Risk
07/01/2016

Cybersecurity: Steps to Take Now


cybersecurity-7-1-16.pngThe Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) and its member agencies are treating cybersecurity and the management of cybersecurity risks as a critical priority. Bank executives and board members should be aware of published guidelines that cover four key areas the FFIEC believes are most important:

  1. Governance: What are the bank’s policies and procedures? How does the bank establish and communicate expectations and conduct training? Is the entire organization, not just the IT department, involved in addressing cybersecurity risk? How would the institution react if something goes wrong?
  2. Threat intelligence: How does the institution monitor and remain aware of potential threats? What internal and external resources does the bank use to keep up-to-date on potential risks? What threat detection tools does the institution use? Does the bank participate in the FBI’s InfraGard and other intelligence sharing programs? How does the bank monitor and guard against unforeseen threats?
  3. Third-party relationships: As banks continue to outsource more non-core activities, the responsibility to manage cybersecurity with third party vendors is also increasing. Does the bank follow the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) guidelines? Can the bank’s third parties pass the scrutiny of independent reviews (e.g., Service Organization Control (SOC 1, 2, 3) examinations)? It should be noted that the data breach at the retailer Target occurred a few years ago, at least in part, because of the activities of a third party vendor, and the FFIEC is focused on preventing that type of vulnerability within the banking system.
  4. Incident response: At last count, there were forty-six state laws and innumerable federal laws and regulations that address the reporting of data breaches of different types. Many of these laws and regulations differ in terms of when breaches must be reported and to whom. Determining if a breach actually occurred and how it occurred may add both time and complexity to the incident reporting process. A strong and effective incident response plan may help banks cut the time needed to manage and report the incident. It is critical that institutions have an incident response plan that can be successfully executed.

Federal legislation and additional regulatory scrutiny are surely on the horizon, as are state regulations that cover state-chartered institutions. For now, institutions should make these best practices a priority.

  • Begin at the top: Build a security culture that encompasses all departments and operations. Cybersecurity isn’t an IT issue, compliance issue, or audit committee issue. It is an organizational issue.
  • Be aware: Understand the recommendations and guidance from the FFIEC and the role that the OCC and other agencies play in safeguarding the banking industry. Become familiar with the cybersecurity framework developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
  • Align strategies: Cybersecurity and risk management strategies shouldn’t be treated as stand-alone initiatives, but should be combined with general business practices as an integral part of an institution’s day-to-day operations.
  • Manage risks: Develop policies and procedures for monitoring, measuring, and mitigating risks—again, not just for IT employees, but for all departments and processes. Understand that risks can come from both inside (employees and vendors) and outside (hackers and cybercriminals). Also, understand, evaluate, and deploy the latest threat management tools.
  • Establish governance: Outline responsibilities for monitoring, evaluating, and reporting risks, both within the organization, especially to senior management, and to regulatory agencies and industry organizations. Establish clear procedures and actions that include accountability.
  • Participate: Take part in government and industry information-sharing groups and learn from other institutions and government officials.
  • Conduct ongoing training: As always, the three critical components of risk management are people, processes and technology. Ongoing education and training for all employees is critical to an overall risk management and cybersecurity strategy. Even lower-level employees with minimal network access can be a point of vulnerability that a hacker or third party can exploit.

Institutions that don’t have the internal resources to develop and implement a risk management and cybersecurity strategy can use outside specialists to manage all or part of the process.

Cybersecurity once focused on fraud (i.e., how banks can avoid losing money). Now, the federal government seeks to protect the integrity of the nation’s banking system, a much larger task. Institutions of all sizes will be expected to make cybersecurity an integral part of their operations going forward.

Jan Hertzberg