Recently, cyber attacks have become an inseparable part of the digital landscape. Opening an email application or any other tool exposed to the Internet is loaded with the likelihood of a cyber threat. The intensity of attacks rises yearly, and decision-makers still link cyber security with costly investments.
What if cybersecurity modernization was a side effect of other activities? Modernizing a legacy application can include improving cyber security standards. Read our article and see how, inexpensively, you can reduce vulnerability to cyber-attacks and strengthen your company’s efficiency.
The Challenge of Staying Secure
In a survey completed by Cloudflare, as many as 72% of interviewed European cybersecurity leaders admitted that they had experienced a cyber attack in the last two years. Hackers are testing the safeguards in companies of all sizes, but statistics show that medium-sized organizations are the most vulnerable.
Cyber attackers mostly prefer the IT, transportation, energy, and finance sectors. Respondents say the cyber threat comes to them most often as phishing (59%), web attacks (58%) and DDoS attacks (37%).
The Evolving Threat of AI
Artificial intelligence has revolutionized the approach to performing many tasks over the past few years. According to the Splunk report, 93% of business users and 91% of security team members are taking advantage of free generative AI tools. Among them are those who hand over sensitive data to artificial intelligence, exposing it to leaks.
As many as 50% of company representatives interviewed said their organizations are actively working to use AI capabilities to protect against cyber attackers. However, those same capabilities can benefit bad actors. As the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre warns, AI can lower the barrier of entry for beginner or low-scale attackers, as well as optimize and speed up already existing attack tactics.
With AI being a double-edged sword in the security world, businesses have to keep pace with technology developments. Organizations can leverage new and improved security standards by adopting new or modernized solutions.
Principles of Cybersecurity
Does your company keep internal security practices up-to-date? Discover the key elements of a responsible approach to cybersecurity that will effortlessly save you the time and money you would spend to minimize the impact of a cyber threat.
Covering the Basics
According to Microsoft, 99% of attacks result from overreliance on technology and failure to maintain basic security hygiene. Many people are still unaware of how important it is to follow basic rules to avoid data breaches.
The key to eliminating the weakest link of cybersecurity infrastructure is to educate all employees and raise their awareness of threats. Simple cybersecurity practices such as multi-factor authentication, zero-trust approach, setting strong passwords, and regular updates of applications on personal devices are significant steps to lowering cyber incidents in your company.
Detection Mechanisms and Monitoring
Continuous monitoring is one cybersecurity tool for effectively avoiding attacks on organizational assets. Cybercriminals have a finite number of scenarios consisting of specific steps that, if identified at the right moment, will frustrate an intrusion into the digital infrastructure.
Action Plan in Place
Don’t operate without a plan. Instruct the cyber security department (or designate a staff member) to draw up an action plan for threat detection. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to monitor your existing security strategy and revise it regardless of whether there has been a recent security incident.
The Need to Modernize
The OWASP Foundation has listed outdated systems and applications among the top cyber security threats. Working with software that lacks up-to-date support (e.g., Windows CE used in manufacturing) allows cybercriminals to launch ransomware or malware attacks that paralyze business operations and cause huge losses.
Update and Build a Competitive Edge
Fortunately, there is a growing trend among business managers to upgrade security measures. As many as 47% of surveyed decision-makers want to upgrade the company applications, and 42% intend to update the organizational networks.
Changing outdated systems lets you match the latest data protection regulations, seals protection against attacks, and makes your business more competitive. The newest software editions enhanced with AI and machine learning features let you stay ahead of the curve, especially if your industry is highly competitive.
How Can You Take the First Step?
If your company has systems running on age-old versions of Windows or legacy Java versions, these are the areas to improve your organization’s cyber security. But if you can’t identify the pain points on your own or the infrastructure is too large, a consultation with experts in upgrading legacy systems can help you plan an upgrade path.
Wrapping Up
As you can see, protecting a critical infrastructure company is not just about investing in dedicated solutions to prevent cyber attacks. It’s also about educating your employees, monitoring behavior, and having emergency action plans. But first and foremost, ensure your company gets rid of legacy software solutions with outdated security features.
At Scalo, we successfully help our customers bring legacy infrastructure up to current standards by upgrading to the latest versions equipped with top-notch security solutions. Contact us and implement best practices in your business!
