5 Ways to Protect Company Information – A Beginner’s Guide to Information Security
Hello everyone,
This is the EXO Security Support Center.
Various IT technologies such as network computing, cloud, big data, and artificial intelligence (AI) are being introduced to companies to improve productivity and work environments. In particular, startups and small and medium-sized enterprises that respond quickly to change are adopting these changes more rapidly. With the digitalization of these companies, there is a rapidly increasing threat: security incidents.
Recently, cyber attacks and attempts to leak information have been rapidly spreading, but the proportion of IT budgets allocated to information security is still mostly less than 1% to less than 5%. Ultimately, companies are hoping that cyber attacks and internal information leaks will not occur with little investment in information protection.
The Limits of Information Security Organizations Within Companies
Many companies agree on the importance of information security. As a result, many have security personnel or organizations, albeit small. However, their limitations are clear. In many cases, information security organizations within companies are relegated to lower-priority tasks alongside general affairs or management support teams, or are staffed by personnel without practical experience in information security. Therefore, security tasks are difficult to perform properly, and even when they are, requests to improve security vulnerabilities in each team are often ignored due to concerns about service availability and smooth business operations.
In reality, companies’ passive attitudes toward information protection are not new.
Basically, companies that aim to pursue profits can only have a lukewarm attitude toward areas that are not considered to have a significant impact on increasing sales. Therefore, in order to solve these information security problems, it is important for companies to recognize the sense of crisis and have a proactive attitude, but it is also important to find ways to protect internal information efficiently with limited resources.
Why do failures in corporate information protection occur?
Reasons for Corporate Information Protection Failures
Most information security incidents (hacking, internal information leaks, etc.) are caused by failure to follow basic and common-sense security rules. Here are some typical examples of information security incidents:
1. Lack of Measures to Prevent Malicious Code Infection
2. Lack of Measures to Prevent Internal Information Leaks
3. Lack of Measures to Store and Manage Important Information
4. Use of Personal Email and Messengers for Work
5. Use of Unauthorized Storage Media (USB, External Hard Drives, etc.) for Work
Generally, when people hear the term “information security,” they think of antivirus functions. However, many companies rely on personal software or the basic Windows Defender in Windows. Due to this lack of awareness and preparedness for information security, cybercrime is rampant in the country.
5 Know-Hows to Easily Start Information Security for Any Company
First, you need a security measure that can cope with all internal and external security threats.
Information leakage can occur from both inside and outside. A three-dimensional security measure is needed to cope with external hacking attacks and malicious code infections, as well as internal employee information unauthorized duplication and leakage.
Second, consider resources when applying security tasks and information security policies.
Except for large companies, departments that are solely responsible for security tasks are rarely operated with sufficient resources. Therefore, it is necessary to consider whether security personnel with limited resources can efficiently change internal information security policies, and how the work environment of practitioners will change when information security policies are introduced into the company.
Third, manage accounts and access rights and monitor access logs.
Rather than dividing by job title, you must divide each officer and employee according to their actual needs and grant them account and data connection rights.
・Selective Granting of Access Rights
– Grant rights to practitioners who have actual needs according to the work of each practitioner
– The manager of each practitioner determines whether there is an actual need and how long it is needed and classifies it
・Differentiated Granting of Usage Rights and Management of Usage Records
– Grant differentiated rights such as viewing, editing, and transferring data according to the purpose of use
– Record log information related to data access and use it for monitoring and future inspection
・Third Party (Outsourcing) Management
– Granting limited access rights to external or third parties to information owned by the organization
Fourth, introduce and utilize information security technology for companies.
In order to increase the level of security within the company, it is necessary to introduce information security technology according to the purpose.
The information security technologies mainly used by companies are as follows.
1. Corporate Anti-Virus Software
Unlike personal antivirus software used at home, there is corporate antivirus software that includes a central management system. Because corporate antivirus software is centrally managed, administrators can also establish security policies related to antivirus for the entire company, and employees cannot arbitrarily terminate and delete it.
2. DLP (Data Loss Prevention)
DLP security functions, called data leakage prevention, prevent internal information from leaking to the outside through software such as email and messengers, and mobile storage media such as USB, external hard disks, and mobile phones. Flexible settings are possible as needed, such as material removal blocking, adding removal approval procedures, and logging removal logs.
3. DRM (Digital Right Management)
DRM security functions, called “digital copyright management,” allow only specific users to access content or documents and files. By encrypting files, unauthorized copying is blocked in advance, and documents and copyrights are protected.
4. NAC (Network Access Control)
NAC security functions, called “network access control,” allow only terminals (PCs, mobiles, tablets, etc.) that meet specific security policies to access the network, and block unauthorized terminals and users from intruding into the internal network.
Fifth, objectively diagnose the level of information security through information security certification.
Don’t you ever wonder whether the information security level of each company’s security products is high?
In fact, it is difficult to visually confirm how high the level of information protection is until a cyber attack and internal information leakage occur. At this time, obtaining security certification can be a good indicator for scoring the security level of security products. Just because you have obtained security certification does not mean that you are 100% safe, but you can improve the level of information security in the process of obtaining and maintaining that certification.
■Types of Domestic Security Certification
・ISMS (Information Security Management System)
ISMS certification refers to a system for managing information security, also known as an information security management system. It is a representative security certification that verifies whether an information protection system is properly equipped. If a third-party organization determines that the requir
ements for information security are met, ISMS certification can be obtained.
・P Mark (Information Protection and Personal Information Protection Management System)
This is a mark given to companies that have established a system for properly protecting personal information. ISMS certification protects all information assets, but P Mark protects only personal information.
■Types of Foreign Security Certification
・ISO 27001 (Information Security Management System)
Similar to ISMS, it is a representative global security certification that verifies whether a company’s information security system is properly equipped. Because it is valid worldwide, it has the advantage of being able to appeal the company’s security level in multiple countries with just one security certification.
Information protection is not an “achievement” but a “maintenance.” Even if you build a solid security system within your company with the above 5 security know-hows, you will need to improve the security situation and strengthen the system due to various reasons such as the inflow of new employees, the introduction of new collaboration tools, and collaboration with new partners.
EXO Security hopes to be of assistance to your safe PC security.
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■ Email Inquiries: globalsupport@jiran.com
