What is the Purpose of Communication in Cyber Security?

18-Nov-2024

Communication, as foundational to forming relationships, its significance cannot be overstated in any discipline. Cybersecurity is one such discipline that is heavily reliant on good communication for its operation and efficiency. Maintaining a strong organizational security posture requires communication between the managing board and the technical team. Any organization, regardless of size, simply runs the risk of organizational disorder and mismatch between their technological initiatives and strategic objectives. Technical cybersecurity experts and non-technical member of a company view the same issue though different perspectives. Hence, communication is vital to bring the two together to meet the organizational goals. 

In this blog, let us dilate the importance of communication in cybersecurity and learn about the purpose of communication. 

Purpose of Communication in Cybersecurity

The field of cybersecurity is constantly evolving with the growing technological advancements. Enterprises across industries are challenged to continuously update their security measures and practices to outpace the sophistication and growth of cyber threats. This can only occur in the presence of a good cybersecurity communication practice.  Organizations must focus on the effective communication of their security strategies and challenges. The purpose of communication in cybersecurity certainly cannot be exaggerated. Let us explore what communication does for cybersecurity. 

Communication ensures employees knowledge and awareness of Cybersecurity: Maintaining clear and consistent communication is key to ensuring all the employees in the organization are aware of the disruptive impact of cyberthreat, and the possible risks involved in not adhering to the company's security protocols. 

Enabling clear and regular updates on security vulnerabilities: A timely communication of a potential threat can only prevent attack or breach occurring. Communication is essential to update in detail to the entire workforce about the health of the system, network and infrastructure, and of any potential vulnerabilities. Regular updates can be in the form of summaries of patch management summary, regulatory compliance report, backup status reports, penetration testing reports, etc. 

To inform incident alerts: An good communication enables the immediate notification of in the event of security incidence. To remedy such incidents, detailed analysis of the incident is required. Hence, a detailed report on the nature of the incident, remedial measures and actions executed, and further recommendations is essential in reviving the security system. 

To keep the clients or employees in the loop: Cybersecurity strategies are mandatory to change as per the technological swing. So is the change in the regulatory obligations. Only through communication can a company keep their employees in the loop and keep them informed about their policy and compliance. 

Building trust: Communication is essential in cybersecurity for building trust among clients and companies. It not only educates and informs, but keep them in confidence and strengthens their relationship as partners. Poor communication runs the risk of operational disconnect, missed threats and loss of trust and confidence among partners. 

What is a good communication strategy in cybersecurity?

In a cybersecurity landscape, a good communication strategy is made up of a variety of components, each crucial in their own role. 

Clear and Concise: A cybersecurity communication must be made in a clear and concise manner. Technical experts must avoid using unnecessary jargons, ensuring that the information is understandable and easily comprehended by the clients or other team members. A team member or an employee who is from a non-technical background will not be able to grasp the specifics if critical information is relayed in a complex language. 

Consistent: Cybersecurity communications must be made consistently, to ensure timely updates about the organization's security measures. This build more confidence and trust among the employees and keep them informed. It also reflects reliability on the part of the cybersecurity technical team toward the clients.

Scope for Feedback: A good communication strategy in cybersecurity must also feature channels for the workforce or clients to extend their feedback, raise concerns or even ask questions to clarify any doubts. 

Personalizing Communication: Cybersecurity experts typically engage with different crowds. It is crucial for them to be able to tailor the information according to the clients or the team members at the receiving end. Non-technical employees may not be able to understand the same security strategy and information just as those with technical competencies. 

Quick and Instant Response: Cybersecurity communication has to be made quickly and efficiently to clients and concern individuals to ensure timely intervention and response mechanism. This practice altogether helps in mitigating the impact of an attack. 

High Engagement and Impact: High engagement of the information you lay out indicates how it is valued. It's essential for cybersecurity professionals to monitor the frequency of their parters reading or engaging with their informational content. 

Cybersecurity Communication for Different Roles

To understand the purpose of communication in cybersecurity better, let us discuss what communication entails for various job roles and positions in the cybersecurity industry:

Penetration Tester: As a penetration tester, one must proactively communicate security issues and potential vulnerabilities. This enables organizations to prioritize fixing such issues. The type of communication they render include:

• Listening actively while planning and starting of a penetration test
• A properly drafted report
• An engaging readout call with context and scope for Q&A

Incident Responder: This expert is adept at helping an organization through their worst days. They write scripts, analyse malware, examine PCAPs, etc to minimize the blow of an attack or impact of an incident. They communicate their findings in a simple language to make a non-tech member grasp the issue. Their type of communication strategy include:

• Verbal communication with IT co-worker on a one-on-one basis
• Briefing about the findings and results
• Testifying in court as an expert
• Reports on findings
• Active listening and understanding the business objectives

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) : As a high-level leader, a CISO is responsible for breaching about the importance of cybersecurity and communicating to different people in different context. Their communication strategy includes:

• Relating the vitality of cybersecurity measures
• Effectively explaining vulnerabilities and possible risks and consequences associated with poor security systems
• Summarizing complex technical cybersecurity concepts and practices to make it easy to understand for non-technical team members or employees
• In the event of data breach/attack/crisis, communicating effectively and engaging with media

Conclusion: Communication is a foundation on which the efficiency of cybersecurity measures rely on. Hence, communication has a profound purpose and indispensable roles to play in the field. 

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