Taylor confidently outlined their defenses: multiple backup servers, advanced firewalls, and robust encryption protocols. As they described the arduous journey malware would have to undertake to compromise their secondary backup server, I posed a seemingly innocuous question, “Does Jordan have access to all these servers and resources?”
Taylor paused, a moment of realization dawning on them. Despite their best practices and technical safeguards, there was an undeniable vulnerability: human access. Jordan, as the trusted technical lead, indeed had access to critical systems. This meant that if Jordan’s credentials were compromised—whether through malware, phishing, or other means—an attacker could potentially navigate through their defenses with ease.
This aha moment underscored a critical truth: no matter how advanced our technical measures are, the human element remains a significant vulnerability. Malware doesn’t just target systems; it observes, learns, and exploits human behavior to gain access to sensitive resources. Even with rigorous protocols, employees can inadvertently become vectors for cyber threats.
The lesson here is clear. Beyond the necessity of robust technical defenses, there is an imperative need for an isolated, air-gapped infrastructure for storing backups. This isolated environment, I like to refer to it as 3rd party custodianship, should be completely inaccessible to all personnel, ensuring that even if credentials are compromised, the backups remain secure.
Understanding this critical shift towards air-gapped, truly isolated backups is paramount in achieving true operational resilience. I would love to share more details about our research and best practice techniques, so please connect with me to continue this conversation.
