What Good Cyber Hygiene Says to Attackers About Your Enterprise

Cyber hygiene is crucial because it minimizes the risks associated with online threats such as intrusion, data theft, and system corruption. As technology becomes more integrated into our daily lives, the stakes of poor cyber hygiene rise, especially for organizations handling sensitive information. Neglecting basic security practices can lead to significant financial losses, reputational damage, and legal implications. Consistent maintenance, like system updates and monitoring, helps to plug potential vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by malicious actors.

The Broken Window Theory

In a larger sense, good cyber hygiene is the embodiment of the broken window theory. In social science, there is a theory that states that if a window is broken in a neighborhood and not repaired in a timely fashion, the signal will be sent to the community that no one is “in charge,” and crime will subsequently go up. When the window was repaired the next day, crime in those neighborhoods stayed the same or eventually went down. The same goes for basic cyber hygiene practices. By the way they take care of the little things, organizations large and small send a message about their overall security acumen, posture, and vigilance. And those messages are rarely mis-interpreted by attackers. 

Your Essential Cyber Hygiene Checklist

Many of the safest practices are also the simplest — much like wearing a seat belt. Attackers love low-hanging fruit, and the best security practices help organizations ensure no easy mistakes are made. That is why some of the best cyber hygiene techniques still include:

• Strong passwords. Use complex, unique passwords for each account to reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

• Regular software updates. Frequently update operating systems, applications, and security patches to ensure vulnerabilities are addressed promptly.

• Endpoint Protection or EDR. Employ reputable endpoint detection to detect malware and use firewalls to block unauthorized network access.

• Two-factor authentication (2FA). Enable 2FA wherever possible to add an extra layer of security to accounts.

• Data backups. Automate regular data backups and file replication to protect critical data and mitigate the damage from ransomware and accidental data loss.

• Network monitoring. Use network monitoring tools to monitor traffic and detect suspicious activity that may indicate a breach.

• User access control. Implement least-privilege access models using privileged access management to restrict user permissions to only what is necessary.

• Phishing awareness. Train users to recognize and avoid phishing attacks by being cautious of suspicious emails and links.

• Vulnerability scanning. Conduct regular scans and audits to detect and address security weaknesses in your environment. Leverage a vulnerability management system to automate habitual scans. 

• Network segmentation. Segment your networks to limit the spread of malware if a breach occurs.

• Penetration testing. Complement vulnerability management with penetration testing, which determines which vulnerabilities are most likely to be exploited and discovers unseen areas of weakness before an attacker does.

• Principle of least privilege. Implement the principle of least privilege, where users only have access to the information and systems they need, as a foundational pillar of a zero-trust security strategy. 

• Identity and access management (IAM). Invest in a solid IAM solution that works on-premises, in the cloud, and in hybrid environments. Strong authentication can easily be undermined by gaps between systems left by poor access management.

• Patch management. Patch management program to keep software up to date is one of the most effective ways to reduce the attack surface. 

• Security awareness training (SAT). SAT programs are integral for communicating top-down cyber hygiene initiatives to non-technical users. Real-world phishing campaigns and gamified learning modules can help employees spot early signs of compromise, strengthening your enterprise against some of the costliest threats, including ransomware and BEC attacks.

Spearheading a Cyber Hygiene Renaissance in Your Enterprise

Every cause needs a champion. If you’ve read this far, that might be you. Here are some tips for getting the cyber hygiene ball rolling again in your enterprise.

1. Identify one high-value area of improvement. Find one area of your organization in which a little cyber clean up could go a long way. For startups, it’s important to start with simple actions like setting strong, unique passwords for each account and enabling two-factor authentication wherever possible. You can also ensure that your devices are always updated with the latest security patches and use reliable endpoint protection software. Regularly backing up your data either in the cloud or on external storage can help your organization avoid data loss from cyberattacks. And every employee needs to be wary of phishing emails and suspicious links, as they are common methods attackers use to steal personal information — it's not always the sophisticated methods that win out.  
    

2. Present the business case and garner buy-in. For this example, let’s say you want to implement a SAT program in your enterprise. Gather some preliminary data highlighting the problem for higher-ups. In the case of SAT, you could perform an internally run phishing campaign to see how many employees get caught in the net. Using that information, build a business case for the investment and seek the support of other departments (besides IT). 

3. Advertise success. Once you’ve implemented that new SAT program within your company, advertise positive trends and even call out individual cases of success. This proves to decision-makers at the top and the employees doing the modules that their time is not being wasted. 

Remember, the point is to eventually create a culture that can sustain more cyber hygiene improvements in the future. Starting with something obvious, highly visible, and at which your organization can reasonably be successful at) is a good way to open the door for more cyber hygiene initiatives down the road. 

Conclusion

A lot of times, organizations are filled with a false sense of confidence because their advanced security tools inspire confidence that the job has been done when it comes to network security. But that job is never done, and it is not possible for a few heavy-hitting solutions to make up for an avalanche of sloppy mistakes. 

Cyber hygiene is all about doing the basics right and nailing the fundamentals when it comes to cybersecurity. The best sports teams in the world not only memorize trick plays, but they work endlessly on throws and passes. By homing in on the essentials of cybersecurity — these basic cyber hygiene techniques — enterprises can send a strong message to attackers. 

Your first line of defense says a lot about what cybercriminals can expect once they get inside, so by battening down the hatches where passwords, firewalls, and patches are concerned, enterprises can send the message that it would be easier for threat actors to look elsewhere.