Unified Cybersecurity Asset Risk Management is a framework that focuses on managing the risks associated with an organization’s digital assets and infrastructure. In today’s interconnected world, where cyber threats are increasingly sophisticated and pervasive, it’s crucial for organizations to adopt a holistic approach to cybersecurity risk management.
Let’s consider a simple scenario – you have Lexmark printers connected across several locations in your organization through different interfaces. A simple question arises – who determine the risk level for that asset across the organization while its connected using different interfaces.
Ownership Anomaly #1: How Different Cybersecurity Solutions Impact Asset Risk Management
Some printers are connected in your OT environment where they are managed by cybersecurity solution A, while others are connected in your IT administrative environment where they are managed by cybersecurity solution B.
Why is that? Why should their risk managed differently? – For years, the approach has focused on differentiating between the business-critical OT environment and the standard IT back-office environment. Significant investments have been made to airgap the OT environment. This ensures that external threats cannot disrupt business continuity.
From a business risk management perspective, consider the following. In the energy sector, your IT infrastructure handles shipments, procurement, and logistics. If it comes under attack, you can’t ship gasoline. This disruption affects your ability to meet business goals.
Even if your OT environment remains operational, it does not ensure business continuity.
Additionally, when an external subcontractor comes in to debug or upgrade PLCs, RTUs, or HMIs using their laptop, risks arise. Their laptop connects to their IT infrastructure. Your OT cybersecurity solution doesn’t manage this risk, yet it significantly impacts overall risk levels.
So having a unified cybersecurity asset risk factor (ARF) is crucial in generating complete situational awareness to all your risks – without the abstract distinction of IT/OT/IoT.
Ownership Anomaly #2: The Impact of Connection Interfaces on Asset Risk Management
An even stranger “ownership” anomaly exists: the interface through which the Lexmark connects determines who owns its asset risk management. The same Lexmark printer can connect to the Internet using different interfaces. It supports USB, wired Ethernet, and WiFi connections. So, who owns its asset risk?
If it’s connected over wired Ethernet, then it’s up to your NAC/ZTNA/other network security solution.
Lastly, if it’s connected over WiFi, then there’s a third Wireless monitoring solution responsible for it.
You can easily spot the issue here. Three different solutions exist for the same asset. Each solution has its own risk management scaling scheme. These solutions operate in silos, assuming the organization has them all in place. This is a sure recipe for disaster.
The Importance of Unified Cybersecurity Asset Risk Management
An asset is an asset with certain elements of inherent risk. The fact that it is located within a certain part of the organization or that it is connected through a specific interface should not change the way we manage this risk. Converging IT/OT/IoT in your organization and being indifferent to the interface type used by the asset is a key component in better managing the risks related to a certain asset, so that when a new vulnerability is found, getting a quick answer for the questions – Do we have this type of asset? Which interface this vulnerability applies to, would be just a couple of clicks away…
Sepio’s Approach to Unified Cybersecurity Asset Risk Management
Sepio serves security teams managing risks in an expanding ecosystem of connected assets. IT departments can avoid complications, noise, and costs. With Sepio, assets connected by anyone, anywhere, and with any usage will not affect security or IT teams’ resources.
Sepio leverages the physical layer to provide a new dimension of complete asset visibility with a built-in Asset Risk Factor score. Sepio provides actionable visibility and infinite scalability that is critical to asset risk management.
We provide measurable advantages for any IT department seeking to converge their IT/OT/IoT security scheme, reduce hardware clutter, optimize efficiency, and remove redundancy, headache, and costs.
Ready to enhance your organization’s cybersecurity posture? Schedule a demo to explore Sepio’s innovative solutions for Unified Cybersecurity Asset Risk Management!
