Those of you who are familiar with our work will know just how important cybersecurity & security by design are to us. Today we take a look at both and offer hints and tips on how you can achieve a good baseline for them.
Cybersecurity: A Definition
According to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), “cybersecurity is how individuals and organisations reduce the risk of cyber-attack.”
Nowadays, few can live without regular access to computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones etc. The amount of personal data and information that can be accessed online is enormous. Cyber criminals thrive on this, especially when security measures are weak or even non-existent.
Everybody has at least one password – hopefully it is not ‘password’ – and the more complex and less personalised it is, the better. It should not stop there, however; consider using a password management system for greater cyber-resilience.
Additional tips for becoming cyber secure:
- Install the latest updates- Regularly back-up your data
- Install anti-virus software
- Be wary of emails and messages from unknown sources
- Never click on a link that looks suspicious
- Educate yourself by reading the latest security updates
- Never leave devices unattended and always use screen locks.
Top Tip: Choose CRIBB
The above points will certainly help individuals and employees to achieve better security. When it comes to organisations though, stronger measures are required. CRIBB Cyber Security powers theICEway’s security by design approach to IT. They are an official certification body and can help you with data protection, governance, compliance – you name it. Their services and solutions include penetration testing, ‘DPO as a service’ and ISO 27001 implementation. If you need help you can contact them today for a cyber security evaluation.
What Is Security By Design?
It is an approach to cybersecurity that enables the automation of data security controls. It allows organisations to evaluate and adapt their infrastructure so that security is built into all IT management processes.
The approach is a proactive one, with a focus upon preventing data breaches as opposed to fixing and restoring systems in the wake of them.
It is often also labelled as ‘secure by design’, and simply sees an organisation considering cybersecurity at the start of a project. It sees software engineers designing software to be secure from the outset, which then minimises the risk of flaws.
Conclusion
In the modern world, a good appreciation of cybersecurity & security by design methodology is imperative. How can you achieve security by design? You can speak with our experts at CRIBB (see above), and in the meantime, contemplate the NCSC’s 5 principles for a secure system:
- Context is key before designing a system and you must appreciate the fundamentals and address any short-comings- Make it harder for attackers to compromise your systems and data
- Focus on reducing ‘down-time’ to zero
- Ensure that you are well-positioned to detect any compromises easily
- Make sure to reduce the impact of any compromise.
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