Critical assets in companies: What are they and how to protect them?

Protecting a company’s critical assets should be a top priority for security managers. These are the essential elements for the functioning of an organization, and their loss can have a significant impact on its operations, viability, or security.

Within a company’s critical assets, there are different categories:

· IT Infrastructure (Information Technology)

IT infrastructure refers to the collection of hardware, software, networks, facilities, and equipment used to develop, test, deliver, monitor, control, and support IT services. It is the foundation upon which the applications and services that support an organization’s operations are built.

These digital assets contain critical and sensitive information, such as customer data, intellectual property, and business strategies. An effective attack on this infrastructure can result in data loss, disruptions to business operations, or damage to corporate reputation, among other consequences.

· Sensitive Data and Information

They include personal or financial data, intellectual property, medical records, and any other type of classified or confidential information.

This type of data is increasingly becoming the target of cybercriminals when selecting a company to attack. The malicious use of data or extortion of the organization that has experienced the breach are some of the most common objectives at a time when data protection becomes crucial.

· Critical Applications and Software

This refers to programs and software systems vital for the daily operations of the organization, such as ERP, CRM, or financial applications, among others. They are considered critical assets due to their fundamental role in business operation and management.

These types of technological tools play a key role in process automation, data management, communication, and customer experience, among others.

· Physical Infrastructure

Buildings, offices, data centers, production plants, power supply systems, climate control systems, and physical security. An attack on the power supply or cooling systems of a data center, for example, can cause damage to multiple companies simultaneously.

Physical infrastructure has strategic importance in productivity, the quality of products or services, business continuity, and the corporate image of the business.

· OT Infrastructure (Operational Technology)

OT infrastructure consists of field devices such as sensors and actuators, controllers like PLCs and RTUs, communication systems, and monitoring and control software. These elements work together to oversee and manage industrial processes, ensuring efficiency and safety in operations.

· Industrial Control Systems (ICS)

These are systems and tools (OT) used to monitor and automate essential industrial processes and for the operation of industrial facilities and critical infrastructure. The convergence of IT/OT becomes the common denominator in the industry, and the integration of information technology (IT) systems and operational technology (OT) systems within an organization is increasingly important.

The protection and effective management of all these systems are crucial to ensure operational continuity, worker safety, and environmental protection. Investing in the security and upgrading of ICS is an imperative necessity in the current context of increasing cyber threats and operational challenges.

Critical Assets and Cosmikal Endurance

Cosmikal Endurance is the most effective ally for information security managers in protecting critical assets, as it provides protection and traceability through an environment that stands out for its simplicity.

Among other key aspects, it provides:

· Assets Protected Through Hardened Connections

Data and their information, as well as programs and systems, are protected with Cosmikal Endurance, which provides users with a secure connection through which, thanks to permissions granted by an administrator, the end user can consult, control, execute, or modify according to their assigned role and permission level.

In this way, companies ensure that only users with a specific granted permission can access sensitive files, resources, systems, or programs.

· Monitoring Access to Assets and Activities

These functions help maintain complete control over access and actions performed within the organization. Cosmikal Endurance records and monitors all activities, detecting suspicious behaviors among users. It also has the ability to terminate a user’s session, thereby interrupting their connection if abnormal activity is detected.

· Differentiated User Privileges

Thanks to Cosmikal Endurance, the security manager can establish segmented access policies, granting different privileges to each user. Additionally, Endurance features a secure and encrypted Vault where credentials are stored, preventing theft and misuse. The management and assignment of these credentials are done simply, intuitively, and flexibly through the Manager application, our system administration interface. Once assigned, the end user can utilize these credentials without knowing them, as Endurance automatically inputs them at the time of access to the asset. This way, we reduce the risk of credential theft by eliminating the human factor.

To complete the level of security, within the action traceability policy, it establishes comprehensive change management controls regarding access permissions.

Incorporating Cosmikal Endurance into an organization’s security helps reduce the effectiveness of attacks associated with the increasingly sophisticated tactics of cybercriminals.

Keep your access to critical assets secure and ensure the proper functioning of your organization.