How to Threat Test Your Entire Organization

Research from Veeam’s 2022 ransomware trends report found that when malicious actors were attacking organizations, 94% of the time backups were being targeted. Backups are crucial to reduce organizational downtime as well as mitigate risk. Backup recovery is one of many aspects of having a secure perimeter and moving your organization one step closer to ultimate cyber-readiness. We have discussed creating a strong business continuity and disaster recovery plan previously, but this week, we will learn more about what are some examples of threat testing and why your organization should begin doing so.

Why is it important to threat test your systems?

You may be thinking – oh, my organization has in place policies and procedures to prevent cyber-attacks and mitigate risk, so we are all covered and good to go. You are both right and wrong: right in the sense that yes those policies and procedures are critical, but wrong in the fact that you are not all covered and good to go.

A threat test is exactly how it sounds, it is a testing threat to your organization to determine if any vulnerabilities were missed or glanced over in the creation of your policies. Our VP of Cybersecurity likes to use a particular analogy when it comes to the need for testing. As a homeowner, would you want your local fire department to practice how to operate a hose, prepare the truck, and practice for emergencies in their spare time? Or would you feel equally comfortable just relying on them to know instinctively how to react and best put out a fire?

Now, let’s go over some examples of tests that your organization can conduct to determine any loose vulnerabilities.

Penetration Testing

A penetration test is a simulated and authorized cyberattack on organizational systems or policies that are performed to evaluate the security of said systems and policies. Penetration tests have shifted from being a luxury for organizations to be critical. Our experts advise your organizations to be running annual penetration tests, as new vulnerabilities are constantly being identified and taken advantage of.

Tabletop Testing

Additionally, organizations can examine their current systems and posture with tabletop testing. Tabletop tests or exercises are internal tests, created to help organizations walk through any potential cyber risk scenarios and identify potential gaps. They are meant to create a discussion within your IT department to evaluate organizational preparedness. Let’s take this tabletop exercise on security intrusion as an example. The goal of a tabletop exercise is to

1. Involve all relevant IT stakeholders
2. Tailor the scenario to best match your environment
3. Determine a single facilitator for the exercise
4. Encourage discussion about how your organization would handle the scenario
5. Document your responses to the key questions
6. Develop a plan to close any gaps identified during the exercise

Zippia reports that cyberattacks occur once every 39 seconds. It is not a matter of if your organization will succumb to an attack, but a matter of when. Implementing policies and procedures such as disaster recovery services, business continuity services, cybersecurity services, and more is a start in the right direction. However, it is equally important to be testing the implemented systems to ensure they effectively cover all gaps in your organization. Dataprise is happy to continue the conversation by offering a complimentary assessment of your network. Reach out to us to learn more and schedule time to speak with an expert today here.

Watch our video on how to threat test your organization?