How Secure is your Start-up? Analyse your security posture

A nascent technology

organization can often have a

pretty long ‘to-do list’. A mad

rush ensues in the early stages of

inception when business

development efforts take up

highest priority and security

often ends up as one of the very

last items on the list.

If there’s anything to deduce

from the pattern of cybercrime

victims in recent times, it should

be that startups can no longer bank on the “we’re not there yet” excuse to shrug off or postpone

security management. It is easy to empathize with them because all along, we’ve been led to believe

that cyber criminals only target bigger companies. Sadly, this is far from the truth. Read on to know

why your business might be at stake as long as that misconception exists.

Technology-intensive startups are learning the hard way that they are indeed potential targets for

millions of attackers looking for ways to make quick bucks off confidential information or just

intending to wreak havoc on infrastructure. No matter what the intent is, an unguarded spot in your

assets and networks can prove to be a major setback for your emerging business. Native startups

like Ola Cabs and Gaana.com were basking in the glory of a fresh wave of patronage when both

companies were caught unawares by hackers. Loss of user credentials and user behavior information

were just one aspect of the price they paid for neglecting security risk assessment. The real damage

is always the loss of credibility and a diminishing interest in what the company has to offer. The age

of internet business has the inherent risk of offending a huge portion of the target audience owing

to a seemingly minor security flaw.

Hacking entities are being managed like any other business whose central goal is to maximize its

return on investment. Naturally, they would prefer the easier targets with long windows of exposure

to which they could latch on like a spile and drink up. With a lack of the requisite IT resources and

expertise for a holistic security set up, startups and SMBs universally fit the bill.

One grave blunder that small businesses and young tech companies make is relying on basic

antivirus, firewall and anti-spam software for their defense. Symantec recently made a public

confession that your antivirus is no longer relevant in the era of cloud computing. Startups are

reportedly the most common adopters of cloud-hosted software and infrastructure for the sheer

cost-efficiency and ease of integration they offer. The best way to stay protected is by understanding

the third party vendor’s security policies and that of the channels leading back to your internal

networks. Vigilant companies prefer a cloud service provider whose security measures focus on

data-centric defense rather than application-centric defense. Encryption is the most widely-

acknowledged safeguard especially for companies that manage raw, big data. A start-up is liable to

face legal action for a breach of its information even while it is at rest with one of its cloud service

providers.

Inside-out Approach to Security

Yet another smart move is to look at security initiation from the inside – what experts would call

information-centric security. This approach would ensure that the company is aware of the kind of

security flaws and potential exploits that each data asset is exposed to. Analyzing the environment

where data is at rest and in motion requires a pervasive vulnerability assessment. This exercise will

help your IT department zero in on deviations from normal behavior that could invite malicious

interception.

‘Organizations must acknowledge the fact that security is not a one-time task but a continuous

process of monitoring and evaluation’

Companies that have a BYOD policy must educate themselves about imminent threats like accidental

loss of data caused by a minor error of a well-meaning employee.

That takes us to the next important aspect of maintaining the health of your internal defense

mechanism.

Employee-centric social sensitization

Otherwise referred to as social engineering in security parlance, this concept is gaining popularity

among technology enterprises that wish to acquaint employees with major technology migrations.

Ponemon Institute discovered that about 64 percent of data breaches were caused by human error

and access mismanagement.

Organizations are now adopting Unified Threat Management devices that offer composite control

over employee access to cloud and enterprise assets. Detecting misconfigurations in these control

devices can be challenging. Security personnel can adequately educate your employees to avoid

naive actions that may put themselves and the company’s assets in a dicey situation. Every team

needs to understand how their negligence can give way for advance persistent threats to weaken

the company’s line of defense.

Security audit experts usually offer this sensitivity training as part of their vulnerability status

reviews and recommendations. Today, one can no longer demarcate benign areas from blatantly

malign ones. The goal is to get every member involved in managing individual practices with

diligence. This can also help eliminate the perceived hostility surrounding the idea of a hardcore

surveillance policy.

Understand the objective of security assessment for your enterprise and application

Security experts assert that it may be time to accept that security management is moving from the

goal of breach prevention to breach detection and mitigation. The ugly truth is that it is no longer

practical to think one can prevent all data breaches. The only way out is a continuous appraisal to

evaluate your posture and what are the latest attack vectors that have developed after your last

evaluation. Young enterprises can leverage on a security testing partner who works with you from

scratch and provides long term assistance in ensuring continuous excellence.

The most important step in adjudging your security posture is identifying the key focus areas with

respect to your enterprise and the technology platforms your applications are dependent on.

Security assessment is not a generic, ‘one size fits all’ capsule. Most tools in the market fail to offer

focused results simply because they are quite generic in approach. An ideal vulnerability and risk

appraisal would begin by investigating existing operational pathways and dependencies and give you

valuable insights on what it can offer for your enterprise. This way, you will only have to pay for the

services that you actually need.

Evaluate your options

While it is every organization’s responsibility to make an informed decision in hiring or partnering

with a security services provider, the most desirable trait one must look for in security partner is

their ability to understand your environment and their capability to offer a focused and

complementary service package.

Organizations must acknowledge the fact that security is not a one-time task but a continuous

process of monitoring and evaluation. However, it is indispensable at certain points in time including

before you go live following a major upgrade or a change in the product portfolios. Identify a cyber

security analyst with a constantly updating threat databases of attack modes that cause high

damage from a safe distance.

Our services include: Ethical Hacking, Managed Security Services, Application Security, Network

Security, Security Testing, Enterprise Security, Security for IoT, SCADA Security, Digital Forensics