In recent years, cyber attacks have become commonplace—from data breaches and infrastructure infiltrations to brute force and spear phishing; cyber security incidents hit news headlines every other day. In fact, according to a recent study, cybercrime will cost the world $10+ trillion annually by 2025.

Given the worsening state of cybersecurity, having a strong cybersecurity strategy that includes effective cybersecurity services can help keep your organization safe. Trava sets out to change how industries view cybersecurity by providing easy-to-understand tools and insights. We offer a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity, including pentest (penetration test), baseline cybersecurity risk assessment (BCRA), and cyber due diligence (CDD). This post will discuss how these cybersecurity services can help shield your organization from ever-increasing cyber threats.

Let's dive in.

What's a Baseline Cybersecurity Risk Assessment and Why Do You Need It

Also known as cybersecurity risk assessment, IT risk assessment, or information security risk assessment, a baseline cybersecurity risk assessment (BCRA) evaluates an organization's cybersecurity posture. The assessment is usually conducted by a team of security experts who use a variety of techniques, such as vulnerability scans and interviews with key stakeholders, to identify key vulnerabilities and risks to an organization's data and systems. The assessment typically covers various aspects of the organization's digital security, including its network infrastructure, software applications, and security policies and procedures.

Trava’s BCRA aims to identify any areas where an organization's security is lacking and provide recommendations for improving your overall cybersecurity posture. This assessment is also used to benchmark the progress of future security initiatives.

A BCRA can be performed on a site, region, or even on a national basis, depending on the depth of an organization's operations. The assessment needs to be comprehensive to identify any weaknesses in an organization's cyber security.

What's Cyber Due Diligence and Why Do You Need It

Cybersecurity due diligence is the process of evaluating a company's cybersecurity practices and policies to evaluate the risk of a potential investment or merger. This can include reviewing a company's incident response plan, network architecture, and data protection policies, as well as conducting vulnerability testing and penetration testing. Cyber due diligence aims to identify and mitigate potential cybersecurity risks before making an investment or merger.

Every organization needs to conduct cybersecurity due diligence to gain clear insights into how a third party's existence in their system impacts their security, the threats and vulnerabilities they face, and the measures that can be taken to mitigate those threats. If you invest in a third-party’s software or services, you take on all of their risks as well. Their weakest areas become your weak areas as well.

What's Penetration Testing and Why Do You Need It

Penetration testing, also known as pen test, is a simulated cyber attack on a computer system, network, or web application to evaluate the application's security. Pen tests aim to identify vulnerabilities that an attacker could exploit and to assess the overall security posture of a system. Every organization should run penetration tests to help identify and address potential security and data privacy risks before they are exploited.

The stages of penetration testing include:

  • Planning and reconnaissance: This entails defining scopes and goals and gathering intelligence to have a better understanding of how a system works and its potential vulnerabilities.
  • Scanning: This process entails inspecting a system or application's code to determine how it responds to different intrusion interruptions.
  • Access: In this process, testers use web applications to test a target's vulnerabilities, those vulnerabilities, and understand what damage they can cause.
  • Maintaining access: This stage aims to determine if a given vulnerability can be used to maintain a persistent presence in the exploited system long enough for a threat actor to gain access to the system.
  • Analysis: The test results are compiled into a report detailing and prioritizing specific vulnerabilities that can be exploited, sensitive data that can be accessed, and information about how long the system has remained vulnerable. The results of a pen test can be used to improve the security of a system.

Penetration testing is typically done by a team of security experts who use a myriad of tools and techniques to attempt to gain unauthorized access to the system and identify any weaknesses in the system's defenses. Pen tests can also come in the “physical” variety where hired experts attempt to gain access to your brick and mortar offices, server rooms, and other important areas of your company that they should not be able to access. It’s also important to remember that a company’s systems are only as secure as its vendors’ and partners’ systems.

Conducting regular penetration tests on your physical offices, networks, web and mobile apps, and cloud configurations can increase customer and stakeholder trust by demonstrating a commitment to proactive security measures.

Cybersecurity Doesn't Have to be Complicated

In the age of the Internet, we've become more dependent on online banking, shopping, and socializing. And while the Internet makes various aspects of our lives much more convenient and easy, it also carries the risk of malicious actors getting access to data they shouldn’t. Falling victim to a cybersecurity attack can result in individuals and businesses incurring high costs.

You can avoid such a predicament by implementing sound cybersecurity measures. At Trava, we offer cybersecurity services that are unique to your business. We meet you where you are and walk you through the assessment, compliance, and insurance journey. Book a demo with us today.