10 Critical Steps: Your Organization’s Cyberattack Prevention Checklist

Organizations can prevent cyberattacks and minimize liability risks by reviewing and implementing these 10 important steps:

1. Adopt a Zero Trust Network Access Framework, which requires all users to be authenticated, authorized, and continuously validated to access, and while using, network applications or sensitive data. At a minimum, organizations should limit privileges, and manage identity and data access for all of its users.
2. Use firewalls, anti-virus software, endpoint detection and response tools, and security information and event management products. Organizations should continuously monitor their networks and assets for unauthorized activity, anomalies, indicators of compromise, and other potentially malicious activities. When threats are identified, steps can then be taken to immediately contain and remove threat actors within the network thereby mitigating damages and data loss.
3. Perform software security patching as soon as possible and immediately address critical vulnerability updates. Hackers often exploit unpatched vulnerabilities to launch ransomware attacks.
4. Implement data minimization measures and make an inventory of all internal and external software, services, and systems used by the organization. Remove all unnecessary data, hardware, and software from the organization’s networks, especially those connected to the internet.
5. Implement network segregation controls. Segregate critical networks and services on your organization’s network and deploy network defenses to block traffic and threat actors from laterally accessing them. Also, ensure any personal information and sensitive proprietary data is encrypted, segregated, and safeguarded on your network.
6. Develop an Incident Response Plan, which is regularly updated and tested.
7. Employ Multi-Factor Authentication and use strong and unique passwords of at least 12 characters, which includes uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
8. Create and maintain daily encrypted back-ups of your data, which are tested and stored off of your organization’s network either offsite or in the cloud. Such backups will minimize operational disruption and can be used for disaster recovery.
9. Understand your supply chain and manage third-party risks by regularly evaluating vendors and monitoring them for cybersecurity, operational, and compliance risks.
10. Institute regular cybersecurity awareness employee training. Human error accounts for a large percentage of security breaches, estimated at 68% in Verizon’s 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report.

Looking to reference this checklist later? Download our Cyberattack Prevention Checklist.