The National Institute of Standards and Technology's framework, better known as the NIST framework, is not in any way mandatory by law but it has become a necessity in cybersecurity. The number of cybersecurity risks is not expected to drop any time soon, which means businesses and organizations will have to continue their battle against cybercrime. In order to protect your system, you need to put certain security measures in place, including a system monitoring procedure and a proper response plan.
The first step to strengthening a company's security system is to create a strategy for monitoring unusual activities. However, simply detecting a threat in the system is not enough. It is important to have an already established response plan in place in order to successfully prevent an attack from damaging your data and hardware. This is where the NIST framework comes in, as its guidelines will help you plan ahead and be prepared for any possible outcome.
Protect Your System in Three Steps with the NIST Framework
Establishing the procedures for taking action in case of a cybersecurity attack is crucial for keeping your system secure. Once you discover a threat, your system has already been breached, which means that ordinary protection procedures would be useless in this case. In other words, detection strategies are useless if you don't have a reliable response plan set up. Here is a list of three steps backed up by NIST guidelines that will help you protect your business from cyber threats:
#1 Response Planning
Following the NIST guidelines will help you create an effective response plan in time. The most important aspect of response planning is efficiency, as it is important to have a proper plan created before an attack takes place. Besides setting up a plan, you have to familiarize all the company's employees with it. Employees must be properly educated and familiar with the steps they need to take in case of an unexpected attack.
#2 Communication
The NIST framework contains specific guidelines for improving team communication. It is important to get your entire team on the same page when it comes to cybersecurity strategies. Otherwise, common human errors can lead to irreparable consequences. Proper communication systems will allow all team members to share the details of a cyber attack and their knowledge as to how to resolve the issue. Moreover, proper communication will enable all members to respond to the attack consistently, which will significantly improve your chances of preventing the threat from making advances in your system.
#3 Analysis and Improvement
Last but not least, the NIST framework will help you examine the event and use the collected data to improve your defense system for potential future attacks. The analysis process includes an adequate investigation of the event that will provide enough data to establish the weak spots in your defense systems. You can then use the lessons you learned from the incident to prevent any future threats from evolving into large data breaches and attacks.
Better Safe Than Sorry
Following the NIST framework guidelines can help business owners and cybersecurity teams establish proper defense systems and strategic plans in time. In case of a potential cybersecurity threat, your team must be ready to take action towards stopping the incident as quickly as possible. Besides defending the system from a threat, it is important to make an effort in analyzing the incident in order to improve future solutions. Keep in mind that the NIST cybersecurity framework is most effective if you take all five of its core values into consideration, including detection, protection, prevention, response, and recovery strategies.
714-333-9620