Blog

Cybersecurity: The Fundamentals of Data Security

By January 14, 2020 November 24th, 2023 No Comments
Cybersecurity - The Fundamentals of Data Security

It’s impossible to understate the importance of data security, but the reality is brutal and horrifying: no matter how hard you try, if you’re a business of any size or industry, your data is vulnerable. Many experts believe that the question is when, not if, your organization will face an attack. 

Data breaches have existed long before digitalization, but their scope has escalated massively, in the quantity of both companies attacked and people affected. Approximately 1.4 million DSW customers found their credit card information compromised in a 2005 breach. Fast-forward to 2018, when a cyber theft against Marriott impacted about 500 million customers. In the United States, the average data breach costs a company nearly $9 million, and a few extreme examples may have eclipsed $1 billion. 

The financial hit pales in comparison to the impact on a business’s reputation. While there is no foolproof method to prevent attacks, the “CIA triad” provides the key framework for cybersecurity. These three fundamentals—confidentiality, integrity, and availability—work in conjunction to guide companies as they face this terrifying phenomenon. 

“Security is all about balancing these three factors.” Your organization’s strategy doesn’t need to be overly complicated. “You can always use high-end techniques and all those things but, sometimes all you need to is stick to the basics,” he says. 

The CIA Triad 

  • Confidentiality 

Three people can keep a secret…as long as two of them are dead, or so the saying goes. The truth is, the fewer people who have access to information, the less likely it can end up in dangerous hands. It’s called the principle of least privilege, and it aims to keep systems secure by minimizing each user’s access to only what is essential for them.  

  • Integrity 

It seems straightforward, but for data to have any value, it must be accurate. From a cybersecurity perspective, that means ensuring data is protected well enough to prevent unauthorized parties from modifying it. 

  • Availability 

It wasn’t very long ago that companies physically contained almost all the data. But once employees began regularly accessing work emails and content on personal devices, the firewall came crashing down. Hackers can even make their way into a network through a printer or third-party software. 

What Causes Data Breaches? 

The image of the crafty cybercriminal running a stealth operation in a darkened room in some unknown corner of the world is burned into our collective minds. Alas, most data breaches are not the result of shadowy tech geniuses running carefully coordinated attacks. A lot of this blame can now be put on human error and lack of education. 

“Most of these errors are caused by accident, instead of malicious intent,” says Minimula. “Think about how much information you’re putting in someone else’s hands.” Failing to use secure passwords, sending sensitive information through email, and even the simple act of holding a door open for a stranger at the office can lead to a significant loss. 

“When you’re in the office, [and] somebody is behind you at the door, [as] a courtesy you keep holding the door,” Minimula reflects. “You don’t know who the person is…if it’s a larger organization, you can just walk [through] the door.” It seems baffling that anyone would be brazen enough to attempt this, but Blockbuster hired people to do precisely that to Netflix in the early 2000s. 

Tips for Protection 

While it will never be possible to account for every threat, Minimula offers several simple steps businesses, and employees can take to protect data: 

  • Train employees on best practices 
  • Back up files regularly 
  • Lock your phone and require a PIN code or thumbprint 
  • Use different passwords across platforms 
  • Multi-factor authentication 
  • Be careful in using Reply All functions and adding attachments 
  • Validate messages with IT departments to avoid phishing schemes 
  • Utilize and enforce employee ID cards 
  • Do not leave confidential documents in unsecure locations 
  • Lock computers when you step away from your desk 

Katalyst Can Help 

Your organization’s data is one of its most valuable assets. What strategies will you utilize to keep it as secure as possible? Contact the experts at Katalyst to determine how to prepare and protect, and stay tuned for more tips and insight within this increasingly significant area of data management. 

Reach us
close slider

     

    Please prove you are human by selecting the plane.