How to Implement a Basic Cybersecurity Program

Cybersecurity, computer safety or information assurance, is simply the prevention of information system and computer systems from deliberate information disclosure, sabotage of or damage to their electronic information, hardware, software or computer programs and of the interruption or misdirection of their services. The primary goal of cybersecurity is to provide an environment hostile to those who intend to do harm, but one that is too challenging for an attacker/sabotage agent to penetrate. Cybersecurity is a broad field of study and includes computer crime, information security management, cryptology, and software and hardware engineering.

All of these endeavors work together towards the same end: preventing intentional misuse of computers and networks by those who seek to do us harm. There are many efforts underway to standardize the implementation of various standards related to cyber threats and some of them include the following basic protections against the causes of cyber attacks. While these may not be considered to be the ultimate in cyber protection, they are a good foundation for a complete program of cyber defense.

Ensuring that systems are protected from unauthorized access, modification and abuse, will go a long way in protecting business networks and information from cyber attacks. In addition to providing security for networks, this type of security program also should include measures to mitigate the damage done by an attack, recovery procedures to restore infected computers and data, education and awareness to the dangers and preparation of support for victims. These can range from a simple software firewall to comprehensive assessments and customized vulnerability assessment for enterprise-level systems. All of this must be managed and implemented together as a coherent cyber security program, which will likely entail an initial cost, but will pay for itself over time.