Governance & Compliance

PCI DSS Compliance Checklist & Guide for Automating the Process

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Staying compliant to the Payments Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) can be overwhelming. To give you a clue, about 60.5% of PCI DSS requirements were unmet by organizations when they suffered a data breach, per SecurityMetrics’ 2021 study:

This data confirms three things:

As the dynamics of processing, storing, and transmitting customers’ payments and credit card info evolve, the potential for data breaches also increases.
Meeting PCI DSS requirements is difficult.
You should automate the process of implementing controls to stay compliant, even after meeting initial requirements.

So when seeking a checklist, consider one that covers automating the implementation of controls post PCI DSS compliance. For this, CTOs and IT executives must start by…

Knowing the PCI DSS Controls & Requirements

PCI DSS has over 300+ security controls. So much so that learning all can take days, as observed by a Security Policy Lead at Stripe:

To help, the PCI Council organized these controls into six objectives, along with their corresponding compulsory requirements.

As illustrated below:

With the mandatory control objectives and their corresponding requirements outlined, to become and stay compliant teams must:

Adhere to the core PCI DSS requirements per control group
Automate their implementation to save time & money.

This checklist guide (you can download it below) will help you achieve both. As we go through it, you’ll also see how Cyber Sierra automates their implementation to save you time and money:

PCI DSS Compliance Certification Checklist

A checklist to help you automate the implementation of PCI DSS control and requirements.

The 8-Step PCI DSS Compliance Checklist

The PCI Council’s official reference guide outlined three steps for ongoing adherence and compliance to the PCI DSS. The steps are:

Assess: Identify all locations of cardholder data by taking inventory of all your IT assets and business processes for payments and card processing. Analyze them to detect vulnerabilities that could expose sensitive cardholder data.
Repair: Fix identified risks and vulnerabilities, securely remove unneeded cardholder data storage, and implement secure business processes.
Report: Document assessment and remediation details and submit compliance reports to your acquiring bank(s) and card brands you do business with (or relevant requesting entities):

This 8-step checklist is designed to help you adhere to these ongoing requirements, as they are crucial to earning PCI DSS certification.

1. Determine PCI Level

Achieving PCI DSS compliance starts with knowing what PCI level your organization falls under. It could be one of four levels typically ranked based on credit card transactions:

2. Map All Cardholder Data Flows

Three things your team should do here are:

Detect all customer-facing areas involved in processing payment transactions across your organization. This could include online shopping carts, over-the-phone orders, in-store payment terminals via credit/debit cards, etc.
Pinpoint the various ways cardholder data is handled across your company’s business units. Importantly, outline where the data is stored and everyone in your organization with access to it.
Identify internal systems and technologies involved in payments and transactions processing. This should include your cloud assets, network systems, data centers, and others.

These three to-dos above are crucial.

And that’s because it creates a comprehensive map of network systems, connections, and applications interacting with all credit card data across your organization.

3. Perform Internal Security Assessment

Once you’ve mapped all organization-wide network systems interacting with credit card data, assess them to spot vulnerabilities not aligned with the PCI DSS security controls.

You can do this with Cyber Sierra.

Initiate a scan of all technologies and network systems mapped to be interacting with cardholder data. For instance, you scan your Kubernetes, Repository, Networks, and Cloud environments:

Once you initiate a scan, Cyber Sierra will:

Continuously monitor all network systems and cloud assets interacting with credit card payment transactions
Automatically assess and detect critical risks you should prioritize to stay aligned with PCI DSS security controls
Highlight tips guiding your team to remediate detected risks and vulnerabilities as they emerge.

You can also assign the remediation of these risks as tasks to relevant members of your security team on the same pane:

Automate PCI DSS compliance.

Scan systems interacting with cardholder data, remediate risks, and continuously monitor PCI security controls from one place.

4. Fill Out Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ)

The SAQ records the result of the internal security assessment performed to gauge your company’s compliance with PCI DSS. The particular SAQ to fill out depends on your organization’s PCI Level transaction types relevant to your business environment.

As captured in this chart by the PCI Council:

5. Conduct External Vulnerability Scans

This step prepares you for compliance.

After the internal security assessment performed and self-assessment questionnaire filled out, hire PCI DSS approved scanning vendors (ASVs) to conduct another round of scans. These experts ensure that you’ve met all required PCI DSS standards before proceeding.

Noah Stahl shared why this is crucial:

6. Complete the Attestation of Compliance (AoC)

The Attestation of Compliance (AoC) declares your company’s compliance with PCI DSS. As a mandatory step toward PCI DSS compliance certification, this document must be completed by a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA).

Because it serves as evidence that your organization’s security posture, network systems, and practices can effectively protect against cardholder data threats.

Preview a sample of the document here.

7. Submit Filled Out PCI DSS Documents

Submit filled out forms in the previous steps, including:

Approved Scanning Vendors (ASVs) report
Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ), and
Attestation of Compliance (AoC).

Once submitted, a PCI DSS accredited auditor reviews, vets them, and finalizes the PCI DSS compliance certification process for your company.

But it doesn’t end there.

8. Implement Continuous Monitoring

PCI DSS compliance is no one-time affair.

To understand why, recall this guide’s introduction. I cited data showing that about 60.5% of organizations didn’t meet PCI DSS requirements when they suffered a data breach.

Here’s how you avoid that.

Continuously monitor your organizations’ adherence to the PCI DSS security controls, even after achieving initial compliance. Cyber Sierra’s continuous control monitoring suite automates this.

Our platform streamlines identifying and rating risks, automating the process of maintaining compliance with PCI DSS. Our prebuilt, auto-updated Risk Register, for instance, will help your team identify and know what risks to prioritize.

…all at a glance from one dashboard:

Automate Becoming PCI DSS Compliant

Becoming PCI DSS compliant, as this checklist shows, can be overwhelming and time-consuming. First, knowing what to implement from the 300+ controls to meet the 12 PCI requirements is hard, and depends on accurate internal security assessment.

Continuously monitoring your company’s cybersecurity posture to detect and remediate threats can also be daunting. But this is crucial to avoid getting penalized even after meeting initial compliance.

And it doesn’t end there.

The back and forth of sharing compliance documents between teams and external auditors can be a thorn in the flesh if done manually. But with a centralized platform, you can automate these processes, achieve compliance faster, and remain compliant.

This is where Cyber Sierra comes in:

Automate PCI DSS compliance.

Scan systems interacting with cardholder data, remediate risks, and continuously monitor PCI security controls from one place.

Pramodh Rai

Meet Pramodh Rai, a technology aficionado and Cyber Sierra's co-founder, whose zest for innovation is fuelled by a cupboard stacked with zero-sugar Redbull. With a nimble footwork through the tech tulips across Asia Pacific, he's donned hats at Hmlet (the proptech kind) and Funding Societies | Modalku, building high-performing teams and technologies. A Barclays prodigy with dual degrees from Nanyang Technological University, Pramodh is a treasure trove of wisdom, dad jokes, and everything product/tech. He's the Sherpa in sneakers you need.

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Governance & Compliance

Busy Tech Executives’ ISO 27001 Compliance Checklist

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Ron’s startup started expanding globally, going upmarket to enterprise three months ago. In that time, they encountered 63 security questionnaires, but all slowed or blocked the sales process.

Sounds familiar?

Well, you can’t blame prospects fixated on security compliance to win their business. No one wants to suffer data breach costs from working with a company not taking information security (infosec) seriously:

This leaves tech executives (like Ron) with two options:

Spend weeks filling out prospects’ security questionnaires every time (and still risk losing deals due to inadequate infosec), or
Get a globally-recognized compliance certificate to ease security questionnaires (and facilitate the sales process).

The latter is where ISO 27001 compliance comes in. But before our checklist to help you ease the process, knowing the mandatory requirements is crucial.

Mandatory ISO 27001 Requirements

The International Standards Organization (ISO) is behind the ISO 27001 compliance. They updated the certification requirements in 2022, highlighting mandatory documentation such as:

Internal Audit Report
Risk Assessment Report
Statement of Applicability
Information Security Policy
Information Security Management (ISMS) Scope

Across these compulsory requirements, many security controls must be in place to pass an auditor’s review. But implementing those controls mostly starts with real-time insight into a company’s cybersecurity posture.

This means you’ll need to:

Navigate the many controls in ISO 27001
Have a checklist for implementing each, and
Incorporate a way to automate most processes involved.

This checklist guide will explore all three. So download our ISO 27001 compliance checklist for reference as you follow along:

The ISO 27001 Compliance Checklist.

A checklist to help you implement the right controls and automate ISO 27001 Compliance.

Navigating the Many Controls in ISO 27001

Although down from 114, the ISO 27001 compliance updated in 2022 still has a whopping 93 security controls across four (4) categories:

People controls (8)
Physical controls (14)
Technological controls (34)
Organizational controls (37):

Not all controls are mandatory. Called Annex A, companies are free to implement those relevant to their business.

However, you need sufficient controls to demonstrate how you establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve your company’s information security management system (ISMS).

So knowing what controls to choose is crucial.

And tracking implementation across teams needs more than a checklist, but a centralized platform that can automate most ISO 27001 compliance documentation processes.

That’s where Cyber Sierra comes in.

Our interoperable cybersecurity platform has the mandatory ISO 27001 policies built into it. Also, across teams, you can assign, track, and automate implementation from one place:

Implement the right controls and automate ISO 27001 Compliance from one place.

Checklist to Implement ISO 27001 Compliance Standards

Many CTOs, CISOs, and tech executives leverage Cyber Sierra to achieve ISO 27001 compliance in record time. They achieve this by streamlining the excessive paperwork required, automating the implementation of controls, and managing everything from one place.

So based on our experience, we’ve created this 7-step ISO 27001 compliance certification checklist guide for your reference.

1. Scope an ISO 27001 Project Plan

ISO 27001 certification is a team effort.

As such, you’d need contributions from relevant team members across your organization. We’ve also found from experience that things move way faster when teammates prioritize the process.

So to create the needed sense of priority, scope a project plan specific to preparing for (and becoming) ISO 27001 compliant.

It should outline:

Why your startup is pursuing ISO 27001 compliance.
How it will bolster your company’s security posture.
Who on your team will be doing what within deadlines.

In addition to these, define the scope of your Information Security Management (ISMS). Like a house depends on its foundation, achieving ISO 27001 compliance depends on this.

And that’s because an ISMS scope succinctly documents the information your startup wants to protect and exclude. The ISMS scope of a software company may include a:

List of departments/organizational units
List of processes and services they cover
List of physical assets/locations
List of exclusions not in scope.

To give you an idea, here’s a section of GitLab’s:

2. Create ISMS Policies

Your ISMS scope determines what ISO 27001 policies need to be created. But there are mandatory ISMS policies such as:

Incident Management Policy
Acceptable Use Policy
Access Control Policy
Assets Management Policy
Backup Management Policy
Business Continuity Policy
Change Management Policy
Cloud Services Security Policy
And 15 others.

Documenting these policies and implementing their corresponding controls takes heavy paperwork. To help automate the process, Cyber Sierra comes prebuilt with these mandatory policies.

And you can even assign them to relevant teammates, track status, and implementation progress in one pane:

It doesn’t end there.

You can also create policies unique to your ISMS scope, upload corresponding documentation, and assign them to teammates:

3. Conduct Risk Assessments

This step has two objectives:

To detect data security risks across your company’s systems, networks, and cloud assets.
To evaluate identified risks based on their potential impact on the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data accessed by your company.

Passing the ISO 27001 audit review and becoming certified depends on how well your company manages cybersecurity threats. So the goal of this assessment is to develop a risk register for managing… risks.

And technology can simplify things here. For instance, with Cyber Sierra, connect your tech stack prone to cybersecurity risks, and it’ll:

Automatically scan your cloud assets
Detect risks and vulnerabilities in real-time
Assess and score the impact of those risks, and
Enable you to assign remediation tasks to teammates.

All that from one Risk Register pane:

4. Define Statement of Applicability

A Statement of Applicability (SoA) is required for ISO 27001. As the name suggests, it is a document stating the Annex A security controls that are applicable —or aren’t applicable— to an organization.

So in defining one, you should:

List the security controls your company wants to manage and mitigate against based on your risk assessment.
Explain why you chose those security controls for your information security management system (ISMS).
State the status of your chosen controls (i.e., have they been fully implemented? If no, why not?).
Briefly explain excluded controls and why they aren’t applicable to your organization.

As the points above show, the SoA document summarizes your ISMS policies and risk assessment. So a good place to start is revisiting steps 1-3 of this checklist. And this is crucial because your SoA is what ISO 27001 auditors rely on during audit reviews.

5. Implement Policies & Controls

This step is where you begin to implement the security controls for your chosen ISMS policies. And you do this by providing appropriate documentation of each control. It’s typically the most difficult part of the project, requiring loads of implementation evidence to be uploaded ahead of an audit review.

Take the mandatory Cloud Services Security (CSS) policy.

You’ll need to implement:

A document describing this policy per your ISMS, and
Twelve (12) documents as evidence to show you’ve implemented its corresponding 12 controls.

Cyber Sierra streamlines this cumbersome process. For instance, you can quickly edit a pre-built CSS policy document to suit your ISMS scope and upload evidence of controls, all from one place:

6. Establish Employee Security Awareness & Training

Ongoing security awareness and training for employees is indispensable for becoming (and remaining) ISO 27001 compliant.

And that’s for three reasons:

To train relevant employees on how to implement your ISO 27001 policies and security controls to maintain your ISMS.
To make them aware of security risks your company is currently facing and the processes for mitigating them.
To continually educate them about emerging security threats and the best practices for defending against them.

These ongoing training programs should cut across cloud security, common cybersecurity threats, anti-phishing, and others. And you can launch and manage them all with Cyber Sierra:

7. Perform Internal & External Audits

Without an external audit spearheaded by an accredited ISO 27001 compliance auditor, an organization can’t be certified.

But before that, a series of internal audits are necessary. These prepare your company for the external one, and hiring consultants to review all implemented ISO 27001 documentation is also advised.

Typically, your team should:

Double review internal policies and procedures’ documentation
Sample all uploaded evidence as part of the internal review to demonstrate correct implementation of policies and controls
Analyze findings from all document reviews to ensure they meet your ISMS scope and ISO 27001 certification requirements
Implement improvements, as needed, based on audit findings ahead of the external certification audit review.

After the internal audit comes the external one.

So request an accredited auditor to review your company’s implementation of ISMS policies and security controls against the official ISO 27001 standard. Then proceed to the Certification Audit for a final review of your company’s business processes, policies, and security controls to get certified in ISO 27001 compliance.

8. Implement Continuous Security Controls’ Monitoring

ISO 27001 compliance isn’t a one-time affair.

Certification must be renewed every three years. And to meet requirements when recertification is due, companies must undergo and pass yearly Periodic Surveillance Audits.

The annual surveillance audits follow the same process as the final audit before the initial ISO 27001 certification. It seeks to identify and correct nonconformities in the maintenance of implemented ISMS policies and security controls. And here’s how you ensure that:

Continuously scan your cloud assets, repository, Kubernetes, and network environments to identify security risks as they emerge.
Assign critical risks to relevant team members with tips on how to remediate them to pass periodic surveillance audits and retain your ISO 27001 compliance.

Your team can do both of these with Cyber Sierra:

The Advantage of ISO 27001, Without the Hassle

Imagine you had all the steps in this gruesome ISO 27001 compliance certification checklist in one interoperable cybersecurity platform.

Imagine in one pane, your team could:

Understand each step of the process
Manage the completion of each step
Implement ISMS policies and security controls
Automate evidence collection to show proof of compliance, correction of non-conformities, if any found during audits.
Perform risk assessment and assign remediation tasks
Establish ongoing employees’ security awareness & training
Go through the various audit reviews required without going back and forth with teammates and auditors over spreadsheets
Implement continuous monitoring of security controls, manage emerging threats, and mitigate critical ones to stay compliant.

Imagine the benefits of ISO 27001 (i.e., no need to fill security questionnaires or miss competitive deals) without the hassle of the steps above. As shown throughout this checklist guide, Cyber Sierra makes it possible by automating most processes involved in becoming (and remaining) ISO 27001 compliant.

Why not talk to one of our ISO 27001 experts?

Implement the right controls and automate ISO 27001 Compliance from one place.

Pramodh Rai

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Governance & Compliance

SOC 2 Compliance Simplified for Busy Tech Executives

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Ron has to choose from two startups.

Both offer identical services at significantly different price points. Out of the two, only startup B is certified in security compliance. As the CTO of an enterprise firm, evidence of being able to protect his organization’s data from breaches is crucial to Ron.

So despite startup A’s lower price, he chose startup B:

This scenario highlights just one advantage of being SOC 2 compliant. It makes prospects see your growing startup as a security-conscious partner, giving you an edge in competitive enterprise deals.

But meeting requirements and passing independent CPA audits to achieve SOC 2 compliance is no easy feat. To increase your chances…

Early Preparation for a SOC 2 Audit is Key

A Cybersecurity Writer at CSO said it best:

Demanding tasks are simplified if broken into small steps. Since the same applies to earning SOC 2 attestation, an optimal early preparatory path is knowing what steps to take.

Some crucial ones include:

Having the core SOC 2 compliance requirement in place
Creating a checklist to help you automate the process
Knowing how much a SOC 2 report will cost you.

To help you prepare and ace the audit, this guide will explore these steps. You’ll also see how to build a solid cybersecurity posture and automate the SOC 2 compliance process with Cyber Sierra:

Improve your company's cybersecurity posture and automate SOC 2 compliance processes from one place.

The Core SOC 2 Compliance Requirement

SOC 2 compliance has two types.

And requirements depend on the one you seek. SOC 2 Type I checks if you are SOC 2 compliant at a particular point in time. It’s like a snapshot. Type II, on the other hand, reviews your company’s cybersecurity compliance over a longer period (i.e., have you been compliant in 6–12 months?)

Per the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the organization behind this compliance certificate, companies should consider a SOC 2 Type II report when:

Stakeholders, investors, and fellow executives need to gain confidence and trust in their company’s security processes.
Prospects (and existing customers) seek to understand their ongoing security processes and controls:

SOC 2 Type II is therefore more comprehensive, carries more weight, and is the one often requested by security-conscious prospects. Getting it revolves around AICPA’s five Trust Services Criteria (TSC):

Security,
Availability,
Processing integrity,
Confidentiality,
Privacy.

Out of these five, security is the core and compulsory.

And veteran CPA, Bernard Gallagher, stressed why:

In other words, to appease SOC 2 Type II auditors, you must prioritize managing security risks effectively across your organization. For this, consider a cybersecurity platform that can:

Automatically scan your cloud assets
Detect risks and vulnerabilities in real-time
Assess and score the impact of those risks, and
Enable you to assign remediation tasks to relevant members of your security team from one risk register.

You can do all these with Cyber Sierra’s Risk Register:

But it doesn’t end there.

Ongoing employee security awareness training is also a core requirement of SOC 2 Type II. This means you must continuously train employees to remain compliant when it’s time for audits again.

SOC 2 Compliance Checklist, Automation Guide

Many CTOs and IT executives have become SOC 2 compliant in record time through our interoperable cybersecurity platform. For some, the scenario (recall this blog’s intro?) of startup A losing a big deal to startup B for not having security compliance is common.

We believe no startup should suffer that.

So based on our experience working with numerous businesses to automate the various processes involved, we’ve created this SOC 2 compliance checklist for your reference.

The SOC 2 Compliance Checklist

A checklist to help you automate most processes involved in becoming SOC 2 compliant.

1. Scope Your SOC 2 Project Plan

A crucial first step is ensuring team members get the same sense of priority as you journey towards becoming SOC 2 compliant. You don’t want them treating tasks related to it as just another to-do.

So start the project with a description that addresses:

Why your startup needs SOC 2 compliance.
How it will bolster your company’s security posture.
The type of SOC 2 audit you’re going for (and why).

Still in the scoping step, outline and briefly explain components within your org that must meet AICPA’s attestation standards. They include infrastructure, data, procedures, software, and people.

The TSC that applies to your business is next.

As stated earlier, security is the core SOC 2 requirement, so it must be included in your scope. Selecting other TSCs should be based on demands and regulations pertinent to your organization.

For instance, choose:

Availability if prospects and existing customers have concerns about your product’s downtime.
Confidentiality if prospects and customers have specific requirements for confidentiality or if your startup stores sensitive info protected by NDAs (non-disclosure agreements).
Processing Integrity if your company executes critical operations like financial processing, tax processing, payroll services, and related ones.
Privacy if prospects and existing customers store PII (personal identifiable information) like birthdays, healthcare data, and social security numbers.

2. Implement SOC 2 Policies and Procedures

Across the five TSCs, there are:

26 mandatory policies, and
About 196 security controls.

Defined procedures for implementing the policies and their respective security controls that apply to your organization are needed. Typically, this requires expertise and involves a lot of manual work.

You need:

The expertise to know what policies to prioritize
Lots of manual work uploading evidence of security controls for each policy, which can be draining for everyone involved.

This is where technology comes in.

With Cyber Sierra, for instance, ticking this step off your SOC 2 checklist is easy. There’s an expert to help you choose the mandatory policies you should prioritize. Our technology also has these policies and security controls built into it and updated regularly.

So from one dashboard, you can:

Assign policies (and their controls) to relevant team members
Track their progress in implementing those controls:

3. Complete SOC 2 Compliance Documentation

Is there evidence to show that your company has implemented security controls for policies based on the chosen TSC?

Saying ‘yes’ isn’t enough.

To pass auditors’ scrutiny and earn SOC 2 compliance, you must show proof by uploading appropriate documentation. The final number of documentation you’ll need to provide to a CPA depends on the TSC chosen in the scoping step.

However, as with TSC, there are mandatory ones like:

Change Management
Application and Software Change
Data and Software Disposal
Detection and Monitoring Procedures
Incidence Response Policy
Logical and Physical Address
Third Party Risk Management
Risk Mitigation.

The procedures for providing evidence of security controls for each required documentation above are also built into Cyber Sierra:

And it doesn’t end there.

Cyber Sierra also simplifies the process of uploading evidence for the compulsory SOC 2 documentation and TSC security controls. For instance, click on any policy, say, Risk Mitigation, and in addition to succinct descriptions of what it (and its controls) entails…

You can edit a policy per your needs and upload evidence:

4. Conduct SOC 2 Readiness Assessments

This step comes down to two things:

An internal risk assessment to ensure that cyber posture and uploaded security controls’ evidences are accurate.
Remediation of identified risks and vulnerabilities, ensuring your organization is ready to pass strict SOC 2 audit reviews.

Ticking both off your SOC 2 checklist starts with scanning your cloud assets and network environments to identify vulnerabilities. Then, remediating each to boost your confidence of passing the audit.

Cyber Sierra automates both.

In a few clicks, you can connect and scan your cloud, repository, Kubernetes, and network environments. Each scan prompts a dashboard with your company’s cybersecurity posture, from where you’ll find all vulnerabilities and descriptions of critical risks.

You also get instructions on how to remediate each vulnerability and can assign remediation tasks to relevant people on your security team:

5. Monitor Security Controls for Upto 12 Months

Adhering to the four steps above snapshots your company’s cybersecurity posture. They are enough for SOC 2 Type I audit reviews. But for SOC 2 Type II certification that’s often-requested by prospects and customers, you must be compliant for up to 12 months.

So you must continuously monitor for at least 12 months to ensure evidence uploaded for each security control is intact. This boils down to detecting, assessing, and remediating risks that could render the evidence you upload for security controls worthless.

Technology can simplify this process.

For instance, and as I shared earlier, connect your tech stack to a good cybersecurity platform, and it will:

Automatically scan your cloud assets
Detect risks and vulnerabilities in real-time
Assess and score the impact of those risks, and
Enable you to assign remediation tasks to relevant members of your security team from one risk register.

Again, Cyber Sierra’s Risk Register does these out of the box:

How Much Does SOC 2 Report Cost?

SOC 2 compliance is a huge undertaking.

Hiring an auditor for the review alone starts at about $5k and could exceed $30k, depending on the auditing company. It doesn’t end there. In no particular order, you’ll also incur costs to:

Scope and manage the project
Train employees on cybersecurity awareness
Train security team members on remediating risks
Commission legal review of uploaded documentation
Perform readiness assessments and ongoing monitoring of security controls of chosen policies.
Manage third-party vendor risks.

Depending on company size, these steps could take 6–12 months and can cost $50-$110k in lost time and productivity if done manually. On the flip side, these costs reduce drastically if your team can manage and automate most of the requirements above from one place.

And that’s why we built Cyber Sierra:

Improve your company’s cybersecurity posture.

Automate 90% of SOC 2 compliance processes from one place.

Pramodh Rai

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Governance & Compliance

Why Security Executives Avoid Point Cybersecurity Solutions

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Cyberattacks are getting worse.

Between 2021 and 2022, it increased by 38% worldwide:

There are other sides to this data.

First, cybercriminals are also becoming more sophisticated in their attacks on companies. Accordingly, there are growing numbers of tools (i.e., point cybersecurity solutions) for addressing specific threats individually.

And, that’s supposed to be a good thing.

Unfortunately, using multiple vendor tools to tackle each cyber threat hasn’t helped CISOs secure their company infrastructure. For instance, another research by Check Point found that too many security solutions does your team’s cybersecurity efforts more harm than good:

This insight calls for CISOs to pause and ask…

Why Aren’t Point Cybersecurity Solutions Optimal?

Most are often reactive purchases.

Take when news of an enterprise data breach creates an uptick in sales of point solutions for tackling such cyberattacks. Likewise, a series of phishing attacks will pull companies into investing in counter-phishing solutions.

It usually makes sense at first. Long-term, however, such a siloed, reactionary approach to mitigating cyber risks has downsides. One is that, because they aren’t interoperable with others, they still leave gaps for cybercriminals. This is why opting for an interoperable cybersecurity suite designed to work dynamically makes more sense.

And a veteran CISO recommended this:

Joe’s suggestion highlights why IT executives should opt for a cybersecurity solution that can tackle multiple threats in one place.

In line with that, this article will:

Explore 8 core cybersecurity solutions (and threats they tackle)
Showcase Cyber Sierra, our interoperable cybersecurity suite.

Tackle Cybersecurity In One Interoperable Solution Suite

8 Core Types of Enterprise Cybersecurity Solutions

There’s no shortage of point cybersecurity tools.

And that’s in any niche or subniche you tune into:

But across this multitude of tools, there are core data security threats each category aims to mitigate. We explore those solutions below.

1. Security Information & Event Management (SIEM)

SIEM products monitor and analyze security events across an organization’s systems and network. According to IBM, most point solutions in this category offer the same core functionalities:

And it’s not just having the same functionality.

Being difficult to set up and manage without specialized employees are other problems SIEMs have, per W@tchTower. In short, their report further noted something CISOs should take even more seriously:

A solution to this is a SIEM that can aggregate threat alerts into an auto-updated risk register. Better if this risk register also has the capability to articulate the possible impact, likelihood, and risk score of each threat alert. This way, the data is more actionable for your team.

Cyber Sierra has these capabilities:

2. Vulnerability Management Tools

While SIEMs can analyze and highlight crucial intelligence about potential threats, they lack in providing the right context, as observed above. Also, the data you get is often voluminous, making it difficult for your security team to prioritize efforts.

Point vulnerability management tools will integrate with a SIEM to complement it and create manageable processes for eliminating cyber threats. So if you purchase and implement a SIEM product, you’d still need to buy a separate vulnerability management software.

Such essential synergy is pre-built into Cyber Sierra.

At the top, the security dashboard has an always-updated overview for members of your team to quickly glance:

Average safety score of your organization
No. of vulnerabilities.
No. of warnings, and
Threats sorted from critical to low:

Below this overview section, and from the same pane, managing vulnerabilities doesn’t require buying and implementing a separate tool.

Each sorted alert comes with a description and succinct remediation to-do. And you can assign remediation tasks to your team right there on our platform or push them to JIRA without jumping through hoops:

3. Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

Solutions in this category use custom enforcement to prevent sensitive data that could lead to security breaches from leaving your organization. Top DLP software can monitor, detect, and block both data entering your corporate network and those attempting to leave.

According to Gartner, the top nine DLP products are:

4. Network Access Control (NAC)

These technologies allow CISOs and IT security executives to confirm the authorization and access of all devices and users on a company’s network. But most NAC tools rely on threat alerts from a SIEM.

For instance, an implemented NAC product could enforce a security policy to contain an endpoint based on alerts triggered by a SIEM. In other words, as a point security solution, NAC tools could be deficient.

eSecurity Planet reviewed the top nine NAC tools:

5. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Here is an MFA technology explained visually:

As shown, MFA creates an added layer of security for anyone trying to access your software. Instead of just passwords, which hackers can easily breach, personal verification methods are enforced.

This reinforces your organization’s identity and access management (IAM), decreasing the likelihood of cyberattacks.

Expert Insights reviewed the top MFA products:

6. Security Configuration Management (SCM)

Solutions in this category are essential if your organization must comply with governance and regulatory compliance (GRC) requirements. First, they ensure that your company’s cloud tools, devices, and all related systems are properly configured and secured.

On the other hand, a good SCM automates most processes needed to improve your cybersecurity posture and secure compliance certifications.

But they have a caveat.

SCMs are standalone point solutions. So, you’ll still need to purchase separate tools to navigate the tiresome process of securing different compliance certifications like SOC, ISO27001, PCI DSS, and others.

And this is where an interoperable cybersecurity solution suite like Cyber Sierra shines. First, with a single scan, it can continuously identify misconfigurations in your network, repository, cloud, and Kubernetes:

Threats identified can be managed (with remediation tasks auto-generated per alert) on the same platform. This gives your team an always-updated view of your company’s data cybersecurity posture in one pane.

Also, your company’s cyber posture data gets ingested natively into our GRC solution, reducing the entire process of getting standard and custom compliance certifications to a few simple clicks:

Since you’re still here…

Tackle Cyberthreats, Automate Compliance Certifications. Right-size Cyber Insurance. All In One Interoperable Solution Suite

7. Phishing Simulation & Employee Awareness Program

Products in this niche help IT executives to disperse cybersecurity awareness and train employees on countering phishing attacks. Often called anti-phishing programs, they simulate realistic attacks and gauge how effective employees are at handling cyberthreats.

But an exceptional solution should do more.

It should have the various anti-phishing training types built-in, so busy executives can easily send them to employees in a few button clicks.

Cyber Sierra has that:

Also, awareness training programs to educate employees on all possible cybersecurity threats should be built-in, too. This includes:

Best ways to use social media
Cyber risks through 3rd-party vendors
How to spot phishing emails
Multi-factor authentication
Safe browsing habits
Sensitive data handling
Ransomware
Common cybersecurity threats
And others.

Cyber Sierra also has these out of the box:

8. Third Party Risk Management (TPRM) Solutions

By utilizing the tools in the seven categories so far, you can greatly strengthen your internal data security measures. Unfortunately, they won’t prevent cybercriminals from attacking through 3rd-party vendors, which your company needs to enhance its capabilities.

In short, the stats are scary in this area:

Point TPRM tools help you mitigate possible third-party threats.

But managing 3rd-party risks along with other threats in one, interoperable solution suite, is more optimal. Instead of another siloed tool in your security stack, you get the entire process synced into your team’s existing cybersecurity program.

Cyber Sierra makes this possible by streamlining the entire processes involved in managing third-party risks into three steps. It also comes pre-built with the two essential vendor assessment templates:

We’ve covered the eight core cybersecurity solutions.

We also emphasized the need to opt for an interoperable cybersecurity solution instead of multiple point tools.

You may be wondering…

Why Choose an Interoperable Cybersecurity Solution?

I’ll give you three reasons.

The 1st is that the threat landscape is expanding with no end in sight. Consequently, the skills and knowledge required to answer the simple, but crucial question, “are we secure,” will only get broader. Johan Bogema, a Cybersecurity Expert, observed this in a report for ON2IT.

He wrote:

As cyber threats broaden with more sophisticated attacks, mitigating them in one interoperable platform that works well together is optimal. That’s because your team can tackle threats without losing sight of others.

The 2nd reason has to do with wasted spend and exposure to vulnerabilities resulting from tools that don’t play well together. Matt Kakpo, a veteran Reporter at Cybersecurity Dive, corroborates:

The 3rd reason is a consequence of the 1st two.

Due to wasted spend and difficulties with implementing separate solutions that don’t work together, executives are opting for solutions that tackle a wide range of threats in one pane.

Take Delta Air’s Global CISO:

Interoperable, One Pane View

In addition to replacing most point solutions highlighted, Cyber Sierra works well with cybersecurity tools used by enterprise companies. I mean those for tackling advanced threats like:

Web Application Firewall (WAF)
Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW)
Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB).

This built-in interoperability means you can cut down on vendors, while getting a one-pane view with detailed intel of your company’s cyber posture. It also means you can identify endpoints across your organization’s network with potential threats faster.

Continuous security controls monitoring and the entire process of securing cyber insurance is streamlined into Cyber Sierra. This means you (and your team) can address a broad range of threats in one place:

Tackle Cyberthreats, Automate Compliance Certifications. Right-size Cyber Insurance. All In One Interoperable Solution Suite

Pramodh Rai

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Governance & Compliance

Data Breaches: Is Your Organization Prepared?

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In today’s digital landscape, data security is of utmost importance. We asked CEOs, founders, and cybersecurity experts for their top strategies to protect their organizations from data breaches and hacks. From promoting employee cybersecurity practices to emphasizing strong encryption, here are the top five insights shared by these professionals on ensuring data security.

Promote Employee Cybersecurity Practices
Utilize Data Deduplication
Prioritize Patient Security
Implement Comprehensive Security Measures
Emphasize Strong Encryption

Promote Employee Cybersecurity Practices

By teaching them good personal cybersecurity tactics and tools, everyone will be better off. Everyone knows they shouldn’t click sketchy links or open sketchy files, but people still do it. Help your people know better and look for emails like those.

James Wilson

Personal Cybersecurity Expert, My Data Removal

We require our employees to apply personal cybersecurity best practices for all of their accounts and systems. This means using a password manager to manage and create unique, complex, and long passwords, setting up multi-factor authentication on all accounts, and using email masking for unimportant or test accounts.

Periodic phishing tests can help maintain employee awareness. There are many technical things you can and should do to protect your systems and data, but the weakest point is often your people.

James Wilson, Personal Cybersecurity Expert, My Data Removal

Utilize Data Deduplication

Failing to keep your data up-to-date leaves opportunities for it to be accessed or stolen. Using data deduplication prevents incidents such as this while making sure the company data is always in great shape.

Matthew Ramirez

CEO, Rephrase

Failing to keep your data up-to-date leaves opportunities for it to be accessed or stolen by someone or some malware, either accidentally or maliciously. Using data deduplication prevents incidents such as this while making sure the company data is always in great shape. It also facilitates simple backup, data recovery, and archiving.

Matthew Ramirez, CEO, Rephrase

Prioritize Patient Security

Patient security is of utmost importance in the medical field. Investing in robust security measures is not only a necessity but also shows our commitment to protecting our patients’ sensitive information.

Diane Howard

Founder, Esthetic Finesse

We prioritize strict adherence to privacy regulations and implement advanced technologies to ensure data integrity. Our patients can trust that their personal information is in safe hands, allowing them to focus on their well-being and trust in our care.

Diane Howard, Founder, Esthetic Finesse

Implement Comprehensive Security Measures

Use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication… Keep your software up to date… Use a firewall and antivirus software… Educate your employees about data security… Back up your data regularly.

Brenton Thomas

CEO, Twibi

Use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication. Passwords should be at least 12 characters long and should include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to enter a code from their phone beside their password.

Keep your software up to date. Software updates often include security patches that can help protect your systems from known vulnerabilities.
Use a firewall and antivirus software. A firewall can help block unauthorized access to your network, while antivirus software can help detect and remove malware.
Educate your employees about data security. Make sure your employees are aware of the risks of data breaches and hacks, and teach them how to protect your organization’s data.
Back up your data regularly. In the event of a data breach or hack, having a backup of your data can help you minimize the damage.

Brenton Thomas, CEO, Twibi

Emphasize Strong Encryption

I understand that encryption plays a crucial role in safeguarding sensitive information from unauthorized access. Therefore, I have ensured that all our data, both at rest and in transit, is encrypted using strong encryption algorithms.

Harsh Verma

SEO, CodeDesign

I am working closely with our IT team to identify areas where encryption can be implemented effectively. We are encrypting data stored on our servers, databases, and backup systems, making it virtually impossible for any unauthorized individuals to decipher the information even if they gain access to it.

Additionally, I am vigilant about using secure communication channels for transmitting data. I encourage the use of encrypted protocols, such as HTTPS, when transferring data between our systems and external parties. This ensures that data remains protected throughout its journey, reducing the risk of interception or tampering.

Harsh Verma, SEO, CodeDesign

Srividhya Karthik

Srividhya Karthik is a seasoned content marketer and the Head of Marketing at Cyber Sierra. With a firm belief in the power of storytelling, she brings years of experience to create engaging narratives that captivate audiences. She also brings valuable insights from her work in the field of cybersecurity and compliance, possessing a deep understanding of the challenges and pain points faced by customers in these domains.

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Governance & Compliance

CISOs Checklist for Battling Data Security Risks

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What a time to be a CTO.

Overseeing cloud acceleration already demands a lot —leading IT initiatives, managing legacy systems, sourcing tech talent, etc. Added to these, ensuring data security has leapfrogged into a top challenge.

Tan’s 2023 survey report of Asian-based CTOs corroborates:

Security is arguably one of the top challenges for both CTOs and CIOS as organizations race to the cloud. While misconfiguration is said to be one of the most common reasons for application breaches, insecure APIs have become a new vector of attack, enabling DDoS attacks or undetected access to sensitive company or customer data.

Allan Tan 

 Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

Tech leaders have no choice but to adapt…

Because data security threats are only getting worse:

As shown above, between 2020 and 2021, external cyberattack attempts increased by a whopping 50%. But it’s not just external threats. About 82% of the time, data security breaches involve human element, i.e., internal employees’ error or negligence.

These trends beg a crucial question:

Where Should Solving SaaS Data Security Threats Start?

What you focus on is key to solving data security issues.

But with no end to cyber threats like social engineering attacks, phishing, etc., in sight, knowing where to focus isn’t easy. In short, getting it right makes being a CTO harder than ever before.

Even a veteran CTO isn’t finding it easy:

In my 20-plus years working in enterprise security, it's hard to recall a time when it was harder to be a CTO. As a profession, we face so many challenges keeping our organizations secure from attacks in a fast-changing threat landscape that the task can sometimes become overwhelming, leaving us unsure about what to focus on first.

Wei Huang 

CTO, Anomali

Based on this, here’s our recommendation.

With the fast-changing threat landscape and fact that cyberattacks could be external or from internal mistakes, it’s best to know:

Today’s top data security challenges,
Their likely impact on your organization, and
How to automate tackling them and staying compliant.

This guide (and what should pass as an enterprise CISO data security checklist) will help you do all three:

A Checklist for
Solving Data Security Challenges

Get the SaaS CTOs’ checklist guide for tackling SaaS Data security challenges.

Today’s Top 3 Data Security Challenges

We perused analyst reports, polls, and surveys featuring CTOs, CISOs, and relevant security execs. All with one goal: To identify today’s top data security challenges and their likelihood to impact cloud-based tech companies.

In no particular order, they are as follows.

1.Lack of Employees’ Awareness

If you’re like most tech companies, you’ve adopted a hybrid or remote-first work culture. This flexibility has advantages. For CTOs, one is that it makes sourcing tech talent beyond a company’s immediate environs possible.

But it also has disadvantages.

First, it increases a company’s data vulnerability layers. That’s because logging into company networks from remote locations opens more data-breaching rooms. Second, and more important, most employees aren’t always up to date on how to spot and counter new attacks.

This lack of awareness has profound implications.

For context, earlier, I cited a study showing that 82% of the time, it takes an internal negligence for cybercriminals to prevail. Well, a similar study by the WEF puts that number at a staggering 95%. This makes ongoing employee awareness a top challenge.

And technology leaders agree.

Of over 1,900 CISOs, IT professionals, etc., polled, about 87% agreed that without employee training, effective IT security isn’t possible:

Solving this problem requires two things.

One, you should launch ongoing phishing campaigns and employee awareness training. Second, ensure each training actually gets completed with a platform that gives you a real-time overview of employees who need a nudge to complete their training:

Why CTOs Should Automate Solving Data Security Risks

Did you notice a common denominator across the top three SaaS data security risks outlined above? In case you missed it, here goes:

Mitigating each isn’t a one-time affair.

As the threat landscape evolves, there’s need to continuously train employees, scan for cloud misconfigurations, and assess 3rd-party vendor risks. This means that to combat threats, CTOs need to:

Automate each data security risk-mitigating process, and
Integrate these threat-averting processes into modules that speak to each other (i.e., interoperable).

The benefit of this is that, from one dashboard, your team will know overall risk scores and what threats to prioritize. Solving data security issues this way (i.e., with a single suite like Cyber Sierra) has other benefits.

We’ll get to them soon.

First, here’s how our platform makes it all possible. From the ground up, we built it to automate parts of each process. And to solve interoperability issues arising from combating security risks with different tools:

Automate Solving Crucial Data Security Threats with One, Interoperable Platform

How to Automate Mitigating Data Security Challenges

Reality check.

Data breaches arising from failure to mitigate security risks is more likely to happen, per IBM’s recent study. While that’s the reality 87% of companies must deal with, our interest in this study is the role automation plays:

In other words, to maximize such time and money savings highlighted above, consider using some form of automation to:

Cut off all unnecessary manual back and forth required to implement each risk-countering process. Examples include ongoing employee awareness training, cloud misconfiguration scans, third-party vendor risk assessments, etc.
Automatically consolidate results from each process into a single view, so stakeholders can see your company’s cyber hygiene in real-time. This simplifies the process of acquiring and renewing compliance certifications and securing cyber insurance.

With Cyber Sierra, achieving both is within reach.

Say you want to automate solving data security threats arising from cloud misconfigurations. It’ll only take two initial steps.

Integrate your company tools (cloud, network, repository, and Kubernetes) directly on the Cyber Sierra platform:

A few clicks after integration scans your company’s cloud, repository, network, or Kubernetes’ environments. And in real-time, you get a risk registry that gets automatically updated.

Here’s what it’ll look like:

The other benefits to tackling data security issues this way are:

1. Detecting Vulnerabilities Early

As shown above, having a real-time risk registry gives your team one view to see and jump on tackling vulnerabilities early. This can have profound data security risk-mitigating and business impact.

For instance, the IBM study cited earlier also found that:

Your company could be one of those making such savings.

2. Automating Compliance Certifications

The initial effort and costs of getting crucial compliance certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, etc.) depends on one thing: How great your organization’s existing security program is.

Rob Black of Fractional CISO shared this view:

Many clients ask us how much their time/effort is going to cost. The answer is the same… it depends! Do you have a great security program that just needs validation or are you building everything from scratch? The former is going to be a lot less work than the latter.

Rob Black 

Founder, Fractional CISO

Here’s what this means for you.

Automating parts of the various processes of mitigating data security risks reduces the time, effort, and costs required to get compliance certifications.

And with Cyber Sierra, it doesn’t end there.

All your core security modules live in a single, interoperable platform that works well together. So beyond being much easier to get initial certifications, your team can monitor controls continuously, making the renewal of certificates smoother.

It also means you can apply for new compliance programs faster, and from the same dashboard:

3. Securing Cyber Insurance with Ease

To buy life insurance, you must meet certain health conditions.

The same applies to securing cyber insurance to protect your organization, as cybercriminals devise new and more sophisticated data-breaching methods. To get favorable premiums, you need an optimal cyber hygiene posture, which comes from having a mature data security system in place.

Sue from SecurityIntelligence said it best:

Companies that have a mature cyber security system should be ready to meet the requirements set by cyber insurers. Others with less mature systems or that have struggled to meet risk assessment goals during the pandemic will need to be more proactive.

Sue Poremba 

Cybersecurity Writer, SecurityIntelligence

As it is with getting and renewing compliance certifications, so it is with securing and renewing cyber insurance. It starts with automating bits of the processes of solving data security threats. This makes your company more eligible for coverage by improving your cyber posture.

Cyber Sierra helps you achieve all that.

And you can also streamline parts of the process of getting cyber insurance coverage right on our platform:

Stay In the Know, Always

Here’s a CTO’s advice to CTOs:

The CTO should help create a culture that prioritizes security as the responsibility of the whole organization instead of considering it a function of the IT department alone. This requires analyzing security risks at many different levels and engaging everyone in the organization about the necessity of following organizational security practices.

Deepuk Gupta 

CTO & Co-Founder, LoginRadius

From this advice comes the question:

How do you create a culture that prioritizes data security as a responsibility of the whole organization?

Our recommendations:

Launch ongoing employee awareness training programs to keep employees in the know of security updates, always. This will protect your company from internal errors and negligence.
Automate ongoing cloud misconfiguration scans to keep your IT team in the know of vulnerabilities to prioritize. This protects you from external actors looking for exploitable data-breaching loopholes.
Automate third-party risk management to keep vendors in the know of data security assessments they must complete to continue working with you. This saves you from getting breached through 3rd parties who access your networks.

All these are easier with Cyber Sierra:

Automate Solving Crucial Data Security Threats with One, Interoperable Platform

Pramodh Rai

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Governance & Compliance

Comply With Australian CIRMP Rules

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If you’re an Australian organization handling critical infrastructure assets, you have less than three months to be CIRMP (Critical Infrastructure Risk Management Program) compliant! All responsible entities must implement a risk management program as per CIRMP rules by 17 August 2023.

Here’s a quick lowdown on the CIRMP rules. Read on to know if you need to comply, and, if yes, what should you implement before the deadline to meet the core CIRMP requirements.

For the uninitiated, on 17 February 2023, the Australian Government introduced the CIRMP rule. Governed by the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 (SOCI Act), this is the latest rule introduced by the Australian government to safeguard the country against global cyber threats and uplift the core security practices of critical infrastructure (CI) assets.

What is CIRMP?

CIRMP stands for Critical Infrastructure Risk Management Program. It is a set of requirements that entities responsible for critical infrastructure assets (CIAs) must meet under the Security of Critical Infrastructure Rules 2023 in Australia.

The rule states that entities responsible for CIAs must implement a critical infrastructure risk management program by 17 August 2023.

What is material risk?

A material risk as per CIRMP is a risk that has a significant impact on the ability of a critical infrastructure asset to perform its critical functions. This could include risks that could lead to the impairment, stoppage, loss of access to, or interference with the asset.

Section 6 (a-e) of the Rules provides the parameters of a material risk.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has provided some guidance on what constitutes a material risk in the context of the CIRMP. This guidance includes the following factors:

The likelihood of the risk occurring.
The impact of the risk if it does occur.
The criticality of the asset to the economy or society.
The cost of implementing measures to mitigate the risk.

The concept of material risk, however, isn’t absolute and each entity will need to assess the risks to its own assets on a case-by-case basis.

Here are some examples of material risks that could affect critical infrastructure assets:

A cyber attack that could disrupt or disable the asset’s IT systems.

A physical attack that could damage or destroy the asset.

A natural disaster that could cause the asset to be unavailable.

A human error that could lead to the asset being misused or damaged.

The CIRMP requires entities responsible for critical infrastructure assets to identify and assess the material risks to their assets. This assessment should be documented in the CIRMP and should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. The entity should also implement measures to mitigate the material risks to its assets.

A ‘material risk’ to a critical infrastructure asset occurs when the risk has a

‘relevant impact’ on the asset. Section 6 (a-e) of the Rules provides the parameters

of a material risk.

These include the risk of impairment, stoppage, loss of access to or interference

with the asset.

What is a relevant impact?

A ‘relevant impact’ is an impact on the availability, integrity, and reliability of the

asset, and the impact on the confidentiality of information about the asset,

information stored in the asset if any, and, if the asset is computer data, the

computer data.

The relevant impact may be direct or indirect. It must be more serious than a

reduction in the quality of service being provided.

Why is the CIRMP Rule Important?

The CIRMP rule is important because it helps Australia’s critical infrastructure entities uplift their core security practices that relate to managing their critical infrastructure assets. It does so helping create a robust and proactive risk management program for organizations.

Market disruptions have increased the adoption of digital transformation among many businesses. While technologies such as automation, data processing, cloud, and AI improve productivity, security threats are also growing in intensity and complexity.

So, when your CI asset is disrupted by security threats, it can affect your business, the government, and the community. All of this can even damage the country’s economic growth.

Therefore, the only goal of CIRMP is to help Australian entities such as yours create a solid security program that will uplift the core security practices of your CI assets. When you have a strong security program as per the CIRMP rules, it’ll help you to,

Safely provide services that the economy and community rely on
Quickly bounce back from incidents that affect your critical assets
Uphold your brand’s public perception and financial stability

To fully understand how the CIRMP rule came into place, you must know what the SOCI (Security of Critical Infrastructure) 2018 Act is about.

Compliance with CIRMP rules is not merely a matter of checking boxes; it is an ongoing process that requires organizations to fully implement and abide by the law’s principles. The CIRMP rules demand a comprehensive approach, with a particular emphasis on fortifying the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure.

This endeavour necessitates the collective effort of the entire vendor ecosystem, urging them to address any shortcomings and improve their practices.

Quick Rewind on the SOCI Act

The SOCI Act was amended in 2018 to improve the resilience of CI assets against security threats through carefully laid regulatory reforms and amendments. It was passed in two phases,

The first phase in December 2021 – Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Act
The second phase in April 2022 – Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure Protection) Act

Together these two amendments form a framework with the following features:

Government Direction and Intervention (in effect since Dec 2021)

Positive Security Obligations – What Responsible Entities Need to Do to Ensure Compliance?

Who must comply with the CIRMP Rules?

The CIRMP rules apply to all Australian entities that own and manage critical infrastructure assets. The Australian government has outlined 11 critical infrastructure sectors and 22 categories of CI assets that must comply with CIRMP, including entities that manage CI assets. This includes critical financial services assets, critical energy assets, and others.

For detailed definitions of asset rules, click here.

How to comply with Australia’s CIRMP Rules?

Organizations can comply with Australia’s CIRMP rules by following these four steps:

Step 1 – Describe CIRMP requirements based on your CI assets

Step 2 – Define the four key hazard vectors of your CI assets

Step 3 – Submit annual reports to the Commonwealth regulator

Step 4 – Maintain, review, and update CIRMP

Organizations must develop, maintain and update their CIRMP. Here’s a detailed overview of how you can achieve each of these steps.

Step 1: Describe the CIRMP requirements

Here’s a basic list of what you need to complete to develop your CIRMP.

Identify and document hazards, such as cyber & information security, personnel, supply chain, and physical security & natural hazards, that pose material risks to your CI assets. Next, determine the impact on the availability, dependability, and integrity of CI assets. Finally, develop strategies to minimize risks.
Determine interdependency between the CI assets so mitigating circumstances can be broadened.
Choose who will be responsible for creating, executing, reviewing, and updating your CIRMP
Decide how CIRMP will be created, enforced, inspected, and updated.
Outline the risk management frameworks and methodologies used.

Before you proceed further, here’s a quick look at the hazards that must be covered.

Step 2 – Define the four key hazard vectors of your CI assets

Here’s how you can identify hazards that pose material risks to your CI assets and mitigate their impact.

Cyber & information security hazards

This comprises risks to your digital systems, computers, datasets, and networks that can affect the working of your CI assets. You need to state the cyber and information security hazards that could impact your CI assets.

Some of the biggest cyber threats include,

Phishing
Malware
Ransomware
Credential harvesting
Denial-of-service (DoS)

How to address them?

To minimize and eliminate these risks, as a responsible entity you must,

Introduce risk management practices – Scan assets, catch vulnerabilities, access impacts, and employ relevant measures to monitor and fix the risks

Add security measures across every product used in your business – Run scans, address vulnerabilities before deployment, and add security to every product development

Invest in employee education – Run awareness & training programs related to cyber security risks, conduct counter-phishing campaigns, and help employees detect phishing emails

Get insurance – Consider investing in the right insurance plan to protect your business and bypass expensive security breaches

Third-Party Risk Management – Mitigate the risks by vendors (suppliers, third parties, or business partners) before and during your partnership by implementing appropriate Third-party risk management (TPRM) practices

Here are some of the cyber frameworks you can consider implementing. Make sure to follow one that is appropriate for your CI assets. Note that there are no restrictions related to frameworks; if these aren’t suitable, you can choose a different one.

Australian Standard AS ISO.IEC 27001:2015
Essential Eight Maturity Model by the Australian Signals Directorate – Level 1 maturity is required (click here to learn more about the levels)
Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology
Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model by US Department of Energy – Level 1 maturity is required
The 2020-21 AESCSF Framework Core published by Australian Energy Market – Level 1 maturity is required

Personnel hazards

Personnel hazards cover workers and contractors who access sensitive information about your CI assets. You must, therefore, define activities such as proper onboarding, offboarding, background checks, and setting access controls for personnel.

How to address them?

Identify critical workers who access, control, and manage critical assets. And closely monitor them
Set authorized access controls for both physical and digital assets
Use services such as AusCheck or others to do a proper background check of critical workers
Conduct regular cyber security training for critical workers

Supply chain hazards

Unauthorized access to the supply chain, upsetting the supply chain assets, and vendor risks are some of the hazards you must consider here.

You can consider measures to establish and maintain a system that prevents unauthorized access to the supply chain, misuse of given access, upsetting the supply chain assets, and bypassing threats in the supply chain caused by products, services, and personnel.

How to address them?

Identify your supply chain process. List down who your vendors are, the countries they are from, and who the owners of your vendors are, and outline any third-party dependencies
Include proper cyber security in all of your supply chain agreements
Identify supply chain bottlenecks to diversify vendors
Implement physical security & make allowance for natural hazards

Physical and natural hazards

You must also address illegal physical access and natural hazards to critical components. So, don’t forget to make a note of the risks of such occurrences alongside the steps to mitigate their impact.

How to address them?

Identify the critical physical components and their security hazards. Outline all the natural hazards, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and pandemics, that could affect your critical assets. This must also include biological hazards.
Secure control systems through onsite measures and access controls with the use of HVAC, cameras, and fire alarm panels
Create security drills to build infrastructure resilience
Develop and maintain a bushfire survival plan
Enforce physical access controls such as biometrics
Install CCTV sensors to help your security staff better monitor things

Step 3 – Submit annual reports to the Commonwealth regulator

You need to submit your annual CIRMP reports to the applicable Commonwealth regulator by the end of the Australian financial year (28th September). This way, the Cyber Infrastructure Security Centre (CISC) and other related regulators can check if the program remains up-to-date. Besides, these entities can further advise you on the measures to strengthen the security of your CI assets.

Step 4 – Maintain, review, and update CIRMP

The SOCI also requires organizations to maintain the CIRMP status. You can accomplish by:

Comply – Comply with the CIRMP rules
Review – Maintain a process to review CIRMP every 12 months
Update – Ensure the program is up to date

How to Strengthen Your Compliance & Security Requirements As Per CIRMP Rules?

This endeavour necessitates the collective effort of the entire vendor ecosystem, urging them to address any shortcomings and improve their practices.

Cyber Sierra’s ThirdParty Risk Management module is custom-built to help organizations up their security game in accordance with the CIRMP rules. The automation platform is equipped to assist you in various areas, including developing new risk management practices, implementing appropriate security measures for your assets, educating your employees about cyber risks, adhering to sound TPRM practices, and making informed cyber insurance investments.

Our specialized continuous controls monitoring is designed to ensure you maintain complete control and serves as effective “reasonable security measures” in the event of a breach, preventing hefty penalties. Moreover, continuous control monitoring surpasses the limited sample-based testing of controls provided by audit firms; it is comprehensive, ongoing, and supported by data.

Schedule a free demo with our cybersecurity experts to learn how to enhance your risk management program in accordance with the Australian CIRMP rules.

FAQs

Which are the sectors that come under Australia’s CIRMP obligation?

The following sectors are subject to the Australian CIRMP obligations:

Energy
Water and Sewerage
Data Storage
Financial Services
Transportation
Food and Grocery
Healthcare and Medical
Communications

What does the CIRMP require of organizations?

The CIRMP requires organizations to address four main areas: cyber and information security hazards, personnel hazards, supply chain hazards, and physical security and natural hazards.

In each of these areas, organizations must identify risks that could affect their assets, minimize or eliminate those risks, and mitigate the impact of any hazards on their assets. Specifically, in the cyber and information security domain, organizations need to comply with established cybersecurity standards and frameworks.

Australian Standard AS ISO.IEC 27001:2015
Essential Eight Maturity Model by the Australian Signals Directorate – Level 1 maturity is required (click here to learn more about the levels)
Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology
Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model by US Department of Energy – Level 1 maturity is required
The 2020-21 AESCSF Framework Core published by Australian Energy Market – Level 1 maturity is required
A framework equivalent to any of the above

The deadline for implementing a CIRMP and complying with the controls is August 17, 2023, with full compliance required by August 17, 2024.

What is the penalty for failing to comply with CIRMP?

If a company doesn’t have or follow a CIRMP, it can be fined 1,000 penalty units or $275,000 per day. This applies to not meeting the obligations of the CIRMP, except for the annual reporting requirement, which carries a fine of 750 penalty units or $206,250 per day if not met. These penalties also apply if a company fails to fully implement their CIRMP.

Cyber Sierra’s continuous control monitoring offers ‘reasonable security measures’ in the event of a breach, preventing companies from paying hefty penalties for noncompliance.

Disclaimer – Detailed regarding the rules mentioned in this blog were sourced from CIRMP rules and SOCI act shared by the Australian Government. The contents of this blog are not a substitute for legal advice. You must always get professional advice or help for matters your organization may have.

Srividhya Karthik

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Governance & Compliance

How Compliance With Cybersecurity Frameworks Improves Business Functioning

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Compliance with cybersecurity frameworks can improve business functioning by reducing the risk of data breaches, protecting customer information, and enhancing reputation. Frameworks such as NIST, PCI DSS, GDPR, CCPA, and ISO/IEC 27001 provide guidelines for managing cybersecurity risks and implementing appropriate security controls. Compliance can demonstrate a business’ commitment to cybersecurity and privacy, which can improve customer trust and loyalty.

We spoke to business heads across industries and here’s what they had to say on the adoption of cybersecurity frameworks and how it has had a transformative effect on their businesses.

Here are the five ways compliance with cybersecurity frameworks has helped businesses:

Upgraded control and understanding
Enhanced data privacy awareness
Improved data protection and enhanced trust among stakeholders
Opened opportunities for growth and development
Increased operations visibility

Upgraded Our Control and Understanding

We now have a level of understanding and control we have never had. It has improved not only our security but also our business processes. Going through this process has made me realize cybersecurity is a crucial area I should focus on as CEO.

Paul Blunden

Founder and CEO, UX247 Ltd

We are a small UX agency, but with blue-chip clients like eBay and Shopify, as well as FS clients like NatWest. We needed to improve our security infrastructure in order to comply with the requirements of some of our customers’ master services agreements (MSAs).

I had also noticed someone had hacked several smaller clients, sometimes with devastating consequences. And we had experienced hacking attempts through WhatsApp messages to new starters and of our website.

It has taken a lot of effort to implement the required policies, and most importantly the practices. It has also cost a lot, in terms of new software, upgrading our Office 365 licensing, and adding a new IT partner and an external consultancy. But it has been worth it.

Paul Blunden, Founder and CEO, UX247 Ltd

Enhanced Data Privacy Awareness

Compliance with cybersecurity frameworks has enabled us to create awareness of the importance of data privacy and the implementation of other cybersecurity measures.

Liam Liu

Co-founder and CMO, Parcel Panel

“Compliance with cybersecurity frameworks has enabled us to create awareness of the importance of data privacy and the implementation of other cybersecurity measures. This awareness has not only helped to improve the measures we implement to protect our customer data but has also enhanced their awareness of threats, thus providing more protection for our company systems.”

Liam Liu, Co-founder and CMO, Parcel Panel

Improved Data Protection and Enhanced Trust Among Stakeholders

Compliance with frameworks such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, and GDPR has helped us improve our data protection practices and establish a trust-based relationship with our stakeholders.

Basana Saha

Founder and Editor, KidsCareIdeas

“Compliance with frameworks such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, and GDPR has helped us improve our data protection practices and establish a trust-based relationship with our stakeholders.

In addition, the implementation of PCI DSS has enabled us to safeguard our customers’ payment card data and enhance their confidence in our services. Compliance with these frameworks has not only improved our cybersecurity posture but also helped us stand out in a competitive marketplace by demonstrating our commitment to safeguarding our customers’ data.”

Basana Saha, Founder and Editor, KidsCareIdeas

Opened Many Doors for Growth and Development

Adopting cybersecurity frameworks reminds organizations that security is a priority and that other vital improvements can be achieved by prioritizing security. And with clients’ trust, many doors for growth and development get opened.

Marco Genaro Palma

Co-founder, TechNews180

“Adopting cybersecurity frameworks reminds organizations that security is a priority and that other vital improvements can be achieved by prioritizing security. It is not only important to secure our company’s data but also to conform to global standards and regulations, thereby building clients’ trust. And with clients’ trust, many doors for growth and development get opened.”

Marco Genaro Palma, Co-founder, TechNews180

Increased Operations Visibility

Implementing these frameworks has helped increase visibility into our operations and help identify potential risks.

Aviad Faruz

CEO, FARUZO

“Complying with cybersecurity frameworks has had a positive impact on business by improving our ability to protect data assets and networks from potential threats, maintaining the security of customer information, and ensuring compliance with industry standards for IT systems.

Implementing these frameworks has helped increase visibility into our operations and help identify potential risks.”

Aviad Faruz, CEO, FARUZO

Srividhya Karthik

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Governance & Compliance

Data Breaches and Healthcare: Is India Lacking in Healthcare Data Security?

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As healthcare facilities transition to digital medical records, data breaches and cyberattacks are becoming more common here as well. With the progress of digitalization, the healthcare industry is relying more on electronic storage and transmission of sensitive patient data.

Patients’ medical data, personal information, and financial information are increasingly stored in digital formats. However, as digital storage grows, so does the possibility of data breaches. The healthcare industry is now facing a persistent type of threat – cybersecurity attacks. These attacks can cause significant damage to patients and the healthcare system.

Recently, India has witnessed a rise in healthcare data breaches, making it vulnerable to cyberattacks. For example, there were 1.9 million cyberattacks this year until November 28, 2022. The question that arises here is – Is India falling behind in healthcare data security? In this article, we will explore the issue of healthcare data security in India.

The current scenario in India is concerning since there are no strict rules or laws in place to protect healthcare data. The government has yet to develop explicit norms for healthcare data security, placing the responsibility on healthcare providers. However, many of them lack the resources, expertise, and understanding needed to adopt effective security measures. This creates a ticking time bomb.

Why should healthcare organizations invest in healthcare data protection?

Currently, the penalty for noncompliance is not stringent, so why should healthcare organizations invest in data protection? The answer is simple: it’s the right thing to do. Healthcare organizations have a responsibility to protect their patients’ sensitive data.

Patients trust healthcare organizations with their sensitive information, and it’s essential to honor that trust. Investing in data protection measures helps healthcare organizations build trust with their patients. This trust is essential for maintaining a good reputation.

Incentives for healthcare organizations to invest in data protection include avoiding reputational damage and potential costs. These costs could be associated with a data breach. Healthcare organizations that suffer a data breach can face significant financial and legal consequences, as well as damage to their reputation. By investing in data protection measures, healthcare organizations can mitigate these risks and protect their patients’ sensitive data.

Are there any regulatory frameworks in place in India to address healthcare data security concerns?

While there are some guidelines in place to address healthcare data security concerns in India, such as

The Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules 2011: Only Indian businesses and individuals are subject to the regulations of the Information Technology Rules 2011.These regulations are regarding Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information. Healthcare organizations that deal with patient data must follow these standards, which include safeguards for data protection and cybersecurity.

The National Health Stack (NHS): The National Health Stack (NHS) aims to make comprehensive healthcare data collecting as easy as possible. This will assist policymakers in experimenting with policies. It can also help detect health insurance fraud, measure outcomes, and progress toward smart policy-making through data analysis.The NHS has a data privacy and security framework. This framework outlines the rules and practices that healthcare organizations must follow in order to protect patient data.
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): HIPAA is a US regulation. Many Indian healthcare institutions that interact with patients from the US or healthcare professionals are required to follow its regulations. HIPAA has various regulations concerning data privacy and security, including standards for data encryption, access limits, and breach notifications.
The Cybersecurity Policy of India, 2013: The Indian Cybersecurity Policy outlines best practices and guidelines for enterprises in many industries, including healthcare, to secure their information systems from cyber threats. Healthcare organizations must follow the policy’s rules for risk management, incident response, and security audits.
The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019: Although the Personal Data Protection Law of 2019 has not yet been enacted into law, it is intended to impose rigorous data protection and cybersecurity standards on enterprises that collect, store, and handle personal data, including health information. Healthcare institutions must follow its rules to safeguard the privacy and security of their patients’ data.

How can Cyber Sierra help?

At Cyber Sierra, we understand the importance of healthcare data security in India. We’re equipped to help Indian healthcare companies implement data protection measures and comply with Indian regulations. Our services include technical safeguards as well as administrative safeguards like employee training and incident response plans. With Cyber Sierra’s help, Indian healthcare companies can protect their patients’ sensitive data and build trust with their patients.

In summary, the lack of data security in India’s healthcare industry is a pressing concern that demands immediate attention. The government needs to take decisive steps to implement stringent rules and regulations to safeguard patient data. Healthcare providers, too, must shoulder their responsibility and allocate resources to ensure data protection.

With the healthcare sector expanding rapidly, prioritizing data security has become more critical than ever before. It is time for all stakeholders to come together and address this issue conclusively before painful consequences develop for patients and the healthcare system.

Srividhya Karthik

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Governance & Compliance

GRC in Cyber Security: 5 Reasons to Consolidate Cyber Security, Governance, Risk, Compliance, and Insurance

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Cybersecurity is an indispensable requirement for businesses today. With the uptick of cybercrimes due to the pandemic, there is an apparent need to secure computer networks and data from hackers. Unfortunately, it has even been predicted that global cybercrime damages will amount to $10.5 trillion annually by 2025.

Given the plethora of threats and attacks, it stands to reason that the GRC framework in cyber security is needed now more than ever.

What is GRC in Cybersecurity?

CIO explains that the GRC in cybersecurity is a strategy for managing an organization’s overall governance, enterprise risk management, and compliance with regulatory requirements. It aligns information technology (IT) with business goals to effectively manage cyber risk.

Breaking it down further:

Governance: This relates to the organizational plan for cyber and information security.
Risk management: Any gaps, vulnerabilities, and security risks will be identified and strengthened through a comprehensive IT risk management process.
Compliance: Following the industry’s cybersecurity rules and requirements, such as the NIST Framework or ISO 27001.

To ensure the implementation of the GRC, organizations utilize some form of cyber insurance. Cyber insurance offers a safety net for businesses against cybercrimes. Likewise, it ensures data security and cybersecurity compliance, by requiring these to be in place.

Unfortunately, there is a problem.

Since managing cybersecurity is getting more difficult because of reasons such as the digitalization of businesses and the increasing number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices being connected to the business’ network, around 47% of enterprise organizations use 11 or more cybersecurity technology vendors and 25 or more different cybersecurity products.

This unbundled governance, security, compliance, and insurance offerings from different vendors make people and organizations waste time and energy weathering problems like interoperability issues and high costs.

As such, it would be better to take a consolidated approach to cybersecurity by limiting the number of cybersecurity vendors an organization does business with.

5 Reasons to Take a Consolidated Approach to Your Security:

Consolidating your approach to security would not only limit cybersecurity problems but also ensure that your GRC framework is implemented and you are insured. Thus, here are 5 reasons to take a consolidated approach.

Ease of Use

Choosing certain vendors that would provide the best possible security to your business will increase its ease of use as interoperability issues are curbed. In addition, having fewer vendors/products can simplify the end-user experience. As such, buying from vendors like Cyber Sierra would be beneficial as they have a solution for interoperability issues. Thus, simplifying the end-user experience.

Threat Detection Will Be Much More Efficient

An IBM study found that companies that utilize more than 50 cybersecurity tools scored 8% lower in their ability to mitigate threats and 7% lower in their defensive capabilities. As such, by consolidating your approach to security, reporting security incidents would be streamlined, and threat detection would be much more efficient. In addition, you would increase your organization’s overall security as you limit the chances of exploitable vulnerabilities.

Faster Response to Threats and Attacks

In a 2018 study, an average enterprise handles at least 174,000 weekly threat alerts. Unfortunately, they can only respond to 12,000, rendering at least 90% to be left uninvestigated. This can cause serious harm to the organization. As such, organizations can better respond to risks, threats, and attacks by limiting and choosing security vendors that encompass a broad range of tools.

Lower the Cost of Security

Paying for too many security vendors can accumulate and raise the cost of security. Unfortunately, it fails to provide businesses with the best protection against attacks. IBM reported that data breaches on businesses could amount to $3.92 million per attack. As such, having your cybersecurity streamlined and integrated can lower the products’ costs and mitigate breaches/attacks.

Tighter Protection

Overall, through a consolidated approach, you can be assured that your system and data privacy are protected as vulnerabilities are exposed, threats are contained, and attacks are dealt with. Fortunately, vendors like Cyber Sierra champion a consolidated approach to security. As such, you will receive optimal protection to safeguard your business from costly breaches.

Final Thoughts

Given the volatility of the threat landscape, organizations must maintain a high level of cyber resilience. Through GRC in cybersecurity, organizations can ensure that their data and systems are secure from threats and attacks. That said, given the state of how companies tackle their cyber security, it poses some problems. As such, it is key to take an integrated approach to security to maximize its protection.

This is where Cyber Sierra comes in. With its consolidated approach to cybersecurity, GRC in cybersecurity is assured. Given that Cyber Sierra tailors its products to suit your organization’s needs, you can be assured that all compliance regulations will be met, employees will be trained, risks will be mitigated, and data will be protected. Essentially, with Cyber Sierra, all your key security needs will be looked out for.

Srividhya Karthik

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PCI DSS Compliance Checklist & Guide for Automating the Process

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Knowing the PCI DSS Controls & Requirements

The 8-Step PCI DSS Compliance Checklist

1. Determine PCI Level

2. Map All Cardholder Data Flows

3. Perform Internal Security Assessment

4. Fill Out Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ)

5. Conduct External Vulnerability Scans

6. Complete the Attestation of Compliance (AoC)

7. Submit Filled Out PCI DSS Documents

8. Implement Continuous Monitoring

Automate Becoming PCI DSS Compliant

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Busy Tech Executives’ ISO 27001 Compliance Checklist

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Mandatory ISO 27001 Requirements

Navigating the Many Controls in ISO 27001

Implement the right controls and automate ISO 27001 Compliance from one place.

Checklist to Implement ISO 27001 Compliance Standards

1. Scope an ISO 27001 Project Plan

2. Create ISMS Policies

3. Conduct Risk Assessments

4. Define Statement of Applicability

5. Implement Policies & Controls

6. Establish Employee Security Awareness & Training

7. Perform Internal & External Audits

8. Implement Continuous Security Controls’ Monitoring

The Advantage of ISO 27001, Without the Hassle

Implement the right controls and automate ISO 27001 Compliance from one place.

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Early Preparation for a SOC 2 Audit is Key

Improve your company's cybersecurity posture and automate SOC 2 compliance processes from one place.

The Core SOC 2 Compliance Requirement

SOC 2 Compliance Checklist, Automation Guide

1. Scope Your SOC 2 Project Plan

2. Implement SOC 2 Policies and Procedures

3. Complete SOC 2 Compliance Documentation

4. Conduct SOC 2 Readiness Assessments

5. Monitor Security Controls for Upto 12 Months

How Much Does SOC 2 Report Cost?

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Why Aren’t Point Cybersecurity Solutions Optimal?

8 Core Types of Enterprise Cybersecurity Solutions

1. Security Information & Event Management (SIEM)

2. Vulnerability Management Tools

3. Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

4. Network Access Control (NAC)

5. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

6. Security Configuration Management (SCM)

7. Phishing Simulation & Employee Awareness Program

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Why Choose an Interoperable Cybersecurity Solution?

Interoperable, One Pane View

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Data Breaches: Is Your Organization Prepared?

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Promote Employee Cybersecurity Practices

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Prioritize Patient Security