Bluestreak™ Reading Time: 2 minutes The Fastest-growing Segment of Cybercrime
It's important to secure your data. Information theft is the most expensive and fastest-growing segment of cybercrime. It is primarily driven by the increasing exposure of identity information to the web via cloud services. But it’s not the only target - cyber-attacks may aim to compromise data integrity (destroy or change data) to breed distrust in an organization. Data is the most valuable asset of all and is the intended “score” of most cybersecurity supply chain attacks. Customer data, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), and intellectual property are of particular interest to attackers because this information is valuable to the owner and can therefore be held ransom by the attacker. Without a well-thought-out and comprehensive secure data program, your organization cannot defend itself against data breach campaigns, making it an irresistible and eventual target for cybercriminals. Seven out of ten small businesses have no idea if their IT systems are secure. A business can have all the risk assessment documents in the world, but they’re not worth much if the IT systems, processes, and personnel have no protection against data theft, malware, ransomware, and other IT Threats. Supply chain cybersecurity attacks are especially frightening because they have far-reaching effects as they work their way through a not-so-transparent network to land in your organization or on your device. Do You Work With the Department of Defense? If so, How Secure Is Your Data?
The Department of Defense (DoD) is becoming much more stringent on who is being awarded contracts and even accepting proposals from businesses that are not DFARS, NIST 800-171, and CMMC compliant. If you have not already lost business because of being noncompliant, you are about to. This included prime contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and any business in the DoD supply chain that processes, stores, or transmits CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information) in any way.
Cybersecurity is an Investment, not an Expense.
DFARS, NIST 800-171, and CMMC are not going away and are here to stay. The urgency for compliance increases every day. Many don’t realize that becoming compliant to NIST 800-171 can take from between 6 to 12 months. And, CMMC Level 2 Certification can take from between 9 to 18 months. These timeframes all depend on your current cybersecurity situation. Don't wait until you start losing business before you act, and make sure you do not submit an inflated or perfect score to the SPRS (Supplier Performance Risk System).
Cybersecurity is a Journey, not a Destination.
Cyber-security is an arms race of escalating capabilities, so ‘defenders’ of vulnerable assets must see it as a journey rather than a destination, constantly reassessing the situation and implementing new defenses whenever necessary. This is against the background of developing technologies and requirements which means control systems are always becoming bigger, more complex, more distributed, and increasingly open.
Bluestreak Consulting™ offers very affordable and efficient solutions using our proven methods to help your business reach compliance. Partner with Bluestreak Consulting™ to get your questions answered on cybersecurity, NIST 800-171, and CMMC. Let us help you secure your data and secure your future.