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Why Continuous Monitoring Is Crucial for Modern Cybersecurity


Historically, traditional cybersecurity focused on perimeter defenses like firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and antivirus software to block unauthorized access. Defenses were static, siloed, and focused on known threats like malware. This worked well when organizations were largely on-premises – not in the cloud – with defined network patterns and less sensitive data stored in the cloud.

However, businesses have evolved into extremely interconnected, increasingly online, and increasingly accessible systems for on-the-go employees and distributed workforces. In 2024, these traditional measures no longer adequately secure infrastructure against artificial intelligence (AI) powered attacks, sophisticated phishing, organized cybercrime, and persistent state-sponsored hacking. Instead, modern businesses need continuous, adaptive monitoring, defensive threat hunting, and AI to go far beyond basic perimeter defenses.

Understanding Continuous Monitoring in Cybersecurity

Unlike periodic security assessments, continuous monitoring is ongoing, real-time tracking of network activity to quickly detect unusual behavior. One-time projects like an audit or vulnerability scan only detect abnormal behavior or activity during the assessed period, leaving major gaps in security posture. Without continuous monitoring, threats could go undetected for days or even weeks, exposing sensitive information and allowing hackers to run rampant in your network.

Continuous monitoring is absolutely necessary for today’s threat landscape of “always-on” cyberattacks like ransomware, malware, and social engineering tactics. It involves proactive detection, immediate flagging, and rapid remediation to patch and throttle security incidents. It’s crucial for:

  • Faster threat detection and response
  • More adaptivity to new threat vectors
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Protection against insider threats
  • Cost reduction
  • Improved risk management

1. Immediate Threat Detection and Response

According to IBM, it takes an average of 277 days for an organization to recognize and contain a data breach. This means for almost nine months, criminals could be selling personal information on the black market and continuing to steal critical data.

One of the best ways to mitigate and contain the consequences of a cyber attack is to immediately detect the threat and respond. Continuous monitoring enables rapid detection of unauthorized, infiltrating malware and data exfiltration.

Real-life breaches could have been detected or prevented with continuous monitoring. For example, the 23andMe data breach went undetected for months, compromising millions of sensitive health and genetic records. Hackers utilized credential stuffing, trying out different combinations of logins and passwords until they gained access.

2. Adapting to Evolving Threat Landscapes

Attackers are constantly developing new tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), embracing automation, AI, deep fakes, exploiting cloud configurations, and even state-sponsored programs to improve hacking success. In a recent story that sounds like a sci-fi movie, a Hong Kong finance worker paid $25 million after a deep fake video call with his organization’s “chief financial officer.” The FBI even issued a recent warning about the rise in AI for highly personalized email phishing campaigns that are extremely hard to detect as spam. Continuous monitoring helps your business adapt and identify these emerging threats before an attack catches you off guard.

3. Ensuring Compliance and Regulatory Requirements

Continuous monitoring creates the documentation and audit trails needed for GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and other industry compliance. For example, continuous monitoring logs every attempt to access individual health records, which operate as evidence for access controls, attempts to restrict unauthorized access and a documented history of HIPAA compliance. Not only does it make the audit process smoother, but it also reduces your business’s regulatory penalties and fines due to noncompliance.

4. Improves Incident Response and Recovery

Timely incident detection allows for quick containment, eradication, and immediate remediation from damaging cyber incidents. Downtime is financially costly, and it destroys employee productivity. The average downtime after a ransom attack is 24 days, and recovery can be ten times the size of the ransom payment. Continuous monitoring reduces downtime, minimizes damages, and improves business continuity, ensuring your business is kept up and running.

5. Protecting Against Insider Threats

According to a 2023 report, 74% of organizations are at least moderately vulnerable to insider threats, and they are the primary cause of 60% of data breaches. Unfortunately, insider attacks are also on the rise, with a majority of companies seeing a 60% uptick in inside incidents. Insider threats can either be accidental human error or malicious employees illegally accessing restricted areas. Continuous monitoring helps regulate access control and identity management, preventing and immediately flagging unusual employee behavior or activities.

6. Cost Efficiency and Risk Management

For large organizations, every minute of downtime can cost $9,000, and for high-risk industries like finance and healthcare, downtime can skyrocket to $5 million an hour in specific scenarios. The average cost of a ransomware attack rose to $5.13 million in 2023, a 13% increase from the previous year — and that’s not including the ransom payouts. Ongoing cybersecurity and continuous monitoring might seem expensive to implement, but it’s even more financially damaging in the long run to deal with a higher frequency and severity of attacks.

Continuous monitoring also helps businesses to more efficiently allocate human, technology, and monetary resources. Your business is being monitored 24/7/365, and you can see where your organization is most vulnerable. For example, continuous monitoring could detect frequent performance slowdowns from your third-party cloud provider during peak usage times. This would most likely go undetected in a quarterly audit, but it could lead to massive vulnerabilities in your provider’s capacity to handle your scale.

7. Building a Proactive Security Posture

Proactivity is the key to a strong, robust security system, actively identifying and mitigating attacks before they become full-blown issues. The historical approach was static defense systems that are not enough to combat growing insider threats and sophisticated AI cybercrime. Continuous monitoring fosters a larger culture of security awareness, highlighting the importance of vigilance and employee responsibility within the company. Employees know their behaviors are monitored and are more likely to approach suspicious activity cautiously.

Continuous Monitoring With TPx for Peace of Mind

To rapidly detect threats, mitigate sophisticated attacks, ensure compliance, and protect your business against insider threats, continuous monitoring is a must-have component of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. Without continuous monitoring, your business has crucial moments of vulnerabilities that hackers are waiting to exploit. Plus, the longer an unfortunate cyber incident continues, the larger the consequences of fines, monetary damages, losses in productivity, business downtime, and ruined customer trust.

Talk with the experts at TPx today to learn more about continuous monitoring as a foundational pillar of a robust cybersecurity strategy.