The recent WikiLeaks CIA document dump and others like it have shown that even technologically sophisticated organizations struggle to protect themselves from data breaches. The leaked CIA records exposed malware tools used by the organization, elevating concerns about the government stockpiling vulnerabilities. You’re probably well aware of the importance of monitoring for insider threats and the critical nature of breach detection and response capabilities, but what practical lessons can we take away from the CIA breach?
A recent Dark Reading article breaks down four key learnings for your business:
- Catching an insider isn’t easy.
- Don’t focus on zero-day too much.
- Pay attention to IoT devices.
- Vulnerability stockpiles put consumers in danger.
Recognizing that even the CIA can fall victim to a cyber attack should encourage businesses to review and improve their own security procedures. The amount of CIA data released by WikiLeaks leads many experts to believe it was pulled off by an insider, or an insider and an outsider working together. Whether a breach is caused by leaked information or a hacked IoT device, it’s vital that companies have breach detection and response capabilities in place and effective methods of controlling employees’ access to sensitive data.
Read the full article at Dark Reading, and check out best practices for improving online security from WatchGuard’s CTO Corey Nachreiner here.