Focusing on the right signal and eliminating noise is the key to successful data protection

Organisations face a perfect storm of new legislation, a plethora of different frameworks and standards and well-resourced threat actors. Securing critical information assets has never been more difficult, with security teams locked in a battle to find the right signals to focus on amongst all the noise.

Peter Soulsby, Head of Security at Brennan, says that it is possible to tune in and focus to minimise risk. 

“It's becoming increasingly harder for businesses to decide what to do, how to do it and when to do it. Coupled with the rise in bad activity from threat actors, there’s a lot of noise to sift through.”

Soulsby says the Australian Institute of Criminology reports that 47% of Australians have been a victim of a cyber incident over the last 12 months. With so much happening it can be difficult for organisations to decide what to do and how to do it. And that’s leading to efforts being spread too thin. His advice: focus on few things that will have the biggest impact and do them well, rather than trying to tackle everything and missing the mark on all.

“Ask yourself a simple question: What data in my business, if compromised, will fundamentally impact the ability for my business to operate ? Then ask: Where is that data, who can access it, how is it being used and how does it impact end customers? That process will let you focus on the data that is important to your business, so you can concentrate on securing it,” he says.

There are key actions to take with that data. Limit access to that data and don't keep it for any longer than you need. Ensure backups are in place and test them regularly. Be ruthless with applying multi-factor authentication, encrypt data whenever and wherever possible, and make sure endpoints are protected.  

“If a threat actor gets into your environment and your data is secure, they will become frustrated and move on,” says Soulsby. “And if they do get access to the data, the faster you can restore your business, the less impact a cybersecurity incident will have.”

A strategic approach to data security starts with identifying your key data assets, where they are stored, and enabling controls to protect those assets and recover them should an attacker succeed. In a world filled with cybersecurity noise, ensuring you focus on the right signal can be the difference between a damaging breach and quickly returning to business as usual.