A data breach is an IT security incident where data is compromised or stolen from a system without the knowledge or authorization of its owner. But what happens when a third party is involved? Stolen data may include sensitive, proprietary, or confidential information such as credit card numbers, trade secrets, customer, or patient data. Third party breaches cost millions of dollars every year to companies of all sizes.

A company’s employees, shareholders, senior management, and board of directors expect that company to conduct its business reliably, efficiently, and securely – especially its financial transactions. Internal controls are the mechanisms a company uses to assure that its business processes meet those expectations. And to keep that system of internal controls running smoothly year after year, you must identify the internal control weaknesses in those systems.

Modern applications are built, deployed and, run in increasingly complex and dynamic environments. Assessing and prioritizing the security issues introduced by these applications without taking this context into account inevitably leads to focusing remediation efforts on the wrong set of issues. This not only results in real risk slipping under the radar but also wastes the valuable time of developers, increasing their frustration and eroding their trust in security.

In the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, staying ahead of potential threats is crucial. Attack Surface Intelligence (ASI) is vital in identifying vulnerabilities and mitigating risks. This blog post will discuss the latest data updates in ASI and the exciting developments within our threat research group.

Numerous risks are inherent in the technologies that all organizations use. These risks have especially become apparent with recent ransomware attacks, which have crippled major infrastructure such as the Colonial Pipeline in the Eastern United States1. This discussion will focus on how GRC, or governance, risk, and compliance can help organizations face and manage the risks that they face.

A cybersecurity baseline is an invaluable set of standards for your organization. It helps you understand your security posture, identify security gaps, and meet cybersecurity regulations. The most widely adopted cybersecurity baselines are those recommended by the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, the SANS Top 20 Critical Security Controls, and Shared Assessments (designed for third-party risk management). We covered the specifics of these frameworks in a previous blog.

Technological innovations have unlocked a world of possibilities in the 21st century, and now, many common and tedious tasks can be quickly done online. Whether you’re collaborating on business processes, renewing your license or ordering groceries – the internet provides a streamlined avenue for consumers and organizations. An interesting side-effect is the reduced tolerance for manual, complicated or inefficient processes. Sadly, one of those tedious processes is conducting risk assessments.

With the new year upon us, now is the ideal time to re-evaluate your cybersecurity controls and your cybersecurity risk remediation strategy. Do you have a plan for cybersecurity risk remediation? Has this plan outlined who needs to be involved? How are you being notified of risks? Is there a process in place to identify and prioritize the riskiest threats for rapid remediation? This year, plan ahead for evolving cybersecurity threats and follow these five tips for crafting a risk remediation plan.