Cyber threats are continuously evolving, hence, security assessment has become a crucial component in a business’s risk management plan. Performing security assessments would help your business in identifying how secure your business is, the threats that could affect your security, and also ways to prevent it from sophisticated attacks.
In this article, we, Indianapolis LEAP Managed IT will be sharing some information about the network and cyber security assessment and why to run a security assessment in your business.
What is a Network and Cyber Security Assessment?
Network Security Assessment
A network assessment is all about reviewing your organization’s network security measures. The assessment helps in finding out the security vulnerabilities that could cause harm to your system and even expose sensitive information about your business. This helps in protecting the data flow over the network and also secure data by identifying any potential threats both internal and external to your organization.
Cyber Security Assessment
A cyber security assessment is capable of identifying the data that could be affected by cyber attacks and also identifies the risks that could affect the data. The assessment should be conducted within the organization’s objectives, as it is capable of detecting the network’s weakness. Furthermore, it would help in taking security measures to mitigate them. The cyber security assessment is an ongoing process that keeps evaluating and suggesting required threat control measures. It continuously monitors, reviews the risk detected area, and keeps detecting the risk that occurred in the context of the organization whenever it occurs.
Differences and Types of Network and Cyber Security Assessment
Network and Cyber security may sound similar, but they aren’t. Check out some basic differences to help get a better understanding,
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Types of Assessment in Network Security
The two types of network security assessments are,
Vulnerability Assessment – this test evaluates the risks in the software system, reducing the probability of the threats. The vulnerability assessment would help in protecting the system from unauthorized access. It scans for vulnerabilities and reports potential exposures.
Penetration Testing – this is also known as a pen test, where an authorized simulated cyber attack is performed on a computer system to check its security. Here, the testers would try out a variety of attacks to evaluate whether the business is capable of withstanding it.
Cyber Security Frameworks
The two cyber security frameworks are as follows,
NIST Cyber Security Framework – this has been developed with a collaboration of government sectors and private sectors and is commonly used by companies in the United States. The framework has been designed with the intention to help businesses that are handling critical information, and most of the enterprises add this up to their security efforts.
ISO27000 – this framework has been developed by the International Organization for Standards and is applicable for both corporation’s internal and third-party vendors as well. This framework is a dynamic document that is continuously updated with new information and provides proper guidance.
The cyber security framework also includes,
- HIPAA – The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This sets guidelines for transferring healthcare information.
- Homeland Security Act – The Federal Cybersecurity Law for government entities that ensures the security of their systems and data.
- PCI-DSS – The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. This is to ensure that companies that collect card details from users maintain a secure environment.
- CMMC – The cyber security Maturity Model Certification. This requires defense contractors to undergo a cyber security assessment to evaluate their level of security.
- GDPR – The General Data Protection Regulation. This EU law sets guidelines for collecting sensitive information from users in the EU regions.
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Security Assessment – Why Do You Need to Conduct?
Be observant in detecting/identifying network vulnerabilities in your business before they get targeted by cyber attackers. Let’s see why a business needs to conduct security assessments?
- Make sure all the sensitive information is secure in your environment
- Ensure that your business meets compliance requirements
- Conducting regular risk assessments
- Regular update on cyber security policies
- Identify areas of weakness
- Look for opportunities to grow security protection
Network and Cyber Security Assessment – Which One Should You Look For?
Now, you have an understanding of the difference between network and cyber security assessment. Henceforth, security assessments are an important part of any business’s overall cyber defense strategy. This would help in providing valuable information that will help you understand how secure your organization is, and take steps to ensure its continued protection.
If you are aiming at protecting your business then, both network and cyber security assessments are essential. Further, it will help you to understand how vulnerable your business is to attacks, as well as, how much damage those attacks could cause.
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