The Last Mile in Cybersecurity: Turning Assessments into Action

In many fields, the "last mile" represents the final, often most challenging step of a process. In logistics, it's the segment where goods move from the warehouse to the customer's doorstep. In telecommunications, the last mile connects the network to the end user's home. These last mile challenges highlight the importance of execution in getting the desired outcome.

In cybersecurity, the "last mile" is no different. It's not about acquiring more security tools—most organizations already have a wide range of advanced controls in place. The challenge lies in effectively utilizing these existing security controls to bridge the gap between assessing the risk and implementing the capabilities to manage it.

The emergence of the Automated Security Control Assessment (ASCA) market brings a solution to security teams striving to optimize the security tools they already own. As this market evolves, several vendors have begun offering ASCA solutions, each bringing unique capabilities to the table. However, the degree of adoption and the progress in deploying these ASCA products vary significantly among security teams. The concept of a maturity model becomes particularly valuable in these situations.

A maturity model helps organizations gauge their current stance and provides a clear roadmap for advancing their security practices. By understanding where they stand on a maturity continuum, security teams can better navigate the complexities of new markets and make informed decisions that enhance their operational efficiency and security posture.

In collaboration with customers, analysts, and other industry stakeholders, we’ve started to frame a maturity model for ASCA, and would like to share one dimension of it here. Our aim is to help security teams fully leverage the potential of their existing controls, transforming them into more effective defenses against the threats they face.

Here is a general overview of the maturity model, designed to guide organizations through the crucial phases of deploying and optimizing their security controls:

Level 0: Unaligned

• At this stage, the capabilities teams have at their disposal are not aligned with the risks they face. Key features go unused despite offering the potential to improve the organization's security posture. Teams struggle to articulate even basic assessments of value related to their tooling.

Level 1: Assessment

• At this stage, teams can assess the risks they face and compare it to the security capabilities that should be activated based on the tools the organization already owns. While an improvement from Level 0, many teams still struggle to implement the assessment's recommendations, which continues to affect their security posture. Level 1 represents an organization that sees the potential for improvement but cannot or has not implemented the changes to realize it.

Level 2: Action

• Moving beyond reports, this level involves integrating the necessary actions into the organization's workflow management system. These actions are pre-defined with detailed steps tailored to the specific security needs. This ensures that the recommendations are actionable and seamlessly integrated into the daily operations, making it easier to follow through and implement the necessary measures. Organizations at Level 2 are addressing the “last mile” challenge effectively utilizing their existing security controls to bridge the gap between assessing the risk and implementing the capabilities to manage it.

Level 3: Automation

• The pinnacle of the model involves automating the implementation of security changes. In a controlled environment, changes are automatically applied with stakeholder change and approval requests incorporated into the deployment process. This not only accelerates the process but also reduces the margin for error and ensures consistency in operations. Level 3 organizations have fully addressed the “last mile” challenge by not only implementing the necessary controls, but also by doing it in a way that maximizes efficiency.

With the introduction of a maturity model, it's a logical next step for us at Reach to utilize this framework to assess how we can best support our customers in progressing through each stage.

How Reach Implements the Maturity Model

Level 1: Assessment -> Report

• We provide an assessment report that identifies security capabilities needing activation based on your existing tools. This is the first step towards a more secure environment.

Level 2: Action -> Ticket Creation

• We take it a step further by integrating detailed actions into your workflow management system. These actions contain specific steps for your security needs, ensuring the recommendations are actionable and seamlessly incorporated into your daily operations.

Level 3: Automation -> Changes Staged

• Finally, we automate these changes in a controlled environment. This approach allows for review and approval, speeding up the process and reducing errors, while ensuring uniform best practices.

Why the Last Mile Matters

Implementing security measures effectively offers numerous benefits:

• Better Security:
• By ensuring that recommendations are acted upon, the overall security posture is strengthened.
• Faster Implementation:
• Automated and pre-populated actions speed up the process, allowing for quicker response times.
• Consistency:
• Standardized procedures reduce the likelihood of human error and ensure that impactful changes are actioned on in a uniform manner.
• Improved Job Satisfaction:
• Automating low-value tasks like ticket creation frees up security professionals to focus on more strategic work, enhancing job satisfaction and retention.

The last mile is a critical component of cybersecurity operations. By embracing a comprehensive approach that goes beyond mere reports to actionable and automated implementation, Reach ensures that your organization is not only secure but also agile and efficient. Stay tuned for our upcoming posts where we will delve deeper into specific use cases and solutions that exemplify our commitment to mastering the last mile in cybersecurity.

More About Reach Security

Reach is the first AI purpose-built to reprogram your security infrastructure based on who you are and how you're being attacked. Organizations of all sizes trust Reach to make mission-critical decisions because it doesn't hallucinate and it doesn't make mistakes. It's a different kind of AI. To learn more, visit reach.security/try-reach.