Cyberattacks are on the rise and it is essential to automate security functions. Automation can be used by companies to encrypt information, scan for vulnerabilities, and triage alerts. They can also detect and respond to threats, use deception technologies, manage data, and ensure privacy. Automation can reduce the workload on security teams and improve efficiency. It also reduces human errors, saving time and money.
Cyberattacks occur on average every 39 seconds. The massive number of cyberattacks means that even though every company wants its data and systems to be secure, security teams can’t keep up with the attacks.
Organizations need to automate security functions in order to protect their systems against cyber-attacks and threats. Security automation reduces human error and takes the pressure off security teams by eliminating manual security processes.
Automated security functions allow organizations to detect threats better, reduce the likelihood that they will suffer a cyberattack, and accelerate incident response to minimize the damaging effects should an attack occur.
IBM reports that companies who use automation and artificial intelligence can reduce the lifecycle of a security breach by up to 74 days, and the cost by as much $3 million.
9 Business Security Functions That Can And Should Be Automated
There are nine security functions that companies should automate.
1. Data encryption
The number of data breaches is increasing, and there are new threats every week. IBM estimates that the average cost of a US data breach was $9.44m in 2022, which is higher than the global average of $4.3m.
Strong encryption reduces the costs of a data leak because malicious actors can read and use data they have accessed. If organizations encrypt data, cybercriminals have a low chance of being able to access it. Many companies do not encrypt data. Instead of encrypting their data, many companies use other security techniques to prevent cybercriminals from gaining access.
They can handle continuous and automated backups. Automated encryption software encrypts data while in transit as well as data stored at rest. If a company is hit by ransomware, it can simply roll back to its last encrypted backup with minimal disruption or downtime. The organization can also ignore any ransom demands from the attacker.
Also read: What is a Data Protection Plan And Top 5 Reasons
2. Vulnerability scan
By April 25, 2023, there will be more than 213,000 entries on the National Vulnerability Database. Cybercriminals use these vulnerabilities in software and systems to attack companies, before vendors can release security patches. It’s impossible for security analysts and companies to fix all of these security vulnerabilities before hackers take advantage. Therefore, it is important for companies to automate vulnerability scans to identify and evaluate vulnerabilities based on their severity and impact.
3. Alert triaging
These tools prioritize and assess threat alerts without the need for any human intervention. These tools reduce false positives and allow security teams to work more efficiently. They also improve the cyber defenses for their organization.
4. Threat detection/incident response
By identifying potential threats and responding as soon as possible, organizations can prevent cybercriminals from accessing their networks and stealing data. Automated threat detection and response software can be used by companies to validate threats, investigate them, and then fix them. They can also use advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict, stop, and possibly even prevent cyberattacks.
These automated tools are more accurate than the security teams of most organizations in detecting threats. Automating repetitive, time-consuming, and monotonous security tasks allows organizations to respond much faster while reducing the risk of human error.
5. Automated Deception Technology
AI-powered deception technologies deploy realistic decoys to lure cyberattackers, such as databases, servers, and files. The technology gathers intelligence as soon as the attacker interacts with these decoys. This information is then used to alert security teams of organizations that can take immediate action to remove/remove threats, stop possible breaches, and secure data.
6. Data Management
Security teams in organizations spend a large part of their day manually administering tools, to make sure sensitive corporate data is protected. Spending so much time manually collecting data does not produce very much. Automation of tasks such as asset management, log management, and data collection can help free up time for security personnel to work on more valuable tasks that require human interaction.
Also read: Top 10 Data Loss Prevention Software
7. Data Privacy
Automating data privacy functions can help organizations ensure regulatory compliance. AI-powered tools are able to navigate an organization’s environment and identify processes that do not comply with regulations and requirements. This can be done without the need for a full audit. To keep systems secure, it is important that companies adhere to regulatory compliance.
8. Simulated attacks
Testing is also a very time-consuming part of cybersecurity. To ensure that their systems and data remain secure, organizations must perform vulnerability tests and simulate attacks. Many companies delay testing or only test occasionally because it is time-consuming.
Organizations can boost their security by using automated simulations of attacks. These simulations mimic the behaviors of cyber criminals, and they identify which processes and controls are working well and which ones need to be improved.
9. Application Security
Manual approaches are no longer feasible when it comes to the security of your applications. DevOps deployments are increasing as more companies use low-code, no-code tools, and application programming interfaces. A manual approach may also introduce human errors that could lead to security breaches.
Automated tools can be used by companies to secure their apps, including checking for encryption protocols and authorization. Automation can be used by organizations to scan applications for known security flaws.
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