Essential Cybersecurity Basics

Forget the buzzwords. Here are the security practices that actually prevent breaches.

Patch your systems

This isn’t glamorous, but it works. Most breaches happen through known vulnerabilities that weren’t patched. Set up automated updates and test them in staging first.

The patch management reality

Why patching matters:

  • 60% of breaches involve unpatched vulnerabilities
  • The average time from patch release to exploit is 15 days
  • Many attacks use vulnerabilities that are years old

Effective patch management:

  1. Inventory your systems - You can’t patch what you don’t know about
  2. Prioritize by risk - Critical systems get patched first
  3. Test in staging - Never patch production without testing
  4. Automate where possible - But keep human oversight
  5. Have rollback plans - Sometimes patches break things

Common patching mistakes

Patching too slowly: Waiting weeks or months to patch critical vulnerabilities gives attackers plenty of time to exploit them.

Patching without testing: Deploying patches directly to production without testing can cause outages and business disruption.

Ignoring third-party software: Operating system patches are important, but don’t forget about applications, libraries, and frameworks.

Use strong authentication

Multi-factor authentication everywhere. No exceptions. If your system doesn’t support it, that’s a red flag. SMS is better than nothing, but authenticator apps are better.

Authentication best practices

Multi-factor authentication (MFA):

  • Something you know - Password or PIN
  • Something you have - Phone, hardware token, or authenticator app
  • Something you are - Biometric authentication

Password policies that work:

  • Minimum 12 characters
  • No password reuse across systems
  • Regular password changes (but not too frequent)
  • Password managers for everyone

MFA implementation:

  • Authenticator apps (Google Authenticator, Authy) are more secure than SMS
  • Hardware tokens (YubiKey) for high-privilege accounts
  • Backup codes for account recovery
  • Single sign-on (SSO) to reduce password fatigue

Common authentication failures

Weak passwords: “password123” and “admin” are still common. Enforce strong password policies.

No MFA: Single-factor authentication is vulnerable to credential theft. MFA adds a crucial second layer.

Shared accounts: Multiple people using the same credentials makes accountability impossible.

Principle of least privilege

Users get the minimum access they need to do their job. Review permissions quarterly. When someone leaves, disable their accounts immediately.

Implementing least privilege

Access control fundamentals:

  • Role-based access control (RBAC) - Assign permissions based on job roles
  • Attribute-based access control (ABAC) - More flexible, context-aware permissions
  • Just-in-time access - Temporary elevated permissions when needed
  • Regular access reviews - Quarterly audits of who has access to what

Account lifecycle management:

  • Onboarding - New employees get baseline permissions only
  • Role changes - Update permissions when job responsibilities change
  • Offboarding - Immediate account deactivation when employees leave
  • Contractor access - Time-limited access for external parties

Common privilege mistakes

Overprivileged accounts: Giving users more access than they need creates unnecessary risk.

Shared administrative accounts: Multiple people using the same admin credentials makes it impossible to track who did what.

Orphaned accounts: Former employees’ accounts that are never disabled.

Monitor what matters

Log authentication attempts, privilege escalations, and data access. Set up alerts for unusual patterns. Most attacks leave traces - you just need to look.

Security monitoring essentials

Authentication monitoring:

  • Failed login attempts
  • Login attempts from unusual locations
  • Login attempts at unusual times
  • Multiple failed attempts from the same IP

Privilege escalation monitoring:

  • Administrative account usage
  • Permission changes
  • Account creation and deletion
  • Group membership changes

Data access monitoring:

  • Large data downloads
  • Access to sensitive files
  • Database queries on sensitive tables
  • Unusual data access patterns

Log management best practices

Centralized logging: Collect logs from all systems in one place for correlation and analysis.

Log retention: Keep logs long enough to detect slow attacks and for forensic analysis.

Log integrity: Protect logs from tampering - attackers often try to cover their tracks.

Real-time alerting: Set up alerts for critical security events that need immediate attention.

Encrypt data in transit and at rest

TLS for everything. Database encryption for sensitive data. Key management that actually works. This isn’t optional anymore.

Encryption implementation

Data in transit:

  • TLS 1.3 for all web traffic
  • VPNs for remote access
  • Encrypted email for sensitive communications
  • API encryption for all service-to-service communication

Data at rest:

  • Full disk encryption on all devices
  • Database encryption for sensitive data
  • File-level encryption for sensitive documents
  • Backup encryption for all data backups

Key management

Key rotation: Regularly rotate encryption keys to limit exposure if keys are compromised.

Key storage: Store encryption keys separately from encrypted data.

Key recovery: Have procedures for recovering data when keys are lost.

Hardware security modules (HSMs): Use dedicated hardware for key management in high-security environments.

Test your defenses

Regular penetration testing. Red team exercises. Security isn’t a checkbox - it’s an ongoing process.

Security testing approaches

Vulnerability scanning: Automated tools to find known vulnerabilities in your systems.

Penetration testing: Simulated attacks to test your defenses and find unknown vulnerabilities.

Red team exercises: Full-scale attack simulations to test your entire security program.

Social engineering testing: Test your employees’ ability to recognize and resist phishing attacks.

Building a security testing program

Regular testing schedule:

  • Monthly vulnerability scans
  • Quarterly penetration tests
  • Annual red team exercises
  • Ongoing social engineering tests

Testing scope:

  • External network perimeter
  • Internal network security
  • Web applications
  • Mobile applications
  • Physical security
  • Social engineering

Remediation process:

  • Prioritize findings by risk level
  • Assign remediation responsibilities
  • Track progress to completion
  • Verify fixes with follow-up testing

Incident response planning

When security incidents happen, you need a plan. Most organizations discover breaches months after they occur because they don’t have proper monitoring and response procedures.

Incident response fundamentals

Detection: How do you know when something bad has happened?

Containment: How do you stop the attack from spreading?

Eradication: How do you remove the threat from your systems?

Recovery: How do you restore normal operations?

Lessons learned: How do you prevent similar incidents in the future?

Building your incident response team

Core team members:

  • Security team lead
  • IT operations
  • Legal counsel
  • Public relations
  • Business leadership

External resources:

  • Forensic investigators
  • Law enforcement contacts
  • Legal counsel with cyber expertise
  • Insurance providers

The human factor

Technology is only part of the security equation. People are often the weakest link in the security chain.

Security awareness training

Regular training: Security awareness isn’t a one-time event. Provide ongoing training and updates.

Phishing simulation: Test employees’ ability to recognize phishing emails with regular simulations.

Incident reporting: Make it easy for employees to report suspicious activity without fear of punishment.

Security culture: Build a culture where security is everyone’s responsibility.

Common human security mistakes

Password reuse: Using the same password across multiple accounts.

Phishing susceptibility: Clicking on malicious links or opening suspicious attachments.

Social engineering: Giving out sensitive information to people who shouldn’t have it.

Physical security: Leaving devices unlocked or sharing access credentials.

Making security work

Security isn’t about having the latest tools or following every best practice. It’s about understanding your risks and implementing controls that actually work for your organization.

Start with the basics:

  1. Patch your systems
  2. Use strong authentication
  3. Implement least privilege
  4. Monitor what matters
  5. Encrypt sensitive data
  6. Test your defenses

Build a security program:

  • Risk assessment
  • Security policies and procedures
  • Employee training
  • Incident response planning
  • Regular testing and improvement

Measure what matters:

  • Time to detect incidents
  • Time to respond to incidents
  • Number of successful attacks prevented
  • Employee security awareness scores

The goal isn’t perfect security - that’s impossible. The goal is to make it harder and more expensive for attackers to succeed than to move on to easier targets.

Need help securing your systems? Contact us for a security assessment.