Opening up your organization’s doors to a cybersecurity consultant can actually create an opportunity for exploitation. Even with the most trusted vendor, cybersecurity projects often mean exposing endpoints or allowing access to your internal networks.

Take a common-sense approach to mitigating potential security exposures from your vendors. Allow them the minimum level of access needed to do their job and continuously monitor their progress.

Here are some internal controls to put in place for the duration of a cybersecurity project:

1)     Restrict the vendor’s access and install checks and balances to maintain this restriction.

2)     Limit access to control the boundaries you have set.

3)     Monitor and audit this prescribed access to ensure its integrity.

4)     Allow stakeholders from impacted systems to help set up appropriate security mechanisms.

5)     DO NOT “set it and forget it.” Security mechanisms put in place to handle the vendor should be regularly and continually reviewed during the duration of the project.

Other tools to consider utilizing are standard security controls, like two-factor authentication, next generation anti-virus software, firewalls, and DNS filtering measures. Remember that your cybersecurity consultant is a new user and has been inserted into your environment to check the health of your existing security. Make sure that you are using your best controls, auditing, and monitoring to engage with this outside resource.

This being the shortest article of our series, its main point should be taken seriously: make sure that your technical team is aware of and monitoring the new third party whose access should be limited only to your project’s scope.