How can you identify security weaknesses in your organization?

Posture assessment: Risk assessments identify potential risks for your organisational infrastructure, software development, applications, and systems. But, to understand your current organisation wide threats, you have to carry out posture assessments. Posture assessments combine ethical hacking, security scanning, and risk assessment. It identifies gaps in your security posture, information security environment, and tests resiliency against cyber security threats. Additionally, it provides you with areas of improvement. Similar to a security audit, it enables you to reassure yourself and your customers that your processes and applications are safe and reliable. It’s vital to building consumer confidence and loyalty.

Ter uma equipe de Red Team é fundamental para assegurarmos que não temos vulnerabilidades em nosso sistema. Claro que isso não elimina a necessidade de termos também um time de Blue team.

I'm likely biased being extremely passionate about Microsoft solutions, but they've notably improved, especially in security. Having worked closely with the solutions, I am tempted to say that there is no other security vendor offering the same XDR coverage. Here is what I've mapped out: Identities: Defender for Identity & Entra ID Protection. Endpoints + Web: Defender for Endpoint (VM, EDR, ASR, Web Filters). Email: Defender for Office 365 + user training, phishing simulations, threat policies for phishing, malware, spam (All as pre-sets). Cloud Apps + ShadowIT + UEBA +DLP: Defender for Cloud Apps. Server + Infrastructure + Pipelines: Defender for Cloud. Security Posture: Secure Score. Keen to hear your thoughts on Microsoft XDR...

For various reasons, ethical hacking is critical in the security process. For example, a large financial institution may hire certified ethical hackers to evaluate their online banking system. These experts employ the same techniques as hostile hackers, but with permission to improve security. Ethical hackers find a previously undisclosed vulnerability during their examination, which could allow unauthorized access to sensitive client data. They immediately report it, and the institution's security team immediately takes action to patch it, preventing a potential compromise. Ethical hacking detects hidden vulnerabilities, checks security controls, and improves system security while adhering to stringent ethical norms.

Ethical hacking should be part of a comprehensive security program. Identifying and resolving vulnerabilities strengthens resilience against damaging breaches. Simulates real-world attacks to find unseen holes in defenses. Goes beyond simple audits. Tests effectiveness of existing security controls like firewalls and intrusion detection. Tries infiltrating from outside and inside your networks. Mimics insider threats. Attempts exploitation of common weaknesses like unpatched systems or poor passwords. Provides evidence of flaws and recommendations for remediation in a detailed report. Allows staff training on detecting and responding to hacking in a safe environment.

O hacking ético é a melhor maneira da empresa se prevenir contra ameaças. Infelizmente existe uma crença muito grande nas PMEs de que proteção é algo caro. Com certeza quem faz essa comparação não está levando em conta o custo do vazamento de dados.

Why we need to be aware about vulnerability scanning ? it's because it's critical for businesses since it: - Identifies and evaluates security flaws. - Ensures that legislation and standards are followed. - Addresses weaknesses to prevent cyber threats. - Prevents data breaches, which saves money. - Maintains reputation and trust. - Encourages continual security enhancement. - Improves the performance of the network and the system. - Manages the risks posed by third parties. - Prepares for emergency response.

Why Vulnerability scanning is important for organisation? - Early Threat Detection: Vulnerability scanning identifies weaknesses before attackers exploit them. - Risk Reduction: Mitigating vulnerabilities minimizes the risk of data breaches and financial losses. - Compliance: It aids in meeting regulatory requirements by addressing security gaps. - Reputation Protection: Preventing breaches through scanning preserves the organization's reputation. - Operational Continuity: Improved security ensures uninterrupted business operations. - Stakeholder Trust: Demonstrating a commitment to security builds trust with customers and partners.

Atualmente não existem desculpas para que empresas de qualquer tamanho realizem varreduras de vulnerabilidades pois existem ferramentas de todos os preços , inclusive gratuitas.

Security audits are essential, especially when conducted periodically. They assess systems, identify vulnerabilities, and ensure compliance. Periodic audits, along with automated assessments, are crucial in today's fast-changing cybersecurity landscape. Automated assessments are key in the CI/CD pipeline, proactively identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities. This real-time assessment keeps software secure, reducing risk. Periodic audits, with automated checks, optimize resource allocation, focusing on current security concerns. They also boost customer trust, showing ongoing commitment to data protection in a dynamic cybersecurity environment.

Systematically review and assess security controls, policies, and processes. Define audit objectives, considering industry standards and regulatory requirements. Utilize a diverse team with expertise in different security domains. Review access controls, encryption, incident response plans, and other critical areas. Analyze findings, prioritizing and categorizing vulnerabilities. Transparently communicate results to stakeholders, providing actionable recommendations for improvement. Ensure compliance with relevant standards and regulations.

Regular audits ensure security doesn't degrade over time. They surface oversights, reinforce good practices, and prompt proactive improvements before a breach. Examines your compliance with security regulations and laws applicable to your industry. Checks that formal policies and procedures align with on-the-ground practices. Verifies systems are hardened and patched per configuration guidelines. Confirms monitoring systems are working as intended like firewalls and intrusion detection. Assesses how staff are trained on security protocols and awareness. Tests response plans through simulated incidents like phishing. Provides an independent benchmark of the current security posture.

Having worked in and around security awareness programs for almost twenty years, I have come full circle on my thoughts on security awareness training. I've probably come full circle a few times over the years. Many can see security awareness as a necessary evil or a checkbox for an audit or something to do to keep senior management happy. Does security awareness make it so that 0% of your employees will fall for a phishing attack? Of course not! But does it move the need? Definitely. Security awareness is one of those aspects of any cyber security program that we must pursue and hope that it moves the need as much as possible to prevent, or at least delay, that next incident from occuring.

Security awareness training plays a pivotal role in safeguarding an organization's digital assets and overall cybersecurity posture. Human error remains the weakest link in the chain of cyber defense. No one likes the idea of being the potential source of a security breach, the importance of such training cannot be overstated. It is not enough for employees to merely go through the training but they must actively engage with the training content to understand the significance and importance of their roles in protecting sensitive data. Training programs should evolve and be more interactive in line with the ever-emerging cyber threats, ensuring that employees stay current and equipped to recognize and respond to potential risks.

This is the starting point. Security is not a department, is not a bunch of guys... its the mission of everyone in the company: to keep us safe. What does it matter being vulnerable or not to the today 0-Day that never stops, if your employees fall into phishing, malware, or even worst.. but I don't want to scare you, instead "we" should be cautious. Awareness is key component, not just to prevent worms from spreading around your office.. but also to protect customers safety, company reputation, integrity, etc.. Fertilise your workforce with a good dose of security awareness training, it will pay out.

Security monitoring plays a pivotal role in any enterprise for 3 reasons: 1. Early identification of threats - this is a key factor to stop threats materializing into full blown incidents. Sec monitoring helps in real time detection of such threats. 2. Exposing systemic gaps - Every true positive security incident is a reflection of some control failure at some level. By identifying such incidents, it helps in surfacing systemic gaps that need to be addressed. 3. Defining security strategy - Through deep analysis of patterns and incidents over time, security monitoring paints a comprehensive picture of the organization's security landscape. This in turn empowers organizations to proactively craft and refine their security strategies.

Security monitoring is a critical component of identifying and improving security weaknesses in an organization. By using security monitoring to detect and respond to security weaknesses in real-time, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of breaches and improve their overall security posture. Monitoring provides visibility into potential threats and vulnerabilities, allowing proactive actions to be taken to address them.

The security monitoring, technically is getting quite advanced with the help of AI. The SOAR does most of the threat hunting provided the configuration is done efficiently and effectively. However, what is the benefit of monitoring? If the other IT Infrastructure processes like patch management, and change management are broken? The end outcome would be a high fatigue of threat hunting giving not much value. Therefore, security monitoring is highly technology and process-dependent. How well an organization has its security incident management process, incident detection and response process are few food for thought.

Try talking to people in the organization. You can often find the biggest security weaknesses in an organization by just asking questions. The technical evaluation is great. But that is not going to unearth the weaknesses in the wire transfer process or the fact that everyone knows the database password. We find many of our top recommendations for organizations by just talking with folks! Try it.

By definition, a security "Weakness" is a vulnerability in an organization asset (in its design, implementation, operation or management) that can be exploited by an existing threat to that particular asset. This is the baseline for the definition of Risk for the asset (the potential for loss when that threat materializes). Considering this, we typically identify security weaknesses in an organization having ALL assets inventoried and perform vulnerability assessments, pen testing, user security awareness assessments, asset exposition to threats, etc., that is performing a Risk assessments on assets supporting business operations (starting by the ones that support critical business functions and regulation/law compliance).

Penetration testing is more in-depth and focused on actively exploiting vulnerabilities, while vulnerability scanning is an automated process for identifying known weaknesses and misconfigurations. Both are valuable tools for maintaining a robust cybersecurity posture and are complimentary. While there can be 100s of repetitive test cases covered by vulnerability assessment, Penetration testing helps in going deeper in detecting any possible business logical flaw.