In
today’s
perilous
cyber
risk
landscape,
CISOs
and
CIOs
must
defend
their
organizations
against
relentless
cyber
threats,
including
ransomware,
phishing,
attacks
on
infrastructure,
supply
chain
breaches,
malicious
insiders,
and
much
more.
Yet
at
the
same
time,
security
leaders
are
also
under
tremendous
pressure
to
reduce
costs
and
invest
wisely.
One
of
the
most
effective
ways
for
CISOs
and
CIOs
to
make
the
best
use
of
their
limited
resources
to
protect
their
organizations
is
by
conducting
a
cyber
risk
assessment.
A
comprehensive
cyber
risk
assessment
can
help:
-
Identify
vulnerabilities
and
threats -
Prioritize
security
investments -
Assess
cybersecurity
maturity -
Communicate
cyber
risk
to
executives -
Provide
the
basis
for
cyber
risk
quantification
A
new
guide
by
cybersecurity
optimization
provider
CYE
(download
here)
explains
how
this
can
be
accomplished.
The
guide
outlines
several
approaches
to
cyber
risk
assessments
and
describes
the
necessary
steps
that
can
yield
solid
insights
and
recommendations
for
security
leaders.
Conducting
an
effective
cyber
risk
assessment
There
are
various
approaches
to
conducting
a
cyber
risk
assessment—each
with
its
own
pros
and
cons.
All,
however,
involve
understanding
an
organization’s
security
posture
and
compliance
requirements,
collecting
data
on
threats,
vulnerabilities,
and
assets,
modeling
potential
attacks,
and
prioritizing
mitigation
actions.
According
to
the
guide,
an
effective
cyber
risk
assessment
includes
these
five
steps:
-
Understand
the
organization’s
security
posture
and
compliance
requirements -
Identify
threats -
Identify
vulnerabilities
and
map
attack
routes -
Model
the
consequences
of
attacks -
Prioritize
mitigation
options
A
cyber
risk
assessment
also
creates
the
basis
for
cyber
risk
quantification,
which
puts
a
monetary
value
on
the
potential
cost
of
cyber
threats
versus
the
cost
of
remediation.
CRQ
can
help
security
experts
pinpoint
which
vulnerabilities
in
the
organization’s
threat
landscape
pose
the
greatest
threat
and
prioritize
their
remediation.
It
also
helps
CISOs
communicate
the
cost
of
cyber
risk
to
management
and
justify
security
budgets.
Creating
a
cybersecurity
roadmap
Conducting
a
cyber
risk
assessment
is
only
the
first
step.
The
insights
and
recommendations
that
are
yielded
from
the
assessment
can
set
the
stage
for
creating
a
roadmap
for
how
the
organization’s
cyber
posture
will
be
strengthened
in
stages.
Then
the
team
can
track,
measure,
and
quantify
cyber
resilience
over
time.
The
assessment
should
also
be
revisited
periodically
to
address
any
emerging
threats,
changes
to
the
business,
and
changes
to
the
organization’s
technologies,
IT
architecture,
and
security
controls.
To
effectively
assess,
quantify,
and
mitigate
cyber
risk,
organizations
should
be
sure
to
have
the
right
tools
and
platforms
in
place,
as
well
as
dedicated
professional
guidance
and
advice
provided
by
established
cybersecurity
experts.
Want
to
learn
more
about
how
to
strengthen
your
security
posture
and
optimize
security
investments
by
assessing
and
prioritizing
cyber
risk?
Download
the
guide
here.