Cybersecurity Services: Lower Cost, Reduce & Simplify Ops

Your Guide to Cybersecurity Services, Trends, Threats & More 

Introduction

At the end of 2021, it was estimated that cyberattacks cost the global economy a staggering $6 trillion, a startling statistic that Cybersecurity Ventures estimates could grow to $10.5 trillion by 2025.

And, as the last few years have proven, no industry is safe from cybercriminals. It is difficult to fully capture the impact of these cyberthreats, which can lead to data breaches, interrupted operations, rattled customers, and damaged reputations. 

Fortunately, with the right tools, planning, and support, organizations can put the necessary security controls in place to protect their operations against the threats of today and those lurking around the corner.

So, how can your organization avoid becoming the next headline-grabbing victim of a cyberattack?

To help ensure your organization has the right foundation and understanding of the key cybersecurity services needed to protect your business and customers, VectorUSA has brought all the essential information together in one place.

Download a PDF version of this guide by filling out this form, or keep scrolling to read.

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Chapters

Chapter 1

Cybersecurity 101

If you were to watch a cybersecurity professional at work, you’ll eventually notice that all of the activities they perform, the policies they enforce, and the tools and systems they use boil down into one of three categories of focus.

These three categories create one of the foundational elements of cybersecurity, which is often referred to as the CIA Triad. The CIA Triad is composed of:

  • Confidentiality: Securing proprietary, personal, and sensitive data, including financial records, system configuration, and other password-protected information, from unauthorized access

  • Integrity: Protecting a data set’s accuracy and authenticity from tampering while at rest, in transit, or when it is being processed

  • Availability: Ensuring that applications, systems, and data sets are accessible to authorized users when needed 

Implied throughout these three principles is the need for security professionals to find the right balance between protecting employees, data, and systems while allowing the access that groups need to operate efficiently and effectively. Put another way, there can be a tipping point where too many security controls can hinder the pace of business or even cause employees to find methods to bypass security elements altogether.  

"There can be a tipping point where too many security controls can hinder the pace of business or even cause employees to find methods to bypass security elements altogether."

cyberexposure (1)

To help them mitigate their security risks, businesses can implement practices, policies, and controls from a wide range of available cybersecurity tools and best practices. 

Some of the most commonly used controls are:

  • Security Policies: A formalized governance model that outlines how systems and IT assets can be used or accessed, helping to mitigate the risk of incidents; examples include password management, change management, and data protection policies
  • Incident Response: Either in-house or externally provided support and recovery services, including investigation, isolation, and remediation of network threats, in the event of a cyberattack or incident
  • Security Awareness Training: Preparing employees to better understand their role in implementing organizational cybersecurity, including how to handle a cyber incident and prepare employees to respond to customer concerns about security
  • Identity and Access Management: Tools that help to manage user access and facilitate authentication, including practices such as multifactor authentication (MFA)
  • Patch Management: Proactively updating applications and endpoints to fix known vulnerabilities that can be used to obtain unauthorized access or alter system behavior

Resources

Ransomware Attack? How Confident Are You in Your Recovery Capability?

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Cybersecurity Frameworks Your Company Should Consider

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Chapter 2

The Evolving Cyberthreat Landscape

Although every organization has its own combination of risk, systems, security tools, and user activity that shape what is known as its threat landscape or attack surface, there are common families of threats that need to be mitigated. These threats include: 

Malware

Malware can come in many different forms and levels of complexity, but at a foundational level, it is any unwanted software installed on a system without the user’s consent. Some malware, known as viruses, can self-propagate throughout your network, eventually allowing an attacker access to other parts of your network or rendering your systems unusable.

Phishing

A phishing attack is a text message or email sent to a victim that is crafted in a way to appear to be from a legitimate sender in order to obtain sensitive information or to gain unauthorized access to a system. Phishing attacks can also be paired with malware-embedded attachments or links to have victims download a virus or provide sensitive personal information.

Denial-of-Service Attacks

Denial-of-service attacks use single systems or a network of compromised devices to overwhelm a victim's network resources and computing resources in order to render them unable to process legitimate requests.

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Social Engineering

Social engineering takes advantage of our natural tendency to help others and trust them. For example, a criminal can attempt to access or impersonate a colleague, friend, peer, or family member’s email account and use that access to request sensitive information while posing as your known contact. Sometimes, the attack can involve something as simple as creating an email account that looks similar to a real account except one letter or number is changed, such as by replacing the letter “O” with a number “0” (zero). 

Ransomware

Ransomware, a type of malware, is specifically designed to block user access to data or systems or facilitate a threat to expose sensitive information to outside parties. To end the threat or to regain access, a victim has to pay a ransom to the cybercriminal. 

Resources

Multifactor Authentication’s Impact On Cybersecurity

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The Importance of Post-Pandemic Healthcare Cybersecurity

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Chapter 3

The Cybersecurity Frameworks to Know

With such a wide range of complex and evolving cybersecurity threats, many organizations turn to established cybersecurity frameworks to provide a methodical approach for mitigating risk and securing digital assets. 

Often developed and maintained by a combination of academic institutions, regulatory bodies, and industry experts, cybersecurity frameworks attempt to provide consistent language, tools, and structured ways to organize security policies, processes, and controls. Some cybersecurity frameworks even focus on specific industries, while others are meant to be flexible enough to help any organization identify, assess, and control its risk.

Some of the most commonly used cybersecurity frameworks are:

NIST Special Publication 800-53

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) SP 800-53 provides the cybersecurity standards that all federal agencies must comply with. This cybersecurity framework organizes risk into tiers based on impact and provides 18 “security control families” that organizations use to mitigate their threats. The NIST SP 800-53 framework can also serve as a foundation for building a larger, ever-evolving cybersecurity program.

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF)

The NIST Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity is aimed at helping to protect critical infrastructure, but its elements can be used by any organization. The CSF’s structured methodology helps organizations create their own threat identification, protection, response, and recovery processes and define their own approach to asset-based risk mitigation.

ISO 27001/27002

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 27001/27002 standard for cybersecurity requires organizations to have a comprehensive security program in place in order to meet compliance. The ISO standard outlines specific processes, controls, and policies that need to be in place, including reviews of threats and vulnerabilities and the mitigations needed to control them.

"Cybersecurity frameworks attempt to provide consistent language, tools, and structured ways to organize security policies, processes, and controls."

man at computer analyzing code

Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA)

The Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) cybersecurity framework, managed by the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), is designed to protect federal government information systems and data against cyberthreats by implementing a strict review of digital assets, applications, systems, and data sources. FISMA standards also apply to the service vendors that work alongside and on behalf of federal agencies. FISMA provides tools that help organizations categorize assets based on risk and conduct cybersecurity risk assessments, complete security reviews, and monitor their IT infrastructure.

Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies

Created by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), the  Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies (COBIT) framework provides organizations with an IT management approach that helps organizations design, implement, and maintain information management and governance strategies. COBIT is defined by its balance between operational and technical language, requirements, and perspectives regardless of industry.

The International Society of Automation (ISA) ANSI/ISA 62443

The ANSI/ISA 62443 framework is designed to help to secure and protect industrial automation and control system technologies. The ANSI/ISA 62443 framework presents a “secure development lifecycle” that organizations can use to review, secure, and manage the security of the critical systems that often control utility, industrial, and transportation controls.

Resources

Cybersecurity Frameworks: Lighten Your Load Without Sacrificing Security or Quality

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What Is Zero Trust Network Access?

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Chapter 4

California’s Additional Cybersecurity Considerations

For those organizations that work in or have customers that are residents of  California, the state has additional cybersecurity regulations that need to be considered when establishing a cybersecurity program. These cybersecurity requirements are:

Cal-Secure

Cal-Secure is a multiyear, multifaceted cybersecurity strategic plan that guides the cybersecurity standards and measures that state agencies need to meet in order to provide their services to California residents. Built using existing cybersecurity frameworks, Cal-Secure provides a maturity road map that state agencies need to follow to secure their networks and protect their assets, data, and people. 

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

Passed in 2018 and effective Jan. 1, 2020, the CCPA follows the spirit of the European Union’s GDPR, requiring organizations to:

  • Obtain consent from individuals to collect, use, and process their data.
  • Disclose how their data is used for business purposes.
  • Provide consumers with the ability to request the categories and specific pieces of information collected.
  • List all of the sources of consumer data and provide the reasons why the business collects and/or sells that information.
  • Disclose the types of third parties that info is shared with. 

man at computer analyzing cybersecurity threats

Resources

Cybersecurity Solutions: Cybersecurity Services for a Southern California School District

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Cybersecurity Solutions: Cybersecurity Services for a Southern California City

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Chapter 5

VectorUSA, Your Experienced Cybersecurity Partner

With all of the available cybersecurity frameworks, tools, and best practices—combined with the growing cybersecurity skills gap—it can be challenging for organizations to develop and maintain a robust cybersecurity program.

However, the financial, reputational, and operational risks of not having the right program in place can be costly.

That’s where having a team of experts such as VectorUSA can be the differentiator that your organization needs.

VectorUSA has a deep bench of cybersecurity services experts, a broad network of established technology partnerships, and a customer-first approach aimed at finding the right solutions for your operational needs. 

VectorUSA is ready to deliver, implement, and manage:

  • Continuous threat monitoring and incident response services
  • Proactive patch management programs
  • Endpoint and network security solutions
  • Data security solutions
  • Identity and access management platforms
  • Physical security solutions

cybersecurity team talking through a cyber threat

Resources

Social Engineering (Part 1): Consistently Overlooked in Cybersecurity Solutions

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Network Firewall Security: How It Works and Why It Matters

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Chapter 6

VectorUSA’s Broad Industry Experience

VectorUSA has been serving clients from coast to coast for more than 30 years, partnering with organizations from a broad range of industries. VectorUSA knows how to blend industry knowledge with the right technical solutions—from custom infrastructure solutions for K-12 school systems to complete enterprise cybersecurity programs for large jurisdictions—to deliver for clients no matter how complex their technology environments are.

VectorUSA has strong partnerships and deep industry expertise across the following sectors:

  • Commercial: Providing complete managed services and cloud and infrastructure security and beyond
  • Education: Offering IT support and E-Rate funding, planning, and implementation
  • Federal Government: Robust experience supporting civilian and Department of Defense missions
  • Health Care: Helping to balance security with reliable and innovative service
  • Ports and Logistics: Maximizing security and operational efficiency
  • State and Local Governments: Facilitating secure, reliable connections within local communities

 

cybersecurity-industry

Resources

Simple Ways to Get Your IT Department Running Smoothly

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Network Firewall Security: How It Works and Why It Matters

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Chapter 7

Take the Next Step Today

As any cybersecurity professional can attest, protecting against cyberthreats has never been a “set-it-and-forget-it” exercise. Instead, cybersecurity is a constantly evolving practice that needs to move at the pace of today’s most malicious cybercriminals and your organization’s ever-changing operations.

That’s why each organization needs to not only take the necessary steps to protect its employees, reputation, customers, data, and digital assets but also make cybersecurity a top priority in its organizational culture.

 

Cybersecurity Services FAQs

You begin a cybersecurity risk assessment by identifying critical business processes, people, and technology. Then, you adopt a framework to better understand the types of risk your business items are exposed to. Finally, you calculate your risk and determine how to mitigate risk to those processes to enable the security outcome desired by your organization.

Cybersecurity frameworks are lists of standard controls used to identify risks to a business process or technology (end point, server, network). Frameworks typically apply to a type of organization (education, finance, government) or type of data (personally identifiable information, sensitive data, payment information).

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF) is widely considered to be the gold-standard for building a cybersecurity program. No matter where you are at in your cybersecurity journey, this framework can provide value — by acting as a top-level security management tool that helps assess cybersecurity risk across your entire organization.

AI attempts to reduce the time needed to determine whether the “possibly bad” traffic and processes taking place within an environment are malicious. Because blocking all traffic and processes is not feasible to secure a business, the ability to protect against malicious behavior relies on understanding what is abnormal versus what is normal.

Securing cloud infrastructure relies on understanding the additional risks presented by moving data or processes to the specific cloud infrastructure. The security of the cloud data and processes aligns with the overall risk strategy of the organization plus any controls the organization specifies to mitigate risk specific to a shared responsibility environment. 

Securing an organization’s network is based on the trust model and segmentation of each of the networks. Each organization will have a different approach to how their users accomplish their business goals, where their work is accomplished, and the devices they use to do so. VectorUSA seeks to understand these approaches to secure the underlying network from unauthorized or malicious network traffic.

VectorUSA identifies the applicable frameworks based on state, federal, and local regulatory requirements; the type of data the organization stores, processes, and transmits; and other industry-specific best practices or guidelines. These can be sourced through industry-specific trade groups or organizations, insurance requirements, or best practices for a similarly sized organization.

VectorUSA delivers the risk-based cybersecurity protection needed to complement your business objectives. Our experts design, integrate, optimize, and manage technology solutions that meet your unique requirements. We do what we say we are going to do, and if there is a security challenge, we address it with you every step of the way.
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