Authenticity

Authenticity is a property achieved through cryptographic methods of being genuine and being able to be verified and trusted, resulting in confidence in the validity of a transmission, information or a message, or sender of information or a message. In simpler terms, authenticity refers to the proven fact that something is legitimate or real.

What Does This Mean For An SMB?

Your business needs to take proactive measures today to first reduce its chances of being hit by ransomware, phishing, or other cybersecurity attacks. Secondly, validate backups and disaster recovery plans are current and functioning in case you end up hit with ransomware. CyberHoot recommends the following best practices to avoid, prepare for, and prevent damage from these attacks:

• Adopt two-factor authentication on all critical Internet-accessible services
• Adopt a password manager for better personal/work password hygiene
• Require 14+ character Passwords in your Governance Policies
• Follow a 3-2-1 backup method for all critical and sensitive data
• Train employees to spot and avoid email-based phishing attacks
• Check that employees can spot and avoid phishing emails by testing them
• Document and test Business Continuity Disaster Recovery (BCDR) plans
• Perform a risk assessment every two to three years

Start building your robust, defense-in-depth cybersecurity plan at CyberHoot.

Related Terms: Integrity, Non-repudiation

Source: CNSSI 4009, NIST SP 800-53 Rev 4