The 5 Most Effective Cyber Security Practices

The Importance of Cyber Security

The Importance of Cyber Security

Part of why modern cyber security is critical is the threat landscape that enterprises are thrown into. Old threats remain uncomfortably close in the rearview mirror, due to:

• The lasting presence of legacy systems
• Stealthy attack campaigns that persist undetected

For example, in 2024, CISA added a remote code execution bug from 2018 to its active exploitation list. It was discovered being used in the wild against a Taiwanese victim by a Chinese government-funded APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) group.

Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, the major threat is complexity, driven by:

• Rapid technological advancements
• Sophisticated cybercriminal activity
• Deeply interconnected supply chains

According to the World Economic Forum, 54% of surveyed organizations cite supply chain interdependencies as their greatest cyber security challenge.

Geopolitical tensions have also raised the stakes:

• One third of CEOs now cite cyber espionage and intellectual property theft as top concerns
• The fast adoption of AI without proper controls adds to this risk, with only one third of organizations reporting they have processes in place to assess an AI tool’s security before deployment

Despite the nature of these threats, they can be managed. The key lies in visibility – the principle of cyber security, around which a number of core objectives can be built.

Top 5 Cyber Security Best Practices

While the order of prioritization will depend on your own specific requirements, treat the following cyber security best practices like a checklist.

#1. Define and Control User Roles

Role-based access control (RBAC) is how the vast majority of organizations control who is accessing what. Roles are one of the core tenets of cyber security, as this is how employees can be verified according to what role and therefore what resources they require for day-to-day work.

By defining the roles within your organization, you’re able to specify which users can access what data.

User roles can be implemented alongside Identity and Access Management (IAM). In this setup, when a user logs into their account and performs an action, the application or database checks their role against its privilege requirements. Only if the role has the appropriate permissions can access be granted.

This reduces an enterprise’s attack surface by limiting the damage that can occur in account compromise cases.

Furthermore, RBAC streamlines access management by allowing IT teams to set predefined roles, like “editor” or “accountant,” for all new employees.

It’s vital to:

• Adequately define and regularly review these roles
• Monitor inherited permissions, especially in hierarchical RBAC systems, to ensure senior roles don’t accumulate excessive privileges 

#2. Segment Networks and Implement Traffic Policies 

With groups of users distinguishable, it’s time to bring the same level of granularity to groups of devices.

Network segmentation is a security practice that divides a primary network into smaller, isolated subnetworks. Each subnetwork or zone is then equipped with its own:

• Access requirements
• Firewall safeguards

A firewall is a necessary piece of security tooling in this context. 

It allows IT or security teams to monitor and control what information is being requested from each subnetwork. The exact permissions are governed by the firewall’s underlying policies, which are a critical component of cyber security best practices.

Firewalls assess:

• The destination, source, and contents of all data packets
• Incoming and outgoing traffic to and from each subnetwork
• Whether the traffic aligns with configured policies

They can:

• Recognize malicious IP addresses
• Identify suspicious behavior
• Block traffic that violates policy

All network data filtered through the firewall is then funneled to the security team for further analysis.

Next-Gen Firewalls can collate this data into actionable incidents, giving analysts a head start. But, these traffic policies are vital to maintain to keep segmentation effective and the network secure. 

#3. Implement In-Depth Endpoint Visibility

Network-based best practices focus on securing the way in which data is moved and where it’s going. But, many cyber threats target the applications and endpoints that employees rely on day-to-day.

The first step to endpoint visibility is discovery.

You must identify all end-users and IoT devices connected to a network. Given the dynamic and often temporary nature of endpoint and virtual devices, this process needs to be continuous. This is why most endpoint protection projects rely on Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools.

Once endpoints are identified, a risk model of each device’s security posture should be calculated, involving:

• Behavioral analysis, which builds a profile of how each endpoint typically operates
• Monitoring for deviations from the norm
• Enabling security teams to quickly detect anomalies and implement appropriate remediation measures

#4. Identify and Protect Data

Having secured networks, endpoints, and users, there’s one more core piece of the attack surface that needs securing: data. Stored in databases and cached on servers and endpoints, a data protection strategy focuses on finding and securing sensitive information.

Data risk management is the first step, which typically involves a comprehensive audit to identify:

• The types of data an organization holds
• Where the data is stored
• Who has access to it

With this information, security teams can implement targeted risk mitigation strategies. One of the core protective measures is encryption. 

Encryption transforms data from its original, readable format into an encoded format (ciphertext) using an algorithm. This ensures that, even in a worst-case scenario where attackers gain access, they cannot interpret or use the data without the decryption key.

Another vital best practice is scheduled data backups. This involves:

• Regularly creating or updating copies of critical files
• Storing backups in one or more secure remote locations
• Using backups to restore business operations in the event of file damage, corruption, cyberattacks, or natural disasters

#5. Define Your Incident Response and Management Processes

It’s key to have visibility into every component, but it’s equally critical to have someone at the helm. This best practice focuses on having a plan – and knowing who is responsible for each process.

Incident response teams are composed of various roles, each with specific responsibilities to ensure a coordinated and effective response to security incidents. Clear communication and defined roles are essential to streamline efforts and avoid confusion during high-pressure situations.

• Incident response managers oversee the entire process and ensure high-level protocols are followed
• Security analysts handle in-depth triaging and investigation around alerts and vulnerabilities

It’s vital that the team is able to operate across all five parts of the cyber security lifecycle:

1. Identification
2. Protection
3. Detection
4. Response
5. Recovery

To manage this, teams may require a number of tools. 

For this reason, modern best practice recommends unified tooling with robust, single-pane-of-glass dashboards to centralize visibility and response.