What is Cybersecurity Awareness Month?
With October just one day away, we are heading into Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Founded in 2004, this collaborative effort between the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) promotes industry best practices. It enables continuing education on the importance of cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month is now observed globally each October. This month, we raise awareness of cyberthreats and empower everyone to make preventative and informed decisions when it comes to connecting in the modern world.
Ransomware is Running Rampant – You Can Be Prepared
In this year alone, ransomware attacks have surged and affected far too many sectors including government, manufacturing, healthcare, financial, and education. While nations are emerging from COVID-19 lockdowns, the explosive rise in ransomware attacks is becoming a pandemic of its own. As these kinds of threats are expected to remain high-priorities for all businesses, how can Managed Service Providers (MSPs) help?
Your clients count on you to show them how to best create and sustain an ongoing culture of best practices, policies, and shared cyber-related responsibilities. Back in May, Blackpoint Cyber recommended a list of Top 7 Cybersecurity Practices for MSPs.
This month, don’t get spooked! Read our new list of five security tips that can help you and your clients keep the cyber-scares at bay.
5 Ways to Ward Off Ransomware
1 – Conduct a security risk assessment for your business
Get a thorough understanding of possible cyberthreats to your systems and the impact they would have on your business. Use the findings to tailor your overall cybersecurity strategy. A risk assessment typically includes vulnerability monitoring and will have you scanning and testing your systems on a regular basis for any weaknesses. Make sure that you fortify and patch vulnerable areas found in your and your clients’ systems.
2 – Stay in the know on current cybersecurity threats
It’s important to keep your cyberthreat knowledge fresh so you are prepared to react quickly and fight back. Knowing what to look for is already half the battle won. Learning about current trends and findings makes for a stronger resistance against cyberattacks. When businesses seek to understand threat landscapes, it means they can plan ahead and develop a tailored incident response plan.
3 – Create clear cybersecurity policies
Cybersecurity policies should be clear and properly supported during initial implementation and ongoing business operations. Cybersecurity policies are often key elements within an incident response plan which defines designated roles, emergency contacts, communication channels, backup and recovery procedures, etc. These policies ensure that if disaster strikes, you are efficient in your response and recovery. Policies should be regularly revisited and communicated to all team leaders.
4 – Implement log monitoring and MDR
Controlled and effective log monitoring can help you detect anomalies, detect threat patterns, and show you signs of exploitable areas in your networks. Logs are most effective when they are actively monitored by experienced Managed Detection & Response (MDR). Analysts can sift through complex logs, compile threat intelligence in real-time, and detain at the first sign of compromise. In the hands of an experienced MDR team, real-time comprehension, threat hunting, and response can enhance the value of security logs and telemetry collected from your network processes, devices, and systems.
5 – Invest in a pragmatic cybersecurity ecosystem
Having the right tools ensures that your overall cybersecurity strategy is robust yet streamlined. However, when evaluating new security tools, the key questions are how it will fit into your existing stack and at what cost. The takeaway? Make sure you are collecting the right information, not mass information. Your cybersecurity stack needs to provide visibility across an IT environment, but the true value is in real-time data interpretation allowing for immediate action. Here’s where Blackpoint Cyber’s ecosystem comes into play.
Many businesses find themselves making difficult decisions on how to protect themselves and their clients – ineffective and bloated stacks drain your resources and nothing seems to work in tandem. At Blackpoint, we saw the increasing demand on MSPs and wanted to provide real security with real response. The Blackpoint Cyber ecosystem ensures that all facets of security work together and are integrated into a streamlined cyber strategy.
Blackpoint Cyber – True 24/7 MDR Service
At the core of Blackpoint’s MDR service is our patented SNAP-Defense – the first contextually aware breach detection and response program on the market. Instead of relying on the integration of numerous, disjointed third-party technologies, Blackpoint was designed from scratch to directly support MDR objectives and workflows. SNAP-Defense automatically collects and correlates meta-data around suspicious events, reducing data and analyst overload. With monitoring, detection, and response all built-in, Blackpoint’s MDR analysts have unparalleled visibility into hacker tradecraft, lateral spread, and remote privileged activity. Our partners trust Blackpoint for high-performance cybersecurity that can protect against today’s and tomorrow’s threats. Contact us for a demo!
Blackpoint LogIC – Compliance + Security in One
Blackpoint LogIC brings simplicity to the everyday management of logging and compliance. It uses a simple, push-button setup to replace typical hardware, appliances, installs, and agent rollouts needed to implement compliance programs. We also created a new, intelligent web application allowing MSPs and their clients to configure log settings and generate compliance reporting to reduce the cumbersome reporting and assessment efforts usually involved with compliance. Based on the products and services partners have with Blackpoint, LogIC’s auto-answer capability automatically maps against hundreds of compliance requirements all at once. Get a demo of LogIC today!
Blackpoint RISK – Live to Fight Another Day
Blackpoint RISK provides customized cyber liability insurance to our MSP partners. Designed to be paired with our 24/7 MDR solution, RISK keeps you and your clients safe and secure. Having RISK in your portfolio means having peace of mind should a cyber incident occur. Our partners receive proactive services from experienced individuals, tailored policies to fit your specific industry and organization size, and access to a panel of breach response consultants. Visit blackpointrisk.com/request to get a custom quote within minutes.