Cyber security is not enough: Think resilience

Westcon Imagine 2014 - The ability to understand modern attacks, and implement the right procedures and response strategies as a result, is an art which still requires perfection in business.

As security breaches rise on a yearly basis, security specialist Symantec believes defence begins with acceptance.

An acceptance that despite robust defence measures, cyber attackers still find a way through, acknowledging such threats is not an admission of defeat, rather an effective method to improve response and resilience in moments of crisis.

“Symantec is witnessing a significant shift in attacker behaviour,” says Mark Shaw, Technology Strategist – Information Security (Pacific), Symantec.

“The most advanced attackers are now often plotting for months before pulling off significant, wide-scale campaigns against entire industries, like the retail or banking sectors.

“They are more organised and calculated than ever before. Cybercrime is a very big business with an alarming number of players, bolstered by the size of their extended gangs.

“Defenders face both more effective adversaries and a continually growing threat landscape.”

Given this fiendish game of cat-and-mouse, Symantec says the best strategy is not the isolated removal of threats, but a slow, determined and on-going process of Cyber Resilience.

“Businesses are at a critical juncture and must accept that a paradigm shift in how to protect information is taking place,” Shaw adds.

“We’re never going to have enough people to match the bad guys one-on-one – but we can be smarter.

“The first step in being smarter is transitioning our thinking from cyber security to cyber resilience.”

For technology to be harnessed productively and add meaningful value to work and lives, Symantec says users need to be able to use it safely and securely.

“Organisations need to recognise that no company is immune from a breach and no network is 100% safe,” Shaw adds.

“Believing that a network is bullet proof from security attacks puts people, economies and resources at greater risk.

“The sooner businesses recognise this reality, the sooner appropriate responses can be developed or refined and impact to businesses minimised.”

IT professionals have a critical role here only if they can:

1. Effectively baseline where their organisation’s Cyber Resilience is at today. This has to be done faster and with more rigour than previously.
2. Make their people part of Cyber Resilience strategy. Educate everyone in their organisation’s supply chain to balance the innovation they want with the Cyber Resilience they need.
3. Use a Cyber Resilience strategy for long-term strategic competitive advantage in their organisation.

It is impossible to predict all the new cyber threats which your organisation will face - some are yet to be dreamt up.

No organisation is immune to hostile attacks so start today, be part of the resistance.