Financial institutions have a high risk of cyber attacks. They must implement cybersecurity measures.
These measures help them thwart cyber threats that could damage the reputation and success of the institution. Furthermore, they also help them maintain compliance with regulations.
Identifying Vulnerabilities
Cybersecurity is a growing concern in the financial industry, as cybercriminals are increasingly targeting banks and credit unions to steal money and sensitive customer data. According to the Notifiable Data Breaches report, over the last five years, banks have been impacted by over a quarter of all cybersecurity incidents.
As the industry becomes more reliant on digital solutions and third-party services, the proper cybersecurity measures must be in place to safeguard the financial institution’s operations and reputation. There needs to be more than the security of a bank’s internal network to protect the organization from threats, as it also depends on the protection of third-party vendors and suppliers who work with the bank.
For example, it is impossible to predict how much access an attacker with compromised credentials can obtain through a hacked vendor. It is difficult to prevent hackers from leaving backdoors that allow them to re-enter the network later unimpeded.
Financial institutions must identify network, software, and infrastructure vulnerabilities by conducting penetration testing and vulnerability assessments to mitigate these risks. This process will provide visibility into the effectiveness of their defenses and reveal critical security issues that require immediate attention.
Financial institutions should implement a centralized IT risk management framework to support their efforts to identify and mitigate the risks of cybersecurity in the financial industry This framework will help the organization identify and address the most pressing security issues and meet regulatory requirements.
Developing a Plan
As cyber threats become more prevalent; organizations must ensure they are prepared to address these risks. They should develop a plan that will allow them to protect their systems, information and reputation from hackers.
The first step in developing a cybersecurity risk management plan is identifying your organization’s threats and vulnerabilities. This includes all of the technology you use and any issues that have come up.
It also includes the laws and regulations that govern how confidential data must be protected. Today, businesses are also under pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic of employees working remotely and on unsecured networks, scrambled security protocols, recession-driven budget cuts and staffing shortages, among other challenges.
Once you have a clear idea of what potential risks your company faces, it is important to prioritize them based on their severity. This helps you make the most of your time, resources and staffing to address the risks most relevant to your business.
Implementing Measures
In the current cybersecurity landscape, financial institutions face many challenges. This results from the increasing amount of sensitive data these organizations must manage and secure.
These data include personally identifiable information (PII) and financial records. Cybercriminals can exploit this data to steal funds, access personal information, and more.
Proper cybersecurity measures are the best way to ensure these threats don’t harm your organization. These measures can include identity-based access, security awareness training, data integrity, and other strategies that help keep your financial data safe.
While implementing these measures, you should also be aware of all the relevant IT standards, laws, and regulations that pertain to your business. This will help you avoid potential compliance issues that could cost you time and money.
Moreover, you should know how to use the correct network insight products to identify vulnerabilities before they become significant problems. These products give you a centralized view of your network to spot any potential loopholes that could compromise the security of your data.
In addition to these security measures, you should implement data protection solutions that can help you protect your sensitive data from cyber-attacks. This can include tools that detect unauthorized access, block malware, and provide visibility into compromised files.
Monitoring
Cybersecurity measures are essential for financial institutions because they protect their customer’s sensitive information. Failure to secure customer data can result in lawsuits, fines, and damage to a company’s reputation.
Aside from being a legal liability, cybersecurity breaches can also affect investor perception and cause share prices to drop. They can also lead to increased borrowing or raising capital costs, impacting a company’s ability to operate efficiently.
In addition, hackers are often motivated to target financial institutions due to the highly sensitive information they contain. This includes personally identifiable information (PII), the information of customers they must maintain in a database for regulatory purposes.
While the public has a higher understanding of how to safeguard their privacy online than in the past, cybercriminals still exploit this knowledge to their advantage. They use this information to perpetrate various crimes, including phishing attacks, identity theft, and scams.
As more people conduct transactions electronically, cyberattacks are becoming a significant concern for financial institutions. These attacks include ransomware, phishing attacks, and malicious software that accesses systems or files. These attacks can cause data to be encrypted and require a ransom to recover it.