Cybersecurity strategies originally employed a traditional castle-and-moat approach in which the network (the “castle”) is protected by a perimeter firewall (the “moat”) and all everyone and everything inside the network is considered trusted. Today, with the use of cloud technology integrated with on-premise resources, mobile users and mobile devices, a different approach to security is required – one that assumes that no user and no device (computer, phone, tablet, etc.) is trustworthy.
Zero Trust security is aimed at reducing an organization’s attack surface and minimizing/controlling damage should an attack occur. Best practices include but are not limited to continuous monitoring of network traffic and devices, keeping devices updated, requiring multi-factor authentication, and incorporating threat intelligence. HF Group is committed to following these best practices by utilizing state-of-the-art-software, hardware, and services that help identify risk and provide effective barriers to intrusion and compromise.
In addition to these security practices, HF Group recognizes that the majority of data breaches are caused by human error.
Researchers from Stanford University and a top cybersecurity organization found that approximately 88 percent of all data breaches are caused by an employee mistake. Human error is still the driving force behind the overwhelming majority of cybersecurity problems.
To address this risk, HF Group uses KnowBe4, a security awareness and training platform that specializes in making sure that our employees understand the mechanisms of spam, phishing, spear phishing, malware, ransomware, and social engineering, and it ensures that they can apply this knowledge effectively on a day-to-day basis. In the time since we began using KnowBe4, our risk score has dropped considerably, and users have been instrumental in identifying potential threats so they can be shut down before damage is done!
When it comes to cyber threats and intrusions, no business is safe, but for our business, our employees, and our customers, HF Group continues to commit the human and financial capital in order to minimize or eliminate such events.