Priorities: Your Cyber Top 3

The cybersecurity world is filled with tons of solutions. Some are great. Some are expensive. Some are just plain difficult.

So where should you start on this journey to security.

What better place than the government's own recommendations from NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)??

NIST has done a phenomenal job of identifying the essentials to cybersecurity. And here, we'll break down their top 3 recommendations to promptly get you on your way and protect your organization from the vast majority of cyber attacks (like ransomware, sensitive data loss, credential theft, etc).

While this list may seem convenient for a Security Awareness Training provider (ahem, INFIMA team takes a bow), but this list is also based on NIST 800-171 excellent analysis done by NCMEP.

And here's your list of steps to take - starting today:

1. End User Security Awareness Training and Phishing Simulations
A successful, continuous Security Awareness Training program helps your team avoid the most common tactics and pitfalls from cybercriminals.
Yes, we do this. And want to know why?

"Phishing remains the number one way for outsiders to gain access to your system."

And as the NCMEP puts it: "Even with the best technology protections in place, one human error can open your systems up to a threat."
A Security Awareness Training program is often the quickest and most effective solution to implement to drive meaningful security improvement. Oh, and it's very cost effective.

2. Two-Factor Authentication (or Multi-Factor)
Two-Factor or Multi-Factor (2FA or MFA, for short - we love our acronyms!) makes fraudulent logins to your system much more difficult.

Two-factor (or multi-factor) authentication protects your system by adding a layer of security around access point to your systems.

As an example, when you input your password on your online banking site, it'll often trigger a text to your cell phone. This text message includes a code that you also have to input to gain access. This means that a cybercriminal has to have your username, password AND access to your text messages. See? MUCH harder to hack.

3. Patching
This sounds obvious - run the latest version of your software. Unfortunately, that's rarely the case. And that's because it takes a lot of work to successfully patch every program on every computer across your organization. But it's worth it!

Many successful hacks are made possible through the exploitation of outdated or unpatched software.

Running software that isn't patched is often like living in a house without a lock on the door. Since every organization's technology stack is unique, adequate patching takes an active IT department (outsourced or in-house) continuously monitoring your environment.

Each one of the steps above will drive meaningful improvement in your cybersecurity posture.

What did we miss?
Well, there are a couple other critical ones - Firewalls and Anti-Virus.  These are now loaded by default on virtually every machine.

A firewall is your boundary protection keeping your systems separated from the outside world.

We assume every organization has these in place (otherwise you'd be hacked already - seriously).
Yes, there are better, more expensive versions. But let's get those first 3 items done first!

The first step is training your team to avoid the initial Phishing email, the ones that start virtually every single cyber attack.

We want you and your team safe, regardless of which vendor you choose - there are plenty of great ones!

Are you ready to take action?
Find out how to protect your team with INFIMA's Automated Security Awareness platform.

Start with a quick quote - hit us up here! (No sales call necessary!)