Nine Things to Focus on to Avoid a Security Breach

Tait CIO John Emerson discusses why security of information is such a concern, and where to start to make a difference.

What can a security breach mean for your organization?

• Loss of reputation, customer or community trust
• Intellectual property theft
• Loss of investor confidence market share and revenue
• Legal action

Security is as much of a concern for shareholders as regulators. Ultimately though, it doesn’t matter how a hacker gets in. Once they are inside, the damage could be substantial. One large Australian company lost 20% of its market value within three days of a security breach being disclosed. However, there are some key areas to focus on, to reduce the likelihood of this occurring.

1. MOBILE DEVICES:

Include work and personal devices, particularly if they operate on public networks, including TCP/IP.

2. PEOPLE:

Background check staff and ensure they participate in the development (or upgrade) of your security policy.

3. LMR NETWORK:

Include base stations, devices and software.

4. OTHER NETWORKS:

Local area, wide area and the cloud; If these appear secure, pay an accredited organization to try and break in to test it.

5. VENDOR SUPPLY CHAIN (PRODUCTS AND SERVICES):

Ensure they have ISO 27001 certification.

6. BRING YOUR OWN DEVICES (BYOD):

Policy AND processes should be in place to protect and secure private data and applications.

7. SOCIAL MEDIA:

This creates new opportunities for hackers even on a work device at home. Ensure this is covered in the security policy.

8. PHYSICAL SECURITY:

Often overlooked, ensure processes around access logs, swipe cards etc are stringent.

9. SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS:

When considering new applications for purchase, ensure they are secure.

This article is taken from Connection Magazine, Edition 4. Connection is a collection of educational and thought-leading articles focusing on critical communications, wireless and radio technology.