The Five Core Cybersecurity Principles
As a team of cybersecurity experts at Point North Networks, we are well aware of the confusion and complexities that come with the overall concept of keeping your data safe, especially when it comes to cybersecurity for small businesses. However, the true meaning of cybersecurity is rooted in five key cybersecurity principles that most people can understand and agree upon.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF) is a set of guidelines for improving cybersecurity within organizations. Its five fundamental cybersecurity principles are the driving force behind how and why we serve our local community with top-notch cybersecurity efforts.
#1 – Identify
An organization needs to recognize its cybersecurity risks before anyone can take action on them. This includes being aware of your assets, systems, data, and the roles of all users.#2
#2 – Protect
This is where robust security controls come into play. These will differ based on the needs you have identified in step one. These controls may include firewalls, encryption, and more.
#3 – Detect
An organization needs to be able to detect cybersecurity threats as quickly as possible to mitigate risks effectively. The right IT partner should have full visibility into your systems to be able to do this, as well as a plan to respond.
#4 – Respond
How your IT partner or organization responds to a cybersecurity incident is crucial for minimizing damage and allowing you to return to business as usual quickly. A good response plan can take a potential complete collapse and minimize it to only a minor setback if done right.
#5 – Recover
When things go wrong, can you make them right? A recovery plan for restoring lost data is essential and should be expected of any IT partner. A communication plan for the organization’s employees is also necessary so that all can stay calm and organized if an incident does occur.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cybersecurity
What are 5 cybersecurity tips that everyone should be aware of?
The simplest measures that one can take to ensure cybersecurity include –
• Keeping the device software up to date.
• Creating strong passwords, which are difficult to hack.
• Backing up all data regularly.
• Using antivirus software.
• Avoiding the use of public Wi-Fi.
What is Cybersecurity important for a business?
When it comes to cybersecurity for small businesses, a single security breach is known to lead to losses worth hundreds and millions of dollars. Right from the personal information of customers being exposed, to sensitive and confidential company data being lost – a cyberattack can cause it all, within a few minutes. For this very reason, businesses of all sizes must prioritize implementing strong cybersecurity principles to ensure foolproof protection.
What are some of the major cybersecurity challenges faced by businesses?
Cybersecurity for small businesses involves addressing common challenges like software vulnerabilities, ransomware attacks, IoT attacks, cloud attacks, and phishing attacks are some of the most common security challenges for IoT. In addition, BYOD policies implemented by some organizations make it rather easy for hackers to get access to confidential information. Then again, blockchain and cryptocurrency attacks as well as machine learning and AI attacks are on the rise, with the increasing use of these technologies. Adopting strong cybersecurity principles is essential to mitigate these evolving risks.
Protect Your Business with Proven Cybersecurity Principles
At Point North Networks, we follow these core cybersecurity principles to help businesses stay secure in today’s digital landscape. Don’t wait until it’s too late—contact us today to find out how our cybersecurity for small businesses can protect your organization from cyber threats and ensure your data’s safety.
