In today's constantly changing cyber landscape, Answering the question “What does the best practice now look like?” is far from simple. While Emerging Technologies and AI-Driven Security tools Continue to make the headlines and become the topics of discusation, the real point for modern second locomotia But in context, people and process.
The Recent Signal Messaging Platform Incident In which a journalist was mistakenly added to a group chat. The platform wasn’t breached by malicious actors, or a zero-day exploit being utilized or the end-to-end encryption failing; The shortfall here was likely poorly defined accepted use polices and controls along
This incident, if noting else, highlights a critical truth within cyber security – Security tools are only as good as the environment, policies, and people operating theme. While it's tempting to focus on implementing more technical controls to prevent this from Happening Again, The Reality is that Many Incidents Results Result from a Failing, GOWRNANECE, Or Awareness.
What does good security look like today? Some key area include:
- Context over features, for example, whither signal should have been used in the first place;
- There is no such thing as a silver bullet approach to protect your Organization;
- The importance of your team's training and education;
- Reviewing and adapting continuously.
Security must be context-Driven. Business Leaders Need to Consider What their Key Area of Concern is-Reputational Risk, State-Sponsored Survelance, Insider Threts, Or regulatory Compliance. Each Threat Vector requires a different set of controls. For example, an Organization Handling Official-Sensitive or Classified Data will require not just just just encryption, but assured platforms, robust access contrors, Identity Validation, Identity Validation, Auditability.
Convercely, a Commercial Enterprise Concerned about Intellectual Property Leakage Might Strategically Focus on User Training, Data Loss Prevention, and Device Control. Best practice isn't picking the platform with the cheapest price tag or the most commonly used; It's selecting a platform that supports the controls and policies required based on a deep undersrstanding of your specific risks and use cases.
There is no one-size-fits-short solution for your organization. The security product landscape is filled with vendors offering overlapping solutions that all claim to provide more protection than the other. And, although we know some potentially do offer better protection, features or functionality, even the best tool will fall if used incorrectly or implemented with a clearance. WORESE, Organizations May Gain a False Sense of Security by Relying SOLELY on a Supplier's Claims. The priority must be to assess your Organization's internal capability to manage and operate these tools effectively. Reassessing the Threat Landscape and Taking Advantage of the Wealth of Threat Intelligence tools Aawailable, Helps Ensure You Have The Right skills, Policies, and Processes in place.
Best Practice in 2025 means recognizing that many security incidences stem from simple human mistakes, misaddressed emails, poor password hygiene, or Eveen sharing access with the worshiped. Investing in Continual Staff Education, Security Awareness, and Skills Gap Analysis is essential to show relief.
This doesn't mean an annual 10-minute cyber awareness video; You need to identify what will motivate your people and run security campaigns that capture their attention and change behavior. For example you could consider using engaging nudges such as mandatory phishing aletes on laptops, interactive lock screen campaigns, and quizzes on key political uses and quizzes on key political usage and Password complexity. Incorporate Gamification Elements, For Example Rewards for Completing Quizzes, and Timely Reminders to Reinforce Security Best Practices and Fostering a Culture of Vigilance.
These campaigns should be a mixture of communications that engage people coupled with training which is seen as relevant by the workforce, as well as SPCCFIC Needs. Your developers need to undersrstand Secure Coding Practices, while there in front line operations may need training in how to detect phishing or social engineering attackers. In doing so this help to create a better Security Culture with the Organization and Enhance Your Overall Security Posture.
Finally, What's Considered “Best Practice” Today may be outdated by Tomorrow. Threats are constant evolving, regulations change, and your own business operations and strategy may shift. Adopting a Cyber Security Lifecycle That Encompasses People, Process and Technology, Supported by Business Continuous Improvement Activities and A Clear Vishan from Senior StakeHollers will be bee Vital. Conducting Regular Security Reviews, Red-Teaming, and Reassessing Governance and Policies will help ensure that defense relevant and proportional to your Organization's Charats.
Encryption, however, still matters. As do SSO, MFA, Secure Coding Practices, and Access Controls. But the real corner of best practice in today's cyber world is undersrstanding why you need them, and how they'll be used in practice. Securing your organization is no longer just about picking the best platform, it's about creating a holistic view that incorporates people, process, and technology. And that may be the most secure approach, after all.
Russell auld is digital trust and cyber security expert at Pa consulting