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Policies and Controls are King in the IT Security world

I came across an article by Roger Grimes over at Infoworld on how security policies and controls are the real power when it comes to IT security.

Roger mentions the SANS 20 Critical Security Controls for Effective Cyber Defence, which are a great read for anyone looking at updating or auditing your policies for completeness.

The SANS top 20 controls are a must for any organization:

  1. Inventory of Authorized and Unauthorized Devices

  2. Inventory of Authorized and Unauthorized Software

  3. Secure Configurations for Hardware and Software on Laptops, Workstations, and Servers

  4. Secure Configurations for Network Devices such as Firewalls, Routers, and Switches

  5. Boundary Defense

  6. Maintenance, Monitoring, and Analysis of Security Audit Logs

  7. Application Software Security

  8. Controlled Use of Administrative Privileges

  9. Controlled Access Based on the Need to Know

  10. Continuous Vulnerability Assessment and Remediation

  11. Account Monitoring and Control

  12. Malware Defenses

  13. Limitation and Control of Network Ports, Protocols, and Services

  14. Wireless Device Control

  15. Data Loss Prevention

  16. Secure Network Engineering

  17. Penetration Tests and Red Team Exercises

  18. Incident Response Capability

  19. Data Recovery Capability

  20. Security Skills Assessment and Appropriate Training to Fill Gaps


If you are missing policies dealing with any of these, this would be a great time to look at implementing them, especially with such a great resource now available.

 

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