Undoubtedly, the coronavirus pandemic has caused a massive crisis for mankind and made us all reconsider our perception of this new world. This COVID-19 has led to an unexpected change in human life with a series of lockdowns and social distancing norms. Along with these new norms, especially the IT world has been dragged into the adoption of the new normal – ‘WFH.’

The pandemic has forced masses to work remotely and this new alignment of work adjustment has expanded the security threat landscape. As employees try to adjust to the WFH, still it underlies many security risks and mandates the IT team’s support that is much needed to make this WFH process a success.

Moreover, along with WFH normal, VPN, remote connections, multi-factor authentication, and video conferencing tools have become an integral part of this newly formed work culture. The World Economic Forum stated that the world is entering a volatile and unstable new phase. Scientists are increasingly confident that the COVID-19 pandemic threat will persist, possibly for years.

Another recent survey of 100 CIOs in North America conducted by Hitachi ID and social research firm Pulse state that, 95% of the respondents admitted that their IT teams have been bogged down by remote working efficiencies during the COVID-19 crisis. Among the challenges, employee password lockouts were the top issue cited by 71% of those surveyed. Specifically, IT support is being hit with more requests for sign-in assistance on the part of employees.

Evidently, today companies grapple with the pandemic situation as they continue to face security threats by hackers and other cyber attackers during this current situation. Organizations are unable to balance their business as usual processes.

Major Security Threats on IT Security During Pandemic

Phishing Attack:

This is a common cybercrime seen everywhere today, in which a fraudulent attempt is made through emails to steal an employee’s personal information. These emails appear to come from well-known organizations and other links wherein people fall prey to them and will lose their security access details as they tend to open these emails.

According to a Cyber Defence Centre (CDC) report, employees are the new perimeter for security. Attackers too have not been left untouched by the pandemic and we’ve seen a sharp rise in Phishing scams in the last few months. From our CDC, our team has observed that attacks which were Covid-19 themed (including phishing and brute force) rose as much as 100%.

In another survey by cyber security firm Check Point, it has been stated that “Phishing attempts (55 percent) and websites claiming helpful information on coronavirus (32 percent) have emerged as the leading threats to the organizations, the respondents said.

In phishing attacks, a bad actor steals sensitive information by tricking people to open an email, instant message, or text message containing malicious links or attachments.” The findings showed that the rapid changes to enterprise working practices, and broader concerns about the pandemic, are both being exploited by cybercriminals as they step up their attacks, generating a raft of new challenges for security professionals.

Ransomware Attack:

This is a type of malicious attack by cybercriminals observed, as they block the user from accessing their data. This attack process consists of encrypting the files in their systems and deliberately adds extensions to the attacked data and holds the user as a hostage and demands a ransom to be paid. Interestingly, most ransomware gangs demand payment in bitcoins, the most high-profile cryptocurrency, although some began shifting their demands to other currencies as bitcoin’s popularity made its value more unpredictable.

According to a report by Cybersecurity Ventures, it has been stated that over the years, ransomware has grown from curiosity and an annoyance to a major crisis deeply twisted together with top-secret spy agencies. Ransomware cyberattacks are big business, so big in fact, that research anticipates a business is attacked by a cybercriminal every 11 seconds and damage costs from these attacks will hit around $20 billion by 2021.

Port Number & Network Footprint Attack:

Keeping in mind the remote work concept, many cyber attackers are actively looking to make changes in port numbers and thus attack their web traffic.

According to a Tech Target report, hackers are watching for changes in network footprints and exploring how they can exploit security gaps. Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) need to be aware that any change on the networks should be essentially watched as they occur.

There are certain instances of VPN attacks seen during these days, as attackers closely see that a new VPN connection has been established and thus, try to find credentials of that particular organization on the dark web and try to attack it.

Remote Desktop Protocol (RPD) Attack:

As employees continue to work remotely, there is an increase in the number of systems with open RDP that can be potentially targeted. This RDP provides network access for a remote user over an encrypted channel.

The IT teams and network administrators use RDP to diagnose network issues, essentially use it for logging into servers, and also perform other remote actions. Specifically, cyber attackers use misconfigured RDP points to gain access to various networks.

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attack:

Downtime from these DDoS attacks is also reported by many organizations and is detrimental when seen with a large remote workforce. At times, there might be an unintentional DDoS attack when numerous users try to access the services at the same time.

Cyber-attack on Business Applications & Digital Solutions:

Today’s cyber-attacks have been ever-increasing and any sort of security breach adversely affects either applications or networks. These cyber-attacks might lead to the loss of customer data followed by loss of brand loyalty and sometimes might also lead to legal complications.

How Should CISOs Safeguard their Businesses with Security Testing?

Proper Monitoring of Endpoints:

With the new normal of WFH, employees should be made to assess, manage, and monitor their network endpoints to build trust in their systems. Employees should leverage Zero Trust Architecture to address the lateral threat network movement within a network by using micro-segmentation and granular perimeters enforcement.

Identify Threats & Vulnerabilities with Security Testing:

Organizations should embrace end-to-end security testing and application security testing leveraging security testing companies to protect their websites, apps and digital applications from phishing and ransomware attacks. Organizations should proactively detect vulnerabilities within the network to understand internet exposure and get to know the probable susceptibility to phishing attacks.

Incorporate Secure Video Conferencing:

Video conferences have become the new means of communication for remote employees working globally. It is important to use private and password protected meeting links to ensure security. New meeting Id’s and passwords should be generated to use a fresh with each session of the meeting in order to protect their sessions.

Intelligent Identify and Access Management:

It is essential for organizations to manage identities on the go when there is a complex ecosystem of stakeholders operating globally. Effective, comprehensive and automated identity management solutions ensure that only the right people have the necessary access to critical or confidential data, computers, networks, and other resources.

Increased Bandwidth Allocation:

In order to handle DDoS attacks, organizations should have increased bandwidth allocations ready, and it is important to temporarily disable unused services to allow more bandwidth. Employees should be discouraged from using live streaming services through a VPN.

Ensure Proper Configuration of Personal Devices:

It is essential that all employees have been set up with new VPNs or virtual desktops. They should ensure proper anti-virus to be installed in their systems even within their personal devices. When an employee downloads a VPN on to their laptop that has already been compromised with some malicious attack then they could easily spread the malware into the organization’s corporate network and hence care should be taken.

Multifactor Authentication (MFA) Bypass:

Organizations should implement MFA to reduce credential spraying attacks. Employees should be trained to identify and report unauthorized push notifications. It is essential for organizations to evaluate the risk tolerance even before taking up the MFA implementation methods.

Split Versus Full Tunnel VPN Visibility:

In case there are numerous remote workers available, then it is preferred for organizations to move from a full tunnel VPN configuration towards Split Tunneling. Full tunnelling VPN helps to see that all traffic traverses the VPN allowing web proxies to filter traffic and security teams will be able to identify unauthorized activity if any. While Split tunnelling may reduce this visibility unless proper endpoint agents are installed to ensure proper control.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic has invaded the mankind in different ways and enforced social distancing and made a mandate of new normal of WFH for all IT employees. This sort of new normal has led way to some security compromise and made it easy for hackers to attack employee systems and also IT networks.

Hence, in order to protect your business and the new normal of WFH, it is essential to leverage security testing services to ensure proper protection from threats and vulnerabilities. In addition, businesses should also follow password protection, Split or Full tunnel VPN and other methods of security measures to make sure remote workforce is secure and protected from any sort of vulnerabilities either at the system-level or at the network-level.

Talk to our Security testing experts and understand how we can help your business avoid such cyber threats

The post IT Security Measures CISOs Must Take During and Post Pandemic first appeared on TestingXperts.

Today’s businesses are trying to cope with the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, while a wave of cyberattacks continues to pose a challenge for businesses. These cyber-threats significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic as employees worked from home. Due to this new work culture, many vulnerabilities surfaced online that weakened the security of systems, networks, and data, across organizations worldwide.

1. An overview of cyber security
2. Significant cyberattacks
3. Why do businesses need to adopt cyber security measures?
4. How can businesses protect themselves from cyberattacks?
5. What is the need for outsourcing cyber security testing?
6. Benefits of outsourcing your cyber security testing include
7. How to choose your outsourcing partner for cyber security testing?
8. Conclusion
9. How can TestingXperts help?

Apart from the remote working culture, other reasons for the sudden increase in cyberattacks include weak passwords, public internet usage, unprotected systems/networks, and downloads from unknown sources, etc. Some of the most common attacks include Phishing, Ransomware, Password Attack, Cross-site Scripting, SQL Injection, Malware, DOS, Zero-day Exploit, etc. Eventually, today, it has become essential for all businesses to protect their critical apps, systems, data, and networks from cyber threats by adopting cyber security measures.

An overview of cyber security

Cyber security, also known as information technology security, protects computers, networks, servers, applications/software, data, and more from cyberattacks. Its main aim is to combat cyber threats and protect businesses from any form of vulnerability. Cyber security is categorized into five types: critical Infrastructure Security, Application Security, Network Security, Cloud Security, and Internet of Things (IoT) Security.

Significant cyberattacks

According to The Stack, on 04^th Feb 2022, The UK Foreign Office was hacked in a major cybersecurity incident, forcing it to parachute into additional support with “extreme urgency” from its cybersecurity contractor BAE Systems Applied Intelligence. The UK government only revealed the existence of the “serious cyber security incident” affecting the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) through a public tender announcement.

According to AP News, a series of cyberattacks on 15^th Feb 2022 knocked the websites of the Ukrainian army, the defense ministry, and major banks offline. In such attacks, websites are barraged with a flood of junk data packets, rendering them unreachable. As per the report, at least 10 Ukrainian websites were unreachable due to the attacks, including the defense, foreign, and culture ministries and Ukraine’s two largest state banks.

Forbes, in one of their article on ‘More alarming cybersecurity stats for 2021,’ states that Americans seem to be wakening up to the need for better cybersecurity. A poll by The Pearson Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that “about 9 in 10 Americans are at least somewhat concerned about hacking that involves their personal information, financial institutions, government agencies or certain

According to a report published by IBM, titled ‘Cost of a Data Breach Report 2021,’ the year 2021 saw the highest average cost of a data breach in 17 years, with the cost rising from USD 3.86 million to USD 4.24 million on an annual basis.

The rising frequency of cyberattacks and the higher number of compromised networks, apps, records, etc., indicate the severeness of risk posed by cyberattacks worldwide. Today, it has become essential for all businesses to adopt cyber security measures to keep them free from threats and vulnerabilities.

Why do businesses need to adopt cyber security measures?

Protects from cyberattacks

The rapidly rising cases of cyberattacks have necessitated the adoption of robust cyber security measures. For businesses to protect their critical apps, systems, networks, and data from cyberattacks, the adoption of stringent cyber security measures is essential.

Protects brand reputation:

Cyber attacks pose a significant risk to the sensitive information of businesses and their customers. Any data leak can cause damage to their brand reputation. Therefore, businesses need to adopt effective cyber security practices.

Improves customer trust

Businesses need to protect customer data from cyber threats, as any loss of customer data can affect customer trust. Therefore, businesses need to adopt cyber security measures to improve customer trust.

Protects business bottom line:

Cyberattacks, especially ransomware, can cause great monetary loss to businesses. Hence, businesses need to protect themselves from ransomware and other cyberattacks to protect their business bottom line.

How can businesses protect themselves from cyberattacks?

There are various cyber security measures that businesses can adopt and leverage to ensure their apps, systems, infrastructure, and networks are free from threats and vulnerabilities. Some of them include:

Data encryption:

Businesses should ensure end-to-end data encryption of sensitive and critical data. Data encryption converts the data into a secret code and reduces the risk of cyber threats, data destruction, or data tampering.

Data backup:

Businesses need to keep their data backup to ensure easy recovery if the data gets lost due to a cyberattack.

Multi-factor Authentication (MFA):

MFA is a great way to protect businesses from any cyberattacks. MFA is a security verification process that requires the user to provide two or more additional proofs of identity to access the account. This way, MFA adds a layer of security and safeguards businesses from cyber threats.

Employee awareness:

Businesses should create awareness among their employees about cyber security policies and employ the best practices to keep their businesses safe from cyberattacks. Businesses should make their employees aware of the importance of strong passwords, secure downloads, anti-virus, etc.

Outsource security testing:

Outsourcing is when a company hires a third party to handle operations or provide services. Thus, businesses can outsource the security testing of apps, systems, and networks to an able outsourcing partner to get an unbiased opinion on the cyber security readiness of their business.

What is the need for outsourcing cyber security testing in 2022?

Rampant cyber attacks have increased the need for security testing of business-critical apps, networks, data, and more. This testing method involves an in-depth analysis of the business’ IT infrastructure from an attacker’s perspective to ensure no security loophole is left behind. Typically, it is beneficial for businesses to outsource their cyber security testing to an able security and vulnerability testing services provider, which ensures many benefits of saving time, costs, and more. Also, for businesses, maintaining a team of security QA experts and paying licenses for various security test automation tools involves some costs.

Some of the major benefits of outsourcing your cyber security testing include:

Threat detection and incident response time improvement:

One of the major benefits of outsourcing is the quick incident response time or turnaround time. With outsourcing, the services are available on time and much faster than in-house teams.

Skilled professional services:

Outsourcing security testing allows businesses to test their software with highly-skilled resources. The organizations that offer outsourcing services have skilled and certified experts that can help businesses improve their cyber security readiness.

Automated cyber security testing:

For in-house teams, it is challenging to source and keep a wide range of tools in-house. However, outsourcing partners have access to various tools and frameworks that they leverage to automate software testing.

Security compliance and regulations:

There are various types of compliances and regulations, such as HIPPA, GDPR, SOC, etc., that businesses should follow. Businesses can get their security compliance and regulations checked by outsourcing cyber security testing.

Need effective security teams:

Vulnerability testing is a complex and continuous task that keeps getting more difficult as the application grows. Usually, organizations have a limited workforce available who are involved in various activities. Therefore, it is better to outsource cyber security testing to security testing service providers with in-house security testing experts.

Unbiased services:

Reliable outsourcing partner provides unbiased opinions about the security readiness of a business. This helps business decision-makers make correct and unbiased decisions.

Customized services:

As the application grows, software testing becomes complex. Also, applications need to be tested more frequently and thoroughly during peak load days. With outsourcing, businesses can get customized services as per their needs.

24x7x365 monitoring:

With outsourcing, businesses can achieve 24/7 monitoring of their applications and faster response to their needs. It becomes easy to get seamless support from the outsourcing company.

Access to advanced technology:

A reliable outsourcing partner stays updated with the latest technological stacks, such as AI, ML, IoT, RPA, etc. By outsourcing cyber security testing, businesses can get their software thoroughly tested with the help of advanced technologies.

Cost-effective:

For a business, in-house hiring resources, upskilling them, and buying tools could be a costly affair. However, with outsourcing, businesses get skilled resources, advanced tools, customized services, and more at a much lower cost.

How to choose your outsourcing partner for cyber security testing?

Reputation in the market:

The outsourcing partner’s credibility and importance matter a lot. Before offering the project to the partner, the background, history, and market reputation should be checked.

Years of expertise:

Before choosing an outsourcing partner, it is essential to look at the experience level of the partner, years of service in the industry, clients served, client-communication procedures used by the partner, etc.

Automation capabilities:

Automation testing has become the need of an hour. Thus, before outsourcing security testing, ensure that the partner has relevant automation testing capabilities.

Service flexibility:

Every business has different security testing needs. An outsourcing partner should be flexible enough to cater to varying types of testing needs as per the requirement of the business.

Engagement models:

For businesses to choose a reliable outsourcing partner, it is essential to look at the engagement models, like project-based, managed, staffing/time & material, etc.,

Thought leadership:

Outsourcing partner’s proficiency and subject matter expertise should be checked before hiring. The thought leadership of the outsourcing partner is all that matters and should be looked upon before hiring them for the projects.

Authentic partners:

The authenticity of the outsourcing partner should be validated before hiring them for the software testing project. Customer references can be checked to validate their authenticity.

Budget-friendly:

The outsourcing partner should be budget-friendly and must fit into the budgetary limits of a business.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, cyberattacks have been on the rampage and pose a great risk to business apps, data, systems, and networks and are at risk of losing customer trust and the organization’s reputation. Today’s businesses should ensure robust cyber security readiness by leveraging end-to-end security testing. Businesses should outsource security testing to the best outsourcing partner to protect their businesses from cyberattacks and ensure vulnerability-free. Outsourcing cyber security testing can help businesses achieve faster incident response time, save high costs, and overcome cyber threats and vulnerabilities.

How can TestingXperts help?

TestingXperts (Tx), is next gen specialist QA & software testing company, has been helping clients with a range of security testing needs. Our team of Certified Ethical Hackers (CEHs) ensures that your application is secure from vulnerabilities and meets the stated security requirements, such as confidentiality, authorization, authentication, availability, and integrity. Teams have more than ten years of expertise in assessing a wide range of applications for security threats and ensuring rigorous application testing for all possible threats and vulnerabilities.

Our Differentiators:

• A large pool of Certified Ethical Hackers (CEHs) with years of expertise in delivering security testing services to clients across domains

• Flexible engagement models best suited to customer’s business need

• In-house security testing accelerator Tx-Secure makes the security testing process quick seamless and helps you achieve significant results

• Secure and well-equipped in-house security testing labs help perform effective security testing of all applications, including Blockchain, IoT, network infrastructure, etc.

• Security testing services have conformance with International standards, such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, OSSTMM, OWASP, and others,

• Deliver detailed test reports to stakeholders to make informed decisions

• Ensure 24x7x365 seamless customer support

The post What is the Need for Outsourcing Cyber Security Testing? first appeared on TestingXperts.

1. Cyber Insurance and Its Importance
2. 5 Types of Cyber Insurance Coverage
3. Risks Covered and Not Covered by Cyber Insurance
4. Can Cyber Insurance Replace Cyber Defense?
5. Summary

The number of cybercrimes is rising, and businesses are at risk of ransomware, data breaches, phishing, and other cybersecurity incidents. Statistically speaking, in 2024 Q3, an average of 1876 cyberattacks per enterprise were recorded, a 75% increase in cyber incidents compared to the 2023 Q3 and 15% more compared to the previous quarter. This period witnessed a significant rise in the intensity and volume of cyber threats businesses face, highlighting various tactics cybercriminals use to target victims and the urgency to reinforce cyber defenses. That’s where cyber insurance comes into the picture. 

Although various tools and firewalls within an organization’s cybersecurity platform can protect them from breaches before they happen, they will still be held responsible in case sensitive information gets stolen. Cyber insurance helps minimize the aftermath of any cyber risk incident, especially financially.  

Cyber Insurance and Its Importance

Cyber insurance, or cyber liability insurance, is a contract an organization purchases to reduce the financial risks associated with cybercrime, such as data breaches and cyberattacks. It protects businesses from internet-based threats affecting their IT infrastructure, data policy, and data governance. Traditional insurance schemes and commercial liability policies generally do not cover these aspects. Compared to well-structured insurance plans, cyber insurance policy underwriters have limited information to create risk models and curate insurance policy rates, premiums, and coverages. 

Initially, cyber insurance focused only on data breaches and computer attacks. Still, as the decades passed, it now covers a broad spectrum of cybercrimes, such as cyber extortion, system failures, cybersecurity incidents causing business interruptions, etc.  

Now the question is, why is it so important? 

Electronic data theft would harm businesses, causing customer distrust and revenue loss. In such cases, business owners are held liable for damages caused by third-party data theft. One example that can explain the importance of cyber insurance is “The 2011 PlayStation Network outage.”  

In 2011, a group of hackers hijacked Sony’s PlayStation Network, breaching and exposing 77 million PS users’ personally identifiable information (PII). The incident prevented PS console users from accessing the services for 23 days straight. Sony suffered a $171 million loss, which could have been lessened if they had a cyber insurance policy. Later, the court passed a judgment that Sony’s insurance policy only covers physical property damage, and they would have to incur the full amount of cyber damage costs.  

Cyber insurance offers businesses the following benefits: 

• Financial security against cyber incidents damage 

• Network security coverage against cyber events 

• Easy handling of complicated legal systems around cyber incidents 

• Sense of security in terms of financial stability 

• Improves reputation among stakeholders, partners, and customers 

5 Types of Cyber Insurance Coverage

Cyber insurance offers the following coverages to protect organizations from security incidents: 

Cyber Liability Insurance:

This type of insurance protects businesses from the financial costs associated with cyberattacks or data breaches. It covers regulatory fines, legal fees, and settlement amounts, protecting businesses from facing crippling expenses because of systems hacking or leakage of sensitive data. 

Data Breach Insurance:

Businesses receive financial support to deal with the aftermath of data breaches. Data breach insurance covers costs associated with notifying affected parties, managing public relations, and providing credit monitoring services. It helps businesses minimize brand image damage and maintain customer trust. 

Errors and Omissions Coverage:

E&O coverage secures businesses from cyber events that can affect service delivery and prevent contractual obligations from being fulfilled. This insurance coverage includes claims related to service performance failures or errors and protects against contract breach or negligence allegations. 

Network Security Insurance:

This insurance coverage protects businesses from network security failure losses. It covers risks such as ransomware attacks, hacking, and malware injections. It also ensures businesses can steadily recover from cyber threats by covering the costs associated with communication, investigation, and remediation. 

Business Process Interruption Coverage:

After a cyber incident disrupts an organization’s operations, business process interruption insurance helps cover lost revenue, and the expenses incurred during the recovery period. It ensures that businesses recover from downtime and continue to pay employees, infrastructure costs, and other expenses until they become stable. 

Risks Covered and Not Covered by Cyber Insurance

Can Cyber Insurance Replace Cyber Defense?

No, cyber insurance cannot replace cyber defense, as businesses always need an effective cyber risk management policy. Although companies should have cyber insurance, it’s only one of the requirements among cybersecurity measures. Cybersecurity insurance is a complementary check to manage security protocols and balance the company’s risk management plan. It is an effective cybersecurity strategy to strengthen new or already established cyber defense mechanisms instead of an alternative or complete revamp. 

Areas to Consider Before Applying for Cyber Insurance

Cyber insurance companies want to demonstrate their actions to protect their infrastructure against threats. If you, as an organization, did not take appropriate measures to protect your network, you may not be considered or approved for insurance. There are a few measures you have to consider before applying for cybersecurity insurance, which are given below: 

• Despite having strong access controls, you must conduct regular vulnerability assessments, have an incident response plan, conduct regular employee training, and enable multi-factor authentication, encryption, and privileged access management. 

• Should have an EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) software to continuously monitor, detect, investigate, and respond to advanced endpoint threats. 

• Must securely collect and store sensitive information such as financial information, supplier/customer data, etc. 

• A comprehensive incident response plan documenting your business processes and procedures when a potential threat is detected.  

By collaborating with a cybersecurity expert like TestingXperts (Tx) before applying for cyber insurance, you can ensure your organization is adequately covered and negotiate better with the insurer. At Tx, we can assist you by offering the following solutions: 

Security Posture Assessment:

We conduct a detailed analysis of your current cybersecurity practices, identify vulnerabilities, assess risks, and provide recommendations to optimize overall security infrastructure. It will help make your organization resilient against cyber threats and meet insurance providers’ criteria. 

Security Policies/Procedures Assessments:

We evaluate and help you optimize your security policies and operational procedures. Our experts ensure the policies align with best security practices and industry standards, such as data protection laws, accessibility standards, and incident response plans. 

Compliance with Cyber Insurance Benchmarks:

Our experts help align your cybersecurity strategy with insurance provider benchmarks. This includes measures like conducting regular vulnerability assessments, having advanced threat detection systems, and implementing encryption protocols, which will assist you in negotiating favorable terms with insurers. 

Summary

Cyber insurance is necessary for businesses to secure themselves from cyber incidents. They can get coverage from various risks, including legal liabilities, data recovery, business disruption, etc. while getting financial support during unforeseen cyber incidents. To qualify, businesses must implement security measures like incident response plans, threat detection tools, and vulnerability assessments. Partnering with Tx will ensure you have strengthened defenses while you meet insurance benchmarks and get comprehensive protection depending on your requirements. To know how Tx can help, contact our cybersecurity experts now. 

The post Digital Defense: How Cyber Insurance Shields Modern Enterprises  first appeared on TestingXperts.

“A breach has occurred, and the company’s data has been compromised,” mentioned in the large bold letters in the newspaper’s headlines. Investors are in panic, the general public is worried, and the company’s CEO and CISO face all the backlash. But what if they had anticipated that kind of cyberattack with the help of CTEM beforehand? As digital transformation grows, the attack surface for enterprises also expands exponentially. The security teams have to manage an infeasible rate of vulnerabilities. According to Gartner, businesses prioritizing security investments per continuous threat exposure management strategies will suffer three times fewer security breaches.

Businesses have invested heavily in 2FAs, firewalls, breach detection, and other defense parameters for years. In addition, compliance concerns forced them to deploy vulnerability scanners and implement an aggressive approach with read teaming and anticipated breach practices. Although this strategy did address specific business needs, it still lacked something. Despite all these efforts, breaches still occurred, and businesses faced heavy financial and trust losses. We all know how Facebook has been a prime target of security incidents on multiple occasions. This is why businesses have shifted from a vendor-by-vendor approach to a more refined data consolidation approach. In fact, 75% of organizations are already pursuing security vendor consolidation. This shift is paving the way for a continuous threat exposure management approach.

An Overview of Continuous Threat Exposure Management

CTEM is a proactive cybersecurity approach that facilitates continuous monitoring, evaluation, and mitigation of security vulnerabilities across an organization’s IT infrastructure. Generally, businesses rely on tools like AVs, XDRs, SIEMs, and MDRs to protect their organizations against cyberattacks. These tools are undoubtedly crucial, but they follow a reactive approach. They will only act after an attack is in action. Businesses might believe they are well-protected using these tools until they perform a thorough offensive security check. In the current digital age, it is important to consider more proactive approaches like attack surface management, pen testing, and CTEM programs as they focus on being offensive rather than defensive.

Continuous threat exposure management allows businesses to identify and mitigate weaknesses in their processes. It involves analyzing the environment, identifying vulnerabilities, assigning priority according to risk, marking attack paths and loopholes, and assigning teams to address them. By implementing the CTEM program, businesses can proactively resolve their security risks to stay one step ahead in this dynamic threat landscape.

How does it work?

At its core, CTEM uses automated tools to scan vulnerabilities continuously across business digital assets. These tools integrate with security infrastructure to comprehensively view the organization’s threat ecosystem. After detecting the vulnerability, the CTEM program assigns priority based on the potential impact, providing quick and effective remediation.

What Problem is CTEM Solving for Businesses?

A continuous threat exposure management program allows CISOs and their teams to address critical pain points in the modern cybersecurity ecosystem, namely the gap between threat emergence and response. They continuously face relentless pressure to secure the organization’s critical data and infrastructure assets. Preventive measures like firewalls and AVs were once all they needed, but now, cyber-attacks are more persistent and sophisticated than ever. CTEM assists CISOs in addressing a valuable security gap by offering a comprehensive and on-the-run view of the business attack surface. Let’s take a close look at the problems that CTEM is solving for businesses:

Identify and Patch Hidden Vulnerabilities:

Vulnerabilities are discovered constantly, but sometimes, few remain unnoticed. CTEM program performs beyond point-in-time scans and facilitates continuous identification of these vulnerabilities. This assists security teams in prioritizing the patching process and mitigating the critical risks before they harm business.

Evolving Threat Landscape:

The cyber threat ecosystem is constantly evolving rapidly. CETM assists CISO in incorporating threat intelligence techniques to analyze and understand the latest attack methods. This would enable businesses to stay alert, anticipate potential attacks, and plan an effective mitigation measure.

Compliance and Regulatory Requirements:

With the evolving cyber-attack ecosystem, regulations have become stricter and more complex. It raises significant compliance concern for businesses. CTEM ensures that businesses maintain continuous compliance by keeping security protocols up to date with the latest regulations.

Security Gaps and Misconfigurations:

No matter how profound and robust policies businesses implement; misconfigurations and security gaps will remain. With CTEM, CISOs can constantly monitor the systems and configurations, enabling them to identify and mitigate security gaps before hackers can exploit them.

By addressing these problems, CTEM assists CISOs and their teams in enhancing the cybersecurity framework and supporting overall operational integrity. This makes CTEM a valuable asset for businesses to protect their digital assets against cyber threats.

5 Stages of Continuous Threat Exposure Management Program

The five stages of the CTEM program provide a comprehensive and cyclical overview of handling cybersecurity risks. Each stage allows businesses to constantly identify, assess, and mitigate cyber threats. The best part is these measures evolve as threats evolve, maintaining a robust defense mechanism. Let’s take a look at the five key stages of implementing the CTEM program:

Scoping:

The first stage requires security teams to identify the infrastructure segments to detect potential vulnerabilities or threats. They conduct a thorough analysis of cyber resilience using automated tools and sensors and check internal and external attack surfaces, as well as cloud infrastructure. The sensors monitor and collect data from all network and system components.

Discovery:

This phase involves an in-depth analysis of the infrastructure defined in the first stage. The security teams assess all assets to evaluate risk profiles and their potential impact on the business. They can find explicit vulnerabilities and detect hidden errors like misconfigurations and fake assets. The extensive data collected in this stage would allow security teams to prioritize their discovery efforts.

Prioritization:

This stage assists security teams with a gap analysis of security infrastructure. It involves identifying undetected/unprevented attacks, detection gaps, logging gaps, and broken, noisy, and missing detection rules. CISOs can focus on where they are most needed to prevent resource wastage on less critical issues.

Validation:

The security teams utilize various tools to validate the impact of identified loopholes. This phase is crucial to verifying a business’s cybersecurity protocols. It is followed by prioritizing weak points, threats, and mitigation processes. The actions include patching software, updating system configurations, and improving security protocols.

Monitoring:

After validation, security teams must continuously monitor the effectiveness of cybersecurity measures to ensure that no new threats have been detected. This ongoing monitoring is the core of the CTEM program that sets it apart from traditional security assessments. CISOs also get real-time insights into the organization’s security posture.

Businesses with CTEM vs. Without CTEM

Implementing a continuous threat exposure management program would allow businesses influenced by CISOs to manage and respond more effectively to cybersecurity threats. CISOs can leverage CTEM to facilitate real-time threat detection, risk management, and adherence to compliance, which are necessary components in today’s cyber threat ecosystem.

Why Partner with Tx to Manage Cybersecurity?

Partnering with Tx to manage cybersecurity can transform how businesses address cyber threats, especially with a robust CTEM program. We can assist CISOs with advanced tools and strategies to enhance their organizations’ cybersecurity posture. Selecting Tx to manage your cybersecurity posture would give you the following perks:

• We have a team of highly certified security professionals with expertise in CISM, CISSP, CISA, CAP, and CEH, who ensure your security infrastructure is free from vulnerabilities.

• Our approach to the CTEM program ensures that your cybersecurity measures are proactive and keep your digital ecosystem one step ahead of potential threats.

• Our approach aligns with industry standards such as OWASP, PIC-DSS, HIPAA, SOX, OSSTM, WASC, WAHH, and NIST.

• We utilize advanced automation tools and in-house accelerators, such as Tx-Secure, to provide continuous monitoring a real-time threat detection necessary for maintaining a resilient security posture.

• We assist in optimizing resource allocation to ensure your most critical assets receive the highest level of protection. It significantly reduces costs associated with managing security threats.

Summary

Continuous threat exposure management is a crucial component for businesses if they want to stay protected in the evolving cybersecurity ecosystem. It has the potential to empower CISOs with real-time threat detection, proactive vulnerability management, and ensure regulatory compliance. They can seamlessly address the critical gap between threat emergence and response. The proactive and continuous nature of CTEM ensures that organizations can adapt swiftly to emerging threats, thereby maintaining a robust defense system and operational integrity. Partnering with Tx enhances these capabilities, providing advanced tools, expertise, and continuous support for a resilient cybersecurity strategy.

The post Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM): Key Insights for CISOs first appeared on TestingXperts.

Mitigating Data breach threats in Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector has emerged as a major priority in the past few years. This infographic lists the kinds of data breach threats that prevail in BFSI and how these can be mitigated through Database Integrity, System Security and Digital Transformation.

The post Migrating Data Breach Threats in BFSI Sector first appeared on TestingXperts.

The year 2020 was full of challenges with rapid lockdowns in different countries across the globe and this year 2021 also seems to be no better than the last year. Typically, when the world began coping up with the COVID-19 pandemic blues, a wave of cyber-attacks continues to shake the world of businesses across domains.

Content1. Latest cyber-attacks across industries during 2020-2021
2. Various dominant types of cyber-attacks in recent times
3. The emerging need for different types of security testing
4. Why today’s CXOs should leverage security testing?
5. How we can help with your security testing assessments?
6. Benefits of VAPT

Earlier this month, on April 04, 2021, 533 million Facebook users’ phone numbers and personal data have been leaked online according to ‘Business Insider’ report!

These cyber-attacks pose a great risk to the identity and security of data of not only the general public but also the government and other institutions, and the cost of breaches has been consistently rising in recent years. This has also raised the dominance of new cyber vulnerabilities that emerged from shifting to a remote workforce with more IT employees shifting towards ‘WFH.’

This new work culture has truly expanded the cyber-attack surface and added many vulnerabilities for hackers to exploit from home offices too. Some of the other major reasons for these continued cyber-attacks are remote working, extensive cloud breaches, pandemic-related phishing, ransomware attacks, social engineering attacks along with more cyber threats on Internet-of-things (IoT), etc.

Today, invariably, board members, directors, and CXOs continue to review their organization’s risk practices to include network breaches and failures in their business continuity planning to safeguard from possible cyber risks and other similar incidents to stakeholders.

There had been nearly 445 million attacks detected since the beginning of 2020. There have been many types of cyber-attacks in recent times across industries which have been detailed below.

Latest cyber-attacks across industries during 2020-2021

Retail & eCommerce –

According to Economic Times, a group of hackers attacked at least 570 e-commerce stores in 55 countries and leaked information of more than 184,000 stolen credit cards. They generated over $7 million from selling compromised payment cards.

Healthcare –

According to a recent Forbes report, cyber-attacks on US healthcare facilities in the year 2020 affected 17.3 million people, and resulted in 436 data breaches. Cyber-attackers can sell medical records on the dark web for up to $1,000 each.

Telecom –

According to Verizon Mobile Security Index 2021, 40% of respondents faced mobile device-related cyberattacks and 53% said the damage was significant. According to BusinessInsider, it is predicted that there will be more than 41 billion IoT devices by 2027 and the significant rise In cyber-attacks on IoT devices calls for the need for strict cybersecurity measures in the telecom sector.

Banking & Insurance-

According to CSI 2021 Banking Priorities Survey, 34% of the bankers reported that cybersecurity is their major concern. While 84% of the bankers view social engineering as the greatest cybersecurity threat in 2021. As per the responses collected, customer-targeted phishing and employee-targeted phishing are the major concerns prevailing in the banking sector.

IT Industry –

According to BBC News, Amazon said that its online cloud, fended off the largest DDoS attack in history. As per Amazon Web Services (AWS), the February 2020 attack had fired 2.3Tbps.

Hotel Industry

Marriott in 2020 disclosed that a security breach impacted data of more than 5.2 billion hotel guests in one of its more impactful attacks in recent times

Social media –

According to BBC News, Twitter faced a major cyber-attack in which 130 accounts were targeted including the accounts of Barack Obama, Elon Musk, Kanye West, and Bill Gates. These accounts were used to tweet a Bitcoin scam to millions of followers by which attackers received hundreds of transfers, worth more than $100,000.

According to Business Insider recent report on April 04, 2021, nearly 533 million Facebook users phone numbers and personal data from 106 countries have been leaked online and security researchers warn that the data could be used by hackers to impersonate people and commit fraud.

Moreover, the Cybercrime magazine in its latest report states that cybercrime would cost the world $10.5 Trillion annually by 2025.

Various dominant types of cyber-attacks in recent times 

Malware:

It is malicious software that is installed by hackers on the victim’s system that damages the computer systems, servers, and networks. There are different types of malware such as worm, virus, Trojan, spyware, rootkit, adware, malvertising, ransomware, etc.

Ransomware:

It is the most common type of cybersecurity attack wherein the attacker encrypts the victim’s file and demands a huge amount of money or ransom to decrypt it. In this attack, the attacker threatens to publish sensitive or confidential data publically on the dark web or blocks access to it until the ransom amount is paid.

Phishing and Spear Phishing:

It is a practice of sending malicious emails that appears to be from genuine sources. These emails also contain attachments that load malware onto the system of the user, by which attackers try to steal the personal information of the users.

Man-in-the-middle attack (MitM):

In this type of cyber-attack, a perpetrator intercepts the communication between the client and server with an aim to either eavesdrop or impersonate someone. The hackers try to steal personal information such as login credentials, account details, credit and debit card details, etc. Some of the main types of MitM attacks are IP spoofing, session hijacking, etc.

IP Spoofing:

The attacker tries to modify the IP address in the packet header to make the receiving computer system think it is from a legitimate or a trusted source. By this method, attackers gain access to computers and mine them for sensitive data. These infected computers are also used for malicious activities and for launching DDoS attacks further.

Session hijacking:

In this attack, the user session is taken over by an attacker. The attackers steal the victim’s session ID by either stealing the session cookie or by making the user click a malicious link containing a prepared session ID. After taking over the session, the attacker does malicious activities such as transfer money, steal the data, encrypt valuable data, and demand ransom to decrypt, etc.

SQL injection:

It is a code injection technique where the attacker injects malicious SQL code into the entry field for execution. This allows the attacker to view data that was not meant to be displayed or retrieved. It is a common issue with database-driven websites and websites that uses dynamic SQL.

Denial of Service attack (DoS) and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS):

In this type, the attacker disrupts the organization’s servers or networks and floods them with fake or bot users to crash the normal functioning of the system. The most common types of DDoS attacks are TCP SYN flood, teardrop, smurf, ping of death, botnets, etc.

Botnets:

It is a collection of internet-connected devices which are infected by malware. Each infected device is known as a bot and is used to spread more bots. Using this technique, attackers steal credentials and data saved on devices and spread DDoS attacks.

These varied types of cyber-attacks continue to attack many businesses today and there is an exigency for ‘CYBER-SECURITY’ measures and especially ‘CYBER-SECURITY TESTING’ that should be leveraged by today’s businesses.

The emerging need for different types of security testing 

The variety of cyber-attacks are growing tremendously and intruders have found new and smart ways of spreading malicious viruses and hacking systems to steal important and confidential enterprise and customer data. Cybercriminals have a variety of ways by which they can hack systems and gain unauthorized access to business-critical apps, networks, and servers. These rampant cyber-attacks can affect organizations in many ways such as loss of brand image and reputation, loss of customer trust, and can even result in legal and financial consequences.

There is a critical need for organizations to adopt robust security testing of apps, systems, networks, servers, and cloud infrastructure to prevent cyber-attacks. However, to ensure the safety of business-critical apps, businesses should know the below-mentioned security testing types.

Static Application Security Testing (SAST):

It is a white box testing type where developers find security vulnerabilities in the source code of an application earlier in the software development life cycle. This testing method ensures that the app conforms to coding guidelines and standards.

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST):

It is a black-box testing technique that allows testers to find security vulnerabilities and weaknesses in web apps. In this technique, the testers inject malicious data into the software just to mimic SQL injection and XSS attacks to identify common security vulnerabilities.

Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST):

It is a combination of both the SAST and DAST techniques. In this technique, an IAST agent is placed within an application that performs the analysis of the app in real-time. The IAST agent checks the runtime control and data flow information, configuration information, HTTP requests and responses, libraries, frameworks, and other components.

Other common types of security testing are:

Vulnerability scanning:

In this testing technique, automated software is used to scan vulnerabilities in the system. It examines web apps to identify vulnerabilities like cross-site scripting, SQL injections, command injections, insecure server configuration, etc.

Security audit/review:

It is a cybersecurity practice that should be performed regularly. It helps organizations to assess the current security level of their system by detecting vulnerabilities and security loopholes. It can either be performed manually or can also be automated. Depending on the types of risks identified during the auditing, proper solutions are provided to the organizations.

Ethical hacking:

In this testing technique, a certified ethical hacker intrudes the organization’s system with legal and authorized permission to detect vulnerabilities in the system before a cyber-attacker finds and exploits it.

Penetration testing:

In this security testing method, the testers try to mimic the real cyber-attacks to find the vulnerabilities in the system. The two most common types of penetration testing are app penetration testing which revolves around finding technical defects in the software, and the other is infrastructure penetration testing in which testers examine the servers, firewalls, and other hardware.

Red Teaming:

It is a broader aspect of penetration testing where the internal or external team of security experts simulate real-time attacks on the organization. The security experts assess the environment without any prior knowledge. The specific evaluation is based on combining various security controls of the organization. The asset can be digital or physical based on the scope and the job of the security experts is to perform attacks, avoid detection, and provide sensitive data as proof.

Security scanning:

This security testing process involves identifying vulnerabilities in the app, software, system, networks. Both manual and automated security testing methods are used to perform this testing method. The insights obtained from these tests are duly used to provide solutions to fix issues.

Why today’s CXOs should leverage security testing?

Businesses across industry domains continue to face rampant cyber attacks and it has today cyber-security has essentially become a boardroom discussion. These cyber-threats have grown so large that their consequences significantly influence their valuation largely. Hence, network security and data privacy are today well know boardroom governance concerns. Hence, boards, directors, stakeholders and CXOs should have a greater vision and devote more attention to evaluate these risks and ensure to leverage security testing to safeguard from threats and vulnerabilities.

Today’s digital and connected world is more susceptible to the rampant cyber-attacks that continue to invade the businesses of their data and networks. Hence, to identify these vulnerabilities and safeguard systems and networks, different types of vulnerability assessments should be taken up. These assessments involve automatic scanning of the network infrastructure to have a complete overview of the system to known vulnerabilities, if any.

In addition, with the help of automatic scans, a series of checks are carried out on every system/application to understand their configuration in detail and detect any vulnerability. Moreover, penetration tests should also be carried out using different attack scenarios and combining manual techniques with automated tools to protect systems and data from any possible threats and vulnerabilities.

Therefore, today’s CXOs need to establish the appropriate cybersecurity measures in their respective organizations in the digital world to safeguard from any possible threats and vulnerabilities of their data, systems, networks, infrastructure, etc. CXOs should leverage security testing to get many benefits some of which have been given below.

Helps reveal real vulnerabilities:

It proactively helps businesses to identify, and fix vulnerabilities in their software, apps, networks, and servers. CXOs should take up security testing to ensure their organizations continue to deliver high-quality and secure services to their customers.

Ensures compliance to standards like PCI DSS, HIPPA:

There are certain legal standards that every organization is expected to follow. To ensure that the organization is complying with all the required standards, CXOs should leverage security testing. Failure in abiding by this legal standard can result in huge penalties to the organization.

Smoothens business continuity:

Every CXO wants their business to run seamlessly 24/7 which can be achieved with security testing. Regular security checks help businesses to eliminate situations of unexpected downtime or loss of accessibility which ultimately results in business continuity issues at times

Ensures security of IT systems, apps, networks & data:

As per a report by Hosting Tribunal, there is a hacker attack every 39 seconds. This clearly shows an alarming situation and CXOs need to protect their IT systems, business-critical apps, enterprise, and customer data from these rapidly increasing cyber-attacks and this is where security testing plays its role.

Helps to run a secure business during WFH:

Due to the current pandemic, employees continue to work from home and organizations require their employees to access the company’s data from a variety of devices, and through various networks including public WiFi and Hotspots. This has led to a rise in cybercrimes. As per a report published by The Hill’, US FBI reported that there has been a 400% rise in cybercrimes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. CXOs must ensure end-to-end security testing and should take strict cyber-security measures to normalize WHF and safeguard their businesses.

Ensures security of cloud solutions:

In the current era, cloud solutions have become a part of almost all organizations as they have started moving their IT systems to the cloud and therefore, cloud security has become the need of an hour. Though cloud architecture is much flexible than on-premise architecture as it allows running virtual machines and can store a huge amount of data. But still, the cloud continues to be more vulnerable to attacks. As per McAfee, there has been a 630% increase in external attacks on cloud-based services. Therefore, the security testing of cloud solutions is another aspect that CXOs should consider.

Keeps up brand image and reputation intact:

Even a single cyber-attack or data breach can negatively affect the image of an organization. According to Business Wire, 81% of consumers would stop engaging with a brand online after a data breach. This can adversely affect the brand image and revenue also. Therefore, every CXO should start investing in security testing methods to protect customer’s data and to preserve their brand image.

Increases security IQ of employees with policies in place:

Ensuring the security of data and systems is not the sole responsibility of IT teams. Rather it is the responsibility of every employee irrespective of their roles and this extends to CXOs as well. CXOs should align with subject matter experts to understand the requirements of security testing in their organization. CXOs can foster a culture of cyber-security in the organization by adopting stringent cyber-security policies

Ensures business with a proper cyber-defence plan:

According to FireEye, 51% of the organizations do not have a proper cyber-defence plan. Hence, CXOs need to look at their organization’s cyber-defence capabilities and should take up end-to-end security testing along with formulating stringent security policies.

How we can help with your security testing assessments?

TestingXperts security testing teams have rich expertise in security testing and caters to diversified business needs. With a team of Certified Ethical Hackers (CEH), we help businesses to ensure that their application, networks, and servers are secure from all possible vulnerabilities and meets the stated security requirements like confidentiality, authorization, authentication, availability, and integrity.

We primarily follow the OWASP (Open Web Security Project) guidelines in our security testing services along with PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOX, WAHH, OSSTM, WASC, and NIST Standards as per the application-specific requirements.

Our Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) / Comprehensive Security Testing Approach:

TestingXperts (Tx) enables a comprehensive vulnerability security testing approach that involves effective planning & execution along with collective risk assessment performed against multilayers of applications that includes the network, the hardware, and the software. This methodology helps to reduce re-work and ensures shorter time-to-market and cost-effectiveness. It also helps to save time and resources and protects brand reputation.

The actual process consists of security principles that have a specific set of test scenarios, which will be mapped to required regulatory compliances. Specifically, vulnerability testing involves deep investigation of the application to determine whether current patches are applied, whether it is configured in a manner that makes attacks more difficult, and whether the application exposes any information that an attacker could use to gain entry against other systems in the environment. Our security testing teams are well equipped with many latest security testing techniques.

Benefits of VAPT

– Vulnerability assessment helps to find security gaps if any in your web and mobile applications along with your networking infrastructure

– Validates the effectiveness of the existing security safeguards

– Helps to detect any security weaknesses even before cyber-attackers do

– Validates the effectiveness of security and system upgrades

– Helps to achieve and maintain compliance with all international and federal regulations

– Ensures to protect the integrity of assets in case of existing malicious code hidden in any of them

Talk to our security testing experts. We can help

The post Why Cyber Security has become a Boardroom Discussion first appeared on TestingXperts.

Among all industries, healthcare has been the 5th most affected industry in terms of data breaches and the losses that come with them. In 2023 alone, medical organizations encountered the highest number of data breaches since 2009. This shows the urgent need for robust cyber security measures in the healthcare industry.

The key reason that attackers are always targeting the healthcare industry is the financial gain it offers. They can use stolen patient records to gain unauthorized access to medical information or get free medical prescriptions. According to a report by IBM Security, the average cost of a single breach in the healthcare sector was $10.93 million in 2023. Human error is in the lead if we discuss the common cause of these incidents. Based on a report by Version, miscellaneous errors, system intrusion, and web app attacks were the leading causes of data breaches.

The Current State of Cybersecurity in the Healthcare Sector

As cyberattacks increase daily, the FDA has announced its plan to implement new frameworks to address the safety issues of medical devices. These frameworks could assist in protecting consumer data and improving the cyber security of medical devices. The FDA’s medical device safety plan focuses on how stakeholders can enhance their processes to ensure medical device safety. Seeing the rapid digital transformation to offer personalized and improved CX, ensuring the safety of healthcare applications and devices is a major concern for industry leaders.

Security threats and data breaches are paramount in the healthcare sector. Attacks are usually successful because of loopholes in the infrastructure, compromising life-critical consumer data. A couple of years back, The WannaCry Ransomware attack almost impaled the UK National Health Service. It would have been a disastrous incident for healthcare operators if there had been a slight delay in the action plan. This is just one example of cyberattacks against the medical sector. Hackers are also targeting EHR vendors, simultaneously threatening various enterprises’ functionalities.

The user remotely controls sensitive devices that connect with the brain or heart. Just imagine what would happen if the device key that controls the organ functionalities gets leaked. In the worst-case scenario, it would result in the patient’s death if it fell into the hands of a person with malicious intent. Although it may sound like a scene from a TV drama, everything is possible in the current digital age. Such outcomes would have an everlasting impact on healthcare organizations.

Key Factors Driving Cyber Security in Healthcare

Compared to other industries, healthcare faces a complex cyber threat landscape. The dependency on digital systems to handle patients and their details is increasing, which raises the bar for robust cyber security protocols. In addition to securing sensitive data, healthcare organizations must comply with regulations to ensure patient safety. Let’s take a close look at the key factors driving cyber security in the healthcare sector:

Increase in Cyberattacks:

Hackers’ main target in recent cyberattacks has been medical records containing personal information. These records are sold for a hefty amount on the dark web and can be used for identity theft. Whether it’s a medical device or a healthcare app/website, hackers target everything that could help them obtain such vital information. This pushes healthcare providers to enhance their security defenses against ransomware and other cyberattacks.

Healthcare Digital Transformation:

Electronic health records (EHRs), cloud computing, and telemedicine are some of the components responsible for digital transformation in the healthcare sector. Although these technologies introduced various benefits, they also raised new security challenges. And this is not the end of it. With new tech innovations, this sector will become more digitized, making it necessary to implement robust security measures to secure sensitive data and ensure care continuity.

Changing Cyber Threat Landscape:

Cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated and harder to crack. Zero-day vulnerabilities and Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) are some of the major concerns for healthcare professionals. Here, the need is to stay one step ahead of such threats by opting for and implementing advanced cyber security technologies and practices.

IoT Devices Integration in Healthcare:

IoT device integration enables healthcare practitioners to improve patient care by providing real-time health monitoring. However, they also introduce new security challenges due to their weak security protocols, making them easy targets for hackers. It is necessary to secure these devices to ensure the integrity of medical treatments.

Regulatory Compliance:

Enterprises selling healthcare products (apps, websites, medical devices) must comply with various regulations, such as GDPR and HIPAA. These regulations also vary region-wise. Noncompliance can result in hefty fines and a bad reputation, driving healthcare providers to implement comprehensive cyber security strategies.

7 Cyber Threats in the Healthcare Sector

Poor cyber security practices, compromised data storage, and underhanded tactics to ensure business continuity make healthcare organizations prime targets of hackers. The 7 biggest challenges below highlight the urgency of healthcare cyber security measures within the current threat landscape. They pose the greatest risk to patient data and information security.

Data Breaches:

Compared to other industries, the healthcare sector suffers the most from data breach attacks. Sometimes, health entities struggle to implement security controls, leaving gaps in the entry points and threatening the security of patient care data. Despite implementing HIPAA requirements, they still struggle with data breaches.

Phishing:

Phishing is one of the most common security threats that infect an innocuous email with malicious links. It is one of the most common methods attackers use these days. These emails look very convincing, raising the urgency for a medical disturbance to incentivize link-clicking. Some advanced hackers even compose thorough emails consisting of replies and email threads to deepen the authenticity and minimize suspicion of email.

DDoS Attacks:

In a DDoS attack, many fake connection requests are sent to the targeted server, forcing it to shut down. Multiple endpoints and IoT devices are integrated into the botnet via a malware infection to engage in a coordinated attack. DDoS attacks can achieve the same disturbance as ransomware attacks without compromising a network and can be deployed on a wider scale.

Ransomware Attacks:

In this attack, hackers inject malware into the network to infect and collect sensitive data until the victim pays the ransom. The primary method used to inject malicious software is a phishing attack. The growing number of ransomware attacks is also due to the new tech innovation automating these attacks. Even better, hackers have created their version, the Ransomware-as-a-Service model, inspired by the Business-as-a-Service model.

Fragmentation in Security Architecture:

Healthcare organizations commonly do not bother with their cyber security program. Instead, they deploy an array of point security products. According to data, almost 80% of healthcare entities depend on ten-point products for security. This creates difficulties in identifying and mitigating potential attacks before hackers can access or deploy ransomware within the organization’s IT systems.

Legacy Systems Vulnerability:

Most healthcare organizations still work with legacy systems (outdated workstations and networked medical equipment). These systems contain unpatched vulnerabilities that make them an easy and prime target for hackers to exploit.

Unsafe Medical Equipment and Devices:

IoMT is the rising trend among healthcare organizations, showing the growing dependency on networked devices. Like IoT devices, IoMT systems have poor security and multiple weak points that hackers exploit to gain unauthorized access to the systems and sensitive data.

How can Tx help Secure Your Healthcare Assets?

Tx’s security testing is a defense mechanism that allows organizations to safeguard their systems or assets against attacks. We also assist in building a bounce-back strategy to prepare for any situation. Let’s take a look at some important aspects of Tx’s security testing service for the healthcare sector:

Protecting Healthcare Data:

Our comprehensive security testing process checks for vulnerabilities and identifies risks that can affect PHI. By securing PHI, we confirm that healthcare applications meet HIPAA compliance and allow organizations to safeguard their sensitive data. One of the main components of our security testing strategy is vulnerability assessment.

Software Quality Assessment:

We ensure that the app meets all quality standards by checking for risks and vulnerabilities before it’s released to the end-user. By running diagnostics to identify bugs in the initial phases, we help reduce costs and efforts, further reducing time to market and allowing enterprises to release their apps with confidence.

Data Management Capabilities:

Our comprehensive security testing approach assesses whether your data management and storage techniques are robust and secure. We deploy data protection techniques to mitigate the risks associated with cyber security in the healthcare sector.

Data and Systems Access Management:

When access points are not properly defined, major security gaps make your apps and systems vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Our security testing solution allows you to improve your identity validation process, which can significantly decrease cyber security risks. You can secure patient data and other sensitive information by validating access points and identification.

Using In-house Accelerators:

We utilize our in-house accelerators, such as Tx-Secure. It manages all the integrations under a single platform to allow companies to assess their firewalls, servers, network devices, and endpoints. It is, by default, compliant with HIPAA, GDPR and ISO 27001 regulations.

Summary

The healthcare industry faces immense cyber threats, and implementing robust security protocols has become essential. Healthcare organizations are experiencing frequent data breach incidents in which hackers’ main target is valuable patient records. IoT device integrations, regulatory compliance, and digital transformation are some aspects that add complexity to securing healthcare data. Poor cyber security practices, fragmented architecture, and legacy systems increase risks. Partnering with Tx can help you protect your patient data, ensure compliance, and secure healthcare apps and devices against evolving threats. To know more, contact our cyber security experts now.

The post How does Cyber Security in Healthcare Navigate the Threat Landscape?  first appeared on TestingXperts.