Is it Shark Week at your Organization?

Curiosity for one of the most aggressive and dangerous beasts in the ocean has us dedicating a week to learning about it. Should cyberattacks that put your organization at risk get equal time?

With Shark Week in its 30th year, a large part of the world stops to learn more about one of the most well-known and feared animals in nature – the shark. I think our fascination of Shark Week comes from being able to virtually be inches away from a massive predator – without the biting and the blood and the dying part.

But every single day, organizations put themselves in proximity to cyber-attackers – literally a click away. And the likelihood of a cybercriminal having your organization for lunch is MUCH higher than the possibility that you’ll one day be eaten by a shark. In essence, every day is Shark Week when it comes to cyberattacks.

So, what can we learn from the educational programming on Sharks that we can apply to your cyber security strategy?

I found three similarities between getting up close and personal with a shark, and your organization doing the same with phishing attacks, malware, and resulting data breach, data ransom, or cryptomining scenarios:

• Leverage an Expert – Every one of those shows has at least one person leading the team with years and years of experience to ensure the safety protocols, diving plans, etc. all happen without someone getting eaten. Your security strategy needs to involve solutions and partners that have extensive experience in providing a layered approach to protecting you from cyber-attacks.
• Get Educated – No smart person just jumps into the ocean and swims towards a shark. They get educated (by at least watching the “Shark Week” programming on TV, right?) to better understand the enemy. Organizations need to educate their users with Security Awareness Training so they are aware of what dangers exist when they “jump in”
• Use a Shark Cage – if you’re planning on getting close to these powerful predators, you don’t want to be doing so without some kind of protection. In the same way, as users interact with email and surf the web, they need security solutions in place that allow them to work, but without getting bit by malware, ransomware, or cryptojacking malware.

So, as you watch the Shark Week shows this week, consider the predators that daily attack your organization. By leveraging the three recommendations above, you will be able to safely “swim” in the cyber-water (as it were) without fear of having a chunk of your organization's endpoints and data taken out of you.