May 29, 2023

Last Updated on January 4, 2024

How can a strong cyber asset management program help prevent ransomware attacks from manifesting in your environment? Here are 4 ways:

 

1. At least you’ll know what devices you have and where they are if ransomware strikes.

Your security team would not be proud if you were hit with ransomware and the strike point was a device on your network you didn’t even know about. If you’re not aware of devices you have no chance of addressing their vulnerabilities or otherwise hardening them.

 

2. Device fingerprinting helps reduce misconfigurations and other vulnerabilities so ransomware can’t exploit them.

If your device fingerprinting gives your security team useful data on device configurations, settings, etc., they can configure them optimally and eliminate vulnerabilities that ransomware is potentially trying to exploit.

 

3. Asset management integration with endpoint management can help eliminate unmanaged endpoints that are vulnerable to ransomware.

If your cyber asset management integrates with your endpoint management solution (e.g., CrowdStrike or SentinelOne), your security team will have the benefit of a comprehensive cyber asset inventory combined with endpoint data. This would allow you to ensure all your known devices are under endpoint protection, thus further reducing your ransomware risk.

 

4. A good asset inventory is a bedrock prerequisite for proactive cybersecurity that can shut down ransomware.

When a company lacks a comprehensive cyber asset inventory, the security team is at a major disadvantage. When a ransomware incident surfaces or an alert warrants investigation, you don’t want your people asking, “What the heck is that device?” From that position there’s no way to stay ahead of the threat. But with a good cyber asset inventory you at least have a fighting chance of making your security program more proactive.

 

What’s next?

For more guidance on this topic, listen to Episode 115 of The Virtual CISO Podcast with guest Huxley Barbee from runZero.

 

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