Why a breach prevention platform should be part of your security stack

While technology has undoubtedly made life easier in 2022, it has also given cyber criminals many new opportunities to attempt to access sensitive information from businesses and consumers. The risk surface has expanded as a result of hybrid workforce support, as well as an increasingly big shift to the cloud, leaving businesses struggling to keep their data secure. 

The last few years have seen major corporations such as Yahoo and Garmin being hit by large-scale cyber-attacks, with data leaks putting the personal information of millions at risk. Data breaches have serious consequences, with far-reaching repercussions beyond lost revenue. The impact and reputation damage can be particularly severe where firms rely on trusted relationships to operate. And it is not just large businesses being targeted by cybercriminals - small businesses today are just as vulnerable to being attacked. 

Large corporations can prevent malicious attacks by having dedicated IT teams, but smaller businesses must make intelligent decisions to stay secure. Almost 45% of cyber-attacks target small businesses, showing that malicious actors are aware of the vulnerabilities. 

The damage that can be visited to a small business is catastrophic. Recently it emerged that 60% of small businesses close doors within six months of a cyber-attack. The loss of reputation is almost impossible to recover from. The key to avoiding becoming a statistic of cybercrime is to be proactive with security solutions, rather than reactive. One of the ways to do this is to implement a data breach prevention solution into your security stack. 

What is your security stack?

A security stack is a set of cybersecurity tools that an organization employs to defend against cyber threats. Not too far back in the past, cybersecurity was as simple as antivirus software! However, both cyber-attacks and IT infrastructure have developed significantly over the years, and now companies deploy a multi-layer security stack to defend themselves from dangers. 

The purpose of a security stack is to protect the integrity of company data, maintain compliance with regulations, and reduce the risk of a data breach. The best way to think of a security stack is like layers of a cake. Depending on the size of your organization, you will have a different number of layers in your security stack, but they should cover aspects such as vulnerability management, compliance, data breach prevention, and endpoint security. 

Management of your information security systems can be time-consuming, so utilizing a breach prevention platform can allow oversight and give peace of mind to many aspects of your security posture. 

Why should a breach prevention platform be part of the security stack?

The NIST’s cybersecurity framework demonstrates the way layers of security solutions can work together to minimize cyberthreats. The model focuses on five key elements of cybersecurity: identify, protect, detect, respond, and recover. 

Identify

The first step in protecting critical functions is to determine what they are and what cybersecurity risks could disrupt them. The best way to do this is by conducting a thorough risk assessment that identifies critical assets, analyzes vulnerabilities, and evaluates the potential impact of a breach. Once you have a list of critical functions, you can take steps to improve their cybersecurity. 

Protect

The goal ofany security stack is to limit or contain the impact of a potential cybersecurity event. By taking preventive measures such as installing anti-virus software, updating your software, or setting strong passwords, you can reduce your risk of falling victim to a cyber-attack.

Although you may have just a handful of workers at your small business, one mistake on the part of one employee can result in a data breach, so cybersecurity awareness training is critical to keep everyone on the same page and protect your business. Employees must be informed that a data breach not only jeopardizes the business but also their livelihood and the retention of customers that keep the business alive. 

Detect

There must be adequate measures in place to rapidly detect vulnerabilities and potential threats. This includes continuous vulnerability monitoring, which includes internal and external asset identification; threat hunting to detect unusual activity and potential attacks; and remediation guidance to determine the best course of action should a threat be detected.

Respond

Your business needs to focus on responding to threats that have made it past preventative tools by developing response plans, threat analyses, and mitigation strategies. Response plans outline actions to take in the event of a security breach, such as what to do if the company’s website has been hacked or critical data is at risk of being exposed.

Recover

To achieve a successful recovery, businesses must have the right tools and communication plan in place to restore any capabilities or services after a cybersecurity incident. Tools to help with the recovery process may include data backups and recovery, remote access, cloud-based solutions, 

Take your security stack to the next level

The ThreatAdvice Breach Prevention Platform provides comprehensive cybersecurity oversight by combining a strong security awareness program with continuous vulnerability scanning. This ultimate security stack also allows you to review your current environment to determine the true state of your systems, and effectively manage this revised state on an ongoing basis. Protecting your systems and networks is particularly difficult in an increasingly complex threat environment. Find out how to take your security stack to the next level by contacting the team at ThreatAdvice today.