National Cybersecurity Strategy Aims to Protect Critical Infrastructure

In March 2023, the Biden administration released a new National Cybersecurity Strategy. The Strategy asserts that cybersecurity is a critical component of the United States’ economic prosperity and national security. It then details a comprehensive approach to better secure cyberspace, protect critical infrastructure and create a resilient digital ecosystem.

An Overview of the National Cybersecurity Strategy

At the heart of the Strategy is the idea that robust collaboration – particularly between the public and private sectors – is essential to achieving its goals. Its authors suggest that too much of the responsibility for cybersecurity has fallen on individual users and small organizations.

Essentially, the administration is hoping to shift liability for cyberattacks from small businesses to software and tech companies that fail to take reasonable precautions to secure their products and services. According to the Strategy document, “the most capable and best-positioned actors in cyberspace must be better stewards of the digital ecosystem.”

The 39-page document also details how the administration plans to incentivize long-term investments in cybersecurity and invest in a more resilient digital ecosystem.

Cybersecurity Best Practices to Protect Critical Infrastructure

At this time, the impact of the Strategy on small businesses remains unclear. But, there are a few key takeaways that businesses can glean from the document. Particularly, on the importance of protecting critical infrastructure, and disrupting and dismantling cybercriminals and security threats.

Based on our experience as a managed IT service provider, below are three actionable ways to improve cybersecurity in these areas.

1. Assess and identify cybersecurity risks

The best way to identify cybersecurity risks is to conduct monthly vulnerability scans. The scans should catch current and upcoming issues that need to be remediated to keep your network and devices secure.

At Atlas, our managed IT services vulnerability scans flag things like:

• Upcoming network updates and patches
• Necessary password updates
• End-of-life notices for servers and software
• Weak SSL ciphers
• Remote memory corruption vulnerability

2. Address vulnerabilities

Following a regular vulnerability scan, a managed IT services provider will review the report and take the appropriate steps to protect critical infrastructure.

Employees can also put your business at risk, which makes regular education a key component of any cybersecurity program. At Atlas, we partner with KnowBe4 to provide employee security training to enhance cybersecurity measures.

3. Take a layered, custom approach to cybersecurity

Cybercriminals can hack into a system through a variety of entry points. Because of this, it’s important to take a layered approach to cybersecurity and protect your business from every kind of cyberattack.

At Atlas, we recommended our managed IT services clients use the following tools:

• Firewalls
• Anti-virus and anti-malware software
• Email spam filtering
• Virtual private networks (VPN)
• Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
• Advanced threat detection (ATD)
• Advanced threat prevention (ATP)

Not sure if your cybersecurity protocols are thoroughly protecting your organization? Or maybe you’re looking to better protect critical infrastructure to create a more resilient digital ecosystem. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation on how we can help.