How can you protect your company's financial data from cyber threats?

Network & Data Encryption: Lock down networks & scramble data (at rest & in transit) to block unauthorized access and misuse. Strong Access Controls: Limit access with multi-factor authentication (MFA) to keep data out of wrong hands. Train Employees: Educate staff on phishing & social engineering to prevent human error. Backups & Monitoring: Regularly back up data and monitor systems for suspicious activity to ensure quick response.

One of the effective ways I find is to conduct quarterly security awareness via phishing campaigns. If employees fail to identify phishing attempts, HR will disclose their names to their line managers. Employees failing the security awareness training exam will impact their KPIs, hindering promotions. This demonstrates our commitment to safeguarding financial data. Employees are required to attend mandatory training sessions to help them learn the importance of strong passwords and recognizing phishing attempts. Start by educating about common cyber threats such as phishing emails, malware, and social engineering tactics. Ensure they understand the risks associated with these threats and how they can impact the company's financial data.

It is vital to educate employees about cybersecurity best practices, including phishing scams and social engineering tactics such as phishing awareness "train employees to identify and avoid phishing emails and suspicious links that could compromise their credentials" and password hygiene "enforce strong password policies and encourage employees to use unique passwords for different accounts".

Restrict access to financial data to only those employees who require it to perform their job duties. Implement strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) to ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive financial information.

Implement MFA and RBAC can help limiting access to financial data. However, threat actors can still use advanced attacks to bypass MFA. They do this through: 1) Social engineering: Threat actors might impersonate trusted sources, such as customer service representatives or IT staff, to trick users into sharing their authentication token. 2) Compromising an authenticated session: Once the authentic user accesses an account, it may not prompt for MFA again. Cybercriminals exploit this by posing as the legitimate user. To prevent MFA bypass, consider: 1) Disabling legacy authentication and protocols. 2) Monitoring authentication requests to detect MFA attacks. 3) Reviewing and adjusting overly permissive conditional access protocols.

Consider access control not just as a barrier but as a dynamic defense mechanism. Implement adaptive access controls that adjust based on user behavior, device health, and contextual factors. This approach ensures that access privileges evolve in real-time, reducing the risk of unauthorized access to financial data while facilitating seamless user experiences.

Protect financial data by limiting access with role-based controls (RBAC), assigning permissions based on job roles. Enhance security with multi-factor authentication (MFA), requiring multiple verification factors for access.

One of the most important controls is to establish strong access controls (multi-factor authentication, role-based access) to ensure that only authorized personnel can access financial data.

o Implement least privilege access policies, ensuring employees have only the access necessary for their roles. o Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of security for accessing financial systems. o Regularly review and update access rights, especially after role changes or terminations.

To secure the network implement firewalls, intrusion detection systems, VPN, and data encryption to safeguard your networks and databases from unauthorized access.

Secure your company's networks with firewalls, encryption, and VPNs for remote access. Regularly update and patch systems, and conduct security audits to identify and address network vulnerabilities.

I would place all the financial data base servers behind the DMZs zone with full stack of data security I.e. IAM, Encryptions, Certificate.. frequently perform vulnerability management to secure the servers from threats. Regular audits of the access must be performed to make sure that no breach in Role based access.

Consider network security as an ecosystem rather than a fortress. Embrace a holistic approach that encompasses not only traditional perimeter defenses but also robust monitoring and response mechanisms. Implement advanced threat detection tools and behavioral analytics to proactively identify and neutralize threats targeting financial data. Foster collaboration between IT and other departments to ensure alignment with business objectives and seamless integration of security measures across the network.

Security Posture and Readiness Validate your security resilience across IT and hybrid environments to quickly identify exposure and minimize impact on your business. •Track risk exposure trends across your complete attack surface •Continuously validate tools and processes to ensure readiness for PCI DSS compliance

Incident response plan and playbook for cyber incidents involving your company's financial data is imperative for effective risk management. 1) Do you possess in-house capabilities, such as resources and tools, or do you intend to engage an incident retainer vendor? 2) Do you regularly conduct cyber drills or tabletop exercises to assess the resilience of your incident response plan? 3) Do you consistently remediate issues or weaknesses identified in the attack surface management (ASM) tools? 4) Do you regularly monitor alerts and response for potential data leakage, exfiltration targeting the company's financial data in SIEM? 5) Have you procured cyber insurance that allows businesses to reclaim costs associated with cyberattacks.

Treat incident response as a continuous learning process rather than a one-time event. Foster a culture of transparency and accountability, encouraging employees to report potential incidents promptly. Also, Conduct post-incident reviews to identify lessons learned and implement improvements to strengthen future responses. This iterative approach enhances resilience and ensures ongoing protection of your company's financial data against cyber threats.

Despite preventive measures, prepare for breaches with an incident response plan. Steps include breach identification, damage containment, threat eradication, data recovery, and stakeholder communication to minimize impact on financial data.

o Develop and maintain an incident response plan that includes procedures for financial data breaches. o Conduct simulated cyber-attack exercises to test and improve your response capabilities. o Have a dedicated incident response team ready to act in case of a security breach.

An effective incident response plan requires not only internal procedures but also coordination with external partners such as law enforcement and threat intelligence agencies. From my professional standpoint, rehearsing your incident response plan through tabletop exercises with all stakeholders can reveal unforeseen weaknesses and improve the speed and effectiveness of your response to cyber incidents.

View data encryption not just as a security measure but as a strategic asset. Leverage encryption technology to enhance trust with stakeholders by demonstrating a commitment to protecting financial data. Integrate encryption into business processes to enable secure collaboration and facilitate regulatory compliance. This forward-thinking approach not only safeguards against cyber threats but also enhances your company's reputation and competitiveness in the marketplace.

o Encrypt sensitive financial data both at rest and in transit using strong encryption standards. o Use end-to-end encryption for emails and files that contain financial information. o Regularly update and manage encryption keys securely.

Regular audits are critical for maintaining the integrity and security of your company's financial data. Conduct comprehensive audits to assess adherence to security policies, identify vulnerabilities, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Regularly review access logs, encryption protocols, and network configurations to detect any anomalies or potential threats. By proactively monitoring and auditing your systems, you can quickly identify and mitigate risks, safeguarding your financial data from cyber threats and ensuring business continuity.

Actionable reporting Generate instant post-run reports to provide overtime posture benchmarks, executive summary reports to management, and a detailed view of exposures with prioritized remediation guidance.

o Perform internal and external security audits to evaluate the effectiveness of your cybersecurity measures. o Use audit trails to monitor and log access to financial data, enabling detection of unauthorized activities. o Address any vulnerabilities or compliance issues identified during audits promptly.

Use a red teaming audit to evaluate your system, network and applications. Based on technology, organization and people this simulates a cyberattack that identifies vulnerabilities. Red teaming offers an objective assessment of your organization's security defenses and exposes potential vulnerabilities that might go unnoticed by other security measures.

- Employ encryption for data at rest and in transit - Implement strong access controls with multi-factor authentication - Keep software and systems updated - firewalls and intrusion detection/prevention systems - Use data loss prevention solutions - Secure endpoint devices - Have an incident response plan in place - Conduct regular audits and assessments - Train employees to recognize and respond to common cyber threats such as phishing attacks - Restrict access to sensitive financial information - Assess and manage the security of vendors and partners who have access to your financial data. - Ensure you have robust data backup and recovery procedures - Invest in cyber insurance to mitigate financial losses in the event of a data breach.

Importantly missed the starting point: Start with a cybersecurity risk assessment that highlights areas where your finance department is performing well but also points out the flaws and weaknesses of existing systems and processes. Also, limit the amount of data you collect and store. The less data you have, the less attractive your company is to hackers. Establish security requirements for finance vendors. If a malicious attack targets a vendor, your data can still be breached.

The importance of data availability and confidentiality means financial organizations can’t afford to merely assume security controls will prevent the next incident - they need to be confident they will. Pentera's Automated Security Validation platform enables financial institutions to continuously improve their security posture through attack emulation. By testing operational resilience against thousands of real-world attack methods, your Security and Red Teams can offload tedious testing tasks and focus their time on edge scenarios. Because emulation is run safely and continuously, security gaps are revealed in real-time against your cybersecurity ecosystem providing an immediate roadmap for improvement and a way to benchmark success.

Financial data is by definition confidential, regulated by laws and compliance standards. You will need good IP, DLP, and IRM tools. * IP (Information Protection) tools identify sensitive data and apply labeling. * DLP (Data Loss Prevention) tools prevent sensitive and labeled information from being sent outside the company or to unauthorized individuals. * IRM (Insider Risk Management) tools detect suspicious activities in a chain, allowing identification of users who are extracting and sharing data not only based on labels but also considering a user’s overall behavior compared to their previous activities and the organization’s overall behavior, thus closing the protection cycle.

As an interface between finance and security, I would advise an expert position. In this area in particular, I would advise everyone to give career changers a chance if they want to switch from the areas of bookkeeping, accounting, treasury or similar, or if they want to develop further. I personally have had very good experiences with this, because if you put the will before the ability and gain experience in the relevant areas, you can very quickly become a tailor-made expert in this field. You need the freedom to develop this person, the confidence that it will work and a little patience. But success proves you right.