. Although hacks can occur at even the most vigilant of businesses, these U.S.-based companies offer the best cybersecurity in categories ranging from varied threat protection, response speed, and size of security team. More on the methodology appears below.
Massive security breaches become major, even worldwide news, with ramifications for billions of people. Infamous episodes from Facebook, Target and the credit-monitoring agencies Equifax and Experian are featured in our gallery of theAleksandr Yampolskiy, CEO of SecurityScorecard, says the first defense against these threats is to have an internal company structure where one person oversees cybersecurity—with that person at the organization’s highest levels.
Investing in cybersecurity teams can be out of reach for smaller companies with large and valuable datasets for hackers to sniff out. Says Cody Scott, a senior analyst at Forrester Research: “Everyone is targeted. Attackers go after the low-hanging fruit, the easiest target. It doesn’t matter if that’s a mom-and-pop shop or a global enterprise.” The legal and education sectors are lagging in cybersecurity overall, SecurityScorecard’s Yampolskiy says.
While plenty of expensive security solutions are out there, they are not necessarily the first step. “I love new technology—but if you don’t do the basics, then why spend more on tools?” asks Oldham. “Make sure your doors and windows are tight and locked before investing in the new air conditioner.”