Cyberattacks are becoming more frequent than ever before. Despite increasing emphasis given to cybersecurity in banking companies, this sector is one of the most sought-after targets for cybercriminals. Robbing a bank is one of the oldest crimes in the book. However, bank robbers in the modern day are hiding behind the screen, using targeted and sophisticated cybercrime tactics and leaving IT teams struggling to keep their networks and their vaults secure. According to the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) 2016, the financial sector had the largest number of security breach incidents, with 795 confirmed data losses. In fact, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has stated that cybersecurity in banking the biggest risk facing the financial system.
When it comes to cybersecurity in banking, it is always beneficial to be proactive rather than reactive. Though cyberattacks cannot be fully prevented, planning how to respond to a breach and regularly testing this plan through realistic simulations will helps organizations reduce the severity of such malpractices. In this blog, the experts of cybersecurity in the banking and financial sector from Infiniti Research have put forward some of the key ways in which companies in this sector can secure themselves amidst the cyber-attack chaos,
Ways to ensure cybersecurity in banking
Though the IT teams in banking companies have increased protection of customer data and brought down the number of credit card fraud, this does not completely establish cybersecurity in banking. The internal systems of most banks still need securing. Here are some ways in which the teams for IT and cybersecurity in banking can improve their network security to better secure the vault:
Be proactive
Banking sector companies must respond as if their network already has been breached rather than waiting for it to happen. Adopting this mindset forces the IT teams to prioritize the most business-critical parts of the network and use network segmentation as a strategy. If done in the desired manner, network segmentation, achieved through the creation of network zones, limits the ability for a hacker to move laterally across a compromised network. Cybersecurity in banking through network segmentation requires continual updates and configurations.
Enterprise-wide security policy
Having a well-defined security policy is a crucial roadmap towards cybersecurity in banking. This helps the IT team maintain a truly adaptive security architecture and determine the best way for the network to operate with minimal risk. Furthermore, it must be noted that the security policy takes into consideration all the regulatory and enterprise compliance requirements and how to apply timely patches to maintain compliance.
Security policy enforcement
As important as it is to have a security policy to ensure cybersecurity in banking, it is also imperative to validate that it is being enforced across your network. Not doing so will make the network vulnerable to threats. Organizations in the banking sector must constantly monitor their network for changes to configurations and ensure that these changes are approved and compliant with policy. This is a collaborative effort across the enterprise—network operations, security operations, and the CIO.
Get more insights into Infiniti Research’s market intelligence solutions for the banking sector by getting in touch with an expert.
