{"id":54993,"date":"2023-04-10T11:34:35","date_gmt":"2023-04-10T11:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sectona.com\/?p=54993"},"modified":"2023-04-10T12:01:48","modified_gmt":"2023-04-10T12:01:48","slug":"enterprise-cyber-hygiene-checklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sectona.com\/technology\/enterprise-cyber-hygiene-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"Here is Your Enterprise Cyber Hygiene Checklist for 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

2022 has shaped up to be a pricey year for victims of cybercrime. Cyber attacks plagued the world \u2014 interrupting businesses and often leading to damaged corporate reputations and massive ransomware payouts. This, in turn, has given rise to a buzzword pertaining to operational resilience -\u202fcyber hygiene<\/strong>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before we delve deep into the concept, let us first look at some of the costliest data breaches of recent times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the Costliest Cyber Attacks in Recent Times<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The cost of a data breach heavily depends on the number of compromised records. According to the Ponemon Institute\u2019s\u202fCost of a Data Breach Report 2022<\/a>, breaches that affect from 1 – 10 million records cost $52 million on average.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having said that, in the last few years alone, we have witnessed cases that cost even more than that: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

British Airways<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a textbook example of an organisation that suffered for years from a single data breach. By mid-2021, British Airways faced an \u00a3800 million (\u2248 $1 billion) class\u202f<\/strong>action\u202f<\/strong>lawsuit from cyber attack victims.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Context:\u202f<\/strong>In 2018, hackers stole the personal records of over 420,000 British Airways customers and employees. In 2020, after a thorough investigation, the company was fined \u00a320 million (\u2248 $27 million) for its inadequate data protection system. Adding to the misery were the compensation claims in 2021 – with an estimated 2,000 per victim, amounting to 800 million liabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medibank<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A cyber attack on Medibank, a health insurer, affected all its 9.7 million current and former customers. Criminals demanded a ransom payment of $10 million, which was later reduced to $9.7 million ($1 per affected customer), not to publish the stolen information, which Medibank refused to pay.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The threat actors then threatened to release some data each day the ransom remained unpaid. Even before regulatory and legal costs, and customer compensation, the attack was estimated to cost Medibank $25 – $35 million. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/strong>Equifax<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Equifax breach of 2017 remains one of the catastrophic cyber attacks. The Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of around 143 million people was stolen from the credit reporting agency. The initial intrusion reportedly occurred through a software vulnerability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the incident, Equifax spent a whopping $1.4 billion to upgrade its security posture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The demand for cyber security is now more than ever. To reduce the financial and reputational damages that data breaches cause, the concept of cyber hygiene has gained prominence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Cyber Hygiene?<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cyber hygiene refers to the practices and measures that individuals and organisations take to protect themselves from online threats and ensure the safety and security of their digital assets. It involves adopting good cyber habits and behaviours that reduce the risk of cyber attacks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An example of good cyber hygiene is keeping software and applications up to date. Hackers often exploit vulnerabilities in outdated software to gain access to systems and steal data. Regularly updating software and patches can help prevent these types of attacks.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is Cyber Hygiene Important?<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cyber hygiene enhances your systems\u2019 overall well-being and protects your sensitive data. It is essential to an organisation for several reasons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Risk of Cyber Attacks:<\/strong>\u202fPoor cyber hygiene practices can expose systems to cyber attacks, such as viruses, phishing frauds, spyware, and malicious code injection. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    1. Data Breaches:<\/strong>\u202fWeak passwords and outdated software may lead to security breaches, providing cyber attackers access to sensitive and confidential information and impacting data privacy and integrity. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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      1. Financial Losses:<\/strong>\u202fPoor cyber hygiene habits may result in financial losses for the organisation, including fines, penalties, and remediation costs. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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        1. Legal and Regulatory Consequences:<\/strong>\u202fFailure to comply with strong cyber hygiene measures can lead organisations to face severe legal liabilities. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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          1. Reputational Damage:<\/strong>\u202fData leak scandals and other cyber attacks can damage a company\u2019s reputation and discourage customers from trusting it again. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            The goal of cyber hygiene is to create an intelligent and structured environment that minimises the risks of external contamination without having to spend lots of IT effort frequently.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            This way, you and your team have more time to use the environment more productively and strategically, thereby generating good business results.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Here is Your Cyber Hygiene Checklist<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            Now that we have established the \u2018why,\u2019 we must address the \u2018how\u2019 – How does one go about maintaining good \u2018Cyber Hygiene?\u2019\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            We\u2019ll look at some standard practices first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \"7<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            Standard Practices of Cyber Hygiene<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            Password Hygiene<\/strong>\u202f- best practices and habits that individuals should follow to protect their online accounts from unauthorised access. Here are some tips for good password hygiene: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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            1. Use a Unique and Strong Password for Each Account<\/strong>: Do not use the same password for multiple accounts; it makes it easier for attackers to access all your accounts if they can obtain one password. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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              1. Use a Long Password<\/strong>: The longer the password, the harder it is for attackers to guess. Try a mix of numbers, upper and lowercase letters, and symbols to make the password more complex. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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                1. Avoid Frequently Used Words and Phrases<\/strong>: Avoid using easily guessable information like your name, birth date, or the word \u201cpassword\u201d as your password. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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                  1. Change Your Passwords Regularly<\/strong>: It is a good idea to change your passwords every few months to reduce the risk of an attacker accessing your account. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                    Patch Management<\/strong>\u202f <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                    The process of identifying, acquiring, testing, and installing patches (software updates) on computer systems or other devices to address and fix known vulnerabilities, bugs, or other issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Anti-virus Software<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                    Install anti-virus software and keep it up to date. This software helps detect and remove viruses and other malicious programmes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Being Safe Online<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n