Cybersecurity, information security, and network security are often used interchangeably by those outside of IT. They are closely linked but have clear distinctions, so let’s start by making sure we’re clear on the differences between cybersecurity vs. network security vs. information security:
- Cybersecurity is about the overall protection of hardware, software, and data.
- Information security includes cybersecurity but also focuses on protecting the data, information, and systems from unauthorized access or exposure.
- Network security is a subset of both, dealing with the securing of computer networks, endpoints, and connected systems.
Realistically, these are all interrelated. Organizations need to have an effective solution for all three to effectively manage their security posture and defend against cyber threats.
SecOps validation requires an evaluation of an organization’s security operation to ensure every aspect of your security is operating effectively to protect systems, networks, and data against cyber threats. It goes beyond just the physical infrastructure and the security tools that are deployed by examining the policies, procedures, and team’s ability to detect, prevent, and respond to incidents.
More than half of cyber-attacks are not detected until a breach occurs. By then, it’s too late to stop your data from being exposed. You need to know where your gaps are, so you can plug them before attacks succeed. When it comes to cybersecurity, network security, and information security, your entire SecOps chain, including tools, teams, and processes must work together to be effective.
SecOps validation helps you to identify these gaps in your security posture so that you can improve performance in compliance with your governance policies and security frameworks.
Managing governance and security frameworks
When designing your cybersecurity program, you need to have proper governance in place to align your cybersecurity, information security, and network security with business objectives. You also need a way to comply with multiple cybersecurity frameworks, including MITRE ATT&CK, NIST 800-53, ISO 27001, CMMC, and Zero Trust.
Underlying all of these frameworks are the components of the CIA Triad.
Confidentiality, integrity, and availability make up what’s known as the CIA Triad, a model designed to inform policies for cybersecurity and focus on:
- Confidentiality: Keeping information private, ensuring data is only accessible by those authorized to view it. Common strategies include encryption, two-factor or multi-factor authentication, zero-trust, and identity and access management.
- Integrity: Maintaining the accuracy, consistency, and trustworthiness of data throughout its lifecycle. Protocols include ensuring that data cannot be changed by unauthorized users or altered while in transit.
- Availability: Ensuring data is readily accessible. This requires properly maintaining infrastructure and systems for optimal uptime and preventing attacks that threaten availability, including incident response and threat and disaster recovery.
This model applies to the implementation of robust security regardless of the underlying systems deployed, encompassing not just the technology you choose but also the processes and the people in place to store and protect your data.
Quantify performance and compliance
SightGain quantifies organizational performance and compliance in real-time — automatically — and also updates itself with any changes or additions to these standards. You get verifiable evidence of control compliance based on real-world attacks.
The SightGain Threat Exposure Management Platform measures and quantifies all operational aspects of SOC, including the technologies you deploy, the processes you have in place, and the SOC team overseeing your security. With continuous monitoring and tracking live-fire tests for emerging threats, you get a comprehensive picture of your security posture.
You can quantify your business risk exposure and justify ROI on cybersecurity spending. Most importantly, continuous compliance monitoring automatically identifies security gaps and recommends solutions to improve your security controls. By training against emulated threats in your production environment, you see how your tools, processes, and team members work together in real-world scenarios.
Live-fire training is designed to help reduce MTTR to ensure your SecOps analysts are operating at peak efficiency. When shortfalls are discovered, SightGain automatically provides individualized and interactive training to improve analysts’ readiness. Training is customized based on each analyst’s live-fire test results.
By safely running real-world attack sequences and seeing how they appear on your systems rather than in a lab, you can more accurately assess response and isolate issues, so you can optimize performance.
See SightGain in action. Sign up for a demo today and learn how you can implement a continuous cybersecurity readiness lifecycle for your organization.
