"Is the Inability to Baseline Systems Crippling Cybersecurity Progress and Oversight?"

Due to a lack of visibility into an organization's security posture, it is difficult for government leaders to make decisions as to how defenses are prioritized. Government leaders rely on audit results to prioritize defenses. However, a more proactive approach to measuring and prioritizing risk is needed to help defenders figure out which areas to focus on securing. Baselining is a method that establishes what is known about a network or system, allowing defenders to detect abnormalities possibly caused by an attempted attack quickly. Although most agencies recognize the importance of baselining as a security control, the attention commanded by other more basic controls such as vulnerability scanning, asset discovery, and more, hinders the practice of baselining. Also, security leaders often get distracted by emerging technologies. This article continues to discuss the concept of baselining, the importance of this practice, why most agencies fail to practice baselining, and how agencies can start to baseline effectively.

GCN reports "Is the Inability to Baseline Systems Crippling Cybersecurity Progress and Oversight?"