Understanding your organization’s security posture

1. Conduct a security assessment

Once you’ve inventoried your digital assets, assess the level of risk each one represents mapped against known and potential vulnerabilities. Such an assessment should also measure risk from your vendors, suppliers, partners, contractors, and service providers that have access to your internal systems or data.

2. Establish a consistent patching schedule

Software vendors are continually identifying and patching security flaws, but enterprises often don’t implement them for weeks or months after they’re issued. 

The typical time required to patch serious vulnerabilities ranges from two to six months, while attackers typically exploit such flaws within two weeks. Sticking to a consistent and relatively frequent update schedule will minimize the amount of time a flaw is exposed to attack.

3. Automate threat detection, remediation, and mitigation 

A robust suite of cybersecurity tools is now a requirement for every enterprise. These include firewalls and anti-malware software, email and web filters, endpoint and network detection and response systems, and cloud security solutions. Increasingly, security teams are using AI-powered tools to surveil networks 24/7 and isolate potentially serious attacks for further investigation. Automating threat detection and mitigation creates a more proactive cybersecurity posture, and offers some relief for overworked, understaffed security teams.

4. Monitor critical security vulnerabilities

Cybercriminals are constantly adapting their means and methods of attack. To protect against evolving threats, your security team needs to continuously monitor and gauge whether your IT systems are vulnerable to new forms of attack. Threat intelligence feeds that distribute information on active exploits and cybergangs can help organizations proactively protect their networks and identify the latest threats.

5. Adopt a zero-trust framework

A May 2021 presidential executive order called for federal agencies to implement a zero-trust framework, which required all users of federal computer networks to be continuously authenticated when using network resources, and to only have access to the apps, data, and systems they need to do their jobs. This makes it much harder for attackers who have breached the perimeter to move laterally through the network. According to a September 2022 survey by Okta, more than half of enterprises have zero-trust initiatives currently underway, while many more plan to launch initiatives within the next 12 to 18 months.

6. Transition to a DevSecOps approach

Adopting a DevSecOps approach integrates security into the process of software development and deployment. Security personnel can quickly identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities before code is shipped, avoiding expensive and time-consuming rework, as well as preventing insecure code from inadvertently being deployed in production. A key element of this approach is red teaming—looking at code from the point of view of an attacker to isolate its strengths and weaknesses.

Educating all employees in cybersecurity fundamentals can minimize an organization’s exposure to social engineering attacks and malware infestations, reducing its overall vulnerability. Simulated phishing attacks can identify which employees are most susceptible and in need of further training. Teaching employees how to recognize and report attacks can reduce response times—a key element in successful mitigation.

7. Develop—and practice—an incident management plan

It’s inevitable that your organization will eventually fall victim to an attack or suffer a data breach. Proactive security posture management requires having an incident management plan in place to identify, analyze, and resolve such critical incidents. The plan needs to outline the appropriate responses for each department head and detail their procedures and roles. Just as important, the plan can’t simply sit on a shelf—it needs to be practiced, via table-top exercises or simulated attacks, and be regularly updated as threats evolve.