions.

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How Should Leadership Determine its High-Probability Cyber Risks?

‍Instead of focusing on your cyber infrastructure’s ROI, your IT department should focus on identifying high-probability cyber-threats. These threats should, in theory, have significant material impact in a one to three year period. Leadership should hone in on which threats are the most probable in the short-term. This approach allows your IT department to think most realistically about what could pose a risk. Once these threats are identified, an organization will be better equipped to mitigate the risk of a successful attack sequence.

Seeking input from the senior level helps clarify which threats are more significant than others by putting these threats in the context of the organization’s greater functions and purposes. It is important to note that no threat can be thoroughly realized nor understood without proper metrics. According to Phillip Tetlock’s book “Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction,” risk managers cannot be held accountable for their estimates if metrics did not play a deciding factor. This, in essence, explains why board members should adopt a quantified approach towards risk evaluation.

A quantified approach involves determining if a risk is detectable/observable. Douglas Hubbard, who expanded on Paul Meehl’s concept around clarification chains, affirms that a detectable risk should be detected as either an amount or a range of possible amounts. Any risk found to be a range of possible amounts could also be measured. Board members must therefore ensure that identified risks can be quantified and subsequently measured in its potential threat to the organization.

‍Current and Future Priorities

‍Your cyber-security priorities should echo the first defender principles of your organization. At the foundation of every decision your business makes, what are the bedrock factors? If this is not echoed in your cyber-security defense, changes are in order. A return of investment approach to security infrastructure fails to account for top organizational priorities, such as keeping a business’s unique functions, goods, and services productive at all times. In summary, the more that a board collaborates with their own IT department to identify plausible, metric-backed risks within a specific time frame, the more likely a board is to promote a robust cyber infrastructure.

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Head in the Clouds: Why IT’s Value of Cloud Security is Just Beginning

October 8, 2018

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20 min read

It should come as no surprise that companies both small and large are concerned with keeping their security solutions relevant with global trends in technology. As told in a new Threat Stack report, over half of companies worry that they may soon outgrow their current security solutions. A Threat Stack press release insinuated that this widely held opinion has inspired a growing interest in cloud workload security. With information technology budgets also on the rise, companies should pay close attention to cloud security and its advantages in making a business competitive.

‍The Corporate Feasibility of Cloud Security

Companies must ensure that investments into refining security systems and processes offer the most “bang for their buck.” As demonstrated by present trends in IT infrastructure, statistics prove that there is a climate for cloud security to grow. For example, only 41% of respondent infrastructure operates on an office’s premises. Alternatively, infrastructure options such as laaS (25%), PaaS (17%), and containers (10%) have become more favorable. However, there is still some hesitation regarding whether or not to invest in cloud security. This may come as a surprise, as we are beginning to see businesses spend more money than ever before on information technology (a 19% IT budget increase on average, for example). Yet using the same data sample, Threat Stack’s press release also found that 90% of businesses are struggling with budget allocation. This implies that while there is growing interest in how cloud security can benefit your business, corporate leadership still struggles to determine if it’s congruent with overarching budget considerations.

Why might this be? One idea suggests that there is simply not enough awareness surrounding how cloud security operates. It is hard to generate support for a tactic without fully comprehending what there is to support and how a difference might actually be made. Cloud security offers several levels of control within network infrastructure, consequently providing continuity and protection for cloud-based assets such as websites and other web applications. If corporations do not circulate internal communications explaining cloud security and how such mechanisms keep data secure, it will likely remain unpopular, hard to implement, and ultimately unfeasible.

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What Cloud Security Can Offer Your Business

‍Think about how many minutes you could have saved if every morning this year, you didn’t have to think twice about knowing where your keys were. The logic behind this, in essence, advocates for cloud security – when data is saved under a cloud application, there is rarely a concern about how a loss of a physical device might affect your access to information. Cloud security’s ability to withstand physical emergency also suggests its compatibility with emergency preparedness. The ability to keep data secure from physical elements (natural disasters, power outages, etc.) also advocates for improved productivity. Cloud security also enhances productivity by providing consistent, 24/7 protections for a company’s assets. By keeping IT constantly monitored throughout the year, businesses can confidently work at any time of the year at optimal security levels. Cloud security also gives employees the opportunity to collect their knowledge from a single location, at any location. Yet with the power to access information across borders comes the responsibility to ensure their security. By encrypting all data, cloud security encourages easy and safe information exchanges between employees. This is particularly beneficial to businesses whose team members live in a different geographic location, but share projects and/or responsibilities.

‍The Future of Cybersecurity is in the Cloud

‍Businesses that are looking to pivot towards updating their information technology infrastructure should consider cloud security mechanisms as a means of keeping their data secure. While the initial start-up cost and uncertainty about how cloud security operates may discourage corporate leadership from investing, advantages to data’s physical security and business productivity certainly outweigh the risk. As IT budgets expand, we encourage businesses both small and large to learn more about cloud security and how its IT innovations catalyze new opportunities and growth.

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Lessons Learned: Evaluating Cybersecurity in the context of Maersk

October 1, 2018

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20 min read

Businesses continue to rely on technology more and more as a means of making their goods and services more affordable, useful, and accessible. By consequence, these digital systems encompass large volumes of information – however, where does this information go? Who can access our information? How do we know this information will be secure, and not maliciously utilized?

‍Cyber-Emergency Preparedness under Maersk

‍When concerning cybersecurity, ignorance does not mean bliss. For example, Maersk demonstrated that they did not have a robust cybersecurity infrastructure in place to effectively detect the attack. During a cyber-attack in June 2017, employees first suspected danger once they saw disturbing, abnormal messages on their screens, with some different than the next. After almost two hours, the IT department effectively disconnected the company’s entire global network. This would be the first of many efforts by the IT department to demonstrate their cybersecurity capabilities.

All personnel were required to shut down their computers and phones, with some employees even sent home for the day. The hackers not only cut corporate productivity down to a sliver, but Maersk’s shipping terminals too were inoperative. In Elizabeth, New Jersey, vehicles were lined up for miles outside Maersk’s shipping terminal; since their gate shut down for the day, every customer was unable to get their cargo in and out of the gate.

Ultimately, Maersk was able to withstand the attack and remain in business. Their recovery strategy began strictly by chance – during the attack, one remote office in Ghana had a power outage. This allowed Ghana to retain an unaffected copy of the company’s server system map, which the company’s IT department used for an offline data backup. Had Ghana’s office been online during the attack, no offline data backup would exist. Most importantly, the company would have been completely shut down. Over the ten days immediately following the attack, the company’s IT department reinstalled 4,000 new servers, 45,000 new PCs, and 2,500 applications. Maerk’s chairman Jim Hagemann Snabe, who previously worked for the IT Industry, notes that the ten-day effort usually takes around six months.

“It is nearly impossible for any business, no matter how lucrative, to unsuspectingly face nine figures worth of damages without any fear of what the future might hold.”

NotPetya and their Impact to Global Technology

‍The term “warfare,” instead of conventional artillery, now encompasses both technology and the World Wide Web. A prominent example includes the battleground between Russia and the Ukraine. Russia’s cyber offense includes a group of agents (called Sandworm) that hacked into dozens of the Ukrainian government’s organizations and companies. During June 2017, Sandstorm released their most dangerous cyber weapon to date, known as NotPetya. Sandstorm effectively deployed this malware by identifying thousands of PCs around the country and the world that have M.E.Doc (an accounting software). Sandstorm entered a code that spread the NotPetya malware faster than any of its viral predecessors.

NotPetya indiscriminatingly wreaked havoc on machines across the world. Not only did Maersk feel the devastation, but also several multinational companies faced crippling destruction, including pharmaceutical giant Merck, FedEx’s European subsidiary TNT Express, and French construction company Saint-Gobain. While the average cost for a small business to recover from a cyber-attack amounts to $500,000, each of these multinational companies inflicted nine-figure costs to repair from NotPetya’s wrath.

It is nearly impossible for any business, no matter how lucrative, to unsuspectingly face nine figures worth of damages without any fear of what the future might hold. NotPetya will always be a nightmare-case scenario in the dimensions of cybersecurity. Think of the devastation felt across Europe during World War II, where “total war” strategies waged unrestrained warfare aimed at the total destruction of military and civilian populations. The majority of ports in Europe and many in Asia had been destroyed or badly damaged. Now, think of how the terms of military engagement have expanded to digital realms, and how said warfare could attack far beyond the intended target.

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Technology, Cybersecurity and the Future

‍Technology is continuously changing the landscape of how we share our information, optimize or systems and processes, and in the most dangerous of cases, fight our battles. Our phones, tablets, and laptops, specifically the information we share on these devices, are more desired, and targeted from afar, discrete locations than any precedent. Individuals and businesses alike must be mindful of how technology makes our information not just valuable, but attainable.

We consider technology as a means to (in layman’s terms) make our lives easier, we hardly look up from our phones enough to consider the possibility that technology could make our lives more difficult. Although Maersk survived the NotPetya cyber-attack, the malware should serve as an example for businesses across the international community about the potential consequences of not having a sustainable cybersecurity system, as well as the essential necessity for regular offline data backups. The Maersk example provides context to how how total war tactics between two nations can threaten cybersecurity, and even jeopardize a multinational corporation’s bottom-line. Given this context, NotPetya should exist as both a warning and an international standard for all cybersecurity infrastructures to detect and dismantle.

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Practical Cyber Security Tips for the Average Person

October 29, 2018

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20 min read

EveryOctoberis Cyber Security Awareness Month, but that doesn’t it's never too early or too late to learn new ways about how to stay safe online. Here are some general best practices for how you can avoid hackers and maintain top notch cyber security.

‍Password Protection

‍Avoid choosing a simple combination of numbers and/or words as your password, and especially avoid using numbers and/or words that are salvageable from already existing data associated with your identity. This includes usingyour name, date of birth,ande-mail addresscharacters in your password. Using a strong mix of characters, diversifying your passwords for different websites, andavoiding sharing passwords with others are all strong tools for preventing a hack. We alsorecommend keeping a physical copy of your passwordson youat all times. Keeping your passwords physically attached to yourmonitor, orstored in a cloud-based application such as Notes, maymake a breach more plausible.

Another key tool of good password management is locking your devices. It is ill advised to leave any of your devices unattended. If you must leave your phone, tablet, flash drive computer, or any other device unattended, it is encouragedto activate a lock so that it’s not accessible. Again, device passcodes should not be physically attached to the device it’s protecting.

‍Online Self-Autonomy

‍When online, your top priority should be making sure your information stays only yours.This includeslimiting yourself-exposure on social networks. In 2016, the Russian government used targeted Facebook ads to appeal to certain profile’s assumed political affiliations. Theirultimate goalwas to sway American public opinion inthen-candidate DonaldTrump’s favor. The Russian government manipulatedinformationand created graphicsto triggercertainFacebook user’s implicit biases, which were assumed basedoff ofwhat they shared on their profiles.For example, some ads specifically targeted conservative Facebook users by placing the American flag alongside statements such as “take care of our vets, not illegals.” Keeping sensitive information offline thereforelessensthevarietyofdata available on your identity, which would make any attempted manipulation far more difficult to accomplish.

On the topic of suspicious activity, another way to practice online self-autonomy includesregular account monitoring. Keeping an offline record of where you’ve created an account and when, as well as setting a reminder to check those accounts on a regular basis, can help make sure that you’ve not been compromised.If you have been compromised, checking your account on a regular basis can stop a hacker in their tracks before they’re able to maximize their impact.

"Keeping sensitive information offline therefore lessens the variety of data available on your identity, which would make any attempted manipulation far more difficult to accomplish."

Detecting and Reporting Fraudulent Activity

‍One tactic that hackers use to trick Internet users is social engineering. Social engineering manipulates individuals into thinking that their data will beput to usefor a purposeful mission such as charity, entrepreneurship, and etc.In reality, theintentis actually malicious.Don’t be afraid to decline theserequests, andreaching out to the affiliated company to confirm their identity from the source.

Another means of avoiding fraudulent activity when surfing the web includes safe clicking. Social engineers often send suspicious links, images, and videos via direct messaging, emails, and instant messaging.If it appears out-of-the-blue or unfamiliar, do not click. Pay close attention to what appears in your inboxes – some hackers will misspell a single word, or omit a single letter, in a URLallfor the purpose of directing you to a harmful domain. Even if the informationseems interesting, it is always best practice to avoid and ignore suspicious activity.

‍The Final Test

‍Please note thatno matter how active you are on the Internet, anyone can fall victim to a hacker. Knowing that anyone is an attractive target toahacker should dissuade you fromany adventurous online activityoutside of your normal practices.Recentevents, such as the Russia-Facebook data breach,attestto the bitter realityofhow the World Wide Web can inflict serious harm in a moment’s notice.While many of theaforementionedtacticscanrefine your personal cyber-security, the premier ruleisto stay vigilant.If you stayon topofall ofyour online activity, be it your browser history, e-mail inboxes, or social media profiles,you will likely continue to stayout ofharmsway.

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Cyber-Security Myths and Missteps: What’s True and What’s False?

October 22, 2018

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20 min read

As the premier leadership role, all CEO’s bear the responsibility of maintaining top-notch cyber-security within their companies. It is quite common for a CEO to deflect their own personal beliefs on technology and security to their company’s information technology infrastructure. However, these beliefs may not be rooted in truth, and instead may subscribe to one or more commonly held myths. Here’s how you can identify the presence of cyber security myths in your company’s cyber-security infrastructure.

‍Beating a Hacker at their Own Game

‍CEO’s sometimes tend to think too highly of hackers. It is assumed that hackers are geniuses, but this is rarely the case. Most hackers are simply acting on an opportunity to take advantage of a weakly identified opponent. CEO’s are therefore inclined to immediately assume there has been a breach before knowing for a fact that one has occurred. This, however, may not always be necessary. While a proactive approach to cyber-security is encouraged, proactive tactics should focus more on risk reduction measures. Prioritizing risk reduction will ensure that your IT department allocates as much time and effort as possible towards staying hack-free. This will, as a result, lessen the chance of a breach happening.

CEO’s regularly assume that hackers are brilliant, evil, and bulletproof. However, most hackers are not as sophisticated as they may seem. They are either self-instructed in hacking or have been taught by someone who has hacked before. Their knowledge, therefore, is only relative – the hacking victim may not have the same IT knowledge as the hacker, but the hacker’s knowledge is most likely limited. Again, this myth points to how developing a robust, preventative IT strategy can secure a business before a breach even comes into fruition.

‍Software Updates and Compliance

Just because your company’s IT practices are compliant with the industry’s, does not make your business immune to a cyber-attack. For example, a majority of password requirements follow outdated information. In fact, recent studies suggest that shorter, frequently changed passwords are simpler to guess than those that are uniquely crafted. While compliance can help build trust between the CEO, the consumer, the patient, and the employees, it cannot stand alone in maintaining a robust cyber-security strategy.

Another widely held myth by CEO’s involves keeping systems and processes up-to-date. Ensuring that every router, firewall, server, IoT device, etcetera is patched, can be a time-consuming, almost insurmountable task, yet it is crucial. That small margin of error or flaw are what hackers seek to gain access to information. Hackers are most likely to hack a niche app that flies under the radar. Whether this is due to a patch or update not being installed, using a default password, or not having endpoint security, hackers seek these vulnerabilities to access data. This contradicts the myth that your largest application (your Windows operating system, for example) is what’s most likely under attack.

"That small margin of error or flaw are what hackers seek to gain access to information. "

Maximizing Internal Capacity Inside and Outside of IT

‍CEO’s tend to accomplish the minimum in terms of employee cyber-security training. To elaborate, social engineering is speculated to be the current largest cyber security threat. However, the time devoted to keeping employees informed about this subject does not always match in proportion to the threat’s size. CEO’s should recognize how social engineering impacts today’s cyber-security trends by developing new training methods that build upon formerly successful modules. In addition, employees should receive hands on training and testing to recognize what a variety of phishing attempts look like and how they react to them. This will allow companies to keep effective strategies, while also developing new tactics for today’s most prominent threats.

In the spirit of continuing education, yet another widely held myth by CEO’s involves the perception of an IT department’s knowledge and abilities. Corporate leadership often assumes that since the IT team specializes in cyber-security, there is neither little-to-no room nor need for improvement. CEO’s can support their IT department’s capacity by ensuring that the department’s beliefs about organizational threats are concurrent with those outside of the department. Leadership should also monitor where the IT department draws data that supports their strategies from, as well as establishing checks that ensure the proper allocation of IT funds and resources.

Ultimate Responsibility

‍When deciding what role to play when improving your business's cyber security infrastructure, you need to remember that there is more to assess than what meets the eye. Sorting fact from fiction is crucial in order to fully understand how hackers think, including and not limited to the importance of software updates, and how to maximize internal IT capacity.

At the end of the day, CEO’s have a responsibility to their company; to educate themselves and their employees on cyber security. It is imperative for everyone involved to be on the same page and understand a hacker’s’ mind as well as the tactics that are in use. Without CEO’s taking a stand and becoming more involved in the cyber security aspects of the company, the myths will continue, and the company will remain insecure. Ultimately, dispelling commonly held myths on cyber security will encourage your corporate leadership to evaluate IT from a new, more informed perspective.

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