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U2 lab™ - smart tech solutions / cybersecurity
Operational Security (OpSec)
Processing and decision-making regarding data handling and security.
Operational Security
It is both a process and a security strategy.
Identifies seemingly innocuous actions that could inadvertently reveal sensitive or critical data to a cybercriminal.
Prevent confidential information from getting into the wrong hands.
Strategy
View the company's operations and systems from the perspective of a potential attacker.
Uncovering issues that may have been overlooked could be crucial to implementing the proper countermeasures that will keep your most sensitive data safe.
Discover possible threats and vulnerabilities in organizations' processes, the way they operate, and the software and hardware their employees use.
Includes analytical activities and processes.
Components
Risk management.
Behavior monitoring.
Monitoring social networks.
Best security practices.
Importance
Encourages organizations to closely evaluate the security risks they face.
It helps detect potential vulnerabilities that a typical data security approach cannot.
It allows IT and security teams to fine-tune their technical and non-technical processes.
Reduces cyber risk.
Helps in protecting against malware-based attacks.
Helps prevent inadvertent or unintentional exposure of sensitive or classified data.
It allows organizations to prevent details of their activities, capabilities and future intentions from becoming public.
Phases
Phase 1. Identify sensitive data.
Phase 2. Identify possible threats.
Phase 3. Analyze security vulnerabilities and threats.
Phase-4. Assess threat level and vulnerability risk.
Phase-5. Design a plan to mitigate threats.
Phase 1. Identify Sensitive Data
Understand what types of data organizations manage and what sensitive data is stored in their systems.
Identify information such as customer details, credit card details, employee details, financial statements, intellectual property and product research.
It is vital that organizations focus their resources on protecting this critical data.
Phase 2. Identify Possible Threats
Determine potential threats to sensitive/confidential information.
External threats:
Third parties who may want to steal the data.
Competitors who could gain an advantage by stealing information.
Internal threats:
Malicious insiders, such as disgruntled workers or negligent employees.
Phase 3. Analyze Security Vulnerabilities and Threats
Analyze possible vulnerabilities in security defenses.
These could provide an opportunity for threats to materialize.
Evaluate processes and technological solutions that protect data.
Identify gaps or weaknesses that potential attackers could exploit.
Phase-4. Assess Threat Level and Vulnerability Risk
Each identified vulnerability must have a threat level assigned.
Vulnerabilities must be classified based on several factors:
Probability that attackers will attack them.
Level of damage caused if exploded.
Amount of time and work required to mitigate and repair damage.
The more damage that can be inflicted and the greater the likelihood of an attack occurring, the more resources and priority organizations should give to mitigating a given risk.
Phase-5. Design a Plan to Mitigate Threats
The information obtained from the previous phases provides organizations with everything they need to design a plan to mitigate the identified threats.
Implement countermeasures to eliminate threats and mitigate cyber risks:
Hardware upgrade.
Creation of policies around the protection of sensitive data.
Training employees on security best practices and corporate data policies.
OpSec Process Plan Requirements:
Simple to understand.
Simple to implement and follow.
Updated, as the security threat landscape evolves.
Best practices
Change management processes: implement specific change management processes that employees can follow in the event that changes are made to the network; these changes must be controlled and recorded so that organizations can adequately audit and monitor the modifications made.
Restrictions on device access: restrict access to corporate networks only to devices that absolutely require it; network device authentication should be used as a general rule when it comes to information access and exchange.
Least privilege access: employees should be given the minimum level of access to data, networks, and resources they need to perform their jobs successfully; this ensures that any program, process or user only has the minimum privilege necessary to perform its function; this is crucial for organizations to ensure higher levels of security, prevent insider threats, minimize attack surface, limit malware risk, and improve their audit and compliance readiness.
Double control: network administrators should not be in charge of security; the teams or people responsible for maintaining corporate networks must be independent from those who establish security policies.
Automation: humans are often the weakest link in an organization's security processes; human error can lead to errors, data inadvertently ending up in the wrong hands, important details being overlooked or forgotten, and critical processes being skipped.
Disaster plan: plan for disasters; institute a robust incident response plan; even the most robust OpSec security must be supported by plans that identify potential risks and outline how the organization will respond to cyberattacks and mitigate potential damage.
Whether you are self-employed, an SME or a large company, at U2-LAB™ we help you with everything you need, at all times, from the beginning of the project to its completion and beyond, so that you have peace of mind and can dedicate yourself to what really matters: growing your business/company and offering your clients services of the highest quality, effective and efficient.
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