10 Key Principles of Secure by Design

Many parts of business now depend on cybersecurity as a crucial pillar. Network security is essential for all businesses, large and small. Cyberattacks may have lasting effects.

 

Cyberattacks are becoming more frequent and sophisticated. An alarming 87% increase in IoT malware threats was recorded in 2022. The usage of AI is also increasing attack volume. The proliferation of excellent application development frameworks has proven beneficial for software development worldwide. Building an application and beginning to provide value for clients, who can be located anywhere in the world, is simpler than ever. Unfortunately, hackers who target your application do the same.

10 Key Principles of Secure by Design

Hackers have become more skilled as the world’s software becomes more interconnected and includes more valuable data. They are no longer children playing in a basement. Today’s hackers are supported by adversarial nation-states and in charge of enormous botnets. The security of networked applications must be able to withstand devoted opponents and hundreds of hours of CPU time.

 

We’ll discuss important security principles that apply to all applications here at Straten Solutions. To guarantee that the software you ship is risk-free and secure for your clients, you must adhere to these standards.

 

Modern cyber threats of today

Threats to cybersecurity have changed dramatically over time. The days of just installing antivirus software to secure your computer are long gone. Cybercriminals today employ quite advanced techniques. Beyond the minor irritation a virus may cause, an attack could have considerably more severe effects.

Modern cyberattacks can take many different forms, including:

1.Ransomware: Is malicious software that encrypts your data and requests payment to unlock it. one of the most expensive attacks for companies.

 

2. Phishing: False emails or communications that attempt to get you to divulge personal information. Each year, phishing attacks affect 83 percent of businesses.

 

3.Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs): Long-term cyberattacks with the goal of obtaining sensitive data are known as advanced persistent threats (APTs).

 

4.Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs): Attacks that take advantage of flaws that software developers are still unaware of are known as zero-day exploits.

 

5.IoT Vulnerabilities: To infiltrate networks, hackers make use of flaws in Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

 

The requirement for a proactive approach to cybersecurity is highlighted by these developing threats. You want to stop attacks from happening rather than responding to them once they happen. At Straten Solutions, we can assist you.

 

What Is Secure by Design?

“Secure-by-Design” refers to the construction of technological products in a way that reasonably guards against malicious cyber actors successfully accessing linked infrastructure, data, and devices.

It involves treating security as a key component of the design process. rather of adding it afterwards as a feature.

How can organizations of all sizes in Dallas Texas incorporate this into their cybersecurity plans? There are two main methods:

• Inquire about Secure by Design when buying hardware or software. Does the provider employ these methods? If not, you might want to look at another vendor.

 

• Apply Secure by Design concepts to your own company. For instance, when organizing a customer service or infrastructure improvement. place cybersecurity in the foreground. rather than tagging it on as an afterthought.

 

10 Key Principles of Secure by Design Includes:

1.Risk assessment: Is the process of spotting potential security flaws and threats early in the design process.

 

2. Standard Framework: By adhering to a framework, security requirements can be applied consistently. such as HIPAA, GDPR, or CIS Critical Security Controls.

 

3.Least Privilege: The Principle of Least Privilege is the initial guideline for secure design. According to the principle of least privilege, you should make sure that people only have the access they require to perform their duties. For instance, it’s best practice to restrict who has access to a system that stores sensitive consumer financial information.

 

4.Defense in Depth: By installing mechanisms that will alert you when your designated security fails, you are designing with defense in depth. For instance, a single building houses multiple servers for software systems that employ security software. Every server in that building would be reachable physically by someone who broke in. Suddenly, that expensive intrusion detection or firewall software is useless.

 

5.Consistent Updates: Making sure security precautions are updated to address new threats.

 

6.User Education: Informing users about recommended security procedures and possible threats.

 

7.Avoid security by obscurity: It is not entirely possible to rely on this idea of security. Software or a program is not at all secure if it requests that the administrator URL be hidden. Even if you believe it to be concealed, cybercriminals can still find it. Your application should have security rules in place to keep it secure without hiding essential functionality or source code.

 

8.Secure Configuration: Implement secure settings and configurations.

 

9.Fail-Safe Defaults: In computing systems, “no access” should be the default access permission. To put it another way, access rights ought to be handled separately, with “allow” privileges (whitelisting) as the default and “deny” as the fallback. The system is left in a secure state and is also simpler to handle if the security mechanism fails.

 

10.Psychological Acceptability: This principle originally suggested that security measures shouldn’t make it harder to access a resource so that it will be used correctly and organically by users. Later, this principle was changed to the “Principle of Least Astonishment” to reflect the idea that while security systems will always add some complexity, it should be kept to a minimum to improve usability.

 

When it comes to Straten Solutions, We deliver industry leading solutions for SMB’s and provide the necessary services so our clients can focus on their business and what they do best.

 

Why Principles of Secure by Design Is Important

This enables you to make security the foundation of your information technology (IT) infrastructure other than having it as block layers on it. It takes a security-first approach in web development by identifying and implementing the security requirements of your design at every stage of development.

Secure by Design techniques must be understood and put into effect for several reasons:

• Proactive Security: A lot of traditional cybersecurity strategies are reactive. This implies that security issues are dealt with after they arise. Secure by Design incorporates security controls into a system’s core design. By doing this, vulnerabilities are reduced right away.

 

• Cost Savings: The amount of money a business saves as a result of a given choice is referred to as cost savings. It is frequently quantified as the difference between the resources needed to pursue the selected option and a different course of action.

 

• Regulatory Compliance: Strict regulatory standards for cybersecurity and data protection apply to many businesses. You can more successfully achieve these compliance standards by implementing Secure by Design techniques. It lessens the possibility of unforeseen circumstances costing you money in fines and penalties.

 

• Reputation Management: The reputation of your company could be seriously damaged by a security breach. Your dedication to safeguarding user data is demonstrated by the deployment of Secure by Design practices. Additionally, it can increase stakeholder and customer trust.

 

• Futureproofing: Cyberthreats are still developing. Your systems and apps will remain robust thanks to Secure by Design techniques. particularly against new threats.

 

• Minimizing Attack Surfaces: Secure by Design focuses on reducing the attack surface of your systems. Using it helps in identifying and mitigating potential vulnerabilities. You mitigate threats before a hacker exploits them.

 

A cybersecurity plan implemented six years ago may be out of date today. Need assistance updating the cybersecurity of your firm for small businesses in Dallas, Texas?

 

Call us right now to arrange a conversation at Straten Solutions.

In Straten Solutions we offer:

• Managed Services
• IT Security
• Cloud Solutions
• Backup & Recovery
• VOIP