Organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to federal agencies (like the U.S. Department of Defense) now use root cause analysis (RCA) to help resolve issues.
Even security firms are now turning to RCA – and for good reason.
Trying to make good cybersecurity decisions without sufficient information is a recipe for failure, especially since cybersecurity incidents are rarely clear-cut. Each incident is different, and the nuances must be well understood to guide response and recovery efforts.
Enterprises must not only understand individual vulnerabilities but what ultimately causes them, which often relate to non-technical risks such as inadequate governance, lack of process adherence or failure of oversight functions.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines root cause analysis as a principle-based, systems approach for the identification of underlying causes associated with a particular set of risks.
Cybersecurity professionals understand that few cybersecurity incidents are caused by a single vulnerability. More commonly, investigation reveals a number of problems lurking beneath the surface.
This is where a root cause analysis approach can benefit organizations. By identifying the underlying factors that contributed to the causes of a given security incident, an organization can improve the effectiveness of containment and eradication efforts and decrease its vulnerability to future attacks.
Performing root cause analysis can also help your organization to identify other outlying factors that may have contributed to the success of a data breach. For instance, unintentional insider threats, where employees cause damage without meaning to, often contribute to the severity of an incident.
Want to learn more? Tonex offers nearly three dozen courses in Root Cause Analysis Training, such as:
Brainstorming Training (2 days)
Root Cause Analysis Training for Healthcare Professionals (3 days)
CAPA Management Training (4 days)
Problem-Solving Training Certificate (2 days)
Root Cause Analysis Training Crash Course (4 days)
For more information, questions, comments, contact us.