How to Manage Cyber Risk with a Security by Design Approach

A relatively fresh term, Security by Design is a novel way of handling cybersecurity in our fast-changing world. Its main advantage is that it relies on risk-thinking from the very start, building it in the design and thus giving way to innovation. Mitigate cyber risk with expert solutions. Protect your digital assets from threats. Proactive cybersecurity measures for a resilient business defense.

Long gone are the days when businesses and organizations shunned new tech and better their chances on the established route. These days, we all know that we’re in a sink-or-swim scenario – you need to be able to adapt to the new and reap its benefits.

But in that rush to reap the profits, unassuming businesses are quick to expose themselves to cybercriminals who can drain companies from profits and hit weak spots in organizations. We’re not just talking about mere data theft anymore – people also face a real risk of politically-motivated attacks or moves that threaten to manipulate large swaths of people.

So from organizations protecting themselves from cyber-terrorism to businesses trying to keep their profits intact, and their customers secure, more and more entities are turning to managed services that offer security by design.

What Exactly is Security by Design?

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Security by design is an approach that favors preventing a cyber attack rather than dealing with the aftermath, which includes restoring the systems and nursing the financial woes left in the wake of the crime.

That means that organizations that employ this approach think about cybersecurity before starting a project, which drastically lowers the chance of a breach happening and data being stolen or leaked.

In 2022 and beyond, we will be seeing a lot of innovation in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Yet a 2020 survey found that 65% of businesses don’t consider cybersecurity until it’s too late. In this study, 1,300 businesses were surveyed. Many were found to treat cybersecurity as a mere checklist, ticking off stuff from compliance checklists and doing the bare minimum to adhere to state and federal regulations on cybersecurity.

Many businesses pride themselves on being innovative and offering state-of-the-art products and services that didn’t go through proper risk calculations. They forget that while innovation attracts data and profit, it attracts criminals. So the two common forms of Machine Learning (ML) that are found in AI are clear targets. Both Unsupervised ML and Supervised ML have outcomes that depend on the algorithm that makes them. But even premium-made algorithms can fall prey to fraudulent activity if the data fed into them is manipulated.

How do you prevent this from happening in your business or organization?

Building a Cybersecurity Lifecycle Perspective

Just as product development has its cycle, so does security by design.

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Cybersecurity risk management or Cyber Risk greatly benefits from having a cybersecurity lifecycle perspective that begins with an idea and ends with deliverables and support. More precisely, security by design offers the organization a chance to:

  • Manage cybersecurity risk governance
  • Monitor cybersecurity risk governance
  • Maintain cybersecurity risk governance

Security by design, or secure by design as it’s also called, is crucial for both software and hardware development. That is because both can be hard to change security-wise once the system develops. Also, no one wants to patch breaches in real-time. Rather, we want to prevent them from the start.

You can expect to see more and more of this approach in the domineering world of the Internet of Things (IoT). Especially since many organizations don’t take the issue of security seriously when designing and producing connected items and appliances. As more and more connected devices begin to circulate the globe, companies need to get more serious about cybersecurity.

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Key Benefits of Security by Design

There are a few key benefits you get by employing security by design:

  • You get the advantage of automating your web services through security and governance frameworks that are founded on reliable coding. They give you real-time reporting on risks and compliance needs.
  • You and your team get streamlined operations through a concise set of responsibilities and tasks for security controls. Automating is another plus here since it streamlines you further.
  • Performance evaluation becomes easier.

How to Implement Security by Design?

When you begin planning your software, don’t skip over cybersecurity. Start implementing security by educating yourself on regulations on the creation and use of the product.

  • After doing the proper research, you should consider the tech you use and manage its library by tracking the external code.
  • Let your developer team know what your needs are and the risks you expect.
  • Provide developers with guides on protocols and regulations related to cyber risk situations.

As the project moves down the pipeline, you need to ensure that:

  • The system being built should be easy to maintain along the way.
  • If needed, create the toolkit for the task.
  • Add automatic checks in the implementation process to test if the automatic scanning works.
  • Since nothing is perfect, don’t forget to perform manual checks.
  • Branch out to implement privacy by design options for dealing with personal information.

Don’t forget that your software will still need regular checks and maintenance. All of this is a tedious job that takes a whole team to run, so consider using managed services from a verified and trustworthy company that provides a personalized approach that will leave you feeling safe.

Final Word

The current world of cybersecurity is a mixed bag these days. While some organizations are tackling security issues head-on, other entities are failing to adequately protect their legacy and data. In this transformative age, you need to be up to date via constant education, or you can leave the job to the pros in cybersecurity companies that offer managed services.

So keep that in mind the next time you use the word “innovation” since innovation isn’t possible without fighting off the threat of cyber-attacks that can veer your vision off course. Consider the risks from the very beginning – not for paranoia but for readiness.

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