As organizations lean more heavily on external vendors for essential services, managing third-party risk assessment has become a vital part of any cybersecurity strategy. The stats are alarming: 60% of data breaches are linked to third-party vendors, and the average time to identify and contain such breaches is 280 days. That’s 9 out of 12 months in a vulnerable state!

These numbers should serve as a serious call to action.

Why Is Vendor Risk Management Crucial?

In the modern business landscape, vendors play an indispensable role. From IT services and cloud providers to supply chain partners, these third-party entities have access to sensitive data or perform critical functions for your business. This interconnectedness opens doors to potential security vulnerabilities.

Vendor risk management protects sensitive data, maintains business continuity, and upholds customer trust. Breaches caused by third parties can lead to regulatory fines, damaged reputations, and customer loss.

What to Look for in a Third-Party Risk Management Solution

Before diving into specific tools, let’s understand the key factors that make a third-party risk assessment certification platform effective:

1. Automation: Manual risk management processes are time-consuming and error-prone. Look for automation tools for onboarding vendors, risk assessments, and continuous monitoring.
2. Compliance: Ensure the solution can help you meet industry-specific compliance requirements.
3. Real-Time Monitoring: Cyber threats evolve quickly. A solution with real-time monitoring capabilities can provide up-to-date vendor risk insights.
4. Ease of Use: Consider the platform’s usability. It should integrate smoothly into your existing workflows and be intuitive for users.
5. Scalability: As your organization grows, so will the number of third-party vendors. Ensure that the platform can scale to meet your needs.

Top Third-Party Risk Assessment Solutions

Let’s dive deeper into some of the top solutions for third-party risk assessment software, focusing on their unique strengths and potential challenges.

1. Centraleyes

Centraleyes is a dynamic and comprehensive risk management platform that specializes in third (and fourth!) party risk assessment. With its powerful features, Centraleyes is designed to address the complexities of modern vendor risk management. It combines automation with real-time insights, providing businesses a robust, user-friendly tool to handle their entire third-party ecosystem with granular scalability.

Key Features:

• Automated Risk Assessments: One of Centraleyes’ standout features is its ability to automate third party vendor risk assessments with minimal manual intervention. By using pre-built, customizable questionnaires, Centraleyes can gather relevant information from vendors, validate their claims, and reduce the administrative burden on your internal teams. The platform’s intelligent automation helps streamline the assessment process and ensures that no critical risk factors slip through the cracks.
• Risk Scoring in Real-Time: Unlike other solutions that only provide periodic updates, Centraleyes delivers real-time risk scoring. This allows organizations to continuously monitor vendors, providing a dynamic and up-to-date picture of the third-party risk landscape. With Centraleyes, businesses can prioritize the most critical risks and take proactive action to mitigate them before they escalate.
• Comprehensive Compliance Support: Centraleyes supports compliance with a variety of global regulations and standards, including GDPR, ISO 27001, SOC 2, and more. The platform’s flexibility ensures that organizations can tailor their risk assessments to meet industry-specific requirements, while also keeping track of multiple compliance frameworks in one centralized platform.

Ideal For: Mid to large enterprises seeking a full-featured, scalable platform for managing third-party risk across a wide vendor network. With its depth of automation and real-time monitoring capabilities, Centraleyes is perfect for organizations that require continuous oversight of vendor risk and seamless integration into their existing security workflows.

Limitations: Centraleyes’ feature-rich environment may appear complex for teams unfamiliar with full-scale risk management solutions.

2. UpGuard

UpGuard has carved out a space in the TPRM market with its user-friendly interface and affordable pricing. It is a favorite among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that want a comprehensive view of vendor security risks without the complexity of large-scale tools.

Key Features:

• BreachSight: Monitors external vendor networks to provide real-time visibility into breaches and vulnerabilities.
• Vendor Risk Ratings: Generates a detailed score for each vendor, allowing you to prioritize remediation efforts.

Ideal For: Small to mid-sized organizations that require a simple, affordable solution for managing vendor risk.

Limitations: While UpGuard is excellent for entry-level risk management, larger enterprises might need more customizability and depth compared to more robust tools.

3. Vanta

Vanta’s sweet spot lies in automating compliance processes. If your organization is aiming for SOC 2, ISO 27001, or HIPAA certification, Vanta streamlines the process with built-in risk assessments and continuous monitoring.

Key Features:

• Automated Risk Assessments: Quickly identifies and evaluates risks across your vendor landscape.
• Centralized Vendor Inventory: Keeps track of all third-party relationships in one place.

Ideal For: Organizations pursuing SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification.

Limitations: Vanta is an excellent compliance automation tool but may not offer the same level of vendor-specific risk insights compared to solutions like Centraleyes or Panorays.

4. Drata

Drata is designed to simplify the compliance process, offering a risk register feature that automates the identification and monitoring of risks. This makes it a popular choice for organizations juggling multiple compliance frameworks.

Key Features:

• Risk Register Automation: Automatically tracks risks and provides real-time updates.
• Auditor Integrations: Seamlessly connects with external auditors to streamline audits and compliance checks.

Ideal For: Enterprises looking for an integrated risk management and compliance solution.

Limitations: Though effective for compliance, Drata’s risk register may be too simplistic for more complex organizations that need deeper risk customization.

5. Panorays

Panorays stands out with its focus on usability and real-time vendor risk monitoring. Its platform provides a holistic view of vendors, with detailed scoring based on continuous assessments.

Key Features:

• Live Monitoring: Panorays constantly evaluates vendor risk profiles, keeping you informed of any changes.
• Third-Party Risk Ratings: Vendors are rated on a variety of factors, from cybersecurity practices to compliance levels.

Ideal For: Companies that need continuous vendor monitoring without sacrificing usability.

Limitations: Panorays has yet to establish itself in the broader market, which means that its feature set may not be as comprehensive as some of the larger players in the space.

The Growing Importance of Continuous Monitoring

Many organizations still rely on annual risk assessments, but this approach is rapidly becoming outdated. Vendors’ risk profiles can change overnight due to new vulnerabilities, breaches, or shifts in regulatory requirements. Continuous monitoring is essential to maintain an accurate understanding of third-party risks.

Security Questionnaires: Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses

Third party risk assessment questionnaires like the Standard Information Gathering (SIG) or the Consensus Assessments Initiative Questionnaire (CAIQ) are frequently the starting point for organizations assessing third-party risk. They offer a structured approach to gathering key security information. Organizations can simultaneously distribute these questionnaires to numerous vendors, allowing for quick data collection across a broad vendor base. This is particularly helpful for businesses managing many third-party relationships. The standardized nature of these questionnaires also streamlines auditing, making them a practical, cost-effective tool for initial vendor screening.

However, despite these strengths, there are notable limitations to relying solely on security questionnaires. One major issue is that the data provided is self-reported, meaning that vendors are responsible for assessing and sharing their own security posture. This can lead to overestimations or omissions—either unintentionally or, in some cases, to avoid disclosing vulnerabilities. Without independent validation, the self-reported information can give a misleading sense of security. Moreover, while questionnaires help gather broad information, they often lack the depth and context necessary to understand a vendor’s security practices fully. For instance, a vendor might indicate that they have an incident response plan. Still, the questionnaire may not delve into the specifics, such as how often the plan is tested or how effective it has proven in practice.

Another challenge is that the information gathered through security questionnaires is often static. Since these assessments are typically conducted annually or only at the beginning of a vendor relationship, the data may not reflect real-time changes. Over the course of a year, new vulnerabilities can emerge, regulatory requirements can shift, and the vendor’s security posture can evolve—leaving organizations exposed to risks that the questionnaire didn’t capture. Also, questionnaires tend to offer a broad overview but may fall short in addressing specific emerging threats or providing insights into real-time risks. As such, relying on questionnaires alone can create significant blind spots in a company’s risk management strategy. To mitigate these risks, it’s essential to supplement questionnaires with continuous monitoring and third-party validation, ensuring a more dynamic and accurate understanding of vendor vulnerabilities.

Vendor Risk Management Best Practices

To ensure a successful third-party risk management program, here are some best practices to follow:

1. Create a Risk-Tiering System: Not all vendors are created equal. Develop a risk-tiering system to prioritize your most critical vendors and dedicate more resources to assessing them.
2. Conduct On-Site Audits for Critical Vendors: Conducting third party risk assessments as on-site audits for high-risk vendors gives you a firsthand view of their security practices.
3. Incorporate Real-Time Monitoring: Use tools like Panorays and Centraleyes to monitor vendor security continuously, ensuring you stay ahead of potential risks.
4. Establish Clear SLAs and Security Requirements: When onboarding new vendors, ensure that service-level agreements (SLAs) and security expectations are clearly defined and enforceable.
5. Automate Wherever Possible: Prioritize solutions that automate much of the compliance and risk assessment process, allowing your team to focus on more critical tasks.

Final Thoughts: Trust but Verify

Third-party risk management is a crucial component of any modern cybersecurity strategy. As businesses increasingly rely on third-party vendors, understanding and managing those risks is more important than ever. Trust is essential, but verification is critical.

By leveraging the right third-party risk assessment software and following best practices, you can significantly reduce your organization’s exposure to vendor-related risks.

The post Best 5 Third-Party Risk Assessment Platforms appeared first on Centraleyes.

Policy management is the sturdy scaffolding that supports governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) objectives while shaping corporate culture and ensuring adherence to regulatory obligations. Yet, many organizations struggle with a disjointed approach—policies scattered across departments, processes misaligned, and technology underutilized. 

Why Policy Management Maturity Matters

Organizations with disconnected policies end up with fragments of truth instead of a cohesive narrative. Such a siloed approach obstructs governance and compliance, leaving critical blind spots. The GRC 20/20 Policy Management Maturity Model emphasizes a unified, enterprise-wide strategy. This doesn’t just mean centralizing policy ownership—it means integrating policy governance into the fabric of your operations.

The complexity of today’s regulatory landscape, coupled with increasing business intricacies, makes a coordinated strategy imperative. From risk management policy development to enforcement and review, organizations must embrace a holistic visibility of policies to navigate risks, adapt to change, and maintain operational integrity.

The Cornerstones of Policy Management

A mature policy management program stands on ten foundational principles. Here’s a closer look at how these principles can revolutionize your strategy:

1. Necessary: Policy management isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s mission-critical. It anchors organizational goals, mitigates risks, and guides compliance.
2. Tailored: No one-size-fits-all. Your policy framework should reflect your business model, risk appetite, and unique objectives.
3. Integrated: Policies shouldn’t exist in isolation. Embed them into everyday operations to drive real-world application.
4. People-Centered: At its core, policy management is about people. Policies must resonate with employees, clients, and third parties to foster a culture of compliance.
5. High-Performing: An effective program is resilient, efficient, and adaptable, enabling your organization to pivot amidst change.
6. Standardized: A consistent approach simplifies auditing, enhances understanding, and minimizes errors.
7. Collaborative: Cross-departmental collaboration ensures policies align with broader organizational goals.
8. Accessible: Employees need seamless access to policies to foster adherence and accountability.
9. Engaging: Policies that are clear, concise, and engaging increase comprehension and application.
10. Dynamic: Continuous improvement keeps your program relevant in a rapidly evolving business landscape.

Building Your Policy Management Capability

Organizations need a robust capability framework to operationalize these principles, spanning governance, development, communication, enforcement, and improvement. Here’s how to achieve it:

1. Govern

Start with a “Policy on Policies.” This meta-policy establishes the ground rules for creating, managing, and enforcing policies. Form a cross-functional governance team to oversee implementation and standardization.

2. Develop

Standardize the methods for drafting, revising, and retiring policies. This ensures alignment with organizational goals and regulatory requirements while maintaining consistency.

3. Communicate

Policies are only as good as their reach. Invest in training and communication strategies that make policies resonate with their audiences. Tailor delivery methods to suit different roles and responsibilities.

4. Enforce

Establish clear processes for monitoring adherence, managing exceptions, and addressing non-compliance. Automation tools can simplify GRC policy enforcement while maintaining an audit trail.

5. Improve

Policy management isn’t static. Regularly review policies to ensure relevance and effectiveness. Use metrics to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.

Designing a Strategic Policy Management Architecture

A mature program requires more than a process overhaul—it demands a strategic architecture that integrates process, information, and technology. Here’s a breakdown:

• Policy Management Strategic Plan: Define a federated strategy that aligns business functions with a common governance framework.
• Process Architecture: Structure your policy lifecycle—from development to retirement—for seamless operation.
• Information Architecture: Organize the flow, use, and reporting of policy data to support decision-making.
• Technology Architecture: Leverage a central policy management platform that integrates with other business systems, provides AI-driven insights, and enhances accessibility.

The Role of Technology

The right technology is the linchpin of effective policy management. A robust platform should:

• Enable collaborative authoring and workflow management.
• Map regulatory changes to policies using AI.
• Offer an intuitive interface and mobile access.
• Maintain a comprehensive audit trail for accountability.

Organizations that embrace an adaptive, context-driven platform gain the agility to navigate regulatory shifts while reducing costs and improving performance.

10 Essential GRC Policy Management Best Practices 

1. Form a Cross-Functional GRC Policy Committee

Your GRC policies should reflect the collective wisdom of your organization. Establishing a GRC policy committee ensures that key stakeholders, including compliance, legal, HR, IT, and other departments, are part of the decision-making process. This collaboration ensures policies are practical, comprehensive, and aligned with organizational goals.

Pro Tip: Regularly schedule committee meetings to review existing policies, discuss new regulations, and address emerging risks.

2. Define a Policy on Policies

Before diving into individual policies, create a GRC policy on policies—a metapolicy that defines the processes for drafting, approving, updating, and retiring policies. This document should outline governance structures, approval workflows, and ownership responsibilities to maintain consistency across the board.

Why It Matters: A clear policy on policies helps eliminate ambiguities and ensures every department follows the same playbook.

3. Develop a GRC Policy Template

Standardization is key to clarity. Use a GRC policy template that outlines critical sections such as purpose, scope, responsibilities, procedures, and review cycles. A consistent format makes policies easier to understand and ensures compliance requirements are uniformly addressed.

Best Practice: Use accessible language in your templates, avoiding jargon to ensure employees at all levels understand policies.

4. Align Policies with Organizational Goals and Risk Appetite

Effective GRC policies are not one-size-fits-all. They should be tailored to fit your organization’s unique operational model, culture, and risk appetite. Align policies with strategic objectives to ensure they drive business value while addressing critical risks.

Example: A tech company with high data privacy concerns might prioritize policies on data security and encryption over other operational areas.

5. Ensure Accessibility and Engagement

The most comprehensive policy is useless if employees can’t access or understand it. Create an easily navigable policy portal where employees can search and retrieve policies effortlessly. Consider hosting periodic training sessions or using engaging formats like videos and infographics to communicate key policies.

Key Point: Accessible policies promote awareness, adherence, and a culture of compliance.

6. Enforce Policies Through Automation

Policy enforcement should not rely solely on manual oversight. Use automated tools to monitor adherence and flag non-compliance in real time. This ensures that policies are not just guidelines but enforceable mandates integrated into daily operations.

Example: Implement automated checks for access control policies within IT systems to prevent unauthorized access.

7. Incorporate Feedback Loops for Continuous Improvement

Policies need to evolve alongside your organization and the regulatory landscape. Implement a feedback mechanism where employees can suggest improvements to policies or report issues with compliance. Periodic audits and reviews will also help identify gaps and areas for refinement.

Pro Tip: Use metrics like policy adherence rates and incident reports to measure the effectiveness of your GRC policy framework.

8. Integrate Policies Across Departments and Systems

Siloed policies create confusion and inefficiencies. Develop an integrated approach where policies are aligned across departments and mapped to your overall GRC objectives.

Use Case: Link HR policies on workplace conduct with IT policies on email use to ensure consistency in addressing inappropriate communication.

9. Address Third-Party Risks

Your GRC policy management doesn’t end with your organization. Ensure that your third-party vendors, partners, and suppliers adhere to your policies through clear contractual obligations and regular audits.

Why It’s Crucial: Third-party non-compliance can lead to reputational damage, financial penalties, and operational disruptions.

10. Leverage Advanced Technology for GRC Policy Management

The complexity of managing policies across a dynamic enterprise requires technology that’s as agile as your organization. Invest in a GRC policy management platform that supports collaborative policy authoring, regulatory mapping, real-time enforcement, and detailed reporting.

Look For Features Like:

• Intuitive user interface
• Integration with other GRC systems
• AI-driven policy and regulation mapping
• Centralized policy repository

Simplify Policy Management with Centraleyes

Centraleyes transforms policy management into a streamlined, dynamic, and integrated process, addressing the challenges organizations face with scattered and siloed approaches. 

1. Centralized Policy Repository

A single source of truth is essential for effective policy management. Centraleyes provides a centralized, cloud-based repository where organizations can store, organize, and access all their policies. This eliminates silos and ensures consistency across departments.

2. Collaborative Policy Authoring and Workflow

Writing and updating policies often involve multiple stakeholders. Centraleyes enables seamless collaboration through real-time editing and automated workflow approvals.

3. AI-Driven Regulatory Mapping

Staying compliant with ever-changing regulations can be daunting. Centraleyes leverages AI to map policies to relevant regulatory requirements, ensuring your policies align with current standards.

4. Automated Policy Distribution

Effective policy communication is as critical as drafting them. Centraleyes automates the distribution of policies to relevant stakeholders, ensuring everyone is informed and accountable.

5. Comprehensive Reporting and Analytics

Metrics are key to measuring policy effectiveness. Centraleyes provides real-time dashboards and analytics to track policy adherence, identify gaps, and uncover opportunities for improvement.

6. Dynamic Updates and Feedback Mechanisms

Policies need to evolve with your organization. Centraleyes includes mechanisms for soliciting feedback and streamlining updates, ensuring your policy framework remains relevant and effective.

Why Choose Centraleyes for Policy Management?

By integrating these capabilities into a single, user-friendly platform, Centraleyes empowers organizations to elevate their policy management maturity. 

Ready to take your policy management to the next level? Explore the Centraleyes Policy Management Center and experience the power of holistic simplicity in risk and compliance.

The post Best Policy Templates for Compliance: Essential Documents for Regulatory Success appeared first on Centraleyes.

Tackling the Digital Mess

The other day, a technician came over to help me with an unresponsive computer. After bringing it back to life, he started rifling through my installed programs. “What’s this one for?” he asked. “And this one?” I stared at him blankly. I had no idea. Some programs had been sitting there for months—possibly years—gathering dust like forgotten “tchotchkes” on a desk. (Let’s just say my digital desktop wouldn’t make Marie Kondo proud.)

The real eye-opener came when I reviewed my credit card transactions. Turns out, some of these digital knick-knacks weren’t free. I was paying for subscriptions to things I didn’t even realize I wasn’t using. Not fun!

Now, let’s take this scenario to a grander scale—enterprise-level SaaS clutter.  Saas sprawl is the new buzzword in the tech world, and it’s more than just a fancy term for “a big mess.” SaaS sprawl is messy. It’s expensive. But it’s also downright risky. 

Just like I had to face the truth about my digital clutter, businesses need to confront their tech stacks. Consolidating and auditing your SaaS usage isn’t just about saving a few bucks (though that’s nice). It’s about streamlining operations, improving security, and ensuring that the tools you pay for are the ones you actually need—and use. 

What is SaaS Sprawl?

SaaS sprawl refers to the unchecked growth of SaaS applications within an organization, often resulting from decentralized procurement and use. Employees can easily sign up for SaaS tools with just an email address, bypassing IT or compliance teams. While convenient, this creates significant Saas risks in terms of visibility, compliance, and security.

The Unseen Risks of SaaS and AI Tool Adoption

Security Blind Spots

According to Grip Security’s recent report, 90% of SaaS applications and 91% of AI tools remain unmanaged, leaving organizations vulnerable. Every unsanctioned app or tool increases the attack surface, often lacking the robust security assessments applied to official IT systems.

• Provisioning Problems: A startling 73% of provisioned SaaS licenses remain unused, creating unnecessary costs and open accounts that could be exploited.
• Misconfigurations: Weak access controls and authentication policies can lead to Saas data breaches, especially for applications outside IT’s purview.

AI-Specific Saas Risks

According to the previously quoted report from Grip, AI adoption has surged by 4:1 compared to security governance improvements, leaving 80% of AI apps unsecured. 

AI Saas Security Risks include:

• Data Vulnerability: Employees often upload sensitive data to AI tools without safeguards, increasing the risk of Saas data breaches.
• Compliance Gaps: Using unapproved AI tools can violate data privacy regulations, leading to fines and reputational damage.
• Bias and Inaccuracy: Unchecked AI outputs can lead to discriminatory decisions or inaccurate results, particularly in regulated industries like finance and healthcare.

SaaS Sprawl By the Numbers

• SaaS Usage Growth: Enterprises have seen a 40% increase in SaaS adoption over the past two years, with medium-sized companies leading the charge at 47%. (Grip Report)
• Per Employee Usage: By 2024, employees are using an average of 13 SaaS tools, up from 7 in 2022—a staggering 85% increase. (Grip Report)

This growth is a double-edged sword: while it boosts productivity, it also creates governance headaches for IT and compliance teams.

Why SaaS Sprawl Is a Big Problem in 2024

The SaaS landscape is shifting rapidly, making SaaS sprawl an even greater challenge today. 

Let’s explore why:

1. The Explosion of Niche SaaS Tools

2024 has seen an explosion of highly specialized SaaS tools, designed to cater to precise business needs. While beneficial for specific use cases, these niche tools encourage over-purchasing, as teams add software for narrowly defined tasks without considering redundancy.

2. Hybrid Workplaces Demand More Tools

The hybrid work model has become the norm, driving demand for collaboration and remote management solutions. However, this surge has also led to overlapping functionalities, bloated tech stacks, and underutilized applications.

3. Saas Security Risks

More tools mean more access points for potential breaches. Organizations now face the daunting task of tracking data flows, permissions, and regulatory compliance across a sprawling SaaS ecosystem.

4. Shadow IT

Shadow IT, where teams adopt SaaS tools without IT’s knowledge, exacerbates the issue. This rogue adoption creates blind spots in governance, leaving companies vulnerable to inefficiencies and cyberattacks.

Slack-ing on Security? Risks in Your Saas Tools

We all know that SaaS tools are essential for productivity. These platforms, from Slack and Asana to Google Drive and Jira, help teams collaborate, manage projects, and store data. But as companies adopt more and more of these tools, it’s easy to overlook one key issue: SaaS security.

Here’s a guide to some common SaaS tools, their vulnerabilities, and their associated risks.

Collaboration Tools (Slack, Microsoft Teams, etc.)

Risks: Collaboration platforms like Slack and Microsoft Team have risks that arise from both misconfiguration and over-reliance on third-party apps. Even though these are company-approved tools, data leakage is a major concern. In Slack, a simple mistake in channel permissions can expose sensitive conversations to people who shouldn’t have access.

Both platforms allow third-party integrations, and this is where the problem lies. While these integrations can boost productivity, they also introduce vulnerabilities. If a third-party app is compromised, it can become a gateway for hackers into your system. And because these tools are widely used across teams, unauthorized apps can also easily slip through the cracks, leading to potential shadow IT problems.

Project Management Tools (Jira, Trello, Asana)

Risks: Project management tools like Jira, Trello, and Asana have become the backbone of agile workflows. They’re vital for tracking progress and ensuring project deadlines are met. However, the risks here are often tied to credential sharing and data persistence.

First, sharing login credentials—whether for convenience or lack of proper access management—creates serious vulnerabilities. One compromised account can grant attackers access to the entire project. Additionally, archived tasks or old project boards may still contain sensitive information. Without a strong data retention policy, this information can linger in the system long after it’s needed, exposing your company to unwanted access.

File Sharing Tools (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive)

Risks: With file-sharing platforms like Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive, the risks often arise from overexposed sharing links and lack of visibility. While these tools are convenient for collaborating on documents, many employees forget to adjust privacy settings. Studies show that nearly 30% of publicly accessible sharing links in file-sharing platforms expose confidential information to unauthorized users.

Another significant concern is that IT teams often lack visibility into how sensitive files are shared externally. If someone outside the company accesses these files, it could lead to severe compliance violations, particularly in industries like healthcare or finance, where strict data protection regulations are in place.

AI Tools (ChatGPT, Jasper, MidJourney)

Risks: AI tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, and MidJourney have seen massive growth, especially as organizations look for ways to automate tasks and enhance creativity. But, while AI tools can be incredibly useful, they also bring a unique set of challenges, especially when it comes to data misuse and lack of governance.

Employees may unknowingly input proprietary or sensitive data into AI platforms without realizing that this data might be retained or used for model training. This could expose critical intellectual property. Moreover, lack of governance around AI usage increases the risks—80% of AI deployments happen without clear governance frameworks, leaving companies vulnerable to misaligned uses and potential security breaches.

How to Spot the Sprawl in Your Organization

Before you can solve SaaS sprawl, you need to recognize the red flags. Here are the most common symptoms that your sprawl has spread too far:

1. Rising Software Costs: If SaaS expenses are climbing faster than ROI, sprawl may be to blame.
2. Confused Teams: Employees aren’t sure which tools to use for specific tasks, leading to wasted time and effort.
3. Redundant Features: Different teams use separate tools that achieve the same outcomes.
4. Lack of Oversight: IT struggles to keep track of licenses, access controls, and application usage.

Steps to Tackle SaaS Sprawl in 2024

1. Conduct a Comprehensive SaaS Audit

Begin with a complete inventory of your SaaS ecosystem. Answer key questions:

• Who is using the tools?
• What are the tools used for?
• How often are they accessed?
• How much do they cost?

2. Centralize SaaS Management

Adopt an SaaS Management Platform (SMP) to consolidate visibility and control. SMPs can:

• Track usage patterns.
• Manage licenses.
• Flag underutilized or risky applications.

3. Implement an Approval Process

Introduce a formal process for adopting new tools. Require teams to seek approval from IT or procurement to:

• Prevent shadow IT.
• Align new tools with organizational goals.
• Minimize redundancies.

4. Consolidate and Standardize Tools

Where possible, replace multiple niche tools with an integrated solution. For example, a single platform for project management, file sharing, and communication can simplify workflows and reduce costs.

5. Negotiate with Vendors

Identify opportunities to consolidate contracts or renegotiate pricing. Bulk licensing agreements often lead to substantial savings.

6. Train Your Teams

Ensure employees understand the tools and how to use them effectively. A well-trained team is less likely to seek unauthorized solutions.

The SaaS and AI boom brings both opportunity and risk. As organizations grapple with unprecedented sprawl in 2024, the key to staying secure lies in visibility, governance, and proactive management. You can transform SaaS sprawl from a security nightmare into a growth enabler by taking deliberate steps to address these challenges.

Ready to tame the beast?

The post The SaaS Sprawl of 2025: Tackling the Unseen Security Risks appeared first on Centraleyes.

You’ve nailed your third-party risk management (or at least you think you have). Then you take a closer look and find yourself staring at an expanding web of risk: the vendors behind your vendors, their vendors, and so on. Welcome to fourth-party risk management (FPRM)—where each layer you uncover reveals even more connections, and the potential risks multiply.

Fourth-party vendors are like your second cousins. You don’t choose them, and you probably don’t see them much. But—thanks to the shared gene pool—they’re still part of the family tree.

And just like your genes can quietly pass along “quirks” you didn’t ask for (like your great-uncle’s knack for snorting when he laughs), fourth-party vendors carry risks that can flow upstream into your business. 

It’s no wonder that frameworks like EU’s DORA and HIPAA don’t just focus on direct relationships. They require organizations to think beyond, tracing their risks outward to ensure a strong, resilient ecosystem. After all, your risk management is only as secure as the weakest link in this ever-growing chain.

Digging Deep into the Vendor Ecosystem

It’s not easy to get a clear picture of what’s really going on beneath the polished surface your vendors portray—the “external layer” they’re flaunting, so to speak. Now imagine trying to peer deeper, into the relationships they rely on but don’t often advertise. Fourth-party risk takes you into this uncharted territory, requiring oversight not just of your direct vendors but of the suppliers and service providers they depend on.

In business, this means digging past the polished sales pitch and contract terms of your third parties to assess the suppliers and service providers they’re quietly leaning on. These hidden layers can introduce operational, cybersecurity, compliance, and reputational risks you may never see coming—until they arrive uninvited.

What Is Fourth-Party Risk Management?

Fourth-party risk management involves identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks introduced by the vendors or suppliers of your direct third parties. Essentially, it’s about monitoring the supply chain one layer deeper. For example:

• A cybersecurity firm you work with (third-party) might rely on a software provider (fourth-party).
• A cloud storage provider might outsource certain aspects of its service to another company.

These fourth-party relationships are often opaque, making them a blind spot for businesses that lack visibility into the extended supply chain. However, with increasing regulatory scrutiny and the rise of complex cyberattacks, it’s essential to incorporate fourth-party vendor risk management into your strategy.

Third-Party vs. Fourth-Party Risk

Let’s clarify the distinction:

• Third-party risk focuses on direct vendors or service providers you have a contractual relationship with.
• Fourth-party risk goes a layer deeper, examining the vendors and suppliers your third-party partners rely on to deliver their services.

For example:

If you use a cloud service provider (your third party vendor), they may rely on a data center provider or a software vendor (your fourth party vendor). A cybersecurity incident at this level can ripple through the entire supply chain, impacting your business.

The difference lies in visibility and control—while you can directly assess and monitor third parties, managing fourth-party supplier risk often requires indirect strategies.

The Layered Effect of Fourth-Party Risk

In fourth-party risk, each vendor doesn’t add to potential risks. It multiplies the risk. 

This is what I mean: if you’re managing 10 third-party vendors, each one of those vendors is likely relying on several suppliers or subcontractors to fulfill their part of the deal. So instead of managing just 10 relationships, you’re multiplying the number of potential risks by the number of suppliers or subcontractors each vendor relies on.

For example:

• 10 third-party vendors
• Each depends on 10 suppliers (this number can vary greatly)
• That means you’re now dealing with 100 additional relationships just from those ten vendors alone.

This multiplicative effect means that even a relatively small supply chain can have a huge number of indirect connections—and that requires careful management.

Why Fourth-Party Risk Management Matters

Fourth parties can pose a host of hidden risks, including:

• Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities: A breach at the fourth-party level can compromise sensitive data.
• Compliance Gaps: Regulatory requirements often extend to third and fourth parties, leaving you liable for violations.
• Operational Risks: Downtime or disruptions at the fourth-party level can directly affect your services.
• Reputational Damage: Publicized failures in the extended supply chain can erode trust in your brand.

Third-Party vs. Fourth-Party Risks: What’s the Difference?

Aspect	Third-Party Risks	Fourth-Party Risks
Definition	Risks posed by vendors you directly engage with.	Risks introduced by your vendors’ vendors.
Visibility	Easier to monitor through contracts and direct oversight.	Often harder to detect due to lack of direct relationships.
Examples	Data breaches at your cloud provider.	Breaches at your cloud provider’s subcontractor.
Control	Stronger contractual and operational control.	Limited control; reliant on third parties for monitoring.

While third-party risks are typically well-managed, fourth-party risks often slip under the radar due to their indirect nature. However, adopting a 4th-party system can provide the tools and frameworks to manage these risks effectively.

Strategies for Effective Fourth-Party Risk Management

1. Enhance Visibility Across the Supply Chain

Mapping your vendor ecosystem is the first step. Platforms like Centraleyes provide visibility into the network of third and fourth parties, identifying dependencies and potential vulnerabilities.

Key actions:

• Use advanced tools to automate vendor relationship mapping.
• Request detailed third-party risk management reports from your vendors.

2. Leverage Contractual Controls

Contracts with third parties can extend your oversight to fourth parties. Include clauses requiring:

• Disclosure of critical fourth-party relationships.
• Notification of any changes in fourth-party suppliers.
• Access to audit reports and cybersecurity assessments.

3. Integrate Fourth-Party Monitoring into Your TPRM Program

Your third-party risk management (TPRM) monitoring framework should include fourth-party considerations. Best practices include:

• Reviewing vendor SOC 2 reports to assess their vendor management practices.
• Monitoring changes in your third parties’ subcontractors and their performance.

4. Prioritize Critical Fourth Parties

Not all fourth parties pose the same risk. Focus on those tied to critical business functions or high-risk activities. For instance:

• Fourth parties managing sensitive customer data.
• Subcontractors providing key IT infrastructure or services.

5. Conduct Regular Risk Assessments

Continuous assessment is vital. Tools like automated questionnaires, performance reviews, and real-time monitoring help keep tabs on your extended vendor network.

6. Collaborate with Vendors on Risk Mitigation

Fourth-party risk isn’t solely your responsibility. Work with your vendors to:

• Strengthen their TPRM programs.
• Address gaps in their vendor oversight practices.

Fourth-Party Risk Management: Practical Impacts by Sector

Financial Institutions: DORA and Beyond

The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) in the EU sets a gold standard for operational resilience, emphasizing not just third-party oversight but the entire supply chain of service providers. Financial institutions are tasked with ensuring their vendors have robust risk management practices, including oversight of critical subcontractors.

• Financial organizations assess their vendors’ sub-outsourcing agreements to determine if these fourth parties meet resilience standards. This involves ensuring financial data isn’t compromised during transmission, storage, or processing at multiple points in the chain.
• DORA requires contingency planning for critical ICT service failures, even if the problem arises at the fourth-party level. Banks also conduct regular stress tests of these extended vendor relationships, mimicking real-world disruptions.

Healthcare: HIPAA, GDPR, and the Critical Data Web

In healthcare, patient privacy and data security dominate regulatory concerns. Both HIPAA (in the U.S.) and GDPR (in Europe) mandate that organizations ensure the security of sensitive data, even when outsourced to vendors or their subcontractors.

• Healthcare providers often work with electronic health record (EHR) systems managed by third-party vendors. Fourth parties—such as cloud storage providers for these EHR systems—are vetted to confirm they comply with encryption, access control, and breach notification requirements.
• Breach reporting frameworks like GDPR Article 28 specifically require that data controllers (healthcare entities) ensure contracts extend data protection obligations to processors and their subcontractors.

Technology: Managing Dependencies in the Cloud

The tech industry’s reliance on open-source software and cloud-based services creates sprawling ecosystems. Frameworks like ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2 encourage organizations to look beyond their immediate suppliers to fourth parties like open-source library maintainers or upstream cloud service providers.

• Organizations perform dependency mapping to identify critical services that could cascade failures downstream. For example, if a cloud service vendor relies on a fourth-party DNS provider, companies assess both parties for reliability.
• Many tech companies employ software composition analysis (SCA) tools to scan for vulnerabilities in third- and fourth-party dependencies, reducing risks tied to supply chain attacks like Log4j.

Retail: Payment Systems and Logistics

Retailers depend heavily on payment processors, logistics companies, and marketing platforms. A hiccup at the fourth-party level—such as a failure at a logistics vendor’s subcontracted warehouse—can trigger supply chain bottlenecks and financial losses.

• Retailers rely increasingly on real-time monitoring tools to track delivery performance and uptime of payment system.
• Some retail frameworks, like PCI DSS, require vendors to ensure secure cardholder data environments in-house and across downstream partners.

Critical Infrastructure: National Security at Stake

In critical industries like energy, telecommunications, and water systems, fourth-party risk extends to national security. The NIS 2 Directive in Europe and similar U.S. initiatives stress oversight of extended supply chains.

• Risk management frameworks include mandating contractual flow-down clauses that enforce the same security protocols for subcontractors.
• Many entities are now required to file incident reports for disruptions caused by downstream providers, even if they aren’t directly under contract.

How Technology Simplifies Fourth-Party Risk Management

Modern risk management platforms like Centraleyes simplify the complexity of fourth-party systems. Here’s how:

• Centralized Dashboards: Gain a comprehensive view of your vendor network.
• Automated Insights: Receive alerts about potential fourth-party risks.
• Scalability: Manage risk across hundreds of third- and fourth-party relationships.

Such platforms empower businesses, especially banks, to maintain compliance while proactively addressing emerging risks in their extended supply chains.

Centraleyes provides the visibility security teams need to tackle this challenge head-on. Its platform dives into the layers of your supply chain, offering clarity on fourth-party relationships that were once obscured. This capability is particularly crucial for:

• Banking: Exposing risks in payment processing systems, cloud infrastructure, or outsourced development teams.
• Healthcare: Identifying vulnerabilities in EHR platforms, data storage services, or compliance with HIPAA requirements through your vendors’ networks.

By uncovering these hidden layers, Centraleyes helps security teams proactively address risks and reinforce resilience where it matters most. 

Why stop at third-party assessments when the next layer could pose an even greater threat? 

Centraleyes equips you with acute visibility into your vendor ecosystem.

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In a concerning development for healthcare cybersecurity, the FDA and CISA have issued urgent advisories about two critical patient monitors found to have severe security vulnerabilities: the Contec CMS8000 and Epsimed MN-120 models.

These devices, widely used for remote monitoring of patients in hospitals and at home, are now at risk due to several alarming backdoor flaws, including:

• Hard-coded IP addresses and credentials: making the devices easy targets for cyber attackers.
• Remote code execution vulnerabilities: enabling attackers to potentially take control of the device.
• Patient data exposure risks: leaving sensitive health information open to compromise.

The Serious Threat to Patient Care

These vulnerabilities are not just theoretical risks—they pose real threats to both patient data privacy and operational healthcare safety. A compromised patient monitor could result in tampered vital readings or unauthorized access to personal health information.

Perhaps the most alarming aspect? There is currently no patch available to address these security flaws.

What Can Be Done?

While the lack of a software fix creates an urgent problem, healthcare providers and patients must act swiftly:

• Healthcare Providers: Review your use of these devices and evaluate whether local, non-networked monitoring solutions are safer for high-risk patients.
• Patients: Contact your healthcare provider if you are using one of these devices at home. Discuss potential alternatives or monitoring solutions.
• Security Professionals: Implement network monitoring to detect unusual activity and secure connected healthcare devices at all possible endpoints.

Healthcare devices have historically lagged behind in security compared to other connected systems. This situation underscores the need for more robust security frameworks and proactive device hardening in the healthcare industry.

When a patch isn’t an option, the response must shift toward containment and prevention strategies to minimize risk exposure.

We’ll continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as they become available.

The post Security Flaw Found in Patient Monitors: No Fix Yet appeared first on Centraleyes.

Incident Response: From Reactive to Proactive Strategies

In the early days of IR, teams responded only after an incident. Fast forward to today: IR teams are getting ahead of the game, much like emergency responders who train, test and adapt constantly. Proactivity is the new norm, and cybersecurity incident response services today are designed to respond to and anticipate attacks.

The Tech Transformation: Leveraging Big Data for Insights

Organizations are swimming in data. The biggest challenge is not collecting it but making sense of it! With data pouring in from devices, apps, and systems, threat detection has leveled up. The IR world has moved from Morse code to instant messaging; things are now faster, clearer, and way more actionable. Today’s cybersecurity incident response processes bring machine learning and AI into the mix, helping security teams cut through noise to spot threats.

From Isolated Threats to Organized Cybercrime

The adversaries we face have changed, too. In a field once dominated by isolated criminals, cyber threats now come from an organized crime industry. This change demands that cybersecurity incident response forensic tools help prepare for adversaries with deeper pockets, broader capabilities, and a relentless pursuit of targets across sectors. 

Fortunately, modern tools are up to the task.

Integrating Cybersecurity Incident Response Steps into your Business

To manage cyber risk, today’s incident response needs to be more than a security silo. Increasingly, businesses recognize that cyber incidents impact every aspect of operations and reputation. Consequently, cybersecurity incident response plans are deeply integrated into business practices to help organizations adapt to shifting compliance demands, supply chain dependencies, and vendor relationships.

The Top 9 Incident Response Platforms

Here’s a close look at the top nine incident response platforms:

1. Splunk Phantom

Overview: Splunk Phantom is a SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) platform that excels in automating playbooks and managing workflows. It enables security teams to streamline their incident response processes effectively.

Core Features:

• Automates repetitive tasks to improve response speed.
• Centralizes alerts from multiple sources for a unified view.
• Offers powerful data visualization and reporting tools.

2. KnowBe4

Overview: KnowBe4 specializes in cybersecurity awareness training, which is crucial for minimizing human error in the incident response process. Their training modules and phishing simulations help prepare employees for real-world threats.

Core Features:

• Conducts phishing simulations to gauge employee awareness.
• Provides interactive training tailored to specific organizational needs.
• Delivers detailed reports on user behavior and training effectiveness.

3. Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR

Overview: Cortex XDR is a detection and response platform that leverages AI-driven behavioral analytics. It provides real-time threat detection across endpoints, networks, and cloud environments.

Core Features:

• Uses machine learning to identify anomalies and potential threats.
• Offers root-cause analysis for in-depth investigation.
• Integrates seamlessly with other Palo Alto security solutions.

4. Darktrace

Overview: Darktrace utilizes machine learning to detect anomalies and identify threats that might evade traditional security measures. Its autonomous response capabilities allow for immediate containment of emerging threats.

Core Features:

• Detects unusual behaviors in network traffic using AI.
• Provides autonomous response technology for quick threat mitigation.
• Visualizes threat activity through intuitive dashboards.

5. CrowdStrike Falcon

Overview: CrowdStrike Falcon is a cloud-native endpoint protection platform that enables rapid detection, investigation, and response to threats. Its lightweight agent minimizes system performance impact.

Core Features:

• Provides real-time endpoint monitoring and threat detection.
• Integrates threat intelligence to enhance security posture.
• Offers comprehensive reporting and analytics.

6. Cisco SecureX

Overview: Cisco SecureX is a cloud-native platform that unifies visibility across network and endpoint security, integrating threat intelligence to support effective incident response.

Core Features:

• Centralizes incident management and response workflows.
• Customizable dashboards for enhanced situational awareness.
• Automated response playbooks to streamline incident handling.

7. ThreatConnect

Overview: ThreatConnect combines incident response with threat intelligence, allowing teams to organize and prioritize threat data for better decision-making and response.

Core Features:

• Aggregates threat intelligence from various sources.
• Provides playbook automation for efficient incident response.
• Facilitates collaboration among incident response teams.

8. IBM Resilient

Overview: IBM Resilient offers powerful post-incident analysis tools, enabling organizations to learn from incidents and improve their preparedness for future threats.

Core Features:

• Structured workflows and playbooks for effective incident management.
• Integration with various security tools for comprehensive data aggregation.
• Detailed reporting capabilities for post-incident analysis.

9. Microsoft Sentinel

Overview: Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native SIEM and SOAR solution that centralizes data for comprehensive incident tracking, aiding detection and response efforts.

Core Features:

• Collects and correlates data across Azure and on-premises environments.
• Utilizes AI for threat detection and investigation.
• Offers customizable workflows and automated response capabilities.

User Feedback

We’ve aggregated user feedback in the following table for quick reference:

Platform	Positive Feedback	Challenges
Splunk Phantom	Customizable automation reduces manual work, enhancing response speed.	Complex setup requires highly skilled staff.
KnowBe4	Effective training content simulates real-world scenarios, keeping employees engaged.	Limited customization options and not suited as a technical IR tool.
Palo Alto Cortex XDR	Strong AI capabilities and useful threat intelligence integration for identifying complex threats.	A high learning curve and premium pricing may limit accessibility for smaller organizations.
Darktrace	Valuable visualization, insights, and autonomous response capabilities allow for real-time threat containment.	High sensitivity can result in false positives, leading to alert fatigue.
CrowdStrike Falcon	Easy deployment with low system impact, cloud-native design enables scalability.	Pricing may be prohibitive for SMBs, and some integrations with other IR tools are lacking.
Cisco SecureX	Integrates well within the Cisco ecosystem and automates repetitive tasks to save time.	Limited functionality for non-Cisco environments and requires advanced configuration skills.
ThreatConnect	Intuitive dashboards and customizable threat intelligence feeds streamline responses.	High costs and complexity in integration with other security tools, suited for larger organizations.
IBM Resilient	Strong post-incident reporting and structured workflows improve incident tracking.	The initial setup is complex, and there is a steep learning curve for those new to IBM’s systems.
Microsoft Sentinel	Flexible and scalable within Azure, with effective automation features for managing alerts.	Cross-platform integrations are limited; Azure-focused optimizations may not suit multi-cloud setups.

Open Source Cybersecurity Incident Response Tools

Open-source tools empower security teams to take control of their incident response processes without the burden of licensing fees, allowing them to allocate resources more effectively. The transparency of open-source solutions enables organizations to scrutinize the code, ensuring that their chosen tools meet specific security and compliance requirements.

Licensed tools come with customer support and polished interfaces but may lack the same level of customization.

1. Apache Metron

Apache Metron is an open-source big data analytics platform tailored for security monitoring and threat detection. Developed to support large-scale data analysis, Metron allows incident response teams to process and interpret massive volumes of security telemetry and log data in real-time.

Core Features:

• Processes and ingests high volumes of log data, network telemetry, and threat intelligence information.
• Integrates seamlessly with Apache Kafka and HDFS for data management and storage.
• Uses Apache Storm for real-time streaming analytics and processing.
• Equipped with a rules engine for defining and automating detection use cases.
• Enhances data context by adding enriched metadata to security events and logs.

2. Elastic Security

Elastic Security, part of the Elastic Stack (previously known as the ELK Stack), is an open-source SIEM and endpoint protection solution. Known for its speed and flexibility, it centralizes security data, supports threat hunting, and manages alerts from a unified interface.

Core Features:

• Aggregates and indexes data from various sources, such as network devices, endpoints, and applications.
• Utilizes Elasticsearch’s powerful query language for advanced search and filtering.
• Provides built-in detection rules and machine learning jobs for threat detection and alerting.
• Includes customizable Kibana dashboards for visualizing data and gaining security insights.
• Supports endpoint monitoring and host-based intrusion detection via Elastic Agent.

3. Graylog

Graylog is a powerful log management and analysis tool. As an open-source solution, it’s widely adopted by incident response teams for centralized log monitoring.

Core Features:

• Centralized Log Collection: Collects logs from various sources, enabling a cohesive view.
• Customizable Dashboards: Visualize data with widgets to track security metrics and trends.
• Event Alerting: Categorizes logs and provides real-time alerts for suspicious activity.

4. GRR Rapid Response

GRR is an open-source, scalable platform for remote incident response and live forensics. It’s favored for quick triaging of incidents across distributed systems.

Core Features:

• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Operates on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
• Remote Forensics: Allows live memory and file analysis without physical access.
• Comprehensive Artifact Collection: Gathers digital forensic data, such as registry files, memory dumps, and file histories.
• API Access: Uses RESTful APIs for managing collected data and for client interaction.
• Automated Monitoring: Schedules recurring tasks for continuous endpoint assessment.

5. OSSEC (Open Source Security)

OSSEC is a free, open-source host-based intrusion detection system (HIDS) that monitors logs, performs rootkit detection, and alerts administrators to suspicious behavior. It’s a widely used security monitoring tool that complements incident response strategies by identifying potential threats.

Core Features:

• File Integrity Monitoring: Tracks changes to critical files, including sensitive directories and configurations.
• Active Response Capabilities: Automates real-time response actions to detected threats.
• Cross-Platform: Compatible with Linux, Windows, macOS, and Unix.
• SIEM Integration: Compatible with systems like ELK for advanced log analysis and event correlation.

6. Osquery

Osquery transforms your operating system into a relational database, enabling SQL queries for real-time system analysis. It is highly adaptable for threat hunting and digital forensics.

Core Features:

• Cross-Platform Support: Works seamlessly across Windows, Linux, macOS, and FreeBSD.
• System State Analysis: Enables rapid analysis of system configurations, processes, and network connections.
• Automated Monitoring: Configurable queries run at intervals for continuous insight.
• Integration-Ready: Works with platforms like Splunk and ELK for comprehensive data analytics.

7. SIFT Workstation (SANS Investigative Forensics Toolkit)

Built on Ubuntu, SIFT offers a broad suite of open-source tools for performing deep forensic analysis on systems. It’s favored by teams needing thorough examination of network and host-based data.

Core Features:

• Linux-Based Stability: Optimized for memory and performance in forensic investigations.
• Forensic Tools: Includes The Sleuth Kit, Volatility, Plaso, and Log2Timeline for comprehensive analysis.
• Virtual Appliance: Deployable as a virtual machine for ease of setup in various environments.

8. TheHive

TheHive is an open-source incident response platform designed for SOC teams. It provides a centralized workspace for case management and collaboration.

Core Features:

• Case Management: Organizes security events into structured cases for streamlined response.
• Integration with Threat Intelligence: Connects with external platforms for enriched incident context.
• Collaboration: Allows team members to share insights, assign tasks, and track incident status.
• Custom Templates: Facilitates standardized incident reports and documentation for consistent handling.

9. Velociraptor

Velociraptor is a sophisticated endpoint visibility tool, primarily used for gathering forensic data and conducting targeted investigations. It’s a strong choice for digital forensics and incident response (DFIR) teams.

Core Features:

• Continuous Monitoring: Tracks file changes, processes, and system events across endpoints.
• Customizable Queries: Uses Velociraptor Query Language (VQL) to craft tailored searches for specific artifacts.
• Multi-Endpoint Forensics: Centralizes collection from numerous devices for rapid response.
• Threat Detection: Identifies indicators of compromise (IOCs) by searching through collected forensic data.
• Centralized Storage: Aggregates data centrally, providing a full historical view for extended analysis.

The Future of IR

Today’s threats demand a proactive stance with IR tools and platforms prioritizing speed, accuracy, and integration with overall business practices. This evolution points towards a future where real-time threat prioritization and automated response become essential components of cyber resilience. 

In the face of rising complexities, solutions like Centraleyes offer businesses a pathway to strengthen their defenses, providing visibility and control over risks to help anticipate and mitigate tomorrow’s challenges before they arise.

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Let’s talk about something we all grapple with daily—our relationship with data. We’re living in a time when data is both the lifeblood of businesses and a source of anxiety for consumers. People want personalization. Who doesn’t love a tailor-made experience? But they also worry about what’s happening to their data behind the scenes.

Take this example: You’re looking for a new car and mention a specific model in an email. Minutes later, you see an ad for that exact car pop up on your screen. Helpful? Maybe. Creepy? Absolutely. Scenarios like this have made people more cautious about sharing their information.

So, here’s the million-dollar question of transparency vs vulnerability: How do businesses balance security and transparency to build trust without making customers feel exposed? 

Transparency In Numbers

A study by Verizon found that while 69% of people avoid companies that experience data breaches, 45% of younger consumers are willing to share their data—for the right reasons. They want to feel safe, but they also want value in return.

It’s a dance between being open and being protective. Transparency is like inviting a guest into your home. You show them the living room and the kitchen and tell them to make themselves feel at home.

But you wouldn’t want them rummaging through your drawers.

Being transparent doesn’t mean oversharing. It means helping your customers understand what’s happening to their data and why it benefits them. Think of it as a conversation:

• “Here’s what we’re collecting.”
• “Here’s why we need it.”
• “And here’s what you get out of it.”

The Balance Between Transparency and Security

Now, this is where it gets tricky. Transparency is great, but does too much of it make your business vulnerable? Not necessarily. It’s all about how you communicate.

You don’t have to tell your customers every detail of your cybersecurity setup. But you can reassure them with statements like, “We don’t use your email content for targeted ads,” or, “We’ve implemented measures to ensure your data is safe.”

Microsoft, for example, has strict advertising policies. They don’t use sensitive data for ads or share activity data with third parties. Customers can even view what data is being used through a privacy dashboard. That’s transparency without inviting trouble.

Practical Steps for Achieving the Balance

Let’s get practical. Here’s how you can balance transparency and security:

1. Simplify your policies: Write data privacy and security policies that people can actually understand. Avoid legal jargon and be upfront.
2. Invest in cybersecurity: A strong security framework is the backbone of transparency. You can’t build trust without protecting your customers.
3. Educate your team: Transparency starts internally. Make sure your employees understand and adhere to your policies.
4. Communicate clearly: Keep customers informed about what’s happening with their data and how it benefits them.

By embedding these practices into your business model, you create an environment of trust and reliability.

Building a Culture of Transparency

The companies that are nailing this balance aren’t just doing it because the law tells them to. They’re doing it because it’s good business. Transparency builds trust, and trust builds loyalty.

What does this look like in practice?

• Be upfront: Make sure your policies on data use are easy to find and even easier to understand.
• Provide value: If you’re asking for information, make it worth the customer’s while. Save them time, give them discounts, or make their experience better.
• Keep it human: Avoid jargon. Speak to your customers as people, not just data points.

What Happens When You Get It Right

When businesses prioritize cybersecurity transparency, magic happens. Customers feel safe, so they engage more. That means better sales, more referrals, and a stronger brand.

For example, the top-performing marketers in a Microsoft study didn’t just use data—they made sure to explain how they used it. And guess what? They saw better results because of it. People don’t mind sharing when they feel it’s a two-way street.

The Impact of Regulations on Transparency

As data privacy and security concerns grow, so does the regulatory landscape. With laws like the GDPR, CCPA, and others, businesses are increasingly required to be transparent about their data practices. These regulations don’t just help protect consumers—they also push companies toward more ethical and clear data usage policies.

But it’s not just about compliance; it’s about making transparency a core part of your brand’s identity. Companies that embrace these regulations and go beyond them create a culture of trust that customers appreciate. It’s no longer enough to simply follow the rules. The companies leading the way in transparency are those who take these regulations as a baseline and build from there.

For example, GDPR requires companies to explain why they are collecting personal data, how it will be used, and how long it will be retained. However, businesses can go even further by offering detailed reports or tools that let customers control their data and consent to its use—taking transparency from a checkbox to a core value.

Data Security in a Remote World

The digital transformation and rise of remote work have made data security even more challenging. With teams scattered across the globe, sensitive information is being accessed from a variety of devices and locations, creating more potential for vulnerabilities.

This raises the question: How do you keep data secure while maintaining transparency in a world that operates beyond the traditional office walls?

The answer lies in secure access controls, data encryption, and ensuring that your transparency practices are adapted to this new environment. For example, businesses can be upfront about the tools they use to protect data, like virtual private networks (VPNs) or secure file-sharing systems, while also communicating the measures they’ve put in place to ensure that sensitive information remains protected across all devices.

By setting clear boundaries around what employees and third parties can access, companies can help customers feel more comfortable with their data usage, even if that data is being accessed in new and innovative ways.

The Role of AI in Enhancing Transparency

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a powerful tool in data management and security. With AI, businesses can automate compliance monitoring, detect data breaches in real time, and even enhance the personalization of customer experiences without compromising privacy.

However, while AI can make businesses more efficient, it also introduces new transparency challenges. How do you explain AI-driven decisions to customers, especially when those decisions impact their data or user experience?

One approach is to ensure that AI models are explainable. Providing customers with insights into how their data is being used by AI—without compromising proprietary technology—can demystify the process. AI can also be used to proactively inform customers of data updates and allow them to opt-in or opt-out of certain data uses.

Take, for example, the growing use of AI in cybersecurity. AI systems can identify potential threats to customer data faster than any human can, but businesses need to communicate clearly about how AI is being used in their security practices, ensuring customers know that their data is being protected by the latest technology.

The Cost of Transparency

Transparency might sound like a straightforward goal, but achieving it often comes with costs—both financially and operationally. Simplifying policies, investing in secure data infrastructure, and educating employees all require resources. However, the payoff is significant. Companies that take transparency seriously tend to see higher customer loyalty, better brand perception, and even a competitive edge.

How do you measure the ROI of transparency? 

While the direct financial benefits might not always be immediately visible, the long-term gains are clear: customer trust. Trust is what turns a one-time buyer into a loyal customer, and that’s a resource worth investing in.

Transparency in Data Retention

A key aspect of data transparency that many companies overlook is the importance of clearly communicating how long customer data will be stored. Today, customers are increasingly aware of the risks involved in data retention, with more people questioning why their data is kept after a service is completed.

Being clear about data retention timelines and policies helps ensure that customers feel in control of their information. For example, businesses could implement features that allow customers to delete their data at will, or they could make it easy for them to track how long their data will remain in the system.

More transparency in this area can lead to more trust, as customers feel empowered to manage their own information.

Closing Thoughts on Transparency and Security in the Digital Era

The challenge of balancing transparency and security is an ongoing journey, not a one-time solution. It requires constant attention to customer needs, regulatory requirements, and technological advancements. But by prioritizing both security and transparency, businesses can foster trust, improve customer loyalty, and create a safer digital environment for all.

The next time you’re thinking about how to approach data security, remember: It’s not just about locking things down—it’s about opening up, too. After all, the more transparent you are, the more trust you build. And in the end, trust is the most valuable currency of all.

Keep it honest, keep it simple, and always put your customers’ best interests first. That’s how you turn transparency from a challenge into your greatest strength.

The post Achieving the Perfect Balance: Security, Privacy, and Transparency in the Digital Age appeared first on Centraleyes.

Understanding CMMC Level 2 Requirements

If you’re planning on winning DoD contracts, mastering the CMMC 2.0 is likely part of your 2025 roadmap.

What does CMMC Level 2 entail? How does it differ from Level 1, and what’s the roadmap to compliance? In this guide, we’ll demystify the 17 domains, 110 practices, and offer a CMMC 2 assessment guide to bring you up to par. 

CMMC Level 2 is the intermediate cyber hygiene level for organizations handling CUI. Unlike Level 1 of the CMMC, which focuses on basic safeguards, Level 2 aligns closely with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP 800-171 framework.

Achieving Level 2 compliance is about proving your organization’s commitment to security, paving the way for greater trust and lucrative government contracts.

Key Requirements: What You Need to Know

CMMC Level 2 introduces 110 practices grouped into 17 domains, including but not limited to:

1. Access Control (AC): Limiting access to authorized users and preventing unauthorized access.
2. Audit and Accountability (AU): Keeping a record of activities and ensuring you can trace back any security events.
3. Incident Response (IR): Establishing a robust plan to detect, report, and recover from incidents.
4. Risk Management (RM): Identifying and mitigating risks before they become costly breaches.

Each of these practices builds on NIST SP 800-171 controls, ensuring contractors meet DoD security expectations while reducing risks across the defense industrial base. We’ll explore the rest of the requirements soon.

Spotlight: Preparing for a Third-Party Assessment

Level 2 is unique because it usually requires an external audit by a certified CMMC Third-Party Assessor Organization (C3PAO). This step ensures your compliance isn’t just theoretical but actionable. Here’s how to prepare:

• Documentation: Ensure all policies, procedures, and plans are up to date and accurately reflect your practices.
• Gap Analysis: Identify areas where your existing controls fall short of CMMC Level 2 requirements.
• Training: Educate your team on CMMC standards and the importance of their role in compliance.

Four-Phase Implementation Plan of the CMMC 2.0

The CMMC 2.0 implementation follows a four-phased approach designed to ensure a smooth transition for organizations in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). This phased rollout accounts for assessor availability and contractor preparedness.

Phase 1: Adaptation Period

• Timeline: Begins December 16, 2024, and extends for six months due to an amendment.
• Purpose: Provides contractors and organizations within the DIB additional time to align internal cybersecurity processes with the updated requirements under CMMC 2.0.
• Key Action Items:
  • Organizations should familiarize themselves with the final rule and perform a gap analysis.
  • Preparation includes addressing Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) environments, updating internal processes, and starting NIST 800-171 alignment where applicable.

Organizations preparing for third-party assessments can simplify their readiness process using tools like Centraleyes, which aligns CMMC requirements with NIST and ISO frameworks for seamless gap analysis.

Phase 2: Third-Party Assessments

• Timeline: Commences one year after Phase 1 begins, approximately mid-FY2026.
• Focus: Contractors managing CUI in most contracts will need to undergo an assessment conducted by a certified Third-Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO).
• Details:
  • Certified C3PAOs are authorized under the CMMC Accreditation Body (CyberAB).
  • Organizations are assessed against the CMMC Level 2 framework, which mirrors the 110 controls outlined in NIST 800-171.

Phase 3: DoD-Led Level 3 Assessments

• Timeline: Begins one year after Phase 2 starts (expected FY2027).
• Scope: Applies to contracts involving the most sensitive CUI, which require a Level 3 assessment directly performed by the DoD.
• Significance: Level 3 introduces additional, stringent requirements beyond Level 2, focusing on advanced threat detection and response capabilities.

Phase 4: Full Implementation

• Timeline: Scheduled to begin one year after Phase 3 (FY2028) and span across seven years.
• Objective: Enforces full CMMC compliance across all DoD contractors handling CUI or Federal Contract Information (FCI). By this stage, all contractors within the DIB must either meet the applicable CMMC level or demonstrate alternative means of compliance.

CMMC Level 2 Controls: A Comprehensive Guide

CMMC Level 2 is a significant step up from Level 1, requiring compliance with 110 controls derived from the NIST SP 800-171 framework. These controls are grouped into 17 domains, each addressing a specific area of cybersecurity. Here’s a more in-depth overview of the domains and their key practices

1. Access Control (AC)

Focused on restricting access to authorized users, devices, and processes.

• Implement role-based access control.
• Use multifactor authentication (MFA) for sensitive systems.
• Limit access based on the principle of least privilege.

2. Awareness and Training (AT)

Ensures personnel are aware of cybersecurity risks and responsibilities.

• Conduct regular security training.
• Reinforce training for handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

3. Audit and Accountability (AU)

Tracks and monitors user activities for security events.

• Enable logging of all system activities.
• Retain logs for analysis and compliance.

4. Configuration Management (CM)

Focuses on maintaining secure system configurations.

• Develop and enforce baseline configurations.
• Implement change control processes.

5. Identification and Authentication (IA)

Ensures only authenticated users and devices gain access.

• Use unique identifiers for all users and devices.
• Enforce strong password policies.

6. Incident Response (IR)

Prepares organizations to detect, respond to, and recover from incidents.

• Develop and test an incident response plan (IRP).
• Report incidents to the appropriate DoD channels.

7. Maintenance (MA)

Covers secure system maintenance processes.

• Perform maintenance under supervision or using vetted tools.
• Restrict and monitor remote maintenance.

8. Media Protection (MP)

Protects data stored on digital and physical media.

• Encrypt CUI when stored on removable media.
• Implement media disposal procedures to prevent data leaks.

9. Personnel Security (PS)

Ensures trusted personnel handle sensitive information.

• Screen employees before granting access to CUI.
• Remove access immediately when personnel leave.

10. Physical Protection (PE)

Secures physical access to facilities and systems.

• Limit facility access to authorized individuals.
• Monitor and control physical entry points.

11. Risk Management (RM)

Establishes processes for identifying and mitigating risks.

• Conduct regular risk assessments.
• Implement a risk management strategy.

12. Security Assessment (CA)

Validates the effectiveness of security controls.

• Perform regular security assessments.
• Document and remediate any deficiencies.

13. System and Communications Protection (SC)

Ensures secure data transmission and communication.

• Encrypt CUI during transmission.
• Monitor and control external communications.

14. System and Information Integrity (SI)

Focuses on identifying and responding to system vulnerabilities.

• Deploy antivirus and anti-malware tools.
• Monitor systems for unauthorized changes.

15. Asset Management (AM)

(New domain in CMMC 2.0) Identifies and tracks assets that process CUI.

• Maintain an up-to-date inventory of hardware and software.

16. Recovery (RE)

(New domain in CMMC 2.0) Focuses on maintaining resilience.

• Implement backup and disaster recovery procedures.

17. Situational Awareness (SA)

(New domain in CMMC 2.0) Strengthens threat monitoring.

• Use threat intelligence to bolster defenses.

The Relationship Between DFARS and CMMC 2.0

To fully understand the role of CMMC 2.0 in the defense contracting landscape, it’s essential to discuss its connection to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS). DFARS is the set of regulations that govern the acquisition process for the Department of Defense (DoD). It provides the legal and contractual framework within which CMMC 2.0 operates.

DFARS Clause 252.204-7012

One of the key DFARS clauses, 252.204-7012, requires contractors to implement the security requirements outlined in NIST SP 800-171 to protect Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

This clause has been a foundational element of cybersecurity compliance for DoD contractors since 2017. Contractors must:

• Report Cyber Incidents: Report any cyber incidents to the DoD within 72 hours.
• Provide Media for Analysis: Share affected systems or data with the DoD for forensic analysis when required.

However, enforcement of these requirements has historically been inconsistent, as many contractors self-attested without verification of their compliance with the NIST SP 800-171.

DFARS Clause 252.204-7020

DFARS introduced clause 252.204-7020 to address enforcement issues, which requires contractors to undergo assessments of their implementation of NIST SP 800-171. These assessments use the DoD Assessment Methodology, which assigns a score to reflect the contractor’s compliance level. This scoring system ties directly to the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS), where scores are submitted and used to evaluate a contractor’s eligibility for DoD contracts.

How CMMC 2.0 Builds on DFARS

CMMC 2.0 was introduced to bolster the existing DFARS framework by adding a CMMC level 2 certification process, not just an assessment. While DFARS relies on self-assessments and spot checks, CMMC 2.0 formalizes and verifies compliance through the following mechanisms:

1. Three Levels of Certification: CMMC 2.0 introduces a tiered model that aligns with DFARS requirements:

• Level 1 (Foundational): Basic Federal Contract Information (FCI) safeguards, similar to FAR Clause 52.204-21.
• Level 2 (Advanced): Intermediate cyber hygiene practices aligned with NIST SP 800-171 for protecting CUI.
• Level 3 (Expert): Advanced cybersecurity requirements aligned with NIST SP 800-172 for contractors handling the most sensitive information.

2. Independent Verification: For contracts requiring CMMC Level 2 or Level 3, third-party assessments by Certified Third-Party Assessor Organizations (C3PAOs) are required to verify CMMC level 2 compliance. This goes beyond DFARS’ self-assessment model, ensuring greater accountability.

3. Integration with SPRS: CMMC 2.0 ties directly to the DFARS requirements for reporting NIST SP 800-171 scores to SPRS. For non-priority contracts at Level 2, contractors may self-assess and upload their scores to SPRS. For priority contracts, third-party audits ensure compliance.

Centraleyes: Your CMMC 2.0 Accelerator

Centraleyes is your partner in tackling CMMC 2.0 complexities, whether you’re a contractor, MSP, or compliance team leader. From multi-tenant management to cross mappings, we make compliance efficient and scalable.

• Multi-Tenant Management: For MSPs and MSSPs, Centraleyes offers a centralized dashboard to oversee multiple clients simultaneously. Track compliance progress, identify gaps, and ensure consistent adherence to CMMC standards across clients without juggling multiple systems.
• Comprehensive Framework Integration: Centraleyes aligns CMMC requirements with other key frameworks, enabling seamless gap analyses and actionable insights.
• Efficiency and Scalability: With automation-driven processes, you save time and resources.

By partnering with Centraleyes, MSPs and MSSPs can elevate their offerings, providing clients with proactive compliance solutions while maintaining operational efficiency. 

Ready to accelerate your CMMC journey? Schedule a demo.

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One of the most pivotal decisions an organization faces is whether to build an in-house Security Operations Center (SOC) or outsource security operations to a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP). While the choice may seem straightforward at first glance, the long-term implications—on finances, operations, and risk management—are anything but simple.

Like all things in life, both options come with their own set of advantages and challenges. Your decision will hinge on your organization’s risk tolerance, resource availability, and strategic vision. Let’s dive into the critical factors to consider.

In-House SOC: Total Control with Long-Term Commitments

Building an in-house SOC gives you unparalleled control over your security operations. This model involves hiring dedicated teams, investing in cutting-edge tools, and developing processes tailored to your unique business environment.

Advantages

• Organizational Context: An in-house team knows your systems, people, and workflows better than any external party ever could. This reduces response times and enables precise remediation.
• Customization: With full control, you can create tailored security protocols aligned with your organization’s goals.
• Data Ownership: Sensitive data remains entirely within your organization, alleviating third-party access concerns.

Challenges

• Costs: The financial burden is significant—hiring skilled talent, maintaining technology, and providing continuous training is expensive.
• Talent Retention: Cybersecurity professionals are in high demand, and burnout is a real threat. Losing key staff can disrupt operations.
• Scalability: As your organization grows, your SOC must scale accordingly, which can be costly and complex.

Long-Term Perspective

While the upfront costs are high, an in-house SOC can become a strategic asset over time, offering deeper insights into your organization’s security posture and more precise threat management. However, you need to be prepared for the ongoing investments required to stay ahead of evolving cyber threats.

MSSP: Outsourced Expertise with Built-In Flexibility

For organizations looking for a simpler, less resource-intensive solution, outsourcing to an MSSP can be an attractive alternative. MSSP IT services offer 24/7 monitoring, incident response, and access to advanced tools—often at a lower upfront cost.

Advantages

• Expertise on Demand: MSSPs bring specialized knowledge and cutting-edge technology to the table, often including SOC-as-a-Service capabilities.
• Cost-Effective: Managed SOC pricing is typically more predictable, with flexible models that align with your budget.
• Scalability: As your security needs evolve, MSSPs can adjust their services to match.

Challenges

• Lack of Context: MSSPs may struggle to fully grasp your organization’s unique environment, which can slow down incident response.
• Dependency: Relying heavily on a third party means losing some control over critical security decisions.
• Ticket Overload: Some MSSPs function more like “TSSPs” (Ticket Security Service Providers), leaving your internal team to close tickets rather than solving problems directly.

Long-Term Perspective

While MSSPs can quickly bolster your security capabilities, their effectiveness depends on strong collaboration. Without clear communication and defined mandates, you risk creating gaps in your security posture.

Cost Implications

Financial considerations remain a significant factor in the MSSP vs. SOC debate. According to a study done by Ponemon, the average annual cost of operating an in-house SOC is approximately $2.84 million, while outsourcing to an MSSP averages around $1.42 million. This substantial cost difference makes MSSPs an attractive option for organizations seeking comprehensive security solutions without the financial burden of maintaining an in-house team.

Community Perspectives

Community discussions among cybersecurity professionals reveal diverse opinions on the choice between in-house Security Operations Centers (SOCs) and Managed security operations. One professional with experience in building and managing SOCs shares a clear preference: “Unless your org is really big and complex, you should 100% go with an MSSP. Security Ops requires too many resources to build from scratch.” 

On the other hand, MSSPs often bring a distinct advantage: their teams are accustomed to handling diverse and complex security environments across multiple clients. This exposure requires MSSPs to maintain a broader skill set, enabling them to manage a wide range of threats and compliance needs effectively. However, this also means their teams face intense workloads, which could impact the personalized attention they can provide.

These contrasting perspectives highlight the need for organizations to weigh their internal capabilities, risk appetite, and long-term goals when deciding between an in-house SOC and outsourcing managed security services. Both options offer unique benefits, but the right choice depends on aligning your security approach with your organization’s needs.

Market Growth and Adoption

The managed security services market is experiencing significant growth. Valued at $27.2 billion in 2022, it is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.4% from 2023. This expansion reflects a growing trend among organizations to outsource security operations, driven by the increasing complexity of cyber threats and the need for specialized expertise.

Compliance Considerations: A Factor Not to Overlook

For industries like healthcare, finance, and energy—where compliance requirements are both rigorous and non-negotiable—the choice between an in-house SOC and an MSSP can significantly impact regulatory adherence and operational resilience.

1. Audit Readiness: The Case for an In-House SOC

An in-house SOC offers granular control over logs, reports, and incident data, which is invaluable for compliance audits:

• Tailored Reporting: Internal teams can align reports precisely with standards like HIPAA, PCI DSS, or SOX, streamlining audits.
• Proactive Documentation: Familiarity with your systems enables teams to document and anticipate potential compliance gaps.
• Real-Time Access: With direct control, auditors can quickly access detailed logs and evidence, ensuring smoother audits.

2. Third-Party Risk: The Double-Edged Sword of MSSPs

While MSSPs provide expertise, they also introduce third-party risks:

• Due Diligence: Thorough vetting is essential to ensure MSSPs comply with relevant standards and certifications like ISO 27001 or SOC 2.
• Data Sovereignty Concerns: For industries with strict localization rules, MSSPs must align with legal data handling requirements.
• Shared Responsibility Models: Clear contracts defining compliance responsibilities are critical to avoid audit gaps.

Can You Have The Best of Both Worlds?

For many organizations, a hybrid approach strikes the perfect balance. By blending in-house expertise with outsourced support, you can tailor your cybersecurity operations to meet specific needs. For example:

• Outsource Lower-Tier Tasks: Use MSSPs for routine monitoring while keeping strategic decision-making in-house.
• Specialized Expertise: Partner with MSSPs for niche areas like threat intelligence or compliance reporting.
• On-Demand Resources: Leverage third-party consultants for large-scale projects or audits.

The key to a successful hybrid model is clearly delineating responsibilities and fostering strong partnerships with your MSSP.

Third-Party Risk: The Double-Edged Sword of MSSPs

While MSSPs provide expertise and flexibility, they also introduce third-party risks that can be disastrous if not properly managed. One glaring example is the 2020 SolarWinds cyberattack.

In this case, hackers infiltrated SolarWinds’ Orion software, which was used by numerous MSSPs to monitor their clients’ networks. These MSSPs, relying on the Orion platform for security, unknowingly spread the compromise to their clients, exposing sensitive systems and data. What was supposed to be a security solution quickly became the perfect attack vector.

This incident highlights how relying on third-party service providers—especially those with deep access to your systems—can turn into a major vulnerability. It emphasizes the importance of rigorous vetting, ongoing monitoring, and clear contractual agreements to mitigate such risks. When choosing an MSSP, it’s critical to ensure they meet all necessary compliance standards

The Role of Technology in the SOC vs. MSSP Decision

Technology is the great equalizer in the SOC as a service vs. MSSP debate. For in-house SOCs, advanced tools like AI-driven threat detection and automated workflows can make small teams highly effective. The challenge is ensuring continuous investment to stay ahead of emerging threats.

MSSPs leverage their scale to offer enterprise-grade technologies, such as Extended Detection and Response (XDR) platforms, to clients of all sizes. However, this shared infrastructure might limit customization. Regardless of your model, the right tools can bridge expertise gaps and streamline operations, ensuring both compliance and agility.

Questions to Ask When Choosing Between In-House SOC and MSSPs

1. Does your organization have the resources to manage compliance in-house, or will an MSSP’s expertise lighten the burden?
2. Can the MSSP demonstrate a proven track record of regulatory compliance in your industry?
3. How will third-party risks be mitigated, and what contractual safeguards can you implement?
4. What level of visibility will you retain over compliance data and reporting?
5. How adaptable is the MSSP’s approach to evolving regulations?
6. What is the response time for compliance-related issues or audits?
7. What’s the cost of non-compliance for your organization?
8. How will the MSSP handle incident management in compliance-critical scenarios?
9. Does the MSSP leverage automated tools to streamline compliance?
10. How will the MSSP support specific frameworks or standards relevant to your operations?

Final Word

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the SOC vs. MSSP debate. The right choice depends on your organization’s unique needs, risks, and long-term goals. Whether you go in-house, outsource, or adopt a hybrid model, aligning your cybersecurity strategy with your business objectives is key.

Centraleyes specializes in providing cutting-edge solutions for cyber services that MSSPs deliver, helping organizations achieve seamless compliance and operational excellence.

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What is the Information Security Manual (ISM)?

The Information Security Manual (ISM) is a cybersecurity framework developed by the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) to help organizations protect their IT and operational technology systems, applications, and data from cyber threats. The ISM is relevant to industries like government, defense, finance, healthcare, and other sectors where sensitive data protection is critical. It is particularly aimed at Chief Information Security Officers, Chief Information Officers, cybersecurity professionals, and IT managers.

While compliance with the ISM is generally not mandatory, certain laws, regulations, or directives may require adherence. The framework is updated regularly to address evolving cyber threats and technological advancements. 

The ISM complements other cybersecurity frameworks and regulations, such as the Essential Eight strategies, offering organizations comprehensive guidance to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses.

What are the requirements for the Information Security Manual (ISM)?

To comply with the ISM, organizations need to follow a structured process that integrates into their risk management practices. Here are the key steps:

1. Define the System: Assess the type, value, and security objectives of the system by analyzing potential impacts if compromised.
2. Select Security Controls: Choose security controls that align with the organization’s security objectives.
3. Implement Security Controls: Apply the selected controls across the system.
4. Assess Security Controls: Evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented controls.
5. Authorize the System: Obtain formal approval to operate the system based on the assessed controls.
6. Monitor the System: Continuously oversee the system to ensure it remains secure and compliant.

Prerequisites for compliance often include an organizational commitment to cybersecurity, the establishment of an internal security team, and integration of security measures into all IT processes. Organizations are also encouraged to adopt related standards, such as the ASD Essential Eight, which work in tandem with the ISM.

The ASD serves as the qualifying and authorizing body for the ISM, providing regular updates and resources to guide organizations in their implementation efforts.

Why should you be Information Security Manual (ISM) compliant?

Being compliant with the ISM offers numerous benefits, including:

Enhanced Security: It mitigates risks from cyber threats, protecting intellectual property, brand reputation, and sensitive data.

Regulatory Compliance: Adhering to the ISM helps organizations meet legal and regulatory requirements, avoiding fines or penalties.

Operational Efficiency: Streamlined security practices can lead to time and cost savings.

Increased Trust: Compliance enhances credibility with clients, stakeholders, and partners, potentially opening new business opportunities.

Failing to comply with the ISM poses significant risks, such as:

Financial Losses: Australian small businesses have faced average costs of $50,000 per cyber attack.

Legal Penalties: Under the Privacy Act, penalties for serious data breaches can reach up to $2.1 million.

Reputational Damage: A cyber incident can erode customer trust and harm brand image.

Operational Disruptions: A breach can lead to downtime and additional recovery costs.

In summary, ISM compliance is a proactive step toward robust cybersecurity, enabling organizations to protect themselves from evolving cyber threats while maintaining trust and regulatory alignment.

ISM and the RFFR

The Recoverable, Fit-for-Purpose, and Resilient (RFFR) requirement is designed to guide Australian government agencies in building systems that support the secure delivery of services and protect national interests. Compliance with RFFR principles is mandatory for Australian government entities, ensuring their information systems remain resilient, reliable, and adaptable in the face of evolving threats. It emphasizes building and maintaining systems that are secure, robust, and capable of supporting critical functions under adverse conditions.

The Information Security Manual (ISM) is a key resource that supports this requirement, providing detailed guidelines and controls to help organizations achieve the RFFR objectives. While the ISM is not mandatory for all organizations, it is a requirement for Australian government agencies and serves as a best-practice framework for others. By implementing the ISM, organizations align their security practices with the RFFR’s focus on operational security, recovery, and resilience.

How do I achieve compliance with the Information Security Manual (ISM)?

Using the Centraleyes platform, organizations can significantly accelerate their path to compliance. The automation of assessment, remediation, risk analysis, combined with the platform’s intuitive interface and real-time tracking, allows businesses to achieve measurable progress immediately. The Centraleyes platform provides a built-in ISM assessment, allowing you to choose controls by ID, category or function, and provides remediation tasks, as well as smart-mapping to the Essential Eight and other important frameworks.

By leveraging the Centraleyes platform, organizations not only simplify the process of achieving ISM compliance but also gain a robust foundation for long-term cybersecurity resilience. This ensures they remain compliant, secure, and adaptable in the face of emerging cyber threats.

Read more: https://www.cyber.gov.au/resources-business-and-government/essential-cyber-security/ism

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