Regardless of their size and their field of business, all companies must deal with the critical issue of cyberdefense. Because cyber-attacks launched by cybercriminals are increasingly numerous and dangerous, implementing a cybersecurity strategy has become essential for all organizations.
What is cyberdefense?
These days, the issues of surveillance, defense, and security in the digital space pose many challenges in all computerized environments. The term “cyberdefense” refers to a strategy and a collection of technical, organizational, and human measures that allow an organization to defend itself against cyber-attacks. We can also talk about cybersecurity.
Today, cybercriminals are equipped with powerful tools that are inexpensive and easy to use. Very well organized, their goal is to make money using various types of attacks: the malware market, botnet rental, DDoS attack generators, the black market of stolen data, or demanding ransoms.
Cyberattacks are tailored to specific targets. They are real, personalized attacks—often stealthy and persistent—aimed at always achieving the final goal. Faced with the constant evolution of these cyber-attacks, we can talk today about “cyberwar.”
The cyberdefense methods for a company
Faced with changing IT systems and uses, as well as the risks involved, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to protect yourself from cyber-attacks. However, it’s possible to anticipate the risks by defending yourself with a good cybersecurity strategy. This preventive approach must be based in particular on an extensive knowledge of the threats and risks involved in a personalized way with respect to a company’s own sensitive assets.
Secondly, it’s necessary to prepare yourself for a potential attack by implementing mechanisms for monitoring, detecting, and reacting to it. The ultimate goal of these mechanisms is to counter attacks, although no protection can currently be infallible. Above all, these mechanisms make it possible to react as quickly as possible to a security incident in order to limit its scope.
The surveillance, detection, and reaction mechanisms are based on methodology, expertise, and tools that must continuously be updated. The experts responsible for a company’s cyberdefense can be internal or external advisors to the business. In all circumstances, they must be experts in the field, and they need to know the most sensitive perimeter to be protected. They must also be very familiar with the challenges associated with cyberdefense, its operation, and the related technical means. Only in this way will they be able to apply the best actions upstream from, during, and downstream from cyber-attacks.
What are the impacts of cyber-attacks on the business?
Because cyber-attacks are carried out by cybercrime professionals, the goal of these attacks is generally not only to impact an IT system. Indeed, in most cases, the real target is the company’s overall activity – that is, its business, production, data, or brand image. The link between the IT threat and the final impact on the company’s activity is therefore immense, and so the challenge of cyberdefense is to ensure the general protection of the company while guaranteeing compliance with legal obligations.
Any company whose business is linked to an IT system must commit itself to establishing an IT continuity plan. You can bring in a company specializing in IT and developing IT continuity plans to carry out this important task, which is reassuring for the smooth functioning of your business.
