What is OPSEC? Why is It for Everyone?

1. What is OPSEC? Why is It for Everyone? In a tech-driven era where malicious attackers are relentlessly trying to find loopholes in the cyber landscape, 360-degree security has become a mandate. Among all the diversified types of security, OPSEC has proved to be a reliable and rock-solid way to protect sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands and avoid adversaries like memory corruption. What is OPSEC? Also known as procedural security, Operational Security (OPSEC) is a risk management process that encourages individuals and enterprises to view operations from the perspective of an antagonist to protect sensitive data and insights. Although the security protocol was fundamentally used by the military, now it is becoming popular in business ecosystems as well. The OPSEC umbrella includes a five-step process: Data Identification Identifying the sensitive data with thorough R&D. By working with iOS security researchers, vivid product research, customer/employee information, intellectual property, financial statements, etc. are identified as the kind of information/resources that would need protecting. Threat identification For every category of information deemed sensitive, experts identify the kind of threats that are present. Undoubtedly one must be wary of third parties trying to steal information, but there are internal threats as well that need equal emphasis. Vulnerability assessment The third step involves analyzing security pitfalls and other vulnerabilities. By deploying reverse engineeringprinciples, professionals assess what safeguards your data and determine what weaknesses can be exploited to gain access to your sensitive information. Appraising vulnerabilities The next step is to rank the vulnerabilities using factors such as the extent of damage, the likelihood of an attack and the amount of time and effort you would need to recover. If an attack is more damaging, prioritize it more to mitigate the associated risk at the very first instance. Determining countermeasures The last step of OPSEC is to create and implement a strategy to eliminate threats and mitigate risks. This includes everything ranging from updating hardware, training employees on sound security practices/company policies or managing sensitive data. Why should you care about OPSEC? Cyber attackers are constantly profiling targets and looking for potential weaknesses in OPSEC platforms. Within a few hours of online recon using OSINT (Open Source Intelligent Techniques), attackers can gather enough information on a target to learn their:

2. Name Address Location SSN/NI Number Email accounts and passwords Online digital footprint Financial information Employment information Social media profile Sensitive personal data, etc. If you want to avoid identity theft, or you don’t like the sound of your sensitive enterprise/ financial information getting stolen by anyone, working with OPSEC experts can do wonders to safeguard your data with offensive cyber security. Unlike conventional defensive security which focuses on reactive measures like finding and fixing system vulnerabilities and patching software, offensive security is an adversarial, proactive approach to protect your systems and networks from attacks through practices like ethical hacking and reverse engineering. It's a wrap! Need a robust, comprehensive OPSEC program to mitigate risks and vulnerabilities before they become problems? Reach out to the experts at Zeroblack now. Ranging from implementing a precise change management process and restricting access to network devices with AAA authentication to training, automating tasks and implementing dual control, the professionals can create an orchestrated incident response and disaster recovery planning for your OPSEC program.