Coronavirus-related widespread uncertainties have ripened the landscape for cybercriminals, resulting in over 600% increase in attacks. With attacks increasing in number and sophistication since the pandemic, it makes sense for organizations to think of ways to protect their data from malicious actors.
The first step in protecting your business is asking critical questions that examine your preparedness. Here are top cybersecurity questions to ask during the pandemic era:
1. First of the cybersecurity questions to ask: Do you have cybersecurity action plan?
A cybersecurity action plan is a written document that covers an organization’s security policies, procedures, and response measures. With a cybersecurity action plan, your organization can ensure the integrity of its operations and the security of company data and assets.
An action plan also protects your customers, clients, and employees. Some of the advantages of a cybersecurity action plan include:
- Your business can respond quickly to cyberattacks
- You can reduce the damage from a cyberattack An action plan with mitigation measures can help you prevent cyberattacks from occurring
To develop a cybersecurity action plan:
- Identify the assets you need to protect as well as the possible threats they may face
- Examine the risks and threats to each asset
- Set achievable cybersecurity goals
- Document your cybersecurity best practices and policies
- Link your cybersecurity goals to business objectives
- Test your business for vulnerabilities to assess whether your plan works
Your cybersecurity action plan should also take into account the legal requirements for your industry. For example, if you are a U.S. healthcare company that deals with patient information, your cybersecurity action plan should comply with HIPAA regulations.
2. Second of the cybersecurity questions to ask: How do you measure the effectiveness of your cybersecurity efforts?
The threat landscape is evolving fast. Therefore, cybersecurity assessments should be an ongoing activity in an organization. Cybersecurity assessments should focus on identifying an organization’s security controls based on threats in the real world.
Since cyber threats are evolving rapidly during the pandemic, it also pays for businesses to keep up with the changing threat landscape so they can take preventive measures to protect their client, employee, and corporate data.
You can respond to the changing threat landscape by keeping your short-term security plans and measures agile enough to accommodate new and emerging threats.
3. Third of the cybersecurity questions to ask: Do you have a cybersecurity response plan?
Prevention is only half the battle. While it can reduce the chance of a successful attack, there’s still a chance it could happen. For example, a criminal could successfully send phishing emails to your employees, and some of them may click on malicious links.
In case this happens, your organization should have a cybersecurity action plan that helps you prevent further infiltration and protect your business data from attacks.
Your incident response plan should indicate the personnel and procedures that will effectively deal with a threat.
Some of the key features of a cybersecurity incident plan include:
- It defines the key stakeholders, including their contact information
- Clear communication on roles and responsibilities
- The definition of a cybersecurity incident
Staying safe during and beyond the pandemic
The pandemic has changed the way organizations approach cybersecurity. More attacks have been recorded in 2020 and 2021 than ever before. Indeed, experts predict that the threats experienced during the pandemic will continue to increase. Protecting your organization from cyber attacks means regularly asking important questions that help you determine your organization’s preparedness for these attacks.
