Control Cyber Security

[Tabita Knezevic]

The CIS Critical Security Controls (CIS Controls) are a prescriptive, prioritized, and simplified set of best practices that you can use to strengthen your cybersecurity posture. Today, thousands of cybersecurity practitioners from around the world use the CIS Controls and/or contribute to their development via a community consensus process.

The CIS Controls consist of Safeguards that each require you to do one thing. This simplified cybersecurity approach is proven to help you defend against today's top threats. Learn more in our CIS Community Defense Model v2.0.

Multiple U.S. States require executive branch agencies and other government entities to implement cybersecurity best practices. Several of them specifically mention the CIS Controls as a way of demonstrating a "reasonable" level of security.

The CIS Controls consist of 18 overarching measures that help strengthen your cybersecurity posture. They prioritize activities over roles and device ownership. That way, you can implement the CIS Controls in a way that works for you.

Formerly known as "Sub-Controls," the Safeguards are specific and unique actions that guide the logic of the 18 top-level CIS Controls. Each Safeguard defines measurement as part of the process and requires minimal interpretation to implement.

The Implementation Groups (IGs) help you prioritize your implementation of the CIS Controls and Safeguards. You can begin with Implementation Group 1 (IG1). The definition of essential cyber hygiene, IG1 represents an emerging minimum standard of information security and of protection against common attacks for all. IG2 and IG3 build on the foundation laid by IG1.

CIS Controls v8.1 help you keep on top of your evolving workplace, the technology you need to support it, and the threats confronting those systems. It places specific emphasis on moving to a hybrid or fully cloud environment and managing security across your supply chain.

Security controls are parameters implemented to protect various forms of data and infrastructure important to an organization. Security controls refers to any type of safeguard or countermeasure used to avoid, detect, counteract or minimize security risks to physical property, information, computer systems or other assets.

Given the growing rate of cyberattacks, data security controls are more important today than ever. According to a Clark School study at the University of Maryland, cybersecurity attacks in the U.S. now occur every 39 seconds on average, affecting one in three Americans each year. Furthermore, 43% of these attacks target small businesses. Between March 2021 and March 2022, the average cost of a data breach in the United States was USD 9.44 million.

These regulations typically include stiff penalties for companies that do not meet the requirements. For example, Meta recently reported that it anticipates a fine of more than USD 3 billion from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for shortcomings around data protection policies that led to several data breaches.

Frameworks enable an organization to consistently manage security controls across different types of assets according to a generally accepted and tested methodology. Some of the best-known frameworks and standards include:

A security solution is only as strong as its weakest link. Therefore, you should consider multiple layers of security controls, also known as a defense-in-depth strategy, to implement security controls across identity and access management, data, applications, network or server infrastructure, physical security and security intelligence.

A security controls assessment is an excellent first step for determining where any vulnerabilities exist. A security controls assessment enables you to evaluate your current controls to determine they are implemented correctly, operating as intended and meeting your security requirements.

NIST Special Publication 800-53 created by NIST acts as a benchmark for successful security control assessments. The NIST guidelines serve as a best practice approach that, when applied, can help mitigate the risk of a security compromise for your organization. Alternatively, your organization can also create its own security assessment.

Designed for industry, security and the freedom to build and run anywhere, IBM Cloud is a full stack cloud platform with over 170 products and services covering data, containers, AI, IoT and blockchain. Use IBM Cloud to build scalable infrastructure at a lower cost, deploy new applications instantly and scale up workloads based on demand.

The CSC-MCX maintains state-of-the-art cybersecurity technical expertise and provides expert-level support to the USACE Military Programs Enterprise and external stakeholders on a cost-reimbursable basis.

The CSC-MCX proactively collaborates with the USACE Civil Works Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Mandatory Center of Expertise at Little Rock District (focused on civil works national critical infrastructure and facilities such as locks, dams, levees and navigational waterways), USACE Engineering and Research Centers and Laboratories, as well as other USACE Control System focused design centers such as USACE Utility Monitoring and Control Systems (UMCS), Electronic Security Systems (ESS), Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) Mandatory and Technical Centers of Expertise, across USACE, to identify ways to support and enhance cybersecurity efforts across all USACE-executed projects. The CSC-MCX also works closely with functional design engineers (civil, mechanical and electrical) in designing and integrating cybersecurity requirements that support the functionality aspects of the control system, ensuring the delivery of complete and usable facility-related control systems.

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The security of industrial control systems is among the most important aspects of our collective effort to defend cyberspace. As ever, CISA remains committed to working with the industrial control systems (ICS) community to address both urgent operational cyber events and long-term ICS risk.

CISA offers a wide range of free products and services to support the ICS community's cybersecurity security risk management efforts. Visit this full catalog of all CISA ICS Service Offerings with additional details for each service listed.

Cybersecurity controls are mechanisms used to prevent, detect and mitigate cyber threats and attacks. Mechanisms range from physical controls, such as security guards and surveillance cameras, to technical controls, including firewalls and multifactor authentication.

As cyber attacks on enterprises increase in frequency, security teams must continually reevaluate their security controls continuously. A unilateral approach to cybersecurity is simply outdated and ineffective. And, because it's impossible to prevent all attacks in the current threat landscape, organizations should evaluate their assets based on their importance to the company and set controls accordingly.

Adding to the challenge is that employees are unlikely to follow compliance rules if austere controls are implemented across all company assets. The severity of a control should directly reflect the asset and threat landscape. The consequences of a hacker exposing thousands of customers' personal data via a cloud database, for example, may be far greater than if one employee's laptop is compromised.

"There are many different ways to apply controls based on the nature of what you're trying to protect," said Joseph MacMillan, author of Infosec Strategies and Best Practices and cybersecurity global black belt at Microsoft. "What is the nature of the threat you're trying to protect against? Is it a malicious actor? Or is it a storm?"

The following excerpt from Chapter 2, "Protecting the Security of Assets," of Infosec Strategies and Best Practices explores the different types of cybersecurity controls, including the varying classes of controls, such as physical or technical, as well as the order in which to implement them.

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