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CISO Fundamentals
Getting back to the cyber basics, stabilizing the environment.
The urgent need for a unified cyber security protection profile is highlighted by recent high profile reports of
companies being hacked, critical infrastructure being compromised, intellectual property (IP) being stolen, and the
rise of ransomware (“CryptoLocker”). Companies are realizing that the risks associated with the loss of IP/data,
money, privacy, and tarnished reputation/brand name from cyber-attacks are intensifying and accelerating in
today’s hyper-connected environment. These risks include disruption of business operations, data corruption and
theft, unknown legal liabilities, and loss of financial stability. The role of the Chief Information Security Officer
(CISO) is to remain vigilant on the cyber fundamentals: malware outbreaks, data breaches, protecting data /
privacy, continuous monitoring, and risk management. When small businesses don’t have a CISO, these risks and
their impacts are more amplified in a small business’ day-to-day operations, cash-flow, clientele, among others.
The need for a common cyber profile raises a few questions: “what are the key cyber protections to implement?”
and “can we afford to implement them?” We say the answer is YES, using an overall risk management approach
and following the recommendations below. This article proposes an effective and affordable path to implement an
adequate and well proven level of cyber security operations. The security threats we presently face are very real.
The news only shows the high visibility attacks (SONY, Target, Home Depot, etc), and leaves out the fact that on
average we will all eventually be breached (or already have been and don’t know it yet). So with that said, we
believe that businesses must understand they cannot buy cyber security, instead they must manage their cyber
ecosystem using the “5Ps” of any endeavor = people, processes, policy, product and now privacy, too.
The standard cyber security suite today can be effective – if maintained, enabling business owners to focus on
business operations, mitigating critical risks, protecting privacy and minimizing legal liabilities. We recommend
organizations stay current on cyber threats and mitigations by associating with their business sector Information
Sharing & Analysis Centers (ISAC), the local FBI outreach, and US-CERT. We recap the current security threat
by using two representative threat summaries to highlight our recommended protections. FORBES magazine
listed key security vulnerabilities as: social engineering, advanced persistent threats, internal threats, bring your
own device, browser based attacks, botnets, targeted malware, and the cloud. The 2014 Verizon data breach
report’s top threats were: point of sale intrusions, web application attacks, cyber espionage, card skimmers,
insider misuse and crime ware. The threats these organizational reports list can seem overwhelming, and the
complexity of the many types of cyber capabilities and functions (illustrated below) can look daunting, but the
cyber solution to minimizing over 90+% of most security incidents is implementing the security basics, and doing
them well. Know, maintain and monitor your security baseline, while also stabilizing the cyber environment!

Best practices in organizational protection use a balanced cyber security approach within an enterprise risk
management framework (RMF) accommodating the “5Ps.” Since nearly all security incidents are associated with
NOT doing the security basics (e.g., keeping product settings and patches current, effectively controlling
data/network access, etc.), companies must implement a security continuous monitoring (SCM) capability to
watch for and manage any improper settings and scan for abnormal behavior. The organization’s risk management
plan (RMP) is another critically important tool to balance risks, resources, and priorities to support the key
mission essential functions of the business. For the business sector there are many security guides that offer best
practice security controls (including: keep software updated, educate employees, monitor social media, employ
effective passwords, limit access to sensitive data, and control downloaded apps), where the CISO must
understand, integrate and efficiently manage them all, providing affordable protection to all stakeholders.
The balanced and integrated security approach premise we promote is that companies can be well protected (to at
least a notional due diligence level) based on implementing a few key guidelines: (a) NIST SP800-53A (rev 4)
security and privacy controls and specifically their NISTIR 7621 (Rev1) (“SMB security” - the “absolutely
necessary & highly recommended” actions therein), and (b) both the NSA top ten and SANS top 20 security
controls. These sets of controls collectively define a defendable “due diligence” security posture. The business
environment needs a high infrastructure and data protection profile, with effective SCM, while not encumbering
the users’ productivity. Embed the following cyber tenets into your RMP for maximum protection:
 Employ well proven security products, which entails at least: anti-virus, firewall, VPN, IDS, encryption (with
robust key management) and SCM (note - buy security programs from only formal, approved product lists).
 Continuously manage, monitor, mitigate and automate your IT/security baseline (use tools, dashboards) – the
key here is “visibility” - as you can’t manage what you don’t see.
These five activities can reduce security incidents by well over 90%:
o Effective application upgrade and patch management;
o Controlling network and data access (enforce “least privilege”);
o Application whitelisting / secure configurations;
o Current hardware and software inventories; and
o Employing SCM / SIEM (on premise and the cloud).
 Secure backup is paramount, using multiple locations– most if not all storage should be encrypted, address
cloud security in SLAs. In fact, encrypt all data at rest and in motion (external connections).
 Manage access to the company, both physical and virtual - use strong passwords, changing periodically (not
too often) - consider a token/biometrics for sensitive data. Strictly limit “privileged access.”
 As IP / data defines your business, focus on data security, privacy by design – categorize it and know where it
is – use “Data Loss Prevention / Data Rights Management” to manage access and track key data.
 Proactively manage business risk using your RMP, complemented with a well-communicated, enforced
security policy. Use cyber insurance to transfer known accepted and unknown risks - base your coverage on a
current risk assessment (ISO 27000 series) – use the policy to harmonize management, broker and council.
 Robust resiliency and recovery – have a Business Continuity Plan – and an incident response plan.
 Provide ongoing training and education on security awareness and business risks, tailored to all key
stakeholders. Make the training personal, with natural work applications, as it will last longer.
 KNOW your security status / metrics – periodically, independently test and assess: the security suite, ongoing
processes including back-ups, security policy enforcement, and all major elements in your RMP.
As business leadership becomes more cyber aware, a CISO must be able to translate the above overall cyber
tenets into “C-suite language” – operational impact, costs, revenues, value and market share (brand, etc).
A CISO will typically have to fulfill these requirements with minimal resources, so they must be creative in
implementing an effective, affordable cyber ecosystem. We believe by implementing these cyber tenets, a CISO
can be an effective risk communicator throughout the organization, from the C-Suite to the shop floor.
To efficiently imbue effective and affordable cyber security and privacy into your business and enhance the value
proposition, contact Mike at Mike.Davis.SD@gmail.com and Gary at ghayslip@gmail.com.
For a much more detailed overview on ‘what really matters in cyber security” and take advantage of many other
cyber and privacy resources / links see http://www.sciap.org/blog1/?page_id=1184

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CISO-Fundamentals

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