One of the biggest supply chains in the world is controlled by the US government. It is dependent on more than 4 million contractors. These contractors outsource tasks and provide services. The number of contractors will fluctuate according to where the country is in peacetime or at war. For example, the contractors will get doubled or tripled during a war.
However, one thing will always remain to stay constant. Foreign hackers will always try to target the government and government contractors. A cybersecurity attack attacked various defense contractors. Attackers can sometimes steal sensitive government documents. This will disrupt the entire supply chain. Most attackers will target government contractors for attacking the government itself.
Hackers can also target government agencies that are operating in the USA. These attacks have increased after the increase in the remote workforce. The Pentagon has introduced a new cybersecurity standard for its contractors. This plan contains more than 110 security requirements that government agencies should follow. There are also many security processes and practices that are mentioned. However, these standards apply only to government defense contractors. Government agencies have to ensure that all their data is secured from attackers. In this article, we will share some tips that will help governments and agencies protect their data.
Protect your website
Most government agencies forget about protecting their website. Make sure that users can’t make an unencrypted connection to your site. The USA government has already announced that all government sites should use HTTPs. HTTPs is just a secure version of good old HTTP. However, there is no deadline for these security requirements. Government agencies and contractors should ensure that they are using HTTPs. It is a more secure option when compared to HTTP.
Know your assets
You should know about your assets before you start building your cybersecurity strategy. This will ensure that you know about the assets. First, you should create a list of all your important assets. Make sure that these assets don’t get breached. This list can include your devices, network, and data. It would help if you also determined the risk associated with these assets. Some of these devices will contain classified information. Thus, you might lose access to classified information, which can devastate your organization. If your network is down, your users can’t complete their work. Thus, you will lose productivity. You should know about the users that have access to your assets. This will help you understand the risks. Your cybersecurity strategy will focus on these devices. It will help you in protecting them from attackers.
Know your contractors
The main problem with private companies is that they don’t know about their vendors. This is also a problem in many government organizations. Thus, you should first create a list of all the contractors. You should know about the systems and information that your contractors can access. This will ensure that you know how a data breach will affect your agency. If contractors get breached, then it will also affect your government agency. Make sure that your sensitive data will stay secure in this case. Most attackers will target your contractors as they forget about securing their systems.
Authentication
You should ensure that only authorized users can access your network. Many government agencies are still only using a password to protect their network. However, this is not sufficient. It would help if you implemented multi-factor authentication to protect your sensitive data. This will ensure that attackers can’t access your network even after stealing your user password. They still need to enter a one-time password to access your data. Biometrics are also very useful for protecting your data. You can use them for implementing MFA.
First, your users need to enter the right password. After that, you can use biometrics to identify your users. However, you also need to protect these biometric data from attackers. Most government agencies will store this data in their in-house data center. You should implement the best security tools for protecting this data. It will be useful if attackers get access to your biometric data. Attackers hacked into the OPM database in 2015 and leaked the fingerprints of over 1.1 million people. You can also use your employee’s mobile devices to identify them. It is also a very effective method for protecting your organization.
Automate your cybersecurity
Most government agencies have access to a lean cybersecurity budget. Thus, these agencies will always use reactive approaches. They will only respond to threats rather than stop them first. You should proactively monitor your threat landscape. This will help you in stopping the attacks in the first place. Thus, you don’t need to worry about data breaches. You should streamline your cybersecurity operations and try to automate them. For example, you can hire an MSP to monitor your network and compliance. Experienced MSPs like Bleuwire can help you in monitoring your network and compliance. Bleuwire will create a proactive approach to your organization’s security. This will ensure that you can plan for the future. You also don’t need to worry about hiring security professionals. MSPs like Bleuwire have access to a team of security professionals. They will help you in protecting your agency from attackers.
Conclusion
These tips will help you in protecting your government agency. However, continuous network monitoring is very important for your agency’s security. Experienced MSPs like Bleuwire can regularly monitor your network and compliance. They will ensure that your IT infrastructure is protected from attackers. If you are not using HTTPs, then they will inform you. Your partner can inform you if you are not following security compliance. It would help if you tried to address these security concerns. Make sure that your contractors are also protected. They should also work with a good MSP to protect their data. If the contractors are breached, attackers will also get access to your data. Thus, it would be best if you tried to implement the best security tools. If you need more information regarding IT security services, then you can contact Bleuwire.
Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™ services and solutions in how we can help your business.
