The Best Defense Against Cyber Threats for Lean Security Teams

Mar 21, 2023The Hacker NewsCyber Threat / Cyber Security

H0lyGh0st, Magecart, and a slew of state-sponsored hacker groups
are diversifying their tactics and shifting their focus to…

You.

That is, if you’re in charge of cybersecurity for a
small-to-midsize enterprise (SME).

Why? Bad actors know that SMEs typically have a smaller security
budget, less infosec manpower, and possibly weak or missing
security controls to protect their data and infrastructure.

So, how can you prepare for the imminent onslaught from new and
emerging threat groups?

You need a plan.

Start with the NIST Cyber Security Framework

The good news is you don’t have to create your security strategy
from scratch. The National Institute of Standards and Technology
Cyber Security Framework (NIST CSF) is one of the most respected
and widely used standards in the world.

While originally designed for critical infrastructure
industries, the NIST CSF is flexible enough for organizations of
all sizes, sectors, and maturities to use in large part because the
framework focuses on cybersecurity outcomes.

The only problem?

The NIST CSF doesn’t provide guidance on how to achieve
those outcomes.

Where the NIST CSF Falls Short

The amount of jargon and lack of actionable steps are some of
the top complaints about the NIST CSF among less-resourced – yet
more targeted – SMEs.

NIST proposed a significant reform to its CSF, with plans to
open the public comment period soon. Among the potential changes
would be to “explicitly recognize CSF’s broad use to clarify its
potential applications.”

Hackers, of course, won’t wait for NIST to release more
actionable security guidance – and neither should you.

Use NIST’s Missing Link: The Cyber Defense Matrix

Created by cybersecurity practitioner Sounil Yu, the Cyber
Defense Matrix provides practical guidance for aligning your
security program with the NIST CSF.

Use this guide^[1]
to see how to:

• Answer practical questions about how to apply the NIST CSF to
  your control environment
• Map the 5 areas of infosec management against your most
  targeted assets
• Know what to consider when securing each of those assets
• Identify gaps in your information security program
• Understand which controls and security tools you need to close
  those gaps
• See the one step the NIST CSF overlooks (but that can protect
  you from future, repeated attacks)

Plus, this guide^[2]
provides tips for protecting your organization from the full
spectrum of risk – from data breaches to denial-of-service attacks
and natural disasters.

Get the Cyber Defense Matrix today so you can thwart bad actors
tomorrow. Download the guide here.^[3]