Be Sure Your Cybersecurity Focus is 20/20 in 2020 – By Ron Frechette, The Cyber Coach
As we roll in to 2020 it’s important to have a crystal clear view of the cybersecurity threat landscape ahead. One thing 2019 taught us was the cyber-criminal landscape is expanding, and the majority of cybercrimes have shifted towards the small-midsized business (SMB) world. This is primarily due to lack of cybersecurity awareness and education, and not having basic security controls in place. As a result, the cyber-criminals view SMB’s as “low hanging fruit” and we predict that more SMBs will become victims of data theft, ransomware, or malware attacks in 2020.
This is exactly why SMBs must begin implementing basic security controls to avoid becoming a target. So to kick off the New Year, I am officially challenging all SMB leaders to adopt the following 10 Security Controls in 2020:
- Have an Information Security Policy and Update Annually
- Appoint or Hire an Information Security Officer that is Qualified for the Role
- Conduct a NIST SP800-53 Security Risk Assessment
- Conduct Quarterly Vulnerability Assessments of your network
- Have an Access Privileges Policy
- Have a Third-Party Service Provider Security Policy
- Perform Annual Security Awareness Training with Executives and Employees
- Encrypt Data in transit and at rest
- Have a Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Policy in Place
- Have an Incident Response, Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Plan – Test Annually
These basic security controls, once properly implemented, will reduce the risk of a data breach by as much as 70%
Until next month, wishing you a safe and prosperous journey in cyberspace!
GoldSky Security offers small and medium sizes business cybersecurity solutions across the US and currently has offices in Orlando, Denver, Nashville, Phoenix, Tampa & Washington D.C. Contact us today!
Questions? Send me a tweet: @GoldSkyRon or email [email protected]
