There are significant security risks due to increased remote work and employee demands to use their devices for work-related tasks. Businesses are continuously attempting to improve network security and safeguard the confidentiality of company data. Because of the intricate nature of this contemporary multi-cloud cluster, security departments struggle to maintain full control.
Many businesses use cyber security measures like the Zero Trust framework to protect their organizational network and preserve data privacy. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is the foundation of a Zero Trust security model and is used for user authentication. It verifies everyone and has no faith in anyone. The following are the best cyber security measures to avoid serious cyber threats in 2024.
1. Zero Trust Architecture
In the world of cybersecurity, adopting a strong web application security architecture is paramount. One of the finest techniques within this architecture is the Zero Trust security framework. This model mandates rigorous access controls based on continuous identity verification for users accessing any application or server. Continually operating under the assumption of potential breaches, this framework only allows actions after thorough authorization validation. Two of the significant aspects of this architecture are:
Microsegmentation
The Zero Trust framework divides the system into segments through an encryption technique called micro-segmentation. This prevents even a network administrator from obtaining all the data. Each section needs to be authorized to be accessed independently. Reducing the attack surface lessens damage to the entire data system.
Never Trust, Always Verify
The business corporate sector’s system is divided into various applications or segments by the Zero Trust framework. Because of this, not even a network administrator can view all the data. Each section needs to be authorized separately to be accessed. Lowering the attack surface for cyberattacks lessens damage to the entire business database.
2. Using The Principle of Least Privilege
Businesses need to be extra careful when giving data access to new employees. When these new employees are given full access by default, they can access private information even if they don’t need to. Such a strategy ups the danger of insider threats and gives hackers access to private information when one employee’s account is compromised.
Using the Principle of Least Privilege (POLP) is a far better approach (POLP). In other words, it grants the fewest privileges feasible to each new account and raises privilege levels as needed. Moreover, corresponding privileges ought to be quickly revoked once access to private information is no longer required. In a nutshell, the Principle of Least Privilege states that each employee in the company will only have access to the systems and data required for work-related purposes.
When malware infects a system supported by the principle of least privilege, it frequently stays in the tiny area where it made its initial entry. Beyond security, the least privilege concept supports system stability by keeping changes to the area in which they are made. The threats can significantly decrease when a system is designed using the least privilege principle.
3. Implementing the Use of VPN
Mobile devices used by company employees get attacked regularly by cybercriminals. Convenience can lead to security problems. The freely available public wireless networks in café shops, restaurants, and shopping malls are unsecured networks, which makes it easy for others to intercept organizational data. However, to stay safe and ensure your company’s security, connect to a VPN, a tethered mobile phone network, or a private Wi-Fi connection from your computer or mobile device.
Your surfing history, communications, and other private information are valuable to government organizations, advertisers, and internet service providers. The best means of concealment is using a VPN to mask your IP, encrypt your communication, and erase your online footprints. To enjoy constant protection, individuals must use it at home, work, and travel.
Each type of connection offers different benefits: VPNs provide better protection against sophisticated intruders and attackers; tethered phones provide more secure options for some employees who want to take calls on their way home from work, and private Wi-Fi networks offer more privacy than public ones. Nordlayer secures the business’s private network by securing the IP address and hiding the location.
4. Enhancing Employee Awareness
Cybercriminals are constantly improving their strategies in a quickly more digital society. Technology can only be as useful and effective as a company’s best people in preventing cybercrime. As a result, firms must properly train their staff and develop robust cybersecurity procedures. Employees are any company’s greatest susceptibility to cybercrime.
Employees frequently don’t fully understand corporate security structures. Security in the workplace is a shared responsibility. All organizational domains, including management, the IT team, HR/legal, etc., must actively promote security awareness practices. The most frequently targeted persons in businesses are those in junior management and staff positions. Less experienced new hires are more prone to fall for traps and open emails and malware attachments.
The organization’s most private assets and data are directly accessible to senior management. Due to their busy schedules or the belief that the IT team should handle it alone, they typically object to attending cyber security training. Attackers frequently take advantage of this weakness via whaling or CEO fraud to gain direct access to the device of high management.
All enterprise stakeholders must receive hands-on cyber security training, regardless of who is attacked. Implementing a strategy to educate your personnel about current hazards will simplify gaining support and compliance. When new employees are hired, they must frequently receive cyber-security training. It is important to encourage a hybrid training strategy that combines in-person instruction with online learning.
Conclusion
Everyone uses computer systems daily, whether they are individuals, small businesses, or giant multinational companies. Many possible security risks weren’t present a few decades ago.
Companies should regularly test their staff using difficult-to-detect cybercrime tests and ask them questions about how effective their cybersecurity training was to gauge the skill level of their personnel periodically.
Moreover, implementing these four cyber security measures will pay huge dividends as they protect your data and allow for better business scalability.