Businesses Need Stronger Cybersecurity in 2022

If the uptick in cyberattacks and ransome groups in 2021 are an indication of a trend, businesses must batten down the hatches in 2022. Rom Hendler, co-founder and CEO of Trustifi, shared his views about the need for stronger cybersecurity with Mike Monocello, co-founder of DevPro Journal. In an article titled “Businesses Are Taking Action to Build Strong Cybersecurity” published on 4 January 2022, Hendler joined other industry thought leaders in defining the future of cybersecurity for vulnerable businesses.

Invest in next-gen technologies

Hendler predicted that next-gen security technologies would come to the forefront in 2022 to thwart sophisticated cyber attacks. He specifically identified relay-based solutions employing AI (Artificial Intelligence) and super-smart OCR (optical character recognition) as key tools for detecting and disarming hackers. According to Hendler, traditional security solutions, such as Secure Email Gateways (SEGs), are no longer viable defenses against the new evolution of hackers. SEGs operate on the principle of implicit trust—all traffic is good unless it is known to be bad. SEGs look for known malicious addresses. If an email from an unknown sender domain enters the system, SEGs let it through until told explicitly to block it. Sophisticated email scammers today can spin up a domain, blast out an attack, and take down the domain in minutes, making their phishing expeditions impervious to SEGs. Next-gen security solutions, like Trustifi’s Inbound Shield, use AI, OCR, and machine learning to sniff out suspicious traffic before it hits the company’s email servers. Hendler warned that today’s bad actors employ these same technologies to create their scams, so companies must fight fire with fire to protect themselves.

Increase Proactivity

Another critical need that businesses must take seriously, according to the DevPro article, is increased proactivity in the form of automated security risk responses to get ahead of the hackers. As the cyber threats become broader, companies must apply flexible countermeasures that align with their particular situations. Vital to this proactive shift is the implementation of zero-trust policies. In the traditional implicit-trust model of security, once a hacker compromises an employee’s account, they have virtually unfettered access to everything on the company network. Using the zero-trust model, an account is granted access to resources only under certain conditions. For example, a company might block a laptop’s access to the network if the computer is not on the company’s premises. Firewalls are a poor defense against data exfiltration, since they lack the power to perform context-aware analysis of outgoing network traffic. Trustifi’s Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solution takes exfiltration scanning to another level with AI and machine learning engines that analyze network traffic in real-time to identify and block data transmissions that do not comply with zero-trust policies.

Combine cybersecurity with physical security

The DevPro article points out that physical and cyber security have traditionally been separate camps, but organizations can no longer afford to keep the two teams apart. The new hybrid workforce requires these two to merge. The supply chain has become increasingly vulnerable to a combination of physical and cyber attacks. The Internet of Things, from thermostats to automated vehicles, carry real-life consequences of attacks. As cyber-physical security attacks increase, the protection of enterprises becomes increasingly complex. Email, however, is still the favorite attack vector of cybercriminals to initiate business email compromise, malware, ransomware, and every other form of malicious intrusion. Securing the email system, therefore—both incoming and outgoing—is crucial to business asset security.

Final thoughts

Trustifi provides client companies with a multi-layered, next-gen solution to email security. Using the latest in AI, OCR, and machine learning breakthroughs, Trustifi offers a comprehensive and sophisticated umbrella of protection against phishing, spear-phishing, whaling, impersonation, and other forms of email invasion. Two aspects of Trustifi’s solutions are critical: They do not diminish user productivity. On the contrary, they enhance productivity by simplifying and automating the security procedures for email users. Trustifi’s solutions are designed specifically for small businesses and startups—the most vulnerable targets for hackers. They are easy to implement, simple to administer, and won’t break the bank. Contact a Trustifi security consultant today for a free demo of Trustifi’s next-gen email security solution. See how easily and affordably you can protect your company from the growing number of bad actors on the internet.