Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP)

Cyber security defense in depth is an approach that emphasizes comprehensiveness through connected and overlapping systems rather than implementing individual protections piecemeal or as bare necessity dictates. The term is borrowed from military strategy and assures the most effective cyberdefense; it also carries special significance for government-related organizations.

Using your hands to build a structure is impressive, but using tools is the difference between making a mud hut and the Empire State building. Civilization could not be where it is today without tools. The same can hold true for modern IT infrastructure development. Software developers work tirelessly to bring us solutions to the problems encountered in the modern business environment. IT Infrastructure Management Tools (IMTs) help you and your team manage those ecosystems. This article will discuss what IMTs are, how a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) can help you integrate security and infrastructure management, and our top picks for the best IMTs on the market. 

In cybersecurity, file integrity refers to the prevention of file contents being deleted or changed without proper authorization. File integrity monitoring (FIM) involves inventorying all files to both monitor for and prevent any undue changes.

Establishing and following a comprehensive patch management policy is critical for organizations to stay ahead of digital security risks. Following best practices will set your organization up to develop a sustainable patch management program, prevent interruptions to daily activities, and mitigate security incidents. Read this guide to learn essential patch management policy best practices to stay secure in 2023.

Cybersecurity managed services is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. As hackers and malware become more skilled at infiltrating vulnerable networks, leaders who have never considered cybersecurity are scrambling to meet the evolving threat.

The benefits of managed security services transcend a scrum list of “one-and-done” solutions. The digital landscape changes constantly, and with it, the security threats. The problem for most organizations is that they can’t afford to hire cybersecurity employees to monitor network security 24/7.

Deployment of security patches helps mitigate threats to your organization’s systems, ensuring ongoing cybersecurity protection. Patch management organizes and streamlines these deployment processes to minimize gaps in cybersecurity defenses. A NIST patch management policy can help strengthen your organization’s deployment efforts. Read on to learn more.

Cybersecurity infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is a robust cloud security model that can help secure your organization’s digital cloud environment. Regardless of your size or industry, adopting an IaaS cybersecurity approach will help improve security across your cloud infrastructure. Read on to learn how it works.

Using networked endpoints in your organization presents cybersecurity risks both to the networks they’re connected to and your broader IT infrastructure. However, with the help of endpoint detection response tools, you’ll be well-positioned to identify these risks early on—effectively preventing them from becoming serious threats. Read on to learn how.

Cybersecurity gap assessments are critical to evaluating the effectiveness of the security controls you implement, ensuring your organization remains protected from threats throughout the year. So what is a gap assessment, and how can it help you optimize your security posture? Read our blog to learn more about these assessments.

 

What is Cybersecurity Gap Assessment?

Cybersecurity gap assessments enable your organization to systematically evaluate security risks before they can materialize into full-blown threats. To briefly explore the ins and outs of conducting gap assessments, this blog will cover:

• An overview of cybersecurity gap assessments
• How to perform a gap analysis across your assets
• Examples of cybersecurity gap assessments

With the help of a managed security services provider (MSSP), your organization will effectively conduct cybersecurity gap assessments to protect your sensitive digital assets in the short and long term.

 

What is a Gap Assessment?

A cybersecurity gap assessment is a tool your organization can use to identify weaknesses and vulnerabilities within its cybersecurity infrastructure. Conducting these assessments is critical to promptly discovering these gaps before they can develop into full-blown, high-impact threats.

If your organization handles sensitive data, you will likely need to conduct frequent gap assessments to uncover vulnerabilities that might pose risks to these data. 

Compliance with regulatory frameworks like the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards (DSS) and SOC 2 requires gap assessments to address potential data security risks early in their lifecycle. As with any other assessment, you must fully understand why you are doing it and how best to approach it without impacting your organization’s operations.

 

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How to Conduct an Effective Gap Assessment

In general, the approach for conducting gap assessments is similar across regulatory frameworks. However, each cybersecurity gap assessment will likely look different, depending on the type of data you handle or your industry. Many of these gap assessment requirements are adapted from the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), providing industry-standard guidelines for uncovering security gaps and vulnerabilities that can impact data sensitivity.

To provide additional context for how to conduct gap assessments, we’ll review examples of gap analysis from the PCI DSS and SOC 2 compliance requirements.

PCI DSS Gap Assessments

PCI DSS gap assessments are based on the framework’s 12 Requirements, which protect cardholder data (CHD) at rest and in transit. Taking the example of a PCI DSS gap assessment requirements, you can conduct a gap analysis by: 

• Evaluating system-wide security – It is highly likely that your system components may have vulnerabilities and gaps you haven’t yet identified, but can only discover with a gap analysis. By evaluating these components across your organization, you can identify gaps like:
  • Networks with poorly configured firewalls
  • Web application vulnerabilities (e.g., broken access controls)
  • Poor cryptographic algorithms
• Assessing sensitive data safeguards – It is also crucial to verify that the safeguards currently protecting your sensitive data are functioning effectively and remain up-to-date with industry standards. Gaps to look out for include:
  • Excessive collection or storage of sensitive data
  • The unsecured flow of potentially malicious traffic into sensitive data environments
• Evaluating risk management – Risks may include threats, vulnerabilities, and other security gaps, which, if left unaddressed, can result in cyberattacks and data breaches.  A thorough review of your existing risk management processes will help:
  • Identify ineffective malware or anti-phishing software
  • Pinpoint gaps in identity and access management
• Reviewing your security policy – Regardless of industry, every organization needs a security policy to oversee the implementation of cybersecurity controls. Gaps in your organization’s security policy will likely minimize control effectiveness across assets. These gaps may include:
  • Improper communication of security objectives
  • Ineffective delegation of roles and responsibilities

Although the PCI DSS gap assessment requirements apply to organizations that handle CHD, they provide a general sense of how to conduct these assessments if your organization handles highly sensitive data.

 

SOC 2 Gap Assessments

For service organizations required to report on System and Organization Controls (SOC), gap assessments can help identify areas in need of remediation and prepare for compliance audits.

Organizations reporting on their SOC 2 compliance can conduct a gap analysis by:

• Evaluating risk management based on categories such as:
  • Organizational risks
  • Financial risks
  • Legal and reputational risks
• Identifying gaps in business continuity processes such as:
  • Absence of sensitive data backups 
  • Incomplete business continuity planning policies
• Assessing physical and logical security gaps such as:
  • Absence of user access logging mechanisms
  • Lack of identification and authentication procedures

Conducting cybersecurity gap assessments based on the PCI DSS, SOC 2, or other applicable industry compliance requirements will help your organization remain secure—even as threats evolve. With guidance from an MSSP, you will be well-prepared for these assessments, irrespective of the type of sensitive data you handle.

 

Optimize Your Cybersecurity Gap Assessments

Conducting cybersecurity gap assessments will help your organization remain safe from various security threats. However, partnering with an experienced MSSP will help you optimize these assessments—helping you safeguard sensitive data throughout the year.

To learn more and get started, contact RSI Security today!

 

 

Internal audits are essential to securing your organization’s digital assets from cybersecurity threats and helping you steer clear of security risks. However, there are different types of internal audits, depending on your organization’s structure, security needs, and other considerations. Read on to learn how you can decide which audit type works best.