As you saw from last week’s audit plan hot spots article, ransomware tops the list of concerns for 2022. You also noticed how the first half of 2021 had an exponential increase of ransomware attacks. To ensure you have something you can work with for cyber readiness with ransomware risks, we are giving you an executive 3-step checklist that can help you.

The pandemic brought about a lot of changes for businesses that executives were not expecting, in any way shape or form. No one could have prepared for what came because that is how unexpected it was for the whole world, but everyone did their best. Now that post-pandemic aspects are settling in (so to speak), plans for 2022 begin to take place and audit hot spots are on the agenda.

The accelerated move to multiple cloud technologies for business operations has increased the level of data privacy and security attention for this specific area. Not only are executives more aware of the repercussions if they don’t stay on top of the necessary privacy and security measures, but the industry as a whole is expanding coverage on cloud technology environments and security, data privacy procedures and regulations, plus the rising risks to the cloud environment.

Cybersecurity and cloud security may sound the same, but they are not. While the former can entail the latter, the latter entails a primary focus on the security of the cloud environment alone.

Every business is subject to cybersecurity compliance regulations: from HIPAA to NIST 800-171; to GLBA, PCI DSS, FFIEC guidelines; and data privacy regulations such as GDPR and CPRA. There’s an auditor waiting to come ensure you are meeting the requirements, and with the recent shift to a hybrid workforce a lot has changed. This means you may or may not be, where you need to be, to pass the audit.

If you are going to plan for success in 2022, your cyber resiliency needs a second look (a second set of eyes too). You want to revisit the areas that need a revamp now that the post-pandemic repercussions and changes are settling in.

The reality is that every month should be cybersecurity awareness month for any executive – CIO, CEO, decision makers, board members, team leaders, everyone that works remotely, in office, or hybrid – because today’s business is a digital business.

Today we’re taking a look at the impact of cloud security and how to mitigate your risks with the changes that have come in how to assess vulnerabilities in networks.

In a post-pandemic world, the importance of measuring and quantifying 3rd party risk in an organization’s supply chain cannot be overstated. Cybersecurity is not just about protecting your own data; it also means understanding how to keep all the information that flows through your business secure. This includes vendors you work with on a daily basis, like those that provide IT services or provide raw materials for manufacturing processes.

When you are clear on how important security is to stay in business and close business deals, you start evaluating vendors and their ability to manage risks. Furthermore, as a company that also cares about the success of your business, you are prepared to do the same with your company’s security.

If you want to grow business revenues, there is no better way to do that than with spending on your cybersecurity posture. Even though the revenue growth is not an exact number, if we want to speculate with numbers in mind, the first thing that is clear is that cybersecurity affects your bottom line.

Today we’re taking a closer look at cybersecurity costs, cyber attack costs, and how business executives can prioritize their budget to ensure their business is protected and that the gap for optimal security for different business sizes is closed. The ability to prepare security spending in a focused manner ensures that an effective security posture is accessible to small businesses and bigger businesses alike.

To keep business executives on top of cybersecurity news in a way that benefits operations and cyber readiness, we’re sharing some highlights from the DEF CON 29, aka DEFCON, conference with pointers that get you to take action or think about what’s next for your cybersecurity posture. Also, as cybersecurity professionals engage more and more with cybersecurity issues that affect business, the annual DEFCON conference has become an important event for cybersecurity education.

Staying on top of cybersecurity topics takes place for business executives through many sources, including cybersecurity focused events such as Black Hat and DEFCON. This year’s Black Hat event just concluded and there are some highlights that are optimal to add to your arsenal of information in an effort to continue along your cyber resiliency strategy and approach.

When you realize that data breaches can take your business down and you might not even know it, you start to take action on cybersecurity. You also read up on cyber news and data breach costs to get a clear idea of what you’re up against.

The methods of attack by hackers keep expanding, supply chain cyber attacks being one of the most recent that are presenting a major threat to businesses. So, what are supply chain attacks and how can businesses secure against them? Let’s start with what and go from there.

A closer look at the impact of ransomware on cyber insurance shows how rates and requirements are changing due to the increase in these types of attacks, as well as why being cyber ready isn’t about having cyber insurance.

A security assessment is often a difficult task to conduct. The workforce needs to be skilled and trained on the tools, techniques, and procedures of the organization’s risk management strategy.

The cyber world is an ever-changing landscape. It’s a place where people are constantly trying to get their hands on your data, and businesses need to be prepared for the onslaught of attacks that come with it.