What is a Cybersecurity Framework? Explore the Details of Cybersecurity Compliance

Everybody recognizes the importance of cybersecurity in the modern world. However, there are still lots of organizations that aren’t implementing the right security measures. 

One of the first steps to protecting your business is choosing a cybersecurity framework, and we’re going to have a look at why this is so important. 

What is a Cyber Security Framework?

A cyber security framework is simply a set of best practices an organization should follow to limit its cybersecurity risk. 

Every organization in the world, whether big or small, faces some level of cybersecurity threat. We see this every day through hacks and data leaks that cost businesses money and can seriously tarnish their reputations. 

You can’t eliminate cybersecurity risk altogether, but you can manage it by putting the right protocols in place. A good cybersecurity framework helps organizations to do this, limiting risk, and putting systems in place to respond to cyber-attacks. 

Why is a Cybersecurity Framework so Important?

The modern world is reliant on the internet. Virtually no organization can function without being connected. While this brings many benefits, it also opens businesses up to risk. 

Those risks aren’t limited to the business itself either. They can affect employees, customers, and many more loosely connected entities such as suppliers.

When a major cybersecurity breach happens, it can have far-reaching consequences. 

This is one of the reasons why a cybersecurity framework is so important. It’s not just about protecting your own organization; it’s also about ensuring the people you do business with are protected too. 

It’s easy to think a business is too small to be targeted by cybercriminals, or too big to be infiltrated, but it happens every day. If you’re not being proactive and actively following the right cybersecurity frameworks, then your cybersecurity risk is greatly increased. 

What is Cybersecurity Compliance?

Cybersecurity compliance is an organization’s ability to show that it’s met certain cybersecurity standards required by a regulatory authority. It shows that an organization has taken the necessary steps to protect its customers and also sets out the steps that are to be taken in the event of a breach. 

It’s like a vote of confidence, and it should serve to reassure customers and other organizations you do business with. 

This isn’t to say your business is now risk-free. 

Security breaches happen, even to organizations with the most robust cybersecurity protocols. However, cybersecurity compliance shows that you limit your risk and have systems in place to respond in the event of a security breach.  

Different Cybersecurity Frameworks

We’ve looked at the commonly asked question of “what is a cybersecurity framework,” and talked about its importance, but what frameworks should you be looking at? 

NIST Cybersecurity Framework

The NIST cybersecurity framework was designed to protect critical infrastructure such as power plants and dams from cybersecurity attacks. As you can imagine with infrastructure that’s essential to national security, this framework is pretty robust!

Robust is good though, and the NIST cybersecurity framework can be adapted to any organization. 

At its heart, it has five key principles:

• Identify: Identify critical assets and the cybersecurity risks they face.
• Protect: Implement policies to help protect those assets. 
• Detect: Implement the necessary operations to detect cybersecurity breaches.
• Respond: Create protocols for responding to cybersecurity incidents.
• Recover: Follow steps to recover normal business operations.

Together, these principles help businesses to limit cybersecurity risks and minimize the damage done when an attack does occur. 

ISO 27001 Cybersecurity Framework

ISO 27001 is an internationally recognized standard in cybersecurity. 

It mandates that organizations should have an information security management system in place and implement coherent and comprehensive security controls. The right controls should mitigate identified security risks and help protect organizations and their customers.

The ISO cybersecurity framework also recommends the adoption of an ongoing risk management process. 

In order to be certified an organization must be audited against the PDCA cycle.

CIS Cybersecurity Framework

The CIS cybersecurity framework was created by a team of expert volunteers in the early 2000s. It brings together experts from a range of backgrounds to create a comprehensive framework. 

It offers 20 regularly updated controls, that are broken down into three categories: basics, foundational, and organizational. 

This is ideal for businesses looking to take their first steps with a cybersecurity framework as it allows them to build incrementally. It can also coexist with other common frameworks like NIST and HIPAA. 

FAQs: What is a Cybersecurity Framework?

• What is a cybersecurity framework? A cybersecurity framework is a set of best practices organizations should follow in order to limit cybersecurity risks. There are many different frameworks businesses and other organizations can implement to protect themselves. 

• What are the components of a cybersecurity framework? Each cybersecurity framework works slightly differently, but they’re all broken down into a number of component parts. For example, the NIST framework is broken down into 5 parts: identify, protect, detect, respond, and recover. 
• How do you make a cybersecurity framework? Rather than creating a brand new cybersecurity framework, most businesses will use an existing framework to build their security practices around. There are many different ones to choose from, so it’s important to identify the one that best fits your needs. 

Conclusion: What is a Cybersecurity Framework?

A cybersecurity framework is designed to help protect organizations from cybersecurity risks. 

It’s an important tool for any modern business because cybersecurity risks are everywhere. If you’re not putting the right practices in place to help protect you and your customers, then it can lead to severe consequences for your business. 

We see stories about high-profile security breaches on the news all the time, and it’s a poignant reminder that these cybersecurity frameworks are critical. 

Let our team of experts ensure your organization is in compliance with the right cybersecurity standards. 

Contact StickmanCyber today to learn more about our Compliance & Certifications services.