The Center for Internet Security (CIS) publishes Critical Security Controls that help organization improve cybersecurity. In version 8, Control 6 addresses access control management (in previous versions, this topic was covered by a combination of Control 4 and Control 14).

Maintaining secure configurations on all your IT assets is critical for cybersecurity, compliance and business continuity. Indeed, even a single configuration error can lead to security incidents and business disruptions. Control 4 of CIS Critical Security Controls version 8 details cyber defense best practices that can help you establish and maintain proper configurations for both software and hardware assets.

Unless you know what IT assets you have and how important each of them is to your organization, it’s almost impossible to make strategic decisions about IT security and incident response. Indeed, inventory and control of enterprise assets is so important that it is the first in the set of Critical Security Control (CSCs) published by the Center for Internet Security (CIS).

It’s not your imagination; Zero Trust (ZT) is everywhere these days. Indeed, one study reports that 96% of security decision-makers say ZT is critical to their organization’s success, and another study notes that 51% of business leaders are speeding up their deployment of ZT capabilities. But exactly what is Zero Trust and why is it the top security priority for organizations around the globe?

Modern organizations depend upon a dizzying array of software: operating systems, word processing applications, HR and financial tools, backup and recovery solutions, database systems, and much, much more. These software assets are often vital for critical business operations — but they also pose important security risks.

Modern IT environments typically include a wide range of applications: software developed in house, hosted software platforms, open-source tools and purchased solutions. Because these applications access sensitive systems, data and other IT assets, cybercriminals are eager to exploit them during attacks. CIS Control 16 offers application software security controls for strengthening your organization’s security posture.

The Center for Internet Security (CIS) publishes Critical Security Controls that help organization improve cybersecurity. CIS Control 9 covers protections for email and web browsers.

CIS Control 14 concerns implementing and operating a program that improves the cybersecurity awareness and skills of employees. (Prior to CIS Critical Security Controls Version 8, this area was covered by CIS Control 17.) This control is important because a lack of security awareness among people inside your network can quickly lead to devastating data breaches, downtime, identity theft and other security issues.

The newly revised and renumbered Center for Internet Security (CIS) Control 11 highlights the need for backups, ensuring smooth and timely recovery of data in case of security breach or misconfiguration. In the current CIS Critical Security Controls (CSC) version 8 of CIS benchmarks, the data recovery control has been pushed ahead to 11. It was previously CIS Control 10 in version 7. CIS Control 11 is a vital player among the 18 cis controls CIS has formulated.