Continuous cybersecurity monitoring is a novel concept that will give you greater awareness of your IT infrastructure and information security systems. CCM is a smart approach to threat detection and neutralization that automates the monitoring of vulnerabilities, security controls, and other cyber hazards to help protect pivotal data and better support organizational risk management decisions. It enables you to detect security breaches in real time and also sends alerts to the security incident and event management (SIEM) system.
Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly potent, causing billions of dollars of losses to companies worldwide. A recent study by Accenture reported that a cyberattack in the form of malware can cost an organization almost $2.6 million in losses. Gartner also predicted that the worldwide market for cyberattacks will reach an astounding $170 billion by the end of 2022.
With cyberattackers finding new and improved ways to breach security and break firewalls, a better and well-rounded cybersecurity strategy has become more important. This is where CCM comes in. This article will act as a guide to implementing continuous cybersecurity monitoring in your organization in 4 simple steps.
Implementing CCM in 4 Steps
Continuous cybersecurity monitoring might sound simple, but its implementation depends greatly on the organization. The larger the organization, the more complex its IT infrastructure, and the broader the CCM solution will be.
Step 1: Identify Threat Priorities
Organizations typically own a wide variety of information assets. These assets vary from financial data, employee data, customer information, and confidential market research. IT Chronicles recently revealed that up to 1,819 TB of data are generated every day across all industries. The same study predicts that this data will be worth an astounding $77 billion by 2023, and this is just the start.
The consequences of a successful attack on an information asset can vary, based on the nature of that asset. A financial breach can cripple the entire company, while a breach of customer data can cause consumers to lose trust in the company, and a litany of lawsuits can ensue. Thus it is very important to identify and differentiate between the assets that you have, based on the criticality of an attack upon them. Continuous Control Monitoring by Intone can help do just that by categorizing the assets by business risk severity and then prioritising the highest-risk assets for continuous monitoring. CCM can be a resource-intensive effort, which is why a risk-based approach to your digital assets is a good first step to take.
Step 2: Choose Your Tools
The next step in implementing continuous cybersecurity auditing and monitoring is to choose the right tools for the strategy. There are a massive number of tools available in the market that can be used in continuous cybersecurity monitoring. These tools can often be split into various categories such as network security monitoring tools, encryption tools, web vulnerability scanning tools, etc.
The key requirement in choosing the tools for your CCM is that they should monitor your system configuration and network configuration, and conduct regular vulnerability scans. iCCM by Intone is a state-of-the-art tool that can help secure your system and protect it against the latest threats. iCCM is a microservices audit platform with real-time reporting and uninterrupted underlying systems that integrates the GRC functional requirements of many different teams into a single compliance solution.
To get the full benefit of a well-implemented CCM, organizations should deploy various software solutions such as SIEM, GRC, VAPT tools, and more.
Step 3: Schedule Regular Updates
A major step in the successful implementation of continuous cybersecurity monitoring is the scheduling of regular software updates to mitigate the risks your system might face. Cyberthreats are constantly evolving, and to properly identify and neutralize such threats, it is of utmost importance that your system and its subsequent policies are always up to date.
Another element to this step is the setting up of proper boundaries, and tailoring your policies to match these boundaries. Many companies end up installing great solutions but forget to define their scope. Doing this will help you better understand your domain and also help you establish policies for third parties that access your network. For example, you can establish network connection policies for your suppliers clearly, even if you cannot always dictate their security policies.
Lastly, but most importantly, make sure to conduct regular inventory checks of your network and also to identify the assets that need any maintenance or patch updates. This will prove to be invaluable in protecting your system and data.
Step 4: Employee Training
Even the strongest protocols and strategies are bound to fail without competent and well-trained employees backing them up. Human error can be the weakest link in your system, and cyber attackers often target this particular weakness.
To make sure that your employees are well-equipped to respond to the most challenging situations, it is recommended to design collaborative workshops where business and technical users work together to respond to fire drill situations. If your employees are well aware of cyber threats and cybersecurity practices, there is a greater chance of them regularly updating their systems and applications, and in the process strengthening your overall cybersecurity. You can also create code templates that have been approved by the security team so that developers face minimal security interference.
Why Choose Intone Continuous Control Monitoring (iCCM)?
A study by Proofpoint revealed that in 2019, 88% of businesses worldwide experienced phishing attacks. Moreover, Forbes went reported that nearly $6 trillion was expected to be spent globally on cybersecurity by 2021. These numbers highlight the dire needs businesses are facing when it comes to protecting their IT infrastructure from cyberattacks. We at Intone understand this need and have developed a continuous control auditing and monitoring platform, a microservices audit platform with real-time reporting and uninterrupted underlying systems. iCCM can help secure your systems against the latest threats plaguing the industry by offering:
- An end-to-end enterprise platform that integrates key GRC functional requirements of many different teams into a single compliance solution: security, risk management, incident management, data visualization/ virtualization, continuous control monitoring, continuous auditing, robotic process automation and fraud, and compliance management.
- Connections to over 240 industry-standard data sources and applications.
- Low-Code/No-Code Platform with drag-and-drop features and an In-Built Multiple System Communications feature.
- An automated ERM and control response system, alongside automated incident management and resolution system.
- SSL encryption and AES 256-bit encryption ensure that your sensitive data is safeguarded against malicious attempts at modification and manipulation.
- State-of-the-art infrastructure in terms of cybersecurity, with secure architecture, firewall, and intrusion detection/prevention system designs to boost your security against cyber breaches and threats.
- An extensive range of regulatory, data privacy, and Sarbanes Oxley compliance solutions and industry-specific compliance solutions.
- Our RPA (robotic process automation) anonymizes your data to ensure greater protection of sensitive information.
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