Your MSSP a Security Silver Bullet? Think Again!

by Cyfiz CISO

It is a prevalent misconception in the industry that experienced InfoSec leaders believe transferring security responsibilities entirely to an MSSP through a contractual agreement is sufficient. This misunderstanding often leads to overlooking the fact that while MSSPs have a fiduciary duty, the organization remains ultimately accountable for its infrastructure’s security. To mitigate risks and ensure optimal service delivery, organizations must collaborate closely with their MSSP, establishing clear roles, responsibilities, and performance metrics.

Organizations retain ultimate security ownership despite outsourcing to managed security service providers.

While other departments and technical individuals have roles to play, the CISO is typically an executive-level owner of the organization’s overall security posture. He is responsible for overseeing the entire process, from selecting the MSSP to managing the relationship and ensuring compliance. However, it’s essential to remember that effective cybersecurity is a collaborative effort involving multiple stakeholders within an organization. While the CISO is the leader, other departments like legal, IT, and risk management also have crucial roles to play.

CISO leads collaborative cybersecurity strategy, oversees MSSP selection and management, while involving legal, IT, and risk management for ample protection.

When outsourcing security operations services to Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP), an organization holds significant responsibilities to ensure the effectiveness and security of its operations. These include:

Due Diligence and Vendor Management

  • A rigorous selection process should be commenced to evaluate potential MSSPs based on criteria like expertise, clientele, certifications, track record, and alignment with organizational security goals.
  • Contractual obligations should be clearly defined as scope of services, SLAs, KPIs, and incident response procedures within the contract.
  • Ongoing monitoring and regular evaluation of the MSSP’s against defined matrix covering areas like performance, compliance, and adherence to security best practices.
  • Risk assessment should be performed prior initiating the process for understanding business requirements and while selection process to uncover potential risks associated with outsourcing security functions and implement mitigation strategies.

Data Security and Compliance

  • Data protection should be considered at every stage of this relationship by certifying that sensitive data is handled securely by the MSSP, including data encryption, access controls, incident response plans and most importantly MSSP should collect data only which mandatory for provision of service.
  • Compliance adherence should be top priority for both organization and MSSP as they share the responsibility for overall compliance with industry regulations (e.g., ISO 27001, PCI DSS, GDPR, HIPAA) pertaining to outsourcing security functions.
  • Data ownership should be clearly defined and documented along with access rights to protect sensitive information.

Internal Security Controls

  • Organization should implement internal security controls to complement the MSSP’s services, such as employee training, access management, and endpoint protection.
  • An incident response plan should be developed and maintained that outlines roles, responsibilities, and procedures for both the organization and the MSSP.
  • The organization should develop a robust business continuity plan in place to address potential disruptions to services.

Communication and Collaboration

  • It should be ensured by the organizations that open and effective communication channels are setup with the MSSP to address issues, share information, and align on security objectives.
  • The organization should collaborate closely with the MSSP to identify gaps and implement security improvements to effectively manage constantly evolving threat vectors.
  • If viable, the organization should develop knowledge-sharing mechanisms to ensure continuity and internal expertise.

By actively realizing these responsibilities, organizations can maximize the benefits of partnering with an MSSP while mitigating risks and maintaining control over their security posture.

Should the organizations have defined policies and procedures in case an MSSP is hired for Security Operations and Monitoring?