Stepping Up Your Cybersecurity With Defense in Depth (DiD)

When the pandemic hit, businesses all over the world had to shift to remote work basically overnight. Now, with the vaccine rollout going full steam ahead, the hybrid work model is getting more and more popular. This lets employees to work from home, the office or split their time between two. According to a recent report, close to 65% of large businesses have adopted a hybrid model, and most workers prefer it that way!

However, a distributed workforce comes with its own challenges. One of the main concerns of IT companies and leaders across the globe is the recent massive increase in cybercrime. Experts estimate that cybercrime has shot up by nearly 300% since the start of the pandemic.

Relying on one basic security solution will prove to be futile against sophisticated hackers. This is where an approach like Defense in Depth (DiD) finds its purpose.

DiD is a cybersecurity approach where multiple defensive methods are layered to protect a business. Since no one security measure is guaranteed to protect and work fully against every type of attack, combining several layers of security is much more effective.

This layering approach was first conceived by the National Security Agency (NSA) and is inspired by a military tactic of the same name. In the military, layers of defense help buy time. But in IT, this approach is used to prevent an incident altogether.

It’s important to differentiate DiD from another cybersecurity concept called “layered security”. While layered security uses different security products to address a particular security aspect, such as email filtering, DiD is more comprehensive and includes multiple security measures to address distinct threats related to the entire IT infrastructure.

While DiD is critical to protecting your business against evolving cyberthreats, it’s an undertaking that requires time, extensive knowledge, and experience. Partnering with a managed services provider like Tekie Geek can simplify the process, reduce stress, and minimize opportunities for error.

How Tekie Geek Helps Defend Against Threats

We will help you divide DiD into three security control areas:

1.      Administrative Controls

The policies and procedures of a business fall under administrative controls. These controls ensure that appropriate guidance is available and that security policies are routinely followed.

Examples include company hiring practices or employee onboarding protocols, data processing and management procedures, information security policies, vendor risk management and third-party risk management frameworks, information risk management strategies, etc.

2.      Technical Controls

Hardware or software intended to protect systems and resources fall under technical controls. Examples of technical controls are firewalls, configuration management, disk/data encryption, identity authentication (IAM), vulnerability scanners, patch management, virtual private networks (VPNs), intrusion detection systems (IDS), security awareness training, etc. This is the area that gives you the value within hiring an IT company, as these are necessary systems needed to protect your business, but few people know what they are out of the IT world.

3.      Physical Controls

Anything aimed at physically limiting or preventing access to IT systems falls under physical controls.

Examples are fences, keycards/badges, CCTV systems, locker rooms, etc.

Essential Elements of DiD

Tekie Geek will help you implement all the elements of an effective DiD strategy to minimize the chances of threats creeping in through the cracks. These elements include:

1.      Firewalls

A firewall is a security system comprised of hardware or software that can protect your network by filtering out unnecessary traffic and blocking unauthorized access to your data.

2.      Intrusion Prevention and Detection Systems 

Intrusion prevention and detection systems scan the network to look for anything out of the ordinary. If a threatening activity is detected, it will alert us/you and block attacks.

3.      Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) 

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions operate by constantly monitoring endpoints to find suspicious or malicious behavior in real time.

4.      Network Segmentation 

Once you divide your business’ network into smaller units, you can monitor data traffic between segments and safeguard segments from one another.

5.      The Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP)

The principle of least privilege (PoLP) is a cybersecurity concept where a user is only granted the minimum levels of access/permissions essential to perform their task. This helps prevent employees from accessing information they shouldn’t need to, or allowing their hackers, if their system is breached, to access that info as well.

6.      Strong Passwords 

Poor password hygiene, including the use of default passwords like “1234” or “admin,” can put your business at risk. Equally risky is the habit of using the same passwords for multiple accounts. To protect your accounts from being hacked, it’s essential to have strong passwords and an added layer of protection by using practices such as multifactor authentication/2factor authentication (MFA/2FA).

7.      Patch Management 

Security gaps left unattended because of poor patch management can make your business vulnerable to cyberattacks. As soon as a new patch gets delivered, deploy it right away to prevent exploitation.

If you’re wondering about where and how to begin creating a DiD strategy for your business, don’t worry. Tekie Geek is here to make the process as easy as possible! Contact us to take the first step toward making your organization more secure.

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