Stop Hidden Cyber Threats From Sneaking Past Your Defense

Large cyber incidents such as the Darkside ransomware attack and Hafnium’s exploits on Microsoft Exchange, emphasize the importance of recognizing risk before it’s too late. Cybercriminals are intelligent and creative, they seem to come up with new ways to enter an organization’s network daily. To investigate and fight hidden cyber threats, you need access to your data, understand what it’s telling you and have the human expertise to act on any possible threats.

In this blog, we use the example of identifying NBA offensive threats to relate to identifying cyber threats. The common denominator? Data and human expertise are required. 

NBA Offensive Threats

Sports analysts use many metrics to identify offensive threats. To find the greatest threat, analysts use the 50-40-90 rule. This rule states that anyone who completed a season shooting field goals at least 50% of the time, 3 pointers at least 40% of the time, and free throws at least 90% of the time, can score from anywhere on the court. This makes them one of the greatest offensive players. 

Only 9 NBA players and 1 WNBA player have achieved this goal including players like Kyrie Irving, Steve Nash, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant. In the 2020-2021 season, 5 players came close to hitting 50-40-90 — Chris Paul, Kawhi Leonard, Tobias Harris, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry. Even though they did not hit the 50-40-90 in the 2020-2021 season, they are still a huge offensive threat because of their efficiency. 

So how does this relate to cybersecurity? Just like these sports analysts, it is important that your company looks at the data and cyber risks that could enter your organization. If the threat is overlooked because you don’t know what data you’re looking at or are overwhelmed with alerts, the threat could slip by. 

Cost of Cyber Threats

The cost of cyber threats continues to rise across all industries and it can be detrimental to any organization. Nearly 89% of companies have experienced a data breach in the past 3 years. The healthcare industry specifically saw a 55% increase in cyberattacks in 2020 alone. These cyberattacks can lead to ransomware costing organizations upwards of $4.4 million per breach. As the number of threats increases and the cost of these threats increases, it is important to have a tough defense ready to take action. 

Prepare Your Defense

The best defense against human attackers is human defenders. Some key tips to identify and stop cyber threats are:

• Know your assets

• Prioritize your greatest strengths

• Maintain full visibility across your IT and cloud environments

• Hunt for threats 24/7

• Defend and adapt your strategy

Don’t get caught off guard! Prepare your defense and find a security partner that can assist. Remember, the first step is to identify the true threat. 

Learn more about how a managed detection and response (MDR) provider can partner with you to find hidden threats in our blog: Batting a Thousand: Pondurance MDR Services Hit a Home Run.