Users with privileged access to an organization’s systems and networks pose a special threat. External threat actors often target privileged accounts using phishing schemes and social engineering techniques, since gaining control over these credentials helps them move more freely inside the network. Moreover, people sometimes misuse their own privileged accounts; this type of cyberattack takes the longest to discover, according to the Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report.

Insider threats remain one of the biggest issues plaguing cybersecurity. A study by Ponemon shows that the costs of insider threats leaped 31% in just two years, from $8.76 million in 2018 to $11.45 million in 2020. The same report shows that it takes companies an average of 77 days to contain an insider threat incident. Forrester predicts that insider threats will cause 31% of data breaches by the end of 2021, up from 25% in 2020.

Following a string of 83 data breaches in 2019 alone, the United States Department of Defense (DoD) established the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). The CMMC framework is a unified national standard for improving cybersecurity. Companies in the defense industrial base (DIB) must implement CMMC requirements in order to win contracts. Read on to find out how you can achieve compliance.

A cyberattack is expected to occur every 11 seconds in 2021 — nearly double the frequency just a year earlier. These incidents often involve breaches of sensitive proprietary information and cost the organizations involved millions of dollars. Despite all the resources being devoted to improving cybersecurity, new threats continue to arise faster than defense capabilities.

A security and information event management (SIEM) tool can be a valuable component of a mature security strategy. Indeed, effective SIEM solutions have been available for well over a decade. Organizations typically purchase SIEM tools expecting fast implementation and reliable security threat alerts that provide the intelligence required to respond promptly and prevent breaches. The reality is quite different.

It now takes organizations 207 days to identify and 73 days to contain security breaches, according to IBM’s 2020 Cost of a Data Breach Report. That means the average “lifecycle” of an incident is a staggering 280 days — 7 months! Moreover, cybercrimes are becoming increasingly sophisticated and attackers are quicker than ever when it comes to finding cracks in corporate infrastructure.

Active Directory and AD Group Policy are foundational elements of any Microsoft Windows environment because of the critical role they play in account management, authentication, authorization, access management and operations. Accordingly, proper Active Directory auditing is essential for both cybersecurity and regulatory compliance.

Organizations are recognizing that data security compliance is a foundational element of any successful business. The demand for compliance officers, IT security professionals and data protection officers is growing; spending on compliance programs is increasing; and businesses are treating compliance as a key part of their overall strategy. Some compliance teams are still struggling to secure the resources and personnel needed to build a robust and proactive compliance program.

Personal information (PI) enables businesses to customize the customer experience and boost sales. However, consumer rights advocacy and privacy regulations, such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and state data privacy laws enacted in the United States, limit the collection of PI. Preeminent among these laws is the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA).