In 2020, the word “hygiene” became more important than ever before. Washing your hands, using sanitizer, wearing a mask; all of these habits were top-of mind as part of personal hygiene in the era of COVID-19. When we adhere to personal hygiene, we eliminate “attack vectors” of disease and keep our bodies healthy. The same idea applies to cyber hygiene. As organizations discover and patch vulnerabilities, maintain good administrative and configuration practices, and keep track of our vital assets, we reduce and eliminate attack vectors used by threat actors. The Center for Internet Security (CIS) has found that a majority of successful cyberattacks can be traced back to poor cyber hygiene practices as a root cause. These practices are foundational to any effective cybersecurity or vulnerability management program.
