Cybersecurity approaches to APTs are often outdated

ROLLING MEADOWS, USA: Many of today's most destructive advanced persistent threats (APTs) were conceived a decade ago, so enterprises that rely on most traditional approaches to cybersecurity are unlikely to succeed against the next generation of attacks.

This is one of the cautions in a new book published by global IT association ISACA in Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

Advanced Persistent Threats: How to Manage the Risk to Your Business advises that traditional defenses such as firewalls and anti-malware are not up to the challenge of today's APTs and that organizations need to add new skills, processes and technology to their cybersecurity arsenal.

"The motives behind APTs are as old as civilization itself: espionage, sabotage, crime, terrorism, warfare and protest. What's not old is the increase in attacks and sophistication. Enterprises need to think about APTs more as a different breed than a new generation," said author David Lacey, CITP. Lacey is a leading futurist and IT security authority whose professional experience includes risk and security positions at Royal Mail Group and Royal Dutch/Shell Group.

An ISACA cybersecurity survey of more than 1,500 security professionals worldwide found that 94 percent of respondents believe that APTs represent a credible threat to national security and economic stability. One in five enterprises has already experienced an APT attack, but more than half of respondents don't believe that APTs differ from traditional threats.

The book communicates two important messages: combating APTs is not business as usual, and APTs should be everyone's business. It is written in clear, nontechnical language to reach business managers and government officials responsible for valuable intellectual assets or critical services that might be targeted by an APT attack.

It also details the differences between the controls needed to counter an advanced persistent threat and those used to mitigate everyday information security risk.

Mitigating an APT attack intersects in part with conventional guidance and controls, such as those set out in ISACA's COBIT 5 framework, SANS Institute critical controls and ISO/IEC 27001 security standards. This book focuses on enhancements needed and it highlights areas where controls need to be strengthened or extended.