Security has many forms. That your assets are not subject to destruction and theft is a type of security; Having cyber security in the online space is another type.
With the emergence of the Internet and its expansion, the importance of providing security in this space has increased significantly. Especially since people store important information in emails, private chats, personal websites, etc.
This important information may be confidential business data. Maybe family photos should not fall into the hands of the unworthy. After all, no one likes to see their information exposed. Therefore, we decided to write an article about this topic and talk about security control .
Recommended reading: At the very beginning, we recommend reading the article on types of cyber attacks . The more familiar you are with the risks, the better prepared you can be to deal with them. In general , the security category will help you a lot in this regard.
As you know, our main focus will be on the Internet space; But in some parts of the article, we will have general references to the issue of security in the real world.
What is meant by security control?
Any action taken to prevent security risks, identify and deal with them, and even reduce security risks is a form of security control. These measures may be used to protect the physical property of the collection or simply take care of the data and information of the computers. The idea of ”restricting access to essential and confidential data and information to authorized individuals within the organization” is a more specific definition of security control.
Regarding data, the simplest action that can be taken to protect them is access control ; This means that only authorized people within the organization can access confidential business data and information.
What is the importance of security control?
If you have visited the security category that we linked above, you know how diverse hacking and cyber risks are! from simple to complex; So it is natural that our information is always at risk.
In addition, if you think that you will not fall prey to hackers because of the small size of your business, you should know that half of the cyber attacks are aimed at startups and small businesses like you! Because usually the older ones have specific solutions to protect their data.
Now let’s get acquainted with the different forms of security control.
Types of security controls
Assets can have a very wide range. For this reason, managing the security of all its parts is complicated. From hardware and software to data and information , they need security control. However, before choosing the desired method for security control, it is necessary to define our goal. In this case, the possible risks are estimated more easily and the final evaluation is done more easily. In general, security controls will include the following:
1) Security control of physical assets
This security control method includes the creation of fences, locks, guards, cameras, sensors, and physical tools . For example, data centers use all kinds of these methods to protect servers.
2) Controlling the security of digital assets
Providing arrangements such as username and password, two-step authentication, antivirus and firewall are the subset of this class. To learn more about firewalls, you can read the Web Firewall article .
3) Controlling the security of cyber assets
Cyber security controls are specifically used to prevent cyber attacks on information and data. Intrusion prevention system and reduction of DDOS attacks are types of this method.
4) Security control of cloud assets
As the name suggests, cloud security control is about securing data in the cloud. This form of security control is related to the use of cloud space as well as the rules and frameworks related to it.
Some other sources divide security controls into three categories. First, see the infographic below
- This category, similar to the above division, is related to physical security control . In general, providing integrity and protecting personnel, data, and hardware against physical threats are a subset of this category.
- The second category is operational, technical or logical security control, which is defined almost the same as digital security control. This category suggests the use of hardware and software for security control.
- The last category is administrative or functional security control . This group includes policies, controls, and guidelines that govern the ingress and egress of data and employee access to it. The manager of the organization provides administrative and operational security by designing general administrative controls, guidance and training, drafting rules and monitoring implementation. Security control management is one of the most important actions of any organization to ensure security.
In the next section, we will talk about some frameworks that make security control possible.
Security control frameworks
The following infographic shows the main problems in cyber security along with the percentage of each:
Different systems propose different standards and frameworks for security control. These frameworks help control security based on a proven and tested methodology. They also help to prioritize the damages for the effectiveness of the security control .
For example, in 2014, the American National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) proposed a framework for how to prevent, detect and remediate cyber attacks. These standards are used as a guide to confirm security control implementation in organizations. Also good to know, these standards are constantly being updated.
Also, the Control Center for Internet Security (CIS or its former name SANS) has also provided a list of defense measures according to their priority. Any organization or business, small or large, can start with this security checklist to prevent cyber attacks. These are prepared based on the patterns used in cyber attacks and are used in the wider community; Therefore, their use and effectiveness are fully confirmed.
A good and functional security control framework should ensure the implementation of the following:
- Implementation of IT security policies to control security
- Teaching security instructions to employees and employees of the complex
- Compliance with regulations and bylaws
- Efficiency and applicability of security control principles
- Security assessment and continuous handling of cyber attack risks
Cyber attacks usually target the weakest and most vulnerable areas. Experts say that your strength is only as strong as the weakest area of your business . Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen these areas by using security control strategies.
It doesn’t matter how you provide and control security. All methods of this work consist of 3 main steps.
The main stages of providing and controlling cyber security
Regardless of the difference in details, each security control framework and method includes the following 3 steps:
1. prevention
2. diagnosis
3. correction
In the table below, we have given examples of security control types and their functions:
| Security control function | ||||
| prevention | diagnosis | Correction and fix | ||
| Types of control security | physical | Guards, locks | Surveillance cameras | Repairing physical damage, reissuing access cards |
| operational | firewall, Antivirus software,
IPS |
Intrusion detection systems | Reboot a system, quarantine a virus | |
| Administrative – managerial | Policies for starting and ending cooperation, segregation of duties | Access control, check for unauthorized changes | Dismissal, revival and reconstruction | |
After performing these measures, their effectiveness should be examined.
Security control assessment
Security control assessment is a mandatory step to identify vulnerable areas . To prevent security control measures from failing, you should pay special attention to this section. Security control assessment includes three main parts: 
- Are security control procedures properly implemented?
- Do these methods work as predicted?
- Do these methods meet all security needs?
By answering these 3 questions and organizing the priorities, getting the right result is guaranteed!
last word
Do not underestimate the importance of information security! There were many businesses that were irreparably damaged in this way