Sage Advice - Cybersecurity Blog

The cyberthreat environment changes every day. New malware is developed, new social engineering tactics are deployed, and fraud is seemingly lurking around every corner. Because of the cybersecurity risk that these threats pose, we are all responsible for doing our part to keep information secure at home and at work.

Cybersecurity, as we know it today, is defined as the “the art of protecting networks, devices, and data from unauthorized access or criminal use and the practice of ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information,” according to the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency. In the 1990s, organizations across the globe started to practice information security to keep data safe. A few years later – as cybercriminals continued to get more sophisticated and organizations had to face the devastating consequences – the idea of cybersecurity over information security evolved.

Before cybersecurity became a standard part of our lexicon, the practice of keeping information and data safe was simply known as information security. Although the two terms are still used interchangeably, there is a definite distinction between the two, which provides context and explains the evolution this discipline has recognized over the past two decades. This paradigm provides perspective and instruction for when your organization starts to build and implement a cybersecurity program today.

Achieving cybersecurity maturity is something that organizations should strive to reach over time. Once an organization has a mature cybersecurity program, they will be equipped with the knowledge and power to adapt to the ever-changing threat landscape – a key to becoming a resilient organization. It sounds simple, but gaining cybersecurity maturity is a fluid, never-ending work in progress that should always be improved upon. Let’s dive in.

In today's threat environment, we can count on the fact that there will be more spectacular breaches to come. The bad guys will always get in. It's time to acknowledge that reality and take action.

In our experience, many organizations who are just getting started on their path to cyber resiliency have a few misconceptions when it comes to cybersecurity. These myths must be busted in order for organizations to defend themselves against the risks they face. Here are four of the most common myths that must be cleared up.

Between personal accounts and work accounts, the sheer number of credentials and passwords that we have to manage can be overwhelming and inconvenient – especially if we forget them. While managing passwords may be a pain, it’s necessary if we want to protect our personal information. After all, cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility. 

At Tyler Cybersecurity, our analysts and consultants are there for organizations like yours every day. Their jobs are to help protect and empower you while sharing their cybersecurity knowledge, so you can be well-informed and armed with necessary tools in the event of an incident.

• Tyler Detect deployed to detect network threats 24/7
• Malicious behavior found and corrected immediately following deployment
• Visibility into all network activity is increasing awareness and driving risk mitigation solutions

Tyler Detect has an immediate impact on Lowndes County’s cybersecurity program.

Advanced cyber threat detection cannot happen by algorithm alone. Cybercriminals can evade traditional defenses compromising an infrastructure within minutes or hours. Study after study shows it can take organizations weeks, even months or years, to uncover an intruder.

The world of cybersecurity – and our threat landscape – is ever-changing. From new types of malware being introduced, to new phishing tactics, anything can happen as hackers work to refine their techniques and target their cyberattacks, hoping to get into your network unnoticed.

Hackers are constantly developing new ways to infect systems globally. As threat detection services and security teams catch on to their tactics, they continue to build and deploy new malware to feed their personal wallets. We are seeing more malware than ever, and this cycle will only get worse. Let’s review the predicted threat environment for 2020.