SEVEN STRATEGIES FOR CSO CYBERSECURITY SURVIVAL
As the CSO is tasked with more complex challenges as threats become more sophisticated , they must create a robust cybersecurity model for their organisation , which requires solid planning . Adrian Taylor , VP of EMEA at A10 Networks , offers his best practice advice in the form of seven strategies that he believes will help to ensure an organisation ’ s digital safety .
SOs , CIOs and CISOs
C have never had it so tough . Alongside their traditional responsibilities of safeguarding the corporation ’ s physical assets on a day-to-day basis and preparing crisis management strategies , they must now face a cybersecurity threat environment that is growing exponentially .
Today , ransomware has become one of the greatest network security threats organisations have to deal with . Increasingly sophisticated and distributed at a high speed via the Internet and private networks using military-grade encryption , today ’ s ransomware attacks demand multimillionpound ransoms . Ransomware is expected to cost businesses nearly £ 200 billion by 2031 .
But ransomware is only one of the many threats organisations have to deal with . There are also Distributed Denial of Service ( DDoS ) attacks , Man in the Middle ( MitM ) attacks , social engineering , insider threats , malware and Advanced Persistent Threats ( APTs ) to contend with – and those are just the most common network security threats .
Below are seven strategies to make cybersecurity professionals ’ organisations safer from the countless network security threats they ’ ll be facing in the near future :
1 . Create a ‘ security-first ’ culture
The problem for CSOs is that , while most employees have some basic knowledge of cybersecurity best practices , that is pretty much all they have . Without ongoing training , knowledge testing and awareness , staff behaviour is one of the biggest cybersecurity risks that organisations face .
A study by Accenture revealed that less than half of new employees receive cybersecurity training and regular updates throughout their career . Just four in 10 respondents said insider threat programmes were a high priority .
Organisations must look to create a robust and distributed digital immune system with a radical re-engineering of staff behaviour . Business leaders need to have accountability for cybersecurity ; security teams need to collaborate with business leaders to create and implement policies that will actually work , and those policies need to be routinely re-evaluated and tested .
2 . Create a continuous security education programme
A ‘ security-first ’ culture requires that all members of the culture appreciate
Adrian Taylor , VP of EMEA at A10 Networks
the concept of network security threats . For this to actually have an impact on culture , however , staff must be trained routinely to ensure that their knowledge is current .
For any organisation that hasn ’ t adopted a Zero Trust strategy combined with deep TLS / SSL traffic inspection , now is the time to start rethinking your cybersecurity posture .
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