18
MiMfg Magazine
October 2019
greatest weak point you face comes from the people
you interact with every day.
“This means that the number one goal is to
better train your people on what to watch out for
and the questions they should be asking while at the
same time better training your systems to monitor
for unusual activity and to react when they find it,”
Maddox suggested. “That’s where MMA’s Cyber
Threat Protection service comes in.”
MMA Cyber Threat Protection, powered by ASK,
offers two core cyber security services — Live Security
Monitoring (LSM) and Detect and Response (D&R) —
and ASK’s security offerings are designed to protect
a business from cyber threats that could cause extreme
harm to the company and its intellectual property.
Step 1: Live Security Monitoring
With the average breach taking upwards of six
months to detect, every manufacturer needs effective
options for monitoring its network. With cyber criminals
forced to face ASK’s unwavering security, getting in
unnoticed becomes more challenging than ever.
ASK’s Live Security Monitoring constantly scans a
network environment, combating emerging cyber threats
and providing comprehensive features, including:
• 24/7 monitoring and detection of threats
• Customizable reporting and alerting
• Baselining
• Log correlations
• Incident response
“We understand that, while the threat of cyber
attacks is always there, not every manufacturer has
the resources, staff time or inside expertise to track
their systems,” said Maddox. “ASK can have eyes on
your network at all times, watching for intrusions
and fighting off harmful cyber threats.”
For the proactive manufacturer, the LSM feature
is an asset and, in most cases, ASK’s team catches
and remediates potential threats before the business
is even aware something happened.
Step 2: Detect and Response
What does a business do when a breach happens?
They are aware it is happening, but they don’t have the
ability to stop it. Few things can be more devastating
than knowing your business is at-risk and having no
recourse to protect it.
“Detect & Response incorporates the industry’s
most innovative prevention, providing visibility into
the root causes and origins of the threat, reversing the
malicious operations and remediating them at an agile
speed,” explained Maddox. “When our monitoring
locates abnormal procedures occurring in the network,
we’re able to rapidly identify thousands of variants of
Are you asking the right questions of your existing
cyber security? Here are the top questions manufac-
turers should ask:
1. How secure are your passwords? Do employees
store passwords on post-its or under keyboards? Do
you require passwords to be unique and confidential?
2. Do you actively monitor antivirus software, endpoint
protection software and your firewall?
3. Do you have a web content filter?
4. Do you periodically test your network security?
5. Do you maintain operating systems and applications
with security updates?
6. Do you allow users local administrator rights
on workstations?
7. Do you require two-factor authentication for e-mail
and other services or applications?
8. Do you offer any user awareness training on cyber
security? Do you periodically test your cyber
security awareness?
9. Do you have a cyber security incident response
plan in place?
10. Is your business required to have security audits?
11. Have you prioritized security at your organization
and taken the necessary steps to secure business
and customer data?
viruses, malware and the root causes of malicious
behaviors by quickly diagnosing source processes
and programs.”
Not only can MMA’s Cyber Threat Protection
service protect a manufacturing facility of any size or
scope in Michigan, it also secures the actual devices you
use every day. For businesses with a mobile workforce
or home-based staff, this is an ideal solution.
Additional Benefits of MMA
Cyber Threat Protection
Like all trusted MMA service offerings, MMA’s
Cyber Threat Protection does more than just Live
Security Monitoring and Detect and Response. The
following features ensure greater peace of mind that
your business will be there tomorrow:
• Threat Intelligence: Receive manufacturing-
specific threat intelligence delivered bi-weekly to
know what vulnerabilities pose the biggest
dangers to your business.
• Security Risk Assessments: Review a thorough
analysis of your infrastructure including internal
and external environment scans, policies,
procedures and security mechanisms.