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The stark terror of nuclear disaster persisted for years, highlighted in the 1984 BBC drama film Threads.

People were horrified by the film, and it showcased everyones deepest and darkest fears around nuclearfallout.

A stylized depiction of a padlocked WiFi symbol sitting in the centre of an interlocking vault.

Or perhaps a vulnerability in a piece of fintech software triggering a 2008-style financial meltdown.

But to do so organizations first need to understand their minimum viable operation (MVO).

Director of Critical Infrastructure at Illumio.

What is MVO?

MVO refers to the absolute minimum number of systems a business needs to remain operational or continue delivering services.

This includes mapping out detailed rebuild protocols and establishingrecoverymeasures to minimize downtime.

Many organizations have come to realize that simply reducing the probability of a cyberattack to zero is impossible.

Whilst money cant reduce the probability, it can reduce the impact of an attack when spent correctly.

Instead, its about limiting the impact when they do occur.

Putting the MVO approach into practice

So where should you start?

Once these have been identified, you oughta then identify the risks surrounding or linked to these systems.

What are they communicating with and how?

Consider risk vectors, the supply chain, and any third parties connecting to your MVO systems.

Best practice is to enforce a policy based on least privilege to limit connectivity to the bare minimum required.

This is also where having an assume breach mentality is essential.

Zero Trust is a security strategy based on the principle of “never trust, always verify.”

It enforces stringent least-privilege principles at all access points, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access.

Therefore, securing the assets that keep society and businesses running is essential.

Not all cyberattacks need to end in business or operational failure.

We’ve compiled a list of the best identity management software.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc.