In cyberdefense, preventing attacks is only half the battle. Teams also need to be ready to detect and respond to incidents that surface. Since cybercriminals are making use of the most advanced technologies, like AI, all forward-thinking organizations need to be doing the same.
There are five steps to deploying an effective unified threat management program:
In general business terms, asset lifecycle management concerns maximizing ROI on all assets, from acquisition through retirement. But in information technology (IT) and cybersecurity circles, it refers to the cyclical process of developing, integrating, managing, and safely disposing of IT hardware and software. Organizations need to implement effective IT asset management procedures to cover the entire lifecycle.
All companies need to develop an asset and configuration management program, internally or with the help of a managed security services provider (MSSP).
There are four stages to cover:
Sections below will address solutions to consider for each stage, then touch on some other approaches to IT asset management focusing on elements beyond the assets themselves.
The first stage of the asset management lifecycle involves initial planning, leading to targeted development or acquisition of needed IT assets. Companies should analyze all existing IT and security infrastructure at stage one, identifying all physical and virtual assets they currently own, operate, or oversee. This includes all computers, physical servers, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, along with all software, files, and network architecture. User accounts may count, too.
Once all existing IT infrastructure is accounted for, companies need to project their future needs, both short and long term. This includes the assets needed to grow productivity and to augment existing security configurations commensurate with projected growth.
Outside security program advisory assistance can provide an objective opinion on what assets will be needed.
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An impactful IT asset management lifecycle needs to be informed by risk analytics at all stages. This is especially true of the first stage, as the number and variety of vulnerabilities in your system should dictate what IT assets you need to develop internally or acquire externally.
You should conduct a cyber risk report during this stage, accounting for factors such as:
Many MSSPs offer low-cost options for initial risk reporting—RSI Security provides a free report service.
Ultimately, critical decisions need to be made about what assets and systems will be developed—internally or with outside help—and which will be purchased wholesale from IT asset suppliers or vendors. For many companies, these decisions will be made by the chief information security officer (CISO), a c-suite executive with ultimate control over all IT and cybersecurity systems.
However, many growing companies may find that a traditional, in-house CISO overburdens IT budgets, getting in the way of necessary acquisitions and developments. Using a virtual CISO (vCISO) can help streamline executive control at a fraction of the cost. A dedicated team of cybersecurity experts is available on call, facilitating all administrative elements of IT asset lifecycle management.
Best of all? Freeing up CISO resources enables more robust asset procurement.
Once all required IT and cybersecurity assets have been built or bought, it’s time to integrate them into your existing infrastructure. This process is often referred to as IT or cybersecurity architecture implementation. The most critical consideration is ensuring that new assets communicate and work seamlessly alongside all other hardware and software, maximizing visibility and control for management. On the client side, privacy and accessibility are essential.
One of the challenges in asset integration is connecting assets across various systems.
For example, as companies grow increasingly mobile and decentralized, cloud solutions are replacing many legacy, location-based technologies. But cloud security cannot come at the expense of perimeter protections, such as firewall or web filtering configurations. Instead, companies may seek system-wide approaches, like implementing a Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA). In any case, integration is critical to security throughout assets’ lifecycles.
One of the most critical considerations for asset onboarding and integrating is ensuring their specifications and configurations meet all regulatory requirements applicable to your company. Therefore, a full-suite asset and configuration management program must account for current regulatory needs and any that your company may be subject to in the future.
For example, consider:
Working with a regulatory compliance advisor facilitates seamless compliance throughout the many changes to regulatory requirements that occur during the lifecycles of all your IT assets.
Compliance is not the only consideration when integrating new assets into your cybersecurity architecture. Other critical concerns include integrity across all existing system components and the files they house.
Many companies opt for a holistic security information and event management (SIEM) approach for system components. This will, most often, include regular scans of all security systems, with reports on any changes or irregular activity across endpoints and accounts.
A file integrity monitoring (FIM) approach helps oversee the contents of digital storage. FIM solutions report on deletions, additions, and other changes to files that aren’t authorized by diving deeper into file contents. They can be trained on specific contents within the files, such as personally identifiable information (PII) via PII scanners. Alternatively, FIM functionality can be folded into broader vulnerability management.
The next stage in IT assets’ lifecycles and management involves ongoing maintenance and risk mitigation. This requires monitoring for vulnerabilities inherent to your assets and external threats posed by cybercriminals. Risk is a measure of the relationship between these two variables that projects the likelihood and estimated severity of a potential attack, leak, or other cybersecurity event.
Organizations must take steps to reduce risk and document these efforts for some compliance reporting and audits.
One preventive measure companies can take is a patch management program that regularly scans for any gaps or flaws in security across all IT and assets. As a bonus, patch monitoring can also scan for any necessary asset updates required for maintaining regulatory compliance. Assets are only protected if safeguards are up-to-date and functioning as planned.
The most critical aspect of ongoing IT asset management is ensuring no individual assets fall victim to cybercrime. The best way to do this is to seek out and mitigate risks before they turn into actual security incidents. A managed detection and response (MDR) program provides:
Additionally, MDR can be optimized for compliance needs. For example, it can seek out breaches of protected health information (PHI) for HIPAA, or improper processing of cardholder data (CHD), per PCI.
Some companies may find that baseline threat management or threat hunting programs (like MDR) are inadequate for the types of risks their IT assets are likely to face. Advanced analysis, like penetration testing, can address the most dangerous advanced persistent threats (APTs).
Pen-testing is a form of “ethical hacking” in which a security team simulates an attack on your systems—in good faith—to anticipate what a malevolent attacker would do. There are two types:
There are also hybrid methods, sometimes called “grey box,” that incorporate both external and internal methods. These may be ideal for companies with a decentralized network of IT assets.
The final stage in the IT asset management lifecycle involves navigating the end of individual lifecycles. No piece of software or hardware will last forever; all IT assets eventually need to be deleted, archived, or changed to the point of being a different IT asset altogether. In doing so, companies need to ensure all traces of sensitive information are entirely wiped off the IT asset or rendered unrecoverable. Getting rid of an asset does not mean disregarding it.
In some cases, there is an urgency to remove IT assets, or contents thereof, as soon as they are no longer needed. For example, PCI DSS Requirement 3 calls for traces of CHD to be removed as soon as they are no longer required for a business or legal reason. Implementing cybersecurity awareness training can help ensure all personnel are following proper asset disposal procedures. Modules should include active exercises to assess staff readiness.
Another critical consideration about IT asset management, especially in the final stage, is accounting for safe disposal practices across all third parties who access or come into contact with your IT assets. These third parties include vendors, contractors, and other strategic partners critical to your business.
If one of these parties accidentally disposes of an IT asset improperly, it could compromise your entire security system—and the cause may not be detected until it’s too late.
The best solution to these concerns is a targeted third party risk management (TPRM) program. Specifically, you need one that inventories all IT assets in contact with third parties and scans them regularly for any irregularities. The sooner you can identify improper asset management, including improper disposal, the sooner you can address the issue and prevent potential losses.
Most IT asset lifecycle management solutions focus on monitoring the assets themselves or their threats and vulnerabilities. However, companies may also consider programs that focus on other factors directly, covering asset lifecycles as a by-product. For example:
In either of these cases, the asset lifecycle is not the focus of the security program. And yet, depending on the company’s situation, either solution may provide equivalent (or greater) ROI.
The anatomy of the IT asset management lifecycle comprises four primary stages—initial strategizing and procurement, integration into existing systems, ongoing asset maintenance, and safe disposal or archiving.
Working with a quality MSSP like RSI Security is the best way to maximize security across all stages—contact RSI Security today to get started!
TL;DR — The Log4j vulnerability is one of the most dangerous cybersecurity threats in the world. It allows hackers direct access to your computers, which can compromise sensitive data and lead to ransomware and other attacks. Patch management is essential to mitigating these risks.
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