Mitigation

Mitigation refers to measures taken to fix software vulnerabilities and prevent exploits. It involves identifying assets, assessing threats, and determining protection methods to protect business-critical assets from attack or loss.

Also known as risk Mitigation, vulnerability remediation, threat mitigation, security hardening, and countermeasure implementation.

Cybersecurity risk mitigation is a critical element in any organization's cybersecurity strategy. Risk mitigation begins with identifying assets, assessing threats, and determining protection methods to protect business-critical assets from attack or loss.

The security team must then document these processes and educate employees on implementing them. This documentation should be regularly reviewed to reflect the security environment and organizational structure accurately.

1. 1. 1. Perform a risk assessment to identify weaknesses
      

      A cybersecurity risk assessment, which may assist in revealing possible vulnerabilities in your organization's security policies, should be the first step in a cybersecurity risk reduction approach.
      
      A risk assessment can provide insight into the assets that need to be protected and the security controls that are currently in place. Conducting one can assist your organization's IT security team in identifying vulnerability areas that could be exploited and prioritizing which steps should be taken first.
      
      Cybersecurity ratings are an excellent approach to acquiring a real-time view of your organization's and third—and fourth-party providers' cybersecurity postures.

1. 2. Implement network access controls

   Following an assessment of your assets and identifying high-priority issue areas, the next step is to implement network access restrictions to help limit the risk of insider attacks.
   
   Many businesses resort to security solutions like zero trust, which evaluates trust and user access credentials as needed based on each person's job function. This reduces the likelihood and severity of threats or assaults caused by employee carelessness or a simple lack of understanding of cybersecurity best practices.
   
   Endpoint security will also become a rising problem as the number of connected devices on a network grows.

1. 3. Put in place firewalls and antivirus software
   

   Installation of security solutions such as firewalls and antivirus software is another key cybersecurity risk reduction approach. These technical safeguards give another layer of protection to your computer or network.
   
   Firewalls serve as a barrier between the outside world and your network, giving your company better control over incoming and outgoing data. Likewise, antivirus software scans your device and network for possible dangerous threats.

1. 4. Make a patch management plan

   Many software vendors constantly deliver fixes, and today's hackers are aware of this. As a result, they can figure out how to exploit a hole nearly as soon as it is issued.
   
   Organizations need to be aware of the average patch release timetable among their service or software suppliers to build an efficient patch management plan that may assist your organization's IT security team in keeping ahead of attackers.

1. 5. Maintain a constant eye on network traffic

   One of the most effective ways to limit cybersecurity risk is proactive action. With around 2,200 assaults each day, the only way to fully stay ahead of thieves is to constantly monitor network traffic and your organization's cybersecurity posture.
   
   Consider technologies that provide a full picture of your whole IT environment at any moment in time to enable real-time threat detection and cybersecurity risk reduction. It will help your IT security staff be more proactive in identifying emerging risks and determining the best course of action for the cleanup.

1. 6. Create an incident response strategy

   Ensuring that everyone, including the IT security team and non-technical staff, understands what they are accountable for in the case of a data breach or attack may make it simpler to have resources ready to go. This is referred to as an incident response plan, and it is one of the most important components of managing cyber risk in your organization's developing network settings.
   
   Threats may come from anywhere and are becoming more sophisticated, making it increasingly difficult to completely prepare for data breaches.
   
   An incident response plan assists your business in being proactively prepared so that your team can respond promptly and effectively to any difficulties that arise.