7 Most Cyber Security Myths debunked

7 Most Cyber security Myths debunked

While interacting with some of our clients and partners we have come to know that some myths surround cybersecurity in general that prevent people from taking the right steps for cybersecurity posture.

So, why not help your readers by doing some myth-busting in cybersecurity along with some tips that you can follow to avoid becoming a victim of such myths?

But before we proceed here are some of the interesting facts that you should know surrounding cybersecurity to get you started:   

• Customers have witnessed a price increase in product or service in about 60 % of organizations that have recently experienced a data breach    
• 95% of data breaches occur because of human error   
• Small organizations with less than 1000 employees become victims of over 82% of ransomware attacks   
• Over 60% of small businesses believe that their organization is too small to be targeted by cybercriminals   
• Small businesses are 350% more likely to face social engineering-based attacks   

Now that you have come across some shocking facts on cybersecurity be ready as we bust some of the myths that surround cybersecurity: 

1. Cybersecurity is all about coding and having proficiency in languages

To most people, when you say cybersecurity, they might imagine a geeky-looking guy with thick glasses hunched over a computer who might have expertise in coding, but this is a big myth. A decent amount of cybersecurity doesn’t require coding skills. It just needs one to be aware of the best practices that are to be implemented for establishing basic cybersecurity hygiene.    

Cybersecurity hygiene comprises all the measures that are taken to defend against some of the most common cybersecurity threats. It includes taking measures like using a strong password (using a password manager to generate and keep passwords secure), enabling Multi-Factor-Authentication, following basic steps for detecting phishing like SLAM, taking backups regularly, following CIS-based benchmarks, and enabling location-based login notification.

2. If it is cybersecurity, IT department is responsible for it

It is one of the most common myths where people believe that if it is cybersecurity then the IT department is to be looked upon for the creation of policies and implementing measures across the IT infrastructure to keep the bad guys away from the most sensitive and valuable assets.    

However, IT departments often comprise generalists who do not possess the specialized knowledge in cybersecurity that is required to keep the posture ready with the best security practices. Therefore, when it comes to cybersecurity you must hire experts who are well-versed in the details of cybersecurity with knowledge of how to work with various technological solutions to help your organization proactively detect threats and suspicious activities and take prompt action before any compromise.  Cybersecurity is also about compliance and implementing measures as per the regulations applicable to the region that you belong to.

3. Small businesses needn’t worry about cyber threats since they have relatively less to lose

Small businesses often make the mistake of believing that since their business is small, they have very little to lose in terms of data and sensitive assets. However, this might not be true.  In one research report, it was found that small businesses with less than 100 employees are 350% more likely to become a victim of cyber-attacks.    

Cybercriminals may leverage any data that they can get their hands on to engage in tailored phishing attacks. They could also engage in orchestrating business email compromise attacks, delivering malware leading to loss of data, disruption in operations, and considerable damage to brand reputation. Cyber attackers look to take over to high-value accounts of CEOs and CFOs to extract information and further engage in massive campaigns.

4. Passwords are enough to keep you cyber-secure

It is a common myth that a strong password is enough to keep an account secure. However, cybercriminals may use credential theft, brute force attacks, social engineering, and other attack techniques to steal passwords and gain access to accounts.     

Since passwords are a pretty old method of securing accounts, attackers are more likely to discover them using attack techniques. Therefore, using multi-factor authentication and enabling different login notifications is essential since it adds another layer of security to your account and makes it even more difficult for attackers to break into a business’s defenses. Two out of four people use the same password for multiple online accounts making their account highly vulnerable to compromise.

5. Antivirus and firewalls are enough to keep your sensitive assets safe

Antivirus and firewalls no longer serve as a standalone solution against threats since modern-day threats are evolving constantly. Modern-day cyber attackers are deploying machine learning and artificial intelligence to orchestrate attacks that are made to evolve techniques of infiltration making it difficult for standalone solutions like anti-virus and firewalls to detect malicious activity. Antivirus and firewalls can’t defend your IT infrastructure from insiders and fail to identify threats based on behavior.    

Therefore, single-layer security won’t work in today’s world to prevent advanced threat actors. It calls for behavior-based detection of threats, continuous monitoring, threat detection, and response across the IT infrastructure and endpoint protection. Modern threats need modern solutions that offer a good blend of cutting-edge prediction technology using machine learning artificial intelligence and human expertise. 

6. Cybersecurity is always expensive

One of the common misconceptions that surround cybersecurity is that it is always expensive. Many businesses make the mistake of getting a bundled package without preparing a detailed scope for their cybersecurity.  Since they get a lot of solutions that aren’t required by them cybersecurity turns out to be expensive for them.  They fail to engage in cybersecurity needs assessment    

A lot of that expense can be reduced by simply preparing a detailed scope with a cybersecurity expert who will recommend the package that works the best for the business with all the solutions as per requirements.  Preparing a detailed scope with a team of experts will not only help you avoid getting unnecessary solutions. 

7. You can always skip updates

There is a common myth that skipping updates is okay and that they aren’t really important. However, many times updates consist of bug fixes and security updates that might be helpful in addressing the vulnerabilities within systems and applications.   

Skipping updates can increase the chances of applications and software becoming vulnerable to cyberattacks. It isn’t uncommon for cyber attackers to look for security weaknesses in the systems and applications. No wonder around 95 % of data breaches are caused due to human error.   

Therefore, it is a must to keep all the systems and applications updated from time to time. Scheduling updates is a good way to ensure that you don’t miss out on them. Setting organization-wide policies for updates is essential to mitigate human error considerably.   

SharkStriker’s solution for holistic cybersecurity – STERIEGO

In a world that is speeding towards digital, businesses are struggling with challenges such as increased cybersecurity skills gap, rising cost of cybersecurity solutions, siloing of cybersecurity, and managing multiple vendors to fulfill cybersecurity.    

SharkStriker solves these challenges by blending human expertise with cutting-edge technology through its platform STRIEGO. It is a unified, multi-tenant open architecture security platform that easily blends with businesses’ current setup offering a dedicated team of cyber experts who work round the clock adding a human touch to cutting-edge technological solutions.    

Backing STRIEGO is SharkStriker’s SOC team works as an extension of the business’s team to assist them in increasing the Return on investment on all the current security investments. They help identify all the existing gaps in security and implement the best practices that would help organizations improve their cybersecurity posture and pave the way for compliance.    

STRIEGO comes with features like: 

Next-Generation SIEM/XDR 

A powerful AI-driven detection engine that renders extended visibility through multi-sourced ingestion of threat intel and UEBA with the capability to automatically respond to advanced threats with ML and AI. It renders context, precision, and speed to threat detection and response with a dedicated team that extends expertise for seamless triage and optimization of rules.   

File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) 

FIM ensures information security by monitoring all the assets and files and tracking changes from the baseline system files, registries, or applications software that might point towards the occurrence of any unauthorized activity.

Vulnerability Management 

It is a STRIEGO feature that enables businesses with quick and intelligent prioritization of vulnerabilities on the most critical assets with comprehensive risk assessment score based on multi-source evaluation and recommendation to mitigate risk with the help of built-in assessment and remediation tools. It helps experts predict emerging threats and stop imminent threats from damaging high-value assets.    

CIS Benchmark-based Configuration Assessment 

Periodically assesses all the configurations across your current security setup against CIS benchmarks and compliance guidelines to address gaps in configurations through expert guidance. 

Threat Detection & Response 

STRIEGO engages in continuous monitoring of the IT infrastructure for cyber risks,  It renders context through threat intel-based analysis and empowers businesses with quick threat intel-based analysis with the help of AI and ML. 

Security Automation 

STRIEGO automates routine security tasks, assisting security teams to work more efficiently, It offers capabilities such as automated threat detection, response, file retrieval, and detection in case of suspicious activity. 

Full-cycle Incident Response 

STRIEGO comes with a dedicated team of security experts who engage in full-cycle unmetered incident response and assist in implementing measures to control damage, remediate, and contain attacks from further causing damage.   

Real-time Dashboards 

It offers a comprehensive view of the cybersecurity posture of a business by rendering meaningful insights that can be used to make precise and timely decisions.   

Incident Management 

STRIEGO offers features for smooth incident management and triage features to address incidents more efficiently. It offers a unique feature to collaborate with clients throughout the process of incident resolution with ease of classification based on the impact and severity of the incident.    

User Entity Behavior and Analytics (UEBA) 

STRIEGO utilizes AI and ML to detect, identify, and prevent advanced internal network-based and other attacks on users and assets connected. Through continuous cyber risk analysis, collecting data from endpoints, identity, servers, and the cloud, it determines the level of risk exposure and predicts the occurrence of suspicious activities.   

Network Detection & Response 

STRIEGO predicts and detects suspicious network activity based on multi-source collection and analysis of data. Based on the latest threat intel, it predicts and engages in automated AI and ML-based response to threats rendering context-based visibility of network posture in real-time. 

Dark Web Monitoring 

STRIEGO offers in-depth insights into the latest threat activity and the tactics, techniques, and procedures of threat actors based on monitoring of the dark web. SharkStriker’s security experts engage in dark web analysis studying whether data has been published or sold on the dark web.   

Deception Technology 

STRIEGO’s next-gen deception technology unlocks early threat detection with low false positives through the deployment of real-world breadcrumbs like apps, servers, credentials, etc alongside assets to act as lures for the attacker. Once the attacker interacts with the lures, the technology alerts incident responders for quick and precise response.