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Your security stack is the backbone of your client’s cybersecurity protection. Whether you’re constructing a stack from the ground up or enhancing an existing one, it must be done meticulously, adhering to cybersecurity best practices.
Building an effective cybersecurity stack involves striking a balance. While it might seem intuitive to include more tools for better protection, there is a point where adding too many tools can lead to complexity and vulnerabilities, including potential SNMP security vulnerabilities. The goal is to create a security stack that maximizes useful tools without compromising its primary purpose.
Why Is a Security Stack Essential?
A security stack serves as an inventory and a roadmap of your cybersecurity tools. It should clearly outline all the tools at your disposal, their primary functions, and the systems they interact with within your network. Each organization’s stack will vary, but it’s beneficial to display this information in layers.
A layered visual format helps MSPs understand their tools, identify what they need, and pinpoint potential vulnerabilities or gaps in their protection. Given the numerous tools involved in robust cybersecurity protection, some can be overlooked or “lost in the shuffle.” Properly building and displaying your stack ensures comprehensive coverage of your client’s attack surface with updated, reliable cybersecurity platforms.
Assessing Your Needs
The first step in building your security stack is assessing your needs. For MSPs, this means understanding your client’s perspective. What issues are they most likely to encounter? What protections are most crucial to them?
Generally, organizations face six primary areas of business risk:
- Network Perimeter Security: The first line of defense, focusing on initial threat detection, remediation, and hardening endpoint terminals.
- Internal Security: Mitigating risks from human error and data mismanagement, which often lead to internal leaks or breaches.
- Physical Security: Protecting the software and hardware components of a system, involving frameworks like Access Control and Zero Trust.
- Incident Response: Preparing to handle threats that bypass defenses, a critical aspect of a business’s risk management.
- Long-term Response: Learning and reporting after attacks, using cyber forensics to strengthen future defenses.
- Cloud Security: As cloud technology grows, so do its risks. Effective cloud security systems are essential as these environments become increasingly complex.
Consider these key areas as you evaluate your client’s current cybersecurity infrastructure and identify opportunities to enhance their security stack.
Selecting Your Security Stack Architecture
Experts agree that an effective security stack requires a layered and balanced approach.
Using a Multi-Tiered Strategy
Your security stack for network protection will differ from tools used to prevent data breaches. While each aspect of your client’s network is distinct, your layers of protection should build upon each other to form a comprehensive defense.
Achieving Balance in Your Security Stack Layers
There must be a balance among the different levels to maximize the stack’s effectiveness. The concept of balance will vary depending on the client’s specific structure and needs.
For instance, a client focused on protecting large volumes of data might prioritize backup solutions and data breach protection. Conversely, a SaaS provider, which operates primarily in the cloud, might prioritize DDoS protection to ensure server uptime.
Evaluating and Closing Security Vulnerabilities
Conduct a risk assessment or gap analysis to identify where your client’s system lacks protection. This evaluation should uncover vulnerabilities in hardware, software, and data.
Compare these findings against a cybersecurity framework like NIST, which offers a solid benchmark for necessary protections. Over time, use insights from these assessments to continuously refine your client’s security measures.
Note that NIST is not the only framework; international standards vary. For example, the UK uses Cyber Essentials, and Australia prefers Essential 8. Choose the framework that best aligns with your needs.
For detailed guidance on risk assessments, gap analysis, and cybersecurity frameworks, feel free to contact us. We can provide the tools and insights necessary for more complex queries.
Detection Planning
Effective threat detection is a crucial part of cybersecurity. Detection planning integrates a detection workflow into your security stack, outlining how threats will be prioritized and managed, and which team members will be notified.
There are two main types of detection:
- Criticality-based notifications: Use historical data and threat intelligence to classify incidents as routine, suspicious, or critical, ensuring relevant notifications reach the right team members and preventing notification fatigue.
- Symptom-based notifications: Focus on the symptoms rather than the threats. Team members notify relevant stakeholders without categorizing the threat, reducing human error and potentially catching critical threats early.
A comprehensive detection plan involves both detection types and follows these steps:
- Identify stakeholders
- Design notification plans
- Create symptom criticality tables
- Review and finalize the plan
- Integrate and distribute the plan
- Activate available resources and services
Building a Response Strategy
A well-defined response strategy is vital for managing cybersecurity incidents. Consider these six steps:
- Select an incident response team: Ensure the team includes members from each department, not just IT. Include someone from HR to manage employee communications during incidents.
- Identify critical assets and vulnerabilities: Determine which assets need the most protection and prioritize them. Include potential vulnerabilities from social engineering attacks and human error.
- Determine reliable backup resources and third-party experts: Identify vendors and third-party services for handling large-scale attacks. Ensure your client has sufficient backup storage for critical data.
- Design a response plan checklist: Cover threat identification, containment, mitigation, and recovery. Review attack data post-event for future improvements.
- Develop a communications plan: Establish who needs to be notified and when, including internal team members, external stakeholders, and possibly government or law enforcement agencies.
- Continual testing and updating: Regularly test your client’s system in a safe environment and stay updated on industry best practices and new technologies.
Recovery and Your Security Stack
Recovery is a crucial part of your security stack. Ensure your clients can restore their systems and data to their pre-attack state. Reliable backups are essential to prevent significant customer and revenue loss after an attack.
Patch management plays a key role in this process by ensuring that systems are up-to-date with the latest security patches, minimizing vulnerabilities that could be exploited in an attack. Using frameworks like the NIST Cybersecurity Framework can aid in recovery, but MSPs should also focus on cybersecurity education across departments. Regularly updating passwords, managing patches, and staying informed about the latest threats and tactics are essential.
Educate both IT and non-IT employees to prepare for current and future needs. As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Essential Tools for Your Security Stack
Regardless of the differences in security stacks, some tools are universally necessary. Here are five must-have tools (in alphabetical order):
- Cloud security posture management (CSPM)
- Remote access platform
- Penetration testing capabilities
- Endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools
- Mobile device management (MDM)
For more information on various cybersecurity tools and how they fit into your security stack, explore Atera’s cybersecurity resources. Atera offers a 30 day free trial of all major tools, allowing you to find the best fit for your security needs.
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