Business owners, board members, and managers must depend on accurate and accessible information to make important decisions. The theft, damage, or unauthorized disclosure of an organization’s mission-critical information can be a disaster. A business can be paralyzed or forced to close if it is deprived of the data necessary to operate.
The world is in the middle of a wave of cybercrime. The losses are enormous. The total dollar amount exceeds that of illegal drug trafficking worldwide. Crimes that target the confidential information of an organization are low risk and high return. Data breaches are difficult to prevent and difficult to prosecute.
Cybercriminals are constantly on the lookout for vulnerabilities to exploit. Thousands of computer networks, mobile electronic devices, and personal computers are compromised every day. When hackers and hackers discover vulnerabilities, they will exploit the weaknesses and attack for nefarious purposes.
A wise owner, manager or board member would like to answer the question posed in the title of this document, “Can your organization survive a cyber intrusion?”
Just honestly answer the questions on the next page and test the robustness of your company’s information system security.
Quickly test the robustness of your organization’s IT security
Answer the questions below with a “Yes” or “No”.
1. Has your company adopted a formal, written information security plan?
2. Does your company have an inventory of all its information assets?
3. Has each information asset been classified according to its importance?
4. Do all of your employees have information security awareness training?
5. Does your organization keep a backup of your information in a secure off-site location?
6. Are you sure that your organization complies with all laws and regulations related to the collection, sharing and use of your private confidential information?
7. Do you have a plan to defend against a cyber attack and respond to a security incident?
8. Do you have a hardware and data destruction plan?
9. Does your company have a mobile security plan?
10. Does your company use access control policies?
11. Do your employees approve proper usage policies?
12. Do you use encryption?
If you answered “No” to any of the above questions, your organization is vulnerable to a cyber attack. It’s that easy. You are strongly encouraged to take steps to reduce risks and strengthen the security of your computers and networks.
Be proactive about information security and start protecting your digital assets. Read and learn all you can about computer security. Make information assurance a mission. Pay as much attention to security practices throughout your organization as you do to accounting, shipping, and marketing.
Protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your mission-critical data should be one of your most important tasks. At Paladin we encourage you to make it happen.