In this article, we want to reflect on cyber security and the reasons why you should manage the vulnerabilities of your organization.
Having a good antivirus can give you the feeling that your business is protected, after all, if a malicious file arrives via email or messaging application, it will be identified and blocked, preventing hackers from invading your system, right?
Unfortunately, the correct answer may be that your company is less protected than you think!
Enjoy your reading!
Vulnerability management: what do you avoid?
Any error or flaw in the security of IT assets that opens a door for the information contained in the system to be accessed without authorization can be called a vulnerability. Or, as the Information Security Management Systems Ordinance in ISO 27000 states, they are, in a more technical way, the “weaknesses in an asset that could potentially be exploited by one or more threats”.
Vulnerabilities can be caused by human error (clicking on a link or executing a malicious file, for example), but also by mistakes made when programming or configuring the system, leaving IT assets exposed.
It is through these loopholes that hackers can hijack, steal or delete information – often confidential – from companies. And these gateways can’t always be easily identified, which is why an antivirus may not be enough to protect the integrity of an organization’s sensitive data.
So how do I protect my data?
In order for these weaknesses to be corrected or minimized, it is necessary to map them, i.e. identify which vulnerabilities they are, analyse the extent to which they run the risk of being exploited as a gateway for attackers, classify them according to this risk and thus begin monitoring and treating them.
A security breach cannot always be completely dealt with. However, by constantly monitoring it, you can quickly identify any suspicious traffic entering or leaving the network and thus anticipate any type of incident and mitigate it.
Predictive or preventive actions?
Preventive action inspects the system from time to time, carrying out a review of the entire operation and, if any vulnerabilities are detected, they can be corrected. But when it comes to cybersecurity, this is not enough and the ideal is to maintain actions with a predictive focus.
Mapping allows us to act in a predictive manner, i.e. by constantly monitoring a vulnerability, we can notice small changes in its flow of activity and anticipate a hacker attack. After all, it is possible to predict how it can be exploited and prevent it from actually being a gateway for attackers or malicious applications that could compromise business data.
Vulnerability management is exactly this mapping – made up of the identification, analysis and classification stages mentioned above – and the measures adopted to deal with these security flaws. If your company doesn’t do this, it’s running a serious risk of having its data exposed and breaking laws such as the GDPR.
So, do you still believe that your company is really only protected by an antivirus? If you need help with your organization’s cybersecurity, talk to a Wevy expert. We specialize in developing the ideal solution so that you can live the digital transformation, protect your business assets and thus be able to drive it forward.
