View on Cybersecurity

When I think about cybersecurity, I picture it like building and protecting a secure, thriving city. You don’t start with the streetlights or the guard patrols—you start with the bedrock (the CIA Triad), then the foundation (the network), then build upward, layer by layer.

This post builds that “cyber city” step by step.

The Bedrock: The CIA Triad

Before anything else, cybersecurity rests on the CIA Triad:

• Confidentiality → Keep secrets safe (only authorized access).
• Integrity → Ensure data isn’t tampered with.
• Availability → Systems stay up when needed.

mindmap
  root((CIA Triad))
    Confidentiality
    Integrity
    Availability

These three principles are the ground the city stands on.

1. The Foundation: Networks

Think of the network as the land the city is built on. Its perimeter defines the boundaries and gates.

Core elements:

• Firewalls / Next-Gen Firewalls
• IDS / IPS
• Network segmentation & VLANs
• VPNs for secure remote access
• Proxies

Goal: establish a secure perimeter and internal pathways.

2. The Structures: Endpoints & Servers

Once the land exists, you build structures—laptops, servers, devices.

Protections (the building codes):

• Antivirus / EPP
• EDR
• Patch management
• Secure baselines
• App whitelisting

These are drawn from NIST 800-53 and CIS Controls.

3. The Valuables: Data

Inside the buildings lie valuables: data. This is the real prize.

• Encryption (at rest + in transit)
• DLP
• Backups & recovery testing
• Data classification & handling

flowchart LR
  A[Data at Rest] -->|Encrypt| B[Protected]
  C[Data in Transit] -->|Encrypt| B

4. The People: Users

Users = the citizens of the city. They need access but are the weakest link.

Controls:

• MFA
• RBAC
• Least privilege
• Awareness training

5. The City Maps: Asset & Inventory Management

“You can’t protect what you don’t know exists.” Asset management = your city maps.

Keep real-time inventories of devices, software, and data.

6. Ongoing Upkeep: Vulnerability Management

This is city maintenance—fix cracks before collapse.

Cycle:

flowchart TD
  A[Identify Vulnerabilities] --> B[Prioritize]
  B --> C[Remediate]
  C --> D[Verify Fix]
  D --> A

7. The Locks & Keys: IAM

IAM ensures only the right citizens have the right keys.

8. The Guards: SOC

SOC = the watchtower.

• Collect logs
• Monitor events
• Triage alerts

9. The Detectives: Threat Hunting

Proactive search for hidden intruders = detectives checking buildings before alarms go off.

10. The Firefighters: Incident Response

IR = the fire department.

sequenceDiagram
  participant P as Preparation
  participant D as Detection & Analysis
  participant C as Containment
  participant E as Eradication
  participant R as Recovery
  participant L as Lessons Learned

  P->>D: Plans, playbooks, tools
  D->>C: Incident found
  C->>E: Stop spread
  E->>R: Remove threat
  R->>L: Restore, review

11. The Building Codes: Frameworks & Governance

Frameworks = building codes of the city:

• NIST CSF
• NIST RMF
• NIST 800-53 / 800-61
• CIS Controls
• ISO 27001
• Regulations: HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR

12. The Renovation Cycle: Continuous Improvement

Cities evolve, so must security. Measure, improve, adapt.

Final Thought

Cybersecurity is a city built layer by layer. Resilience comes not from any single tool, but from the interlocking structure of all layers combined.

Tags: Cybersecurity, Frameworks, NIST, CIS Controls