Cybersecurity For Your Industrial Maintenance Firm
The more digital your world is, the more convenient it becomes. However, at the same time, more convenience means less security.
More and more processes are digitized, allowing data to become a primary driver – and that’s why cybersecurity for industrial maintenance firms is so important.
The more technology is integrated into your firm’s operations, the more important cybersecurity becomes. According to The State of Industrial Cybersecurity 2019 report:
- 87% of respondents ranked cybersecurity as a priority
- More than 80% of respondents have a documented cybersecurity standard in place
- 69% of respondents believe they are going to be the target of a cyber-attack
Are you doing what’s necessary to protect your industrial maintenance firm’s data? Have you invested in cybersecurity for industrial maintenance firms?
Is Your Industrial Maintenance Firm At Risk?
As Kapersky notes, one of the biggest threats to the industrial maintenance industry is ransomware. Case in point, just last year, ACSO, one of the world’s larger manufacturers, had its operations brought to a standstill by ransomware. While they worked to restore their systems, ACSO sent home around 1,000 employees on paid leave – can you afford that kind of damage control?
Ransomware is an undeniably major threat to businesses around the world today. Maybe you can accept that ransomware is real, but don’t believe it’s all that costly. On the contrary, according to Beasley Breach Response’s 2019 noncompliance report…
- The average ransomware payout is $116,000
- The highest ransomware demanded by cybercriminals was $8.5 million
- The highest ransom paid by a target organization was $935,000
How Should You Protect Your Industrial Maintenance Firm?
The good news is that you don’t have to develop a cybersecurity posture for your industrial maintenance firm from scratch. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed the Cybersecurity Framework Manufacturing Profile which details the five primary goals of an effective cybersecurity defense:
- Detect
You must be able to tell when an external party is trying to breach your data. An example of this would be a host-intrusion protection (HIP) solution. This type of monitoring software will detect and report specially-developed malware that would otherwise make it past conventional antivirus and antimalware software. Your firm’s cybersecurity should include a monitoring solution to keep an eye on your systems. - Protect
You must make an effort to protect your firm and its data. This means having the right technologies in place (firewalls, antivirus) as well as investing in training for your staff. A comprehensive cybersecurity training program will teach your industrial maintenance firm’s staff how to handle a range of potential situations:- How to identify and address suspicious emails, phishing attempts, social engineering tactics, and more.
- How to use business technology without exposing data and other assets to external threats by accident.
- How to respond when you suspect that an attack is occurring or has occurred.
- Identify
You must make an effort to find any vulnerabilities in your cybersecurity defenses. A cybersecurity assessment will examine your network security to determine whether your firm’s data is properly protected. We will analyze the following aspects of your cybersecurity to determine:- Whether you have the necessary components in place, including firewalls, antivirus software and more.
- Whether your systems are up to date and patched with the latest security fixes.
- Whether you have a viable backup in place that you can rely on in the event of data loss or corruption.
- Respond
You need to have a plan for how you will respond to an attack. If you think you may have been the victim of ransomware, phishing, or another type of cybercrime, your first step is to get in touch with your IT support immediately.Beyond that, make sure to follow these three steps:- Isolate The Damage
Your first move when an attack occurs is to isolate the computer from the network to prevent further access. Remove the network cable from the tower or laptop and turn off your networking functions (the Wi-Fi settings). Do this manually even if you have security software that claims to shut down the connection for you. - Power Down
You also need to shut down your computer to prevent damage to your hard drive. Ideally, your anti-virus and anti-spyware will prevent the attacker from getting that far, but you still need to remove it from the computer to protect it fully. - Control Access
Resetting your passwords is also critical. You should be sure to create entirely new passwords and avoid re-using them at any point. Don’t forget to check any accounts linked to your computer, including social media profiles, email accounts, online banking, and any other potential targets.
- Isolate The Damage
- Recover
Lastly, you must be able to recover. This means having a viable data backup that offers a range of important features:- Comprehensive Backups: The backup solution should provide both local onsite backup for quick recovery in instances of data loss, as well as offsite cloud-based backup for when your business is hit with a critical disaster.
- Regularly Testing: Don’t assume that your backups will just work when needed. You should regularly test your backups to verify their effectivity in the event that something goes wrong with your onsite data.
- Convenient Restoration: Don’t settle for clumsy, all-or-nothing backups. You should be able to choose a point in time to restore in the event that the data has been deleted, corrupted, or there has been a malicious intrusion.
Lastly, don’t forget to invest in a little expert protection – 55% of those surveyed in The State of Industrial Cybersecurity 2019 are increasing their budget for cybersecurity.
Essential Solutions can help. We can put our cybersecurity expertise to work for you, implementing best practices, identifying vulnerabilities, and protecting you against the more common and dangerous cybercrime scams like ransomware.
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