7 ways to strengthen your cybersecurity posture right now

By 2025, global cybersecurity spending will reach $458.9 billion. Recent research in the physical security industry supports this momentum—this year alone, 43% of organizations are looking to invest in cybersecurity-related tools to improve their physical security environment.

And it’s no surprise why. Every year, cyberattacks are becoming more frequent and sophisticated than before. Since November 2021, the United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has been updating its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog. There are over 900 entries so far.

The Canadian Center for Cyber Security just released another alert, warning organizations of ongoing reports of Qakbot malware incidents. And the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Center and the Australian Cyber Security Center shared a blog about how telling users to ‘avoid clicking bad links’ still isn’t working.

While IT teams are doing everything they can to keep up, knowing what tools are at your disposal can help enhance your organization’s cybersecurity posture. Keep reading to learn about the top seven ways to harden your physical security system today.

 

 

  Enhance your password management

Regularly updating your device passwords is a must in today’s world. Passwords can end up in the wrong hands or become known, so it’s good practice to modify them to ensure ongoing protection.

Using strong passwords with lots of variations in characters, numbers, and symbols is another great way to ensure they don’t become compromised. But aren’t you tired of trying to come up with strong passwords all the time? We get that.

Within Security Center, you can use our built-in password manager to automatically generate strong, randomized device passwords that comply with supported device manufacturers’ rules. You can also configure the system to automatically update your camera passwords on a schedule or in batches.

  Automate software and firmware updates

Ensuring that your software and firmware are up-to-date is a critical factor in remaining cyber resilient. That’s because product updates often include important fixes that address new vulnerabilities.

But when you have multiple vendor products in your environment, trying to keep track of all the recent updates can be a tedious and time-consuming task.

The Genetec Update Service informs you when new product updates are available so you can make sure to have the latest fixes to counteract any known vulnerabilities.

Our Firmware Vault is another tool that lets you know when new IP camera firmware has been released. With a few clicks, you can then download and distribute those updates to ensure you have the latest defenses.

  Implement many layers of defense

The most effective cybersecurity strategies include various layers of defense. At the very basic level, you’ll want to rely on advanced encryption, authorization, and authentication methods to protect your data and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.

Beyond that, consider taking it a step further. This might include deploying mutli-factor authentication which involves three key facets:  

1. Something you know: username and passwords, or PINS   

2. Something you have: certificates, tokens, or phone authenticator apps, and more  

3. Something you are: biometrics such as fingerprints, facial recognition, etc.

You should also frequently review and update your system access privileges to ensure only those who need access to your applications and data do. This can be done using the Privilege Troubleshooter from the Config Tool in Security Center. This tool helps you investigate the allocation of user privileges and identify any oversights where privileges should be updated or revoked. Using the Privilege Troubleshooter, you can search for and export the following information:

• Entitiy view - Who has permission to work with a selected entity 

• User view - What privileges are granted to selected users or groups 

• Privilege view - Who has been granted a privilege, has access to a specific entity, or both

With that information, you can clearly see how all your permissions are configured and then make adjustments to them as needed.

  Start using built-in maintenance tools

Keeping your physical security systems secured saps a lot of time. Sure, you might be doing your own self-assessments on your system's health and performance. But when other important tasks come up, it’s easy to push system maintenance aside for another day.

Want to simplify how you monitor your physical security system’s health? Check out these maintenance tools available within Security Center:

• System Availability Monitor (SAM) - Keep watch over the status of your system components and receive alerts to things like devices falling offline. 

• Security Score Widget - Track the security of your system in real-time and follow recommendations to improve your score and cybersecurity posture.  

• Custom health dashboards - View all your critical system health data in one central place to see what’s happening in real-time and address vulnerabilities. 

  Enhance your compliance with privacy legislation

Data protection and privacy frameworks are evolving everywhere. General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) aside, governments around the world are enacting their own data privacy laws with strict penalties for non-compliance.

Staying on top of your privacy not only helps to strengthen your cybersecurity initiatives. It also helps your business avoid hefty fines and develop more trust with your customers.

Everything from using KiwiVision™—our built-in privacy protection module that anonymizes identities in live or recorded video—to automating video retention schedules, can help you ensure higher levels of compliance. Using Genetec Clearance™ evidence management to securely share private data upon request can further streamline your efforts to comply with evolving laws.   

  Adapt to hybrid work scenarios 

While the health crisis is mostly behind us, remote work might be here to stay. Many businesses today have adapted to a hybrid work environment, and IT teams must find ways to adapt their network, systems, and policies so employees can securely work from home when needed.

Deploying cloud and hybrid-cloud solutions can help your team stay on top of threats. After all, when you have hundreds of locations around the world, the complexities of maintaining and securing many on-premises systems can skyrocket. 

When you deploy cloud services, you’ll have access to the latest built-in cybersecurity features as mentioned above. Plus, you’ll always get the latest versions and fixes as soon as they are available. You can also choose to deploy your security systems on-premises while archiving video in the cloud. All this ensures higher levels of redundancy and availability. 

  Lean on your cyber-minded vendors

Tackling cyber threats shouldn’t be a solo mission. One of the best ways to lower your risk probability is by choosing to work with reputable vendors that are serious about cybersecurity. These vendors not only prioritize data protection and privacy in the development of their solutions, but they also make sure various cybersecurity and privacy features are enabled by default. 

A trusted vendor will also proactively monitor the emergence of new threats, inform you about known vulnerabilities, and share strategies and fixes for quick remediation.

This includes offering their customers hardening guides. For instance, the Security Center 5.11 hardening guide highlights all the basic and advanced-level security features and offers very specific recommendations about how to keep your system and devices secure.