Makati City, Philippines – [July 9, 2024] – In today’s ever-changing cyber threat landscape, organizations must be able to defend against and respond to attacks effectively and quickly recover from breaches to ensure smooth operations and protect important data. As a result, cyber resilience has become a necessity.
In the Philippines, cyberattacks are becoming more advanced and common. For instance, organizations in the country saw a significant increase in ransomware attacks, as revealed by the 2023 Fortinet-IDC Asia Pacific SecOps Survey. More than half of the surveyed organizations experienced at least twice as many attacks in 2023 compared to 2022, with phishing and malware being the most common methods utilized by cybercriminals.
Given this reality, how can organizations enhance their cybersecurity resilience? What strategies can different entities from both the public and private sectors consider and implement to improve their technologies, people, and processes to stay ahead of threats?
Essential strategies for building resilient cybersecurity
Effective cybersecurity is built on a foundation of technology, people, and processes. Fortinet, a global cybersecurity leader, highlights key strategies for enhancing cybersecurity resilience.
Firstly, fostering cybersecurity awareness among all employees is crucial. This involves conducting regular training sessions, simulations, and other educational efforts to ensure everyone understands common cyber threats and the best practices for prevention. Secondly, breaking down internal silos is crucial.
Organizations should encourage open communication among various departments, particularly those within the network operations center (NOC) and security operations center (SOC). This facilitates swift detection and response to potential attacks. Additionally, collaboration with relevant agencies and entities is key. By sharing threat information and staying abreast of current trends, organizations can enhance their cybersecurity posture and readiness.
Lastly, closing the cybersecurity skills gap is imperative. This entails providing continuous training and skill enhancement for security teams, while also seeking new talent from underrepresented communities such as veterans, women, and students. Implementing these strategies can significantly strengthen an organization’s cybersecurity posture and equip them to effectively combat modern cyber threats.
To reinforce their cybersecurity posture, organizations can adopt below strategies –
Develop a Robust Cybersecurity Culture: Creating a resilient cybersecurity culture begins with building awareness and education throughout your organization. Regular training sessions, phishing simulations, and awareness programs are crucial to keep employees informed about the latest threats and best practices. AI-powered tools can personalize training to individual learning styles and risk profiles, ensuring that all employees understand their role in maintaining security. Gamification and reward systems can further engage employees, reinforcing positive cybersecurity behaviors and making training an ongoing, dynamic process.
Foster Internal Collaboration: Breaking down silos between departments, particularly between your network operations center (NOC) and security operations center (SOC), is essential for a unified security approach. Unified communication platforms can facilitate seamless collaboration, enabling quicker and more coordinated responses to threats. Automated incident response systems can correlate data from different departments, prioritize alerts, and initiate predefined actions, thereby reducing response times. AI-driven analytics can further enhance this collaboration by providing real-time insights and identifying potential threats early.
Invest in AI and Automation: Investing in an integrated security platform is crucial for staying ahead of cyber threats. This platform should include next-generation firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, endpoint protection, and SIEM solutions that work together seamlessly. AI and machine learning technologies can enhance threat detection and response by analyzing vast amounts of data to identify patterns and anomalies. Automated threat response mechanisms can take immediate action against detected threats, minimizing the burden on security teams and ensuring rapid response to incidents.
Regularly Update and Test Security Measures: Maintaining cyber resiliency requires regular updates and rigorous testing of security measures. An automated patch management process ensures all systems and applications are up to date with the latest security patches, reducing vulnerabilities. Continuous security monitoring using AI can provide real-time detection and response to threats, ensuring constant vigilance. Regular incident response drills and tabletop exercises help test and refine response plans, with automated tools simulating various attack scenarios to measure effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.
Building cyber resiliency is an ongoing journey that requires a strategic blend of culture, collaboration, advanced technology, and continuous improvement. By fostering a robust cybersecurity culture, encouraging internal collaboration, investing in integrated security technologies, and regularly updating and testing security measures, organizations can stay ahead of evolving threats. Embracing AI and automation enhances these efforts, enabling faster, more effective responses to incidents. In today’s dynamic threat landscape, a proactive and resilient cybersecurity approach is not just beneficial—it’s essential for safeguarding your organization’s future.
