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6 good reasons to get cybersecurity support
"91% of French organisations have been the target of at least one cyber-attack in the last twelve months", this was revealed in an article in Le Point (Tech & Net section) at the beginning of December 2020.(1)
Indeed, following the Covid-19 epidemic, and with the need for companies to re-invent their working habits and practices overnight, the need to anticipate these cybersecurity aspects has become essential.
Although most companies have understood the importance of integrating cybersecurity aspects into their activities, many are unfortunately still satisfied with an integration that is too superficial. Many companies have understood the importance of cybersecurity services and audits, but too few still understand the importance of regular support and monitoring.
So where do the differences lie between a cybersecurity service and support? What is the interest and what are the challenges of fully integrating cybersecurity into one's activity? Isn't it much more time-consuming, expensive and tedious to do so?
Here are 6 good reasons to get cybersecurity support
Anticipate and detect threats more effectively
"Because today the question is no longer whether a company is going to be cyber-attacked, but when," says Eric Dupuis, head of Orange's Cybersoc in Rennes.(2) It is therefore more necessary than ever for companies to be prepared. There are many threats to business activity: malware, viruses, denial of service attacks, phishing, social engineering, etc. Beyond their multiplicity, they are characterised by their constant evolution. Indeed, cyber threats, which have their source in digital technology, evolve, change, become more sophisticated and more dangerous as digital technology also evolves. Keeping abreast of these developments and new threats requires continuous monitoring. A simple cybersecurity service will provide you with a map of your vulnerabilities and the measures recommended to correct them. But it will give you a vision of your vulnerabilities at a given moment. What will it be like in a few weeks, in a few months? If new vulnerabilities exist in your product, your application, your network infrastructure, you won't know until the next service. Being supported in cybersecurity therefore guarantees you better anticipation, and thus effective and immediate detection of vulnerabilities and threats to your business.
Leave nothing to chance
Incidents are not always the result of a highly sophisticated cyber-attack on a company's networks, but sometimes of a simple error of inattention or negligence. A password that is not sufficiently complex or visible to everyone, user access that is not sufficiently restrictive, poor management of data backups: many incidents are still the result of carelessness and poor consideration of cybersecurity issues. We can recall the security breach at Estée Lauder (January 2020), the parent company of MAC, Clinique, Michael Kors and Tomy Hilfiger, which generates nearly 15 million dollars in annual sales. Confidential internal strategy documents and millions of data items were stolen and published. This incident was not the result of an elaborate cyber-attack but a simple oversight: no password protected the database, it was freely accessible. Most likely the luxury brand regularly audits its systems and networks to ensure the security of its operations, yet it was a simple password oversight that led to the leak. By being accompanied in cybersecurity, you guarantee that nothing is left to chance: your vulnerabilities and flaws are regularly detected, updated and corrected, but above all, you are fully accompanied in the implementation of the recommended security measures for your activities, so that nothing is left to chance.
Know how to react, and what to do
When you are attacked: what to do? Who to warn? Where to ask for help? Are we legally bound to declare this attack and/or inform our customers, suppliers, shareholders, etc.? When and under what conditions should we restart our activity? If cyber-incidents and what to do in the event of an attack have been well anticipated, well thought out and well communicated, then the response can be immediate and effective. Indeed, in the event of an incident, you can contact a company specialising in cybersecurity services at any time in order to have them react in a timely manner. But what if that company is already overwhelmed and does not have the time to react quickly? What if you were asked to wait a few days or weeks for the schedules to become available? Or what if you were told that detecting and correcting the flaw could take a while, and that it would be several weeks or even months before you could resume your activity? Cybersecurity support guarantees an immediate reaction, but also a more effective and appropriate one, since it is carried out alongside experts who have in-depth knowledge of your product, your networks, your infrastructure, and who have a good understanding of their flaws and the corrections already made. Thanks to this knowledge of your activity and your company, they will also be able to indicate clearly and quickly what to do following an incident, in order to limit its consequences.
Limit the consequences for your company
Yes, a cyber-incident, even if anticipated, is not without consequences. However, with good anticipation and an appropriate and immediate reaction, these consequences can be limited. Let's take the example of a personal data breach. As we know, personal data is highly protected in France and in Europe, thanks to the RGPD. And it is very quick to collect personal data: a simple contact form asking for a name, a first name, an email address and a company name, for example, is subject to the RGPD, as it collects personal data. And personal data is worth its weight in gold to hackers. Although the CNIL is able to sanction companies that it deems not to be complying with the RGPD rules, its primary role is to support, raise awareness and help companies. Being accompanied in cybersecurity allows you to show your good faith, to demonstrate your full awareness of cybersecurity issues and your commitment in this area. In the event of a data breach, being able to demonstrate ongoing support and commitment can reduce the severity of possible fines and the impact on the company's reputation.
Reassure your customers, prospects and investors
As mentioned earlier, any business will face a cyber-incident at some point: it's almost inevitable. But many of the consequences and damages are avoidable, and your customers, prospects (and investors, if you have any) know this. The challenge is not to avoid the incident at all costs, but to be properly prepared for it, to be able to anticipate incidents, to know how to react to them and thus limit the consequences and repercussions that this could have on the company, but also on customers, investors, prospects, partners, suppliers, and on the entire ecosystem of the company. Every company is potentially concerned and threatened, and it is essential that each one demonstrates its full awareness of these issues, its interest, its proactivity and its commitment in this area. Being supported in cybersecurity allows you to demonstrate this pro-activity in this field, to show that security is part of the foundation of your business, and thus to highlight your company's commitment to securing its activity, and its entire environment and ecosystem. In the event of an incident, it also sends the message that the situation is under control, and that cyber incidents have been anticipated and prepared for, and that a specific procedure will be put in place.
Sustain your business, now and in the future, by integrating cyber security into your corporate culture
As we saw earlier, the primary characteristic of cyber threats is that they are digitally driven. Because digital is the source of cyber threats, as the digital landscape evolves, so do cyber threats. And as we know, digital and digital technology is evolving at an exponential rate. We are seeing the development of new products based on blockchain, artificial intelligence, the cloud, all of which are set to evolve and become even more complex. We are also seeing the digitisation of many business and industry activities, from product design to marketing and customer relations. As the digital landscape evolves and becomes more complex, so do the cyber threats; as businesses become more digital, so do the threats. Being supported in cybersecurity means integrating cybersecurity into the company's culture, guaranteeing support, monitoring and continuous improvement of security practices and tools. Anticipating the future, taking into account the evolution of society, of the world around us, and making your company, your organisation and your practices evolve in this direction, gives you every chance of perpetuating your activity.
Today, and more than ever before, in order to ensure the sustainability of its activity, cyber security must be a continuous element in its own right in every company: in the same way as human resources management, financial resources management and logistics management, cyber incident management must be integrated into the functioning of companies.
It is a key element that must be managed and coordinated throughout the life of a company, a product, a service, a platform or an application. It must be integrated and embedded in the corporate culture to ensure understanding and preparedness for future digital challenges.
Calling on experts to audit your systems, products and applications and to secure your activities is important, but it is not enough, as the protection is only partial.
Get support, integrate cybersecurity and its good practices into your corporate culture, and prepare your business for the threats, challenges and opportunities that digital technology will bring.
Sources:
(1) : "Cyber attacks: French companies affected more than ever", Le Point, section "Tech & Net"
(2) : REPORT: "The question is no longer: will I suffer a cyber attack, but when?", Ouest France, Samuel NOHRA, le 02/02/2021
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