Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity, Risk, and Compliance are the three disciplines that encompass the main functions of an organization's Information Security operation, the successful implementation of which is critical to any business, from SMB up to Enterprise. CYBER RIVER bases our security services and consulting strategies around the ensuring the CIA Triad (Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability), a standard model used to guide security policy, the creation of new security tools, and more. In practice, adhering to the CIA Triad means ensuring data remains confidential, keeping data free of unauthorized and undocumented changes (Integrity), and ensuring that data is available 24/7, 365.
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Common Cybersecurity Threats in 2024
In today's ever-evolving digital world, cybersecurity threats have become a major concern for businesses. In 2024, it's crucial to be alert about potential threats and find ways to counter them.
The cybersecurity landscape has continued to grow more complex and dangerous, with increasingly sophisticated tactics, techniques, and tools being deployed by cybercriminals.
One of the primary threats remains ransomware attacks, where malicious actors lock files on a computer or network and demand payment for access. This type of attack has notably impacted critical sectors such as healthcare, destabilizing health systems and putting patient safety at risk. It's recommended that organizations regularly back up critical data, educate employees on recognizing phishing attempts, and consistently update software to counter these threats. Phishing schemes have also evolved, making it easier for attackers to evade traditional security measures. These schemes often exploit human errors, such as falling for social engineering attacks, therefore, continual training and updated security practices are essential for mitigating these risks. Moreover, the introduction and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity is a double-edged sword. While AI can enhance defensive measures, it can also be leveraged by attackers to execute more sophisticated cybercrimes
This includes the use of AI to refine phishing tactics and scale attacks on various platforms, especially in the retail sector during peak times like the holiday season
Furthermore, the increasing number of assets to defend—spanning from APIs to cloud and edge resources—adds complexity to the cybersecurity efforts of organizations. As the attack surface explodes, organizations need to allocate budgets and resources effectively to cover all potential vulnerabilities
Threat Modeling: A proactive approach to defining Cybersecurity strategy
Threat modeling is a process used by security teams to identify, assess, and mitigate security risks across an organization’s systems, applications, and networks. It represents a proactive approach to information security and can serve as a cornerstone for developing a robust cybersecurity strategy.
It is important to begin your threat modeling by answering 2 key questions:
- What are you protecting?
- What (and who) are you protecting from?
By establishing priorities amongst the assets defined in question 1, and weighing the risk posed by said assets’ vulnerabilities being exploited by the threats defined in question 2, an organization can begin to make informed decisions about the dedication and distribution of security resources across their operations.
Business case: Let’s say company A’s services require that they hold a considerable amount of PII (Personally Identifiable Information) on their customers at a given time, of which a failure to protect could cause considerable harm to their customers and therefore their company. Threat modeling may find that due to the increased threat environment surrounding the theft of PII for sale to third parties, or as leverage for a ransom payout to cybercriminals, upgrading their SIEM license to allow for the collection and analysis of a more verbose set of logs in their cloud environment (where their databases and storage sit) is more prudent than dedicating a new security engineer to oversee their development AIOps department, which is a year out or more from production. Company A can be better protected and help maximize returns on its security spend by ensuring its security team is implementing the findings of a threat modeling program to align with its business goals.
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Integration of AI and Human Oversight in Cybersecurity
Integrating AI into cybersecurity brings significant benefits such as enhanced threat detection and rapid response capabilities in the rapidly evolving digital environment. AI algorithms can automate tasks, detect anomalies, and make informed real-time decisions to protect against a wide range of cyberattacks. This ability to quickly identify and respond to threats makes AI an invaluable tool in incident response and threat hunting, particularly when dealing with indicators of compromise. However, integrating AI also introduces new risks, including adversarial attacks and biases, necessitating ongoing training and vigilance.
Despite the potential of AI to empower smarter decisions and more accurate assessments, it is crucial to maintain a balance with human oversight. Human error remains the largest cybersecurity threat, accounting for over 80% of incidents, highlighting the need for human judgment and decision-making alongside AI capabilities
Organizations must stay true to cybersecurity principles and only deploy AI with a clear purpose. AI can only partially replace human thinking and judgment, making human oversight a core principle in its application. Clear governance structures and guidance on AI usage are essential to ensure that AI tools are used responsibly and effectively.
