Today, a company’s brand and reputation are inextricably linked to its data security and privacy. Years ago, we could not anticipate the potential impact of digital technology innovation on brand stability. Network connectivity and digital transformation are double-edged swords that hold the key to brand promotion and protection while also exposing organizations to major risks and vulnerabilities.
Every story wants a happy ending
A brand’s story sheds light on the ups and downs of its journey to success, creating a memorable and relatable platform. But if the story is interrupted by a data breach, that brand can be seriously damaged or even destroyed in terms of users, customers, investors and regulators.
Cybersecurity has become critical to maintaining the integrity of a company’s history. When connected elements such as databases, servers, apps, and endpoints are not effectively secured, they become network-connected threats. Users logging into and interacting with corporate resources open virtual doors that can leave organizations vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Expanding Vulnerabilities
The explosion of the IoT, the migration to remote work-from-anywhere, and the proliferation of single-function security products have expanded security vulnerabilities and risks to unprecedented levels. Today’s business perimeters are always and everywhere. In this perimeterless digital landscape, defenses must be expanded in breadth and vigilance. Just as a moat is not a great defense in the 21st century, traditional perimeter IT security is not a great defense for today’s expanding business.
Cybersecurity must meet cybercrime without borders. There are more and more remote and mobile users and seemingly unlimited amounts of data, including personal and corporate information, that should remain secure and private. Escalating vulnerabilities must be addressed with better detection mechanisms to curb the increasing sophistication of cybercrime exploits.
Cybersecurity needs to be as agile as today’s workforce to ensure continuous and consistent protection no matter where infrastructure, users, and devices reside. The digital transformation of a company, like its brand, is a journey that must continuously adapt and grow. Explicitly controlled security and vigilance are central to both to be successful.
The ugly truth about vulnerability proliferation
In a recent study, pentesters from multiple industries found that 93% of the enterprise networks assessed were poorly configured, with 71% of them vulnerable to an unacceptably high level of attack impact. In many of these, the threat could have been eliminated by immediately installing updates and patches when needed.
Organizations cannot become complacent or complacent in the face of the ever-escalating attack landscape. They must take all necessary steps to secure their networks, systems and data. Along with the need for business promotion and brand protection, proper security is vital to avoid potential legal obligations due to cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Security measures should include a comprehensive response plan, penetration testing, identity access management, end-to-end encryption, a zero-trust model, and multi-factor authentication protocols. Security best practices recommend conducting regular employee training and attack simulations to be prepared for real threats.
Vigilance overcomes vulnerability
Within a complex security situation, regular penetration tests are an important step towards continuous risk reduction. It uses the same tactics and techniques used by cyber attackers to scan vulnerabilities and reveal the business impact of vulnerabilities in a system. Vulnerabilities and gaps are discovered and the best defense techniques determined before hackers can find and exploit systems.
Businesses can leverage the full value and benefits of the internet and digital transformation without falling victim to the devastating effects of exploitable vulnerabilities. They can defend their brand reputation and realize greater potential by adopting a comprehensive, multi-layered security approach and proactive best practices and business protocols.
