In today’s digital landscape, where threats are increasingly complex and pervasive, robust cyber security measures are essential for businesses of all sizes. It’s no longer just an IT concern; it’s a critical business imperative.
This guide will help you develop and implement an effective cyber security policy, safeguarding your organization’s assets and reputation. Each step builds upon the last, creating a comprehensive framework for immediate protection and long-term resilience.
1. Risk assessment
The first and perhaps most critical step in developing a cyber security policy is conducting a thorough risk assessment. This process involves a comprehensive evaluation of your organisation. Understanding each aspect of this process is essential for creating an effective cyber security policy.
Identify your organisation’s security risks, assets, and threats.
Conduct a security risk assessment
Begin by systematically evaluating your organisation’s susceptibility to various cyber security threats. This assessment should consider both internal and external risks. Here are three widely recognised risk assessment frameworks:
- NIST Cyber Security Framework. Developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), this framework is widely used across various industries.
- ISO/IEC 27005:2018. Part of the ISO 27000 family of standards.
- FAIR (Factor Analysis of Information Risk) is a quantitative risk assessment methodology that helps organisations understand, analyse, and quantify information risk in financial terms.
Identify assets
An essential part of risk assessment is identifying all the assets that need protection. Assets are not just limited to physical devices like computers and servers but also include software, data, and intellectual property.
Not all data is created equal. Classify your data based on its impact on the business. You might also use software tools to label documents and emails.
Map your assets
This map should detail where each asset is located, both physically and in the network, who has access to it, and how it is currently protected. This is vital for understanding the potential vulnerabilities and the flow of sensitive information within your organisation.
Identify your threat landscape
This involves staying informed about the latest cyber security trends and threat intelligence. Each industry may face different types of threats, so tailor this analysis to your specific context.
Prioritise risks
After identifying the risks, prioritise them based on their potential impact and the likelihood of occurrence. This prioritisation helps focus your cyber security efforts and resources on the most critical areas.
Reduce your business’s attack surface
The attack surface of your business is any point where an unauthorised user can try to enter your data environment or extract your data. Minimising this attack surface involves implementing measures such as securing endpoints, ensuring proper firewall configurations, and limiting user access to essential applications and data.
Step 2: Set your security goals
Now you have a risk assessment that highlights the critical risk to the information or business, use it to drive the security goals.
This involves determining your security maturity, understanding your company’s risk appetite, and setting reasonable expectations. Each of these components plays a crucial role in shaping a realistic and effective cyber security strategy.
Examples of goals might include:
- Strengthening network security.
- Enhancing data protection.
- Improving incident response.
- Ensuring compliance with regulations.
Step 3: Evaluate your technology
The third step in developing a robust cyber security policy involves a critical evaluation of your current technology infrastructure. This step helps in understanding the effectiveness of your existing tools and systems in safeguarding your digital assets.
What is currently in use?
- Compile a comprehensive list of all the hardware and software in use within your organisation.
- For each technology solution, assess its security features and whether they’re up-to-date.
Are there sufficient resources to manage these platforms?
- Evaluate whether you have adequate resources, both in terms of personnel and budget, to effectively manage and maintain these technology platforms.
- Assess if your IT staff has the necessary training and expertise to manage these technologies effectively. Explore our cyber security training resources.
Does technology bloat exist?
- Look for redundancies in your technology stack: multiple tools with overlapping functionalities can lead to complexity, increased costs, and potential security gaps.
- Consider consolidating tools and platforms where possible to reduce complexity and improve manageability.
How does data flow in and out of your systems because of using this technology?
- Map out how data flows through your systems. Understand how data enters, is processed, stored, and leaves your network.
- As you map the data flow, identify any points in the process where data might be vulnerable to interception or leakage.
Step 4: Review your security policies
The fourth step in developing a comprehensive cyber security policy involves a thorough review of the existing security policies within your organisation. This step is essential for ensuring that your policies are not only up-to-date but also effectively enforced.
You might explore the following information security control libraries:
What policies are in use today?
- Begin by compiling a list of all current security policies.
- Evaluate each policy for its relevance to current technologies and threats. Determine if there are gaps that need to be addressed.
Are these policies enforced or just written?
- Investigate how these policies are enforced. Are there systems and procedures in place to ensure compliance?
- Assess the level of employee awareness regarding these policies.
- Look into past security incidents and compliance issues, if any.
Step 5: Create a risk management plan
Developing a risk management plan is a critical step in fortifying your organisation’s cyber security posture. This plan should be a comprehensive, actionable strategy that addresses the identified risks (as outlined in Step 1: Risk assessment), and aligns with your security goals (as established in Step 2: Set your security goals).
Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating an effective risk management plan:
1. Consolidate risk assessment findings
- Refer back to risk assessment.
- Update risk profiles.
2. Define risk management objectives
- Align with security goals. These objectives should be clear, measurable, and achievable.
3. Develop risk mitigation strategies
- Prioritise risks.
- Employ appropriate risk mitigation techniques.
4. Implement risk controls
- Implement the necessary technical and administrative controls to mitigate identified risks. This could involve enhancing network security and updating policies (as reviewed in Step 5: Review security policies).
- Ensure that part of your risk control involves employee education.
5. Establish monitoring and review processes
- Set up processes for the continuous monitoring of risks and the effectiveness of the implemented controls.
- Create mechanisms for feedback and reporting on risk-related issues.
6. Plan for incident response and recovery
- Develop or update your incident response plan.
- Include strategies for business continuity and data recovery to minimise downtime and data loss in the event of an incident.
7. Document and communicate the plan
- Clearly document the risk management plan, ensuring it is accessible to all relevant stakeholders.
- Communicate the plan across the organisation.
8. Regularly review and update the risk management plan to ensure it remains relevant
Step 6: Set password requirements
The strength and management of passwords are foundational elements of your security framework. This step is integral to ensuring that every team member is equipped and committed to upholding the security standards necessary to protect against ever-evolving cyber threats.
- Enforce strong password policies across the organisation. This includes using complex passwords that combine letters, numbers, and symbols, and changing passwords regularly.
- Encourage or mandate the use of password managers to help employees maintain and manage strong, unique passwords for different services. For example: LastPass.
- Incorporating Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) into your security framework significantly enhances the strength and management of passwords, especially for cloud-based software tools.
Step 7: Set rules around handling technology
It is important to create a secure and controlled digital environment. The way employees interact with company technology – from everyday use to specific actions like software installation – can significantly impact the overall cyber security health of the organisation.
- Establish clear policies for the use of company technology, including acceptable use, prohibited activities, and guidelines for downloading and installing software.
- Implement security measures for all company devices, including laptops, smartphones, and tablets. This may include the use of antivirus software, firewalls, and regular security updates.
Step 8: Set standards for social media and internet access
The way your organisation engages with the Internet and social media platforms can have profound implications for cyber security so a well-defined Internet Usage Policy is essential. It must delineate the boundaries of acceptable and safe online behaviour.
- Develop a policy that outlines acceptable and safe use of the internet and social media, highlighting the types of sites and online activities that are considered risky or inappropriate. This policy will serve as a guide for employees, helping them understand which types of sites and online activities are deemed risky or inappropriate, thereby mitigating potential cyber threats.
- Provide guidelines on how to use social media responsibly, especially when representing the company or discussing company matters. These guidelines are so important in an age where social media’s influence is ubiquitous, and the line between personal and professional use often blurs. They will provide clear directives on how employees should conduct themselves on social platforms, particularly when representing the company or discussing company-related matters.
ISO 27001: Information Security Standard
ISO 27001 is the widely recognised international standard for managing information security. It provides a comprehensive framework for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving an Information Security Management System (ISMS).
By adhering to ISO 27001, businesses can not only ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of their data but also demonstrate a strong commitment to cyber security best practices.
Step 9: Outline email security measures
Progressing to Step 9 in the development of your comprehensive cybersecurity policy, we address a critical component that is often the frontline in the battle against cyber threats: email security. Email systems are not just essential communication tools in the modern business landscape, but they are also common targets for cyber attacks, such as phishing.
- Educating employees about the dangers of phishing attacks is essential as they need to be equipped with the knowledge to recognise suspicious emails, which are often the starting point for more significant security breaches.
- Set clear guidelines and policies for handling email communications safely. These practices include directives such as avoiding the opening of attachments from unknown sources and using encryption for sensitive emails.
Step 10: Implement your security policy
After developing a comprehensive cyber security policy and risk management plan, the next vital step is implementation. This stage involves putting into action the strategies and policies you’ve developed.
Implementing a comprehensive cyber security policy successfully in an organisation involves a multi-faceted approach that combines strategic planning, employee involvement, technology integration, and continuous improvement. Here are key strategies to ensure successful implementation of your security strategy:
- Secure strong support from top management.
- Communicate the cyber security policy and its importance from the top down. Leaders should set an example and be advocates for strong cybersecurity practices.
- Conduct ongoing training sessions for all employees to ensure they understand the cyber security policy and their role in it. Find out about Cyber Essentials Plus, a self-assessment certification which gives you peace of mind that your cyber defences will protect against the majority of common cyber attacks.
- Foster a culture where cyber security is everyone’s responsibility. Encourage employees to report suspicious activities and make it easy for them to do so.
- Integrate into daily operations.
- Enforce policies.
- Utilise appropriate technologies that support your cyber security policy. This includes firewalls, antivirus software, intrusion detection systems, and secure email gateways.
- Keep all systems and security software up to date. Regular maintenance is vital to protect against new vulnerabilities.
Step 11: Prepare for an incident and do a test run
Being prepared for an incident is not just a precaution; it’s a necessity. You should not only prepare but conduct a test run to evaluate the effectiveness of your response plan. This step is essential in ensuring that your organisation can quickly and effectively respond to and recover from cyber incidents.
Preparing for a cyber security incident
- Develop an incident response plan.
- Establish an incident response team.
- Define communication protocols.
- Identify key assets and prioritise protection.
- Implement detection tools.
Conducting a test run
- Simulate an incident. Create a realistic cyber incident scenario based on potential threats your organisation may face. This could range from a data breach to a ransomware attack.
- Engage the incident response team.
- Document the process.
- Evaluate and debrief.
- Revise the plan.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has a series of desktop exercises to help you test your resilience. You will be able to choose one that reflects the risks or threats to your business.
