Notes

Cybersecurity Risk: 10 Things I'd Love To Have Known In The Past
Cybersecurity Risk Management - How to Manage Third-Party Risks

Every day is without news of data breaches that leak hundreds of thousands, or millions of private details of individuals. These data breaches are typically caused by third-party partners, such as a vendor who experiences an issue with their system.

SaaS solutions about your threat environment is vital in defining cyber-related risk. This helps you decide which threats require your attention the most urgently.

State-sponsored Attacs

When cyberattacks are committed by the nation-state they are more likely to cause more damage than other attacks. Nation-state hackers are typically well-equipped and possess sophisticated hacking techniques, making it difficult to recognize them or to defend against them. This is why they are often able to steal more sensitive information and disrupt vital business services. In addition, they can cause more damage over time through targeting the supply chain and compromising third-party suppliers.

The cost of a national-state attack is estimated at $1.6 million. Nine out of 10 businesses believe they've been victims of a state-sponsored attack. With cyberespionage gaining popularity among nations-state threat actors and cybercriminals, it's more critical than ever to have solid cybersecurity practices in place.

Cyberattacks from nation-states may come in many types. They can range from ransomware to Distributed Denial of Service attacks (DDoS). They are performed by cybercriminal groups, government agencies that are contracted or aligned by states, freelancers who are hired to execute a nationalist attack or even by criminal hackers who target the general population.

Stuxnet was an important game changer in cyberattacks. It allowed states to use malware against their adversaries. Since the time states have been using cyberattacks to achieve their political as well as military objectives.

In recent years there has seen an increase in the number and sophistication of attacks backed by governments. Sandworm, a group sponsored by the Russian government, has targeted both consumers and businesses with DDoS attacks. This is in contrast to the traditional crime syndicates that are motivated by financial gain and are more likely to target businesses owned by consumers.

Therefore, responding to a threat from an actor of a nation-state requires a lot of coordination with multiple government agencies. This is a major difference from the "grandfather's cyberattack" where a business would submit an Internet Crime Complaint Center Report (IC3) to the FBI but not be required to engage in significant coordinated response with the FBI. Responding to a nation state attack requires a higher degree of coordination. It also involves coordinating with other governments, which can be lengthy and difficult.

Smart Devices

As more devices connect to the Internet, cyber attacks are becoming more prevalent. This increase in attack surfaces can pose security risks for both businesses and consumers alike. For example, hackers can exploit smart devices to steal information or even compromise networks. This is especially true if these devices are not properly secured and secured.

Hackers are attracted to smart devices because they can be used for a variety of reasons, including gathering information about individuals or businesses. Voice-controlled assistants such as Alexa and Google Home, for example can gather a large amount about their users based on the commands they receive. They can also gather information about users' home layouts and other personal details. Furthermore they are frequently used as an interface to other kinds of IoT devices, like smart lights, security cameras, and refrigerators.

If hackers can get access to these devices, they can cause significant harm to people and businesses. They could employ them to commit variety of crimes, including fraud, identity theft, Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks, and malicious software attacks. Additionally, they can hack into vehicles to steal GPS locations or disable safety features. They may even cause physical injuries to drivers and passengers.

While it is not possible to stop users from connecting to their devices to the internet however, there are steps that can be taken to limit the harm they cause. Users can, for example, change the factory default passwords for their devices to avoid attackers getting them easily. They can also turn on two-factor verification. It is also essential to update the firmware of routers and IoT devices frequently. Furthermore, using local storage instead of the cloud will reduce the chance of a cyberattack when transferring or storage data between and these devices.

Research is still needed to better understand the impact of these digital ills on our lives and the best ways to reduce them. Particularly, research should concentrate on identifying and designing technology solutions that can help reduce the harms caused by IoT devices. They should also investigate other potential harms such as cyberstalking and increased power imbalances between household members.

Human Error

Human error is a frequent factor that causes cyberattacks and data breaches. It can be anything from downloading malware to leaving a company's network vulnerable to attack. A lot of these issues can be avoided by establishing and enforcing security measures. For instance, an employee might click on a malicious attachment in a phishing campaign or a storage configuration error could expose sensitive information.

Additionally, a user could disable a security feature on their system without noticing that they're doing it. This is a common mistake that exposes software to attack by malware and ransomware. According to IBM, the majority of security breaches are caused by human error. This is why it's essential to be aware of the types of errors that can result in a cybersecurity attack and take steps to mitigate them.

Cyberattacks are carried out for a wide range of reasons, including hacking activism, financial fraud, to obtain personal information or to deny service, or disrupt vital infrastructure and vital services of a government agency or an organization. State-sponsored actors, vendors, or hacker groups are usually the perpetrators.


The threat landscape is always evolving and complicated. Therefore, organizations should continuously review their risk profiles and reassess their protection strategies to ensure they're up to current with the latest threats. The good news is that modern technologies can help reduce an organization's overall risk of a hacker attack and enhance its security measures.

It's crucial to keep in mind that no technology can protect an organization from every possible threat. This is the reason it's essential to develop an effective cybersecurity plan that takes into account the different layers of risk within an organisation's network ecosystem. It's also essential to regularly perform risk assessments instead of relying on conventional point-in time assessments that can be easily erroneous or inaccurate. A thorough assessment of the security risks of an organization will permit an efficient mitigation of these risks and ensure compliance with industry standard. This can ultimately prevent costly data breaches and other security incidents from negatively impacting the reputation of a company's operations, and financials. A successful strategy for cybersecurity includes the following components:

Third-Party Vendors

Third-party vendors are companies that do not belong to the company but offer services, software, and/or products. These vendors have access to sensitive information like client information, financials or network resources. These companies' vulnerability can be used to gain access to the business system that they are operating from when they are not secured. This is the reason why cybersecurity risk management teams have begun to go to the extremes to ensure that third-party risks are vetted and managed.

As the use of remote computing and cloud computing increases the risk of a cyberattack is becoming even more of a concern. In fact, a recent study by security analytics firm BlueVoyant found that 97% of the companies they surveyed had been affected negatively by supply chain vulnerabilities. A disruption by a vendor even if it just affects a small part of the supply chain can have a domino-effect that could disrupt the entire business.

Many organizations have created procedures to take on new third-party suppliers and demand them to sign service level agreements that specify the standards they are accountable to in their relationship with the company. A sound risk assessment should also document how weaknesses of the vendor are tested and followed up with and corrected promptly.

A privileged access management system that requires two-factor verification to gain access to the system is a different method to safeguard your company against third-party risks. This will prevent attackers from getting access to your network by stealing an employee's credentials.

Not least, ensure that your third-party providers are using the latest version of their software. This will ensure that they haven't created any unintentional security flaws in their source code. These flaws are often undetected, and be used to launch further high-profile attacks.

Third-party risk is a constant threat to any business. The strategies mentioned above can help reduce the risks. However, the best way for you to minimize your third-party risks is by continuously monitoring. This is the only way to fully comprehend the cybersecurity threat of your third-party and to quickly spot possible threats.

Homepage: https://www.tristansweeney.top/11-ways-to-totally-block-your-cyber-security/