TALKING

Enter cyber resilience : the ability of organisations to withstand , respond to , and recover from cyber incidents while maintaining essential operations and protecting critical assets .

CISO ’ s checklist to build resilience

Cyber resilience is not just about dealing with threats , it is about the board ’ s overall ability to make informed decisions on how to mitigate risk and ensure that data is protected . With such a tall order , the question is – where do you even begin ?

Frameworks

Many organisations opt for widely recognised guidelines and standards as a starting point to establish a common framework for cybersecurity and risk analysis . Two prominent tools are the National Institute of Standards and Technology , NIST framework and the MITRE ATT & CK framework . These provide organisations with structured approaches to identify , protect , detect , respond to , and recover from cyber threats . By adhering to these frameworks , businesses can enhance their overall cybersecurity posture and strengthen their ability to withstand potential attacks .

In the European Union , recent developments have also highlighted the growing emphasis on resilience . The EU ’ s Network and Information Security , NIS Directive , implemented in 2018 , requires organisations to adopt appropriate measures to ensure the security and resilience of their network and information systems .

Furthermore , the EU Cybersecurity Act , enacted in 2019 , establishes a framework for the certification of cybersecurity products and services . These developments demonstrate the EU ’ s commitment to enhancing cybersecurity at both the organisational and regulatory levels . To implement such frameworks effectively , organisations should first assess their current cybersecurity capabilities and identify any gaps or vulnerabilities . This will help determine which framework is most suitable for their needs . Next , they need to establish a resolute team responsible for overseeing the implementation and ongoing management of the framework .

• Cyber resilience is ability of organisations to withstand , respond to , and recover from cyber incidents while maintaining essential operations and protecting critical assets .

• Resilience refers to ability to not only detect and mitigate threats but have real-time visibility over networks , anticipate threats and execute rapidresponse measures .

• Cyber resilience is not just about dealing with threats , it is about the board ’ s ability to make informed decisions on how to mitigate risk and ensure data is protected .

• To address challenges of the digital age , organisations should ensure their solution is comprehensive , consolidated , collaborative .

• Consolidation refers to the integration and centralisation of security tools and technologies .

• A study conducted by Check Point and Dimensional Research found 49 % of organisations use between 6 and 40-point security products .

• 98 % organisations manage security products with multiple consoles , creating vulnerability gaps and blind spots .

• By reducing disparate solutions and unifying security operations , organisations can achieve visibility and control over their landscape .

• Collaboration highlights importance of taking a cohesive and joined-up approach to threat detection and mitigation .

• If one endpoint is compromised , all areas must mobilise to ensure the threat is contained and cannot spread laterally .

• Real-time threat intelligence from cyber analysts , must be pooled to ensure most up-to-date threat information is available .

• The concept of cyber resilience goes beyond traditional cybersecurity and encompasses ability to withstand and recover from cyberattacks .

• While cybersecurity focuses on preventing and detecting attacks , resilience aims to build a fortified environment .

• It involves building that automated barricade rather than relying on an underresourced army to detect and respond to attacks .

• Resilience acknowledges that no security system is perfect , and breaches can occur despite robust preventive measures .

• Organisations must focus on redundancies , incident response plans , backup , and recovery mechanisms to ensure business continuity .

• By understanding the importance of cyber resilience , organisations can better protect their assets and mitigate cyber threats .

• Businesses must prioritise resilience more than anything else , it is better to build your barricades before your army .

This team will map the framework ’ s controls and guidelines to the organisation ’ s existing infrastructure and processes , ensuring the framework is aligned with the specific requirements and risks the business faces The unfortunate truth is cybersecurity frameworks alone are no longer enough to protect organisations in a world where threats and data breaches are more than one-off occurrences . Cybercriminals do not care about frameworks ; they care about breaking through a network ’ s defences . Robust , initiative-taking , and preparatory work is needed to ensure that businesses can mitigate these threats , reduce their overall risk posture , and orchestrate rapid-response remediation when required .

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