Cybersecurity practices, just like the threats they fight, are always evolving. This means the year 2022 may be a vastly different year for the cybersecurity field compared to 2021, presenting new challenges as more and more businesses undergo digital transformations.

As you prepare your 2022 cybersecurity strategy, you should keep the following aspects in mind because, as the saying goes, ‘‘one good practice a day keeps the ransomware away’’.

Re-educate your teams

Any robust cybersecurity strategy will necessarily involve the work of talented and, most importantly, certified security specialists. Cybersecurity risks are always evolving, so your IT security team must be adaptable and up-to-date with new threats, security breach possibilities, and more.

In addition, your organization might consider using seminars or offering training resources to your standard developers or other employees. Average developers or coders may not know how to practice good DevOps security. Indeed, more than half of developers working today have less than five years of experience, so making sure they are aware of new cybersecurity practices is vital to ensure your organization is properly protected.

Monitor upcoming regulations and plan accordingly

Big privacy and data security regulations like the GDPR and CCPA are just the start. In this ever-changing legislative context, you should make sure your organization is always abreast of new requirements and that it updates its cybersecurity plan accordingly.

For example, when gathering customers’ personal details, you must have cybersecurity measures in place to protect their information and funds. Failing to do so could leave you liable for lawsuits or major fines, especially if you do international business with EU customers or other markets.

Additionally, changes in regulations could lead your organization to accidentally violate consumer protection rules if you aren’t careful. Always keep tabs on regulations and legislative changes as they appear.

Prioritize mobile device security

More than half of all Internet traffic comes from mobile devices these days, so it’s no surprise that protecting these gadgets will be paramount in 2022 and beyond. The rise of remote work has led to more employees accessing critical organizational files or data through unsecured mobile devices.

Thus, your cybersecurity strategy for 2022 should integrate elements of new mobile device security practices, including:

• Installing antivirus software on mobile devices
• Practicing good digital hygiene while remote
• Teaching employees not to leave mobile devices lying around
• Assigning secured mobile devices to employees

Check for supply chain gaps

One of the big highlights of 2022 will likely be increased supply chain scrutiny. This isn’t without merit, since many of the most newsworthy and consequential attacks on private companies from cybercriminals have occurred due to gaps in the security operations of vendors and supply chains.

But all is not lost, as these incidents could have been prevented, such as unnecessarily providing access to sensitive systems to unauthorized individuals. Your business might be able to avoid making the same mistakes by securing connections and access privileges for any third-party vendors or organizations you work with across your company.

We recommend you the following practices:

• Employ a new strategy of giving as minimal privileges as possible to employees both within and without your organization (i.e. third-party contacts, shipping workers, etc.)
• Trace and monitor activity when sensitive information or materials are accessed using logs and security software
• Practice “Zero Trust” principles. These initiatives protect digital environments by always segmenting networks, never assuming user identities when not interacting face-to-face, and preventing lateral network movement – especially when it comes to third-party individuals outside your company

You can always use privileged access management solutions like WALLIX’s to implement many of these recommendations, such as ensuring that only authorized users have access to sensitive data or company systems.

Double down on endpoint security

Endpoint security is often considered the front line of a thorough cybersecurity campaign. It goes without saying that protecting endpoints in your organization, like workplace desktops and laptops, as well as secured terminals in your building or around your network, is crucial to prevent malicious campaigns and insider threats.

Endpoint security may involve:

• Machine learning systems that can classify new threats as they appear
• Proactive web security systems and antivirus software
• An integrated firewall that blocks hostile network attacks, even if they are launched from within your network using an endpoint
• Email gateways that block phishing, which may target your employees

Another major aspect of endpoint security is, once more, ensuring that only authorized users access sensitive files or terminals. It may cost quite a lot to bolster endpoint security across your organization depending on how many endpoints you have to cover. But those costs will be nothing compared to the funds you’ll save from shoring up your frontline cyber defenses. According to a report IBM and the Ponemon Institute recently published, in 2021 the average cost of a data breach was $4.24 million per incident.

Wrapping up

We know that adapting and upgrading to new security regulations and best practices is not a task you can do overnight. However, when security breaches lead to loss of confidence, high fines, and even bankruptcy, we no longer speak of “task” but of “duty”.

The new year is just around the corner, so it’s the perfect time to prepare a strategy to match today’s cybersecurity landscape. In this article we’ve gone over some of the best practices your 2022 security strategy should include for effective protection, but don’t forget to also implement those elements that are already part of your cybersecurity plan, such as employee digital hygiene, updated firewalls, and even AI assistance.

It’s not too late to make your organization’s entire infrastructure secure. Start now to educate your IT teams, implement new policies complying with changing regulations, maximize mobile device and endpoint protection, and pay special attention to existing gaps in your supply chains.

With a good security strategy, there is no cyberattack you can’t handle. Change your approach for 2022 and make your cybersecurity more effective and robust than ever before.

Don’t let cyberattacks catch you by surprise this new year!