The holiday season is a time of festive cheer, but it's also a prime opportunity for cybercriminals. To protect your business, we've compiled 12 cybersecurity tips for the next 12 days, each more advanced than the last. Let’s dive into lesser-known tactics, with justifications, best practices, and what to avoid.
Day 1: Encrypt Your Email Communications
While encryption may seem like an obvious solution, many businesses fail to fully encrypt sensitive email communication. If you're sending confidential data or contracts, ensure the email content is encrypted. Tools like ProtonMail or PGP encryption offer an extra layer of protection to prevent hackers from accessing your information.
Justification: Emails are a common target for cybercriminals. Without encryption, sensitive business data shared through email can easily be intercepted, read, or manipulated.
Best Practices:
- Use end-to-end encryption for sensitive messages.
- Utilize email providers like ProtonMail or tools such as PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) to encrypt emails.
- Regularly review your encryption settings to ensure they are up-to-date.
What to Avoid:
- Sending sensitive information over unencrypted emails, especially to unknown recipients.
- Using weak or easily guessable encryption keys.
Our Suggestion: Consider investing in secure email platforms that automatically encrypt messages, so your employees don’t have to manually configure encryption every time.
Day 2: Review Your Password Policy with a Focus on Long-Passphrase Security
Many organizations still rely on complex, short passwords. Instead, encourage your team to use passphrases—a series of random, unrelated words or a sentence that is at least 16 characters long. These are much harder to crack than traditional passwords and can significantly reduce the risk of brute force attacks.
Justification: Many businesses rely on complex, short passwords, but passphrases—longer, more random strings of words—are much harder to crack.
Best Practices:
- Encourage employees to use passphrases of at least 16 characters.
- Implement password managers like LastPass or 1Password to generate and store strong passphrases.
- Require regular updates of passphrases, especially for high-privilege accounts.
What to Avoid:
- Relying on complex but short passwords.
- Storing passwords in unprotected documents or sharing them via insecure channels.
Our Suggestion: Implementing an automated password expiration policy can keep passphrases fresh and reduce the chance of long-standing vulnerabilities.
Day 3: Implement Zero-Trust Access Models for Third-Party Vendors
During the holiday season, your business likely interacts with a range of third-party vendors. Implement a zero-trust access model that verifies all users—internal or external—before granting them access to your systems. Tools like Okta or BeyondTrust help enforce these models, ensuring that access is restricted based on role and context.
Justification: Third-party vendors often have access to critical data or systems. With a zero-trust model, no user or device is trusted by default, even if they are within your corporate network.
Best Practices:
- Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all external access points.
- Limit vendor access based on specific roles and permissions.
- Regularly audit vendor access and permissions to ensure compliance.
What to Avoid:
- Allowing vendors broad, unrestricted access to your entire network.
- Failing to revoke access promptly when contracts or relationships end.
Our Suggestion: Use a third-party access management tool to streamline and monitor vendor access permissions.
Day 4: Update and Audit Your Software Supply Chain
Supply chain vulnerabilities are among the most overlooked risks in cybersecurity. Over the holidays, it’s important to conduct an audit of all third-party software and services you use. Make sure that they are up to date and patched, and check that all vendors comply with your company’s cybersecurity standards. Even the smallest vulnerability can leave your business open to attack.
Justification: Supply chain attacks, like the SolarWinds hack, show that compromised software can lead to major data breaches. Keeping your software updated and auditing your supply chain reduces this risk.
Best Practices:
- Keep all software up to date, particularly security patches.
- Implement security standards and requirements for all third-party vendors.
- Regularly conduct vulnerability assessments for software in your supply chain.
What to Avoid:
- Relying on outdated or unsupported software.
- Overlooking smaller, less visible vendors that may not be as vigilant about security.
Our Suggestion: Establish a clear process for third-party vendors to notify you about security updates and breaches, ensuring you’re always in the loop.
Day 5: Leverage Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) with Biometric Verification
Most businesses implement MFA, but few use biometric verification for extra security. Adding fingerprint scanning or facial recognition as part of your MFA process ensures that even if a password is compromised, the attacker cannot access sensitive data without physical access to the user’s device.
Justification: Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is essential for protecting accounts, but adding biometrics further secures access. With biometrics, even if a password is compromised, the attacker can't gain access without physical traits like fingerprints or face scans.
Best Practices:
- Implement biometric verification for your highest-privilege users, such as system administrators.
- Use biometric authentication in conjunction with other MFA methods (e.g., one-time codes or hardware tokens).
- Ensure the biometric solution is compliant with data protection laws.
What to Avoid:
- Relying solely on traditional methods of MFA (SMS or email codes), which can be intercepted.
- Skipping biometric security for employees with access to sensitive data.
Our Suggestion: Invest in biometric hardware or use mobile phones with built-in biometric sensors (such as fingerprint scanning or facial recognition) for easier adoption.
Day 6: Create Decoy Networks and Honeypots for Intruders
For businesses with more advanced security setups, consider implementing decoy networks (honeypots) designed to mislead and confuse attackers. These systems mimic real business networks, luring cybercriminals into isolated environments where their actions can be monitored without impacting your actual network.
Justification: Honeypots are decoy systems designed to attract and trap cybercriminals, giving you valuable insight into their methods while protecting your real assets.
Best Practices:
- Deploy honeypots to simulate real, vulnerable systems within your network.
- Regularly monitor these decoy systems for suspicious activity.
- Use honeypots as a learning tool for improving your network defenses.
What to Avoid:
- Using too many honeypots, which could clutter your system and distract from actual threats.
- Allowing attackers to detect the honeypot systems and use them to cover their tracks.
Our Suggestion: Ensure that honeypots are isolated from your main network to avoid any risk of compromising real assets.
Day 7: Use Artificial Intelligence to Detect Anomalies in Real-Time
Artificial intelligence (AI) can help identify unusual activity within your network that may otherwise go unnoticed. Implement AI-driven monitoring tools that automatically detect and alert you to irregularities such as unusual login times or high levels of data transfer, which could indicate a breach in progress.
Justification: AI-driven security solutions can quickly identify abnormal patterns and potential threats, such as a sudden spike in data transfers or unusual login times, allowing you to respond to threats faster.
Best Practices:
- Use machine learning models that can continuously learn and adapt to your network’s normal activity patterns.
- Deploy AI-based monitoring systems that provide real-time alerts for potential threats.
- Use AI in conjunction with human oversight to ensure a balance of automated and manual security checks.
What to Avoid:
- Relying solely on AI without a well-trained security team to interpret and act on alerts.
- Overlooking small anomalies that may indicate a larger, more complex threat.
Our Suggestion: Invest in AI-driven Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems for better detection and incident response.
Day 8: Utilize Behavioral Biometrics for Continuous Authentication
For an added layer of security, consider deploying behavioral biometrics. This technology tracks patterns in how users interact with systems—like typing speed, mouse movement, or touchscreen gestures—and continuously authenticates users. This helps detect any anomalies, such as when a compromised account is being accessed.
Justification: Behavioral biometrics track how users interact with systems, making it difficult for attackers to mimic legitimate user behavior even if they have stolen login credentials.
Best Practices:
- Implement continuous authentication that tracks user behavior throughout their session.
- Use it alongside other forms of authentication, such as passwords or MFA, to create a layered security approach.
- Choose solutions that can flag anomalous behavior in real-time.
What to Avoid:
- Assuming behavioral biometrics alone can prevent attacks—combine them with other security measures.
- Relying on outdated behavioral models that don't reflect new user behavior trends.
Our Suggestion: Pair behavioral biometrics with AI-based analytics to improve detection of complex attacks like insider threats.
Day 9: Apply Blockchain for Data Integrity
Blockchain technology isn't just for cryptocurrency—it can be used to secure data integrity. Consider applying blockchain-based solutions to track and verify the authenticity of critical business data, ensuring that any changes or tampering can be immediately detected.
Justification: Blockchain technology offers an immutable record of data transactions, making it an effective tool for ensuring the integrity of critical business data.
Best Practices:
- Use blockchain to track the provenance of sensitive data, like financial transactions or intellectual property.
- Implement blockchain to monitor supply chain data for any signs of tampering.
- Choose blockchain solutions that are designed to integrate seamlessly with your existing data systems.
What to Avoid:
- Relying on blockchain for all data protection needs—it's powerful, but not a one-size-fits-all solution.
- Overcomplicating your system with unnecessary blockchain layers.
Our Suggestion: Work with a trusted blockchain service provider to ensure smooth implementation and compliance with industry regulations.
Day 10: Implement 'Least Privilege' Policies for Temporary Workers
During the holiday season, temporary staff or contractors may access systems or data for short periods. Implement strict "least privilege" policies to ensure that these workers only have access to the tools and data they need, and nothing more. This reduces the risk of insider threats or accidental data leaks.
Justification: Temporary workers may have access to critical systems, but with the “least privilege” approach, they only receive access to what is absolutely necessary, reducing the risk of accidental or malicious data exposure.
Best Practices:
- Limit permissions for temporary staff to the smallest scope required for their tasks.
- Use role-based access control (RBAC) to manage access permissions effectively.
- Revoke access immediately after the temporary worker’s contract ends.
What to Avoid:
- Giving temporary workers broad access to sensitive or unnecessary data.
- Failing to track and monitor temporary workers’ activities during their tenure.
Our Suggestion: Use automated identity and access management (IAM) tools to streamline permission settings and revocation.
Day 11: Monitor Your Network Using Deception Technology
Deception technology involves creating fake network assets to mislead attackers. If an intruder attempts to breach your network, these decoy systems can trigger alerts and expose the attacker's location and tactics. This technology is a proactive way to understand the attack patterns and strengthen defenses.
Justification: Deception technology creates fake assets within your network, which can mislead attackers into focusing on decoys while alerting you to their presence.
Best Practices:
- Deploy decoys in key areas of your network that are likely to be targeted.
- Set up alerts when decoys are interacted with, allowing you to respond immediately.
- Regularly update your deception strategies to adapt to new attack methods.
What to Avoid:
- Overloading your system with too many decoy assets that could create confusion.
- Letting attackers recognize the decoys and avoid engaging with them.
Our Suggestion: Regularly analyze data from decoy systems to identify patterns and improve your overall network defenses.
Day 12: Prepare for Cyber Incidents with Red Team Simulations
For a truly robust cybersecurity strategy, test your defenses by bringing in a red team—cybersecurity experts who simulate real-world attacks. They’ll uncover vulnerabilities in your network before a malicious actor does, allowing you to patch weaknesses and improve your overall response plan.
Justification: Red teaming simulates real-world cyberattacks, helping your security team discover vulnerabilities and test incident response plans under realistic conditions.
Best Practices:
- Hire an external red team to conduct unbiased, sophisticated attack simulations.
- Include a variety of attack scenarios, from phishing to advanced persistent threats (APTs).
- Use the findings to refine your incident response plan and strengthen your defenses.
What to Avoid:
- Not acting on findings from red team exercises, leaving vulnerabilities unaddressed.
- Failing to involve all relevant teams, from IT to leadership, in the exercise.
Our Suggestion: Make red team exercises a regular part of your cybersecurity training to keep defenses sharp and up-to-date.
As the holiday season brings a surge in both digital and physical activity, it’s crucial to go beyond the basics and adopt advanced cybersecurity practices to protect your business. By integrating these lesser-known tips, you’ll fortify your defenses and ensure that you can confidently handle any cyber threat that comes your way.
Need help implementing these advanced security measures? EIP Networks specializes in cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions tailored to your business needs. Contact us for a consultation today! #WeDoThat
