5. Understand the value of emergency response and retaining offensive attack capabilities

It is important not to underestimate the value of being prepared with an emergency response plan in place before attacks occur. In order to do this successfully, organizations should establish an internal intelligence-gathering network to understand current risks and gauge how susceptible the organization is to a cyber attack. Leadership here is also important, with the need for a knowledgeable security professional to oversee and coordinate emergency response and cyber attack mitigation.

In addition to being prepared, organizations need to think beyond defense and incorporate techniques that actively mitigate attackers rather than simply absorb and defend against them. Given the nature of today’s attacks, an organization’s security infrastructure must be able to adjust configurations and techniques during an attack in response to a changing landscape.


There can be no doubt that the selection of security defense technologies is very important. However, successful security environments are not only a matter of selection. Each technology serves a specific purpose. As a result, their proper integration is equally important. In fighting cyber attacks it is clear that the organizations that have successfully managed through these attacks have been keen buyers of world-class technology. But more importantly, they have deployed and integrated security technology in a way that has allowed them to make tremendous use of information and processes to both detect and mitigate attacks that unfold in real-time.

In 2013, if you find yourself facing cyber attack risks or vulnerabilities, these are the steps you’ll need to take as soon as possible to effectively stave off these threats.