Benefits:
Early detection of security breaches: Promptly identifying unauthorized use minimizes potential damage from data breaches, financial losses, and reputational harm.
Improved incident response: Early detection allows for faster containment and mitigation of security incidents, reducing their impact.
Enhanced deterrence: The ability to detect unauthorized use discourages potential attackers and strengthens your organization's security posture.
Compliance with regulations: Implementing this control can help meet compliance requirements for various industries and government contracts.
Accountability:
Senior Management: Establish and enforce policies and procedures: They are responsible for creating clear guidelines and protocols outlining acceptable system usage and defining how to identify and report unauthorized access. Resource allocation: They ensure adequate resources are available for implementing technical controls, user training, and incident response activities.
IT Security Team: Implement technical controls: They deploy tools and mechanisms like intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) and user activity monitoring (UAM) to actively detect and prevent unauthorized access attempts. Incident investigation and response: They investigate identified incidents, analyze system logs, and take corrective actions to contain threats, remediate vulnerabilities, and report findings to senior management.
System Owners: Define acceptable use policies: They establish specific guidelines for their assigned systems, detailing authorized users, permitted actions, and prohibited activities. Monitor system activity: They regularly monitor system logs and user activity for suspicious behavior that might indicate unauthorized access. Reporting: They promptly report any identified suspicious activity or potential security breaches to the IT security team for further investigation.
Individual Users: Compliance: They are responsible for adhering to all established policies and procedures regarding system access and usage. Reporting: They must report any observed suspicious activity or potential security incidents to the IT security team. Avoiding unauthorized use: They are strictly prohibited from engaging in any unauthorized access attempts or activities that violate system security policies.
Implementation:
System monitoring: Continuously monitor system activity for unusual patterns, such as unauthorized login attempts, excessive data access, or suspicious network traffic. This can involve tools like log analysis, intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS), and user activity monitoring (UAM).
Security information and event management (SIEM): Integrate diverse security tools to centralize log collection, analysis, and correlation, enabling a comprehensive view of potential unauthorized activity.
Log management: Implement robust log management practices, including secure storage, centralized access control, and regular log review for anomalies.
Incident response plan: Establish a documented incident response plan outlining procedures for detecting, investigating, and responding to unauthorized use incidents.
User education: Train employees on cybersecurity best practices, including strong password hygiene, recognizing phishing attempts, and reporting suspicious activity.
