For me the start of a new year has always been September, not January. Think about it… crisp cool air rolls in along with new pencils, new backpacks and new “school shoes”. It’s the time of year we tend to clean out those closets, recommit to past goals and probably make new ones. Kids are back in school and everyone is back into their school-year routines.
It’s really no different for our government IT leaders. October 1st will begin a new Federal Fiscal year. Now is the time that agencies take stock of the strategic plans and budget requests that were rolled up for approval months ago- how will they be funded and which initiatives are most important now that a few months have passed. And this year, just as our students will have new teachers, our government will soon have new leadership across many levels and layers. How will that impact execution against priorities and day to day operations within our agencies?
Start implementing least privilege now with the new eBook, External Attacks Against Privileged Accounts- How Federal Agencies Can Build a Layered Defense in Preparation for a Layered Attack.
A New Year = A Renewed Focus on Cyber Security
As federal IT professionals ponder these questions one thing is extraordinarily clear- privileged access management, or lack of, has been an underlying theme in all things Federal Cyber Security related. From the FISMA scorecard to agency breach related headlines, this has been part of the discussion that explores how to make our federal information systems more secure.
Government mandates across disciplines, from FISMA to CDIP, single out privileged access management and achievement of Least Privilege as a game changing strategy. So while you are taking stock and reconfirming priorities for your agency, why not assess how prepared you are in three key areas?
- Is your environment truly ready to defend against gained entry by a malicious actor?
- Can you defend against unauthorized access?
- If an attacker does gain entry, how ready are you to defend against their taking action within your information systems?
Thwarting the Layered Attack
Attackers rarely charge the gates to grab a piece of data in a hit-and-run fashion. Attacks are layered, and often malicious outsiders can morph to look like privileged insiders in a variety of ways. So how does an organization take a defensive posture instead of being left to simply react? In this new ebook, External Attacks Against Privileged Accounts- How Federal Agencies Can Build a Layered Defense in Preparation for a Layered Attack, you’ll have the opportunity to explore the surprisingly predictable pattern of attack, and learn what considerations your agency should make when setting out to manage privileged account access and successfully implement least privilege.
Every federal IT professional understands the value of the information resources they’ve been entrusted with. No one wants to be the next headline. Use the start of this Federal New Year to take a closer look at your privileged access management posture so you are ready to prevent the next potential breach.
Making the Complex Achievable
Here at BeyondTrust we have a seasoned Federal team that understands your needs and challenges. The BeyondInsight IT Risk Management Platform helps agencies secure their environments and fulfill regulatory requirements through its integrated suite of IT security solutions that reduce user-based risk and address security exposures.
If your agency is exploring options to mitigate risks in your information environments, contact us today for a strategy session.
Scott Lang, Sr. Director, Product Marketing at BeyondTrust
Scott Lang has nearly 20 years of experience in technology product marketing, currently guiding the product marketing strategy for BeyondTrust’s privileged account management solutions and vulnerability management solutions. Prior to joining BeyondTrust, Scott was director of security solution marketing at Dell, formerly Quest Software, where he was responsible for global security campaigns, product marketing for identity and access management and Windows server management.