Are you up for the task? Unfortunately, cyber attacks are consistently on the rise. by Kate Hudson | May 16, 2020 | Blog, Business, Cyber Security, Notifiable Data Breaches Scheme | 0 comments. In a small business, you’re far more likely to have interconnected core systems with less separation between critical systems. Have a look at some tried and true data management strategies we advise: Why is this a challenge? Providing access to the right data plays an increasingly significant role in network security. Your business could suffer from excessive system downtime, or data loss. For many employees, they’ve been in the workforce for anywhere from 10-40 years, so you can imagine that cyber security simply isn’t a habit or something they consider on a daily basis. Most of these "CEO Fraud" phishing e-mails contain a note of urgency, attempt to scare the reader, or give the impression of a reward or token of appreciation. Often the vulnerability is found in a text input field for users, such as for a username, where an SQL statement is entered, which runs on the database, in what is known as an SQL Injection attack. This makes it possible for an unauthorized user to access the network when a website is visited or an e-mail is opened. 2) IT infrastructure complexity – 42%. If a legitimate-looking e-mail arrives from the CEO, a manager, the bank, or Google, to name a few examples, then people are more likely to fall for it and become the victim of phishing e-mails. Five network security threats facing retail - and how to fight them By Paul Leybourne 18 July 2018 Retailers must work with experienced partners to combat today's growing cyber threats. Computer virus. A solid business continuity plan will provide you with a set of steps to take following a cyber incident to get you back on your feet as soon as possible. It’s no good to you if you try to restore from backup, only to find the last month worth of data isn’t there. As a consequence, critical business information becomes available in all kinds of places. Implement active network monitoring, data loss prevention, and next-gen firewall with anti-malware. But. Attacks of this type can lead to stolen credentials, destroyed data, or even loss of co… One of the more difficult cyber security challenges lies in maintaining business functionality in the event of an attack or breach. Cyber security legislation is slowly coming into effect around the world. Make employees aware of the importance of configuring a strong password for data such as Excel sheets and Word documents containing sensitive information. As we discussed above, a severe attack can bring everything grinding to a painfully expensive halt. Lastly, and this is not an accessible option for every business, but redundant infrastructure is also going to be your lifesaver here. Unless you’re aware of the attack at the time that its happening, how could you possibly know your data has been compromised? Furthermore, 39% of businesses reported that more than half of their systems were affected. However, this continues to be a challenge for many organizations. With the increase of the cyber-attacks, every organization needs a security analyst who makes sure that their system is secured. They made a copy of your passport and then left unnoticed, leaving no evidence of their presence. This sounds like an obvious rule of thumb for any business, but it’s not nearly as simple as it sounds. The most common network security threats 1. Once inside the network, cyber criminals can easily access data and intercept calls, as well as controlling and impersonating subscribers. We’ve covered the history of web exploiting and the biggest exploits the world has experienced, but today we’re going back to basics — exploring and explaining the most common network security threats you may encounter while online.. President Barack Obama has made cyber-security a priority since he took office in January. Zulfikar Ramzan from RSA outlines five ways that COVID-19 and its vaccines will undeniably cause cybersecurity to change in 2021. IT and security teams must work together to ensure a company’s entire infrastructure is protected, regardless if workloads are run on-premises or in the cloud. For cybercriminals who control these botnets, offering DDoS attack services has become an opportunity for them to monetize botnets.". 24% of respondents say their biggest cybersecurity challenge is that their organization lacks the right skills to deal with modern types of cyber threats. 1. Here are 5 … It is important to ensure that good ransomware security is a top priority within the organization and that it is implemented to protect yourself from these types of attacks. Around 4,000 ransomware attacks take place every single day. DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks are becoming more and more prevalent and have potentially devastating consequences. With the snowballing number of security alerts being received, valuable analyst time is being consumed sorting through a plethora of security alerts. Make sure you therefore have good security for all mobile devices. It can be really difficult to convey that importance to employees who’ve spent 80% of their career without giving it a second thought. So, it becomes about reducing those opportunities. These challenges are understandable. SRSRMI organized a workshop on ‘Cybersecurity: Future Challenges & Network Defenses’ on 12 March 2018 at King Saud University. Almost every organization has valuable data and therefore forms a potential target for an attack by cybercriminals through phishing. Encryption is a double-edged sword. The main challenges to cyber threat intelligence sharing are: 1. They are very specifically targeted at an individual, with some even making reference to the individual's first and last names. By giving people ‘layered’ access in this way, by means of specific access rights, you can create an additional security layer for the devices used. Without solid cyber security measures in place, your bank’s sensitive data could be at risk. However, if you need someone to help get you started, or simply don’t have the time and need to outsource this process; then it’s time to look into employing an IT managed services team. Nowadays, many phishing attacks can be detected and even prevented. It is also possible to monitor login behavior for suspicious activity, such as setting up an alert that indicates that someone is trying to log in from an unusual location or at a highly unusual time of day. All Rights Reserved | Site by PixelFish. With these two main learning tasks completed, you’re now much more equipped to actually meet and overcome these cyber security challenges. One way to do this is by combining E-mail security solutions with innovative Endpoint security. Secondly, where’s your cyber security at? It’s not enough to run a one-off seminar on the importance of password protection. At a glance, it may not seem like it, but cyber security plays a key role in your customer satisfaction. 5 Important Rules for Maintaining Your IT Infrastructure, Addressing Cyber Security For Small Business: a Beginner’s Guide, 6 Types of Cyber Security Attacks and How to Avoid Them, 10 Reasons Why You Need a G Suite Partner, 8 Working from Home Cybersecurity Tips to Keep Your Business Secure. Anything that is connected is a target. Indeed, where employees are prohibited from using their own equipment, they are even taking action to have this ban lifted. Liviu Arsene . Phishing sites are websites or e-mails that are disguised by attackers as legitimate websites or e-mails. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information about our services and to discuss all the possibilities. Laptops, smartphones, and tablets are not adequately protected with just a four-figure access code. Regardless of size, scope, or industry, every company that wants to survive must answer two fundamental questions: The challenge in making sure your business isn’t one of these statistics lies in your cyber security management. What’s better than identifying a data breach or attack as soon as possible? This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. This method can also be used on legitimate websites where employees enter the corporate user name, in order to create Cyber Security awareness. As a result, we’ve identified the five major cyber security challenges that small-to-medium organisations need to focus on. 1. You would be all over it in terms of creating and encouraging a cyber secure awareness in the workplace, and have appropriate contingencies in place to avoid loss of functionality. Today cybersecurity is the main component of the country's overall national security and economic security strategies. The best DDoS mitigation solution no longer does far enough to create an effective security system against DDoS attacks. The purpose of these imitated websites (and login environments) that purport to belong to existing companies is to intercept customer information or login details, or to infect the device used (‘Endpoint’) via a download. As you can probably imagine, analysts time would be better spent working on the more sophisticated alerts that ne… 06.23pm ET additional update to … Connectivity: Enabling a seamless flow of information to and from a device, infrastructure, cloud and applications, is a top IoT challenge because wireless connectivity is highly complex, and dense device deployments further complicate operations. Secondly, backups and disaster recovery are your friend. A comprehensive cyber security strategy would enable you to identify breaches quickly, and would absolutely reduce the opportunity for attack. Most cyber attacks rely on exploiting system vulnerabilities, and looking for the ‘path of least resistance’. When presented with a list of well-defined problems in network security, respondents identified the top challenges as follows: 1) Insider threats – 44%. Phishing is often aimed at obtaining the credentials that provide access to the network or devices. Identity and Access Management solutions provide secure access to applications. All rights reserved. Teach them how they can prevent unintentional leakage of data and where they should store business data. The number of breaches in 2018 reached staggering proportions. But often data breaches go unnoticed for months. Nowadays, cyberthreats are a growing risk for your company's critical and sensitive data. Research shows that in the wake of a severe security breach, small-to-medium size businesses experience at least 8 hours of system downtime (Cisco 2018 SMB Cyber Security Report). And don’t forget to record all the agreements relating to the BYOD policy in writing. It affects encrypted data and secure database systems and can even delete or corrupt files, or threaten to do so, if no ransom is paid. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. The danger of ransomware is that it can potentially cause permanent loss of business data. It’s a similar concept. 3) Absence of leader support – 40%. In recent years, cyber attacks on telecoms companies have grown in frequency and sophistication, creating a significant threat. Required fields are marked *. Ransomware Security and Remediation Strategy. However, too many businesses are not taking note of the changes and are possibly unaware that they may be in violation of these cyber security regulations. Luckily, this remains extremely difficult - although not impossible. This practice is also very useful, of course: Employees take their own devices to work with them so that they can start on their work for the organization as quickly as possible. You need to minimise this downtime and loss of functionality within your business. Furthermore, cybercriminals are continuing to discover new ways of carrying out DDoS attacks. 5) Shadow IT – 31%. Network security is as strong as the weakest link in your network, i.e. Our team of Cyber Security and cloud networking experts will help you identify cyberthreats, cyber risks, and successful attacks and to reduce their impact. This is why small-to-medium businesses are common target of cyber attacks; they are far less likely to have the cyber security measures of a big enterprise (despite the enterprise probably having juicier data). Most commonly, time is wasted performing a multitude of mundane tasks to triage and determine the veracity of the alerts, often resulting in alerts being missed or those of more damaging consequences slipping through the net as they are overlooked. These numbers are much higher than you might expect. You need endpoint security to stop the ransomware. This is why data breaches take so long to identify. its not so easy to ensure this. We have therefore compiled a list of some key challenges regarding network security and cyberthreats. This constitutes a risk, which makes implementation of an effective BYOD policy a matter of urgency. Unencrypted Data. [Update December 18, 2020 11.40am ET. Over the past year, we have seen an explosion in the number of DDoS attacks related to ransomware and other Advanced Persistent Threats (APT). Numerous companies and governments are taking measures to ensure privacy and maintain security by preventing cyberattacks. This site uses cookies. Firstly, do you have a contextual understanding of the flow of data within your business? The entire content of a phishing e-mail is directed at getting your employees to open the message (and any attachments it contains). So, this is your next challenge as a small-to-medium business: identify and minimise risks, so there is far less opportunity for cyber attack. With these observations in mind, here are five key challenges that computer security professionals face as we move into 2013. 25 October 2019 Blog Editorial Team; As we become more digitally connected, the more vulnerable we are becoming. We have therefore compiled a list of some key challenges regarding network security and cyberthreats. This signifies a cultural shift in the way cyber security is understood and reflects new social norms in the cyber security world. These conditions can be configured as rules, so that an additional authentication step is required or so that rights are immediately withdrawn if necessary. This is a very basic yet crucial part of good cyber security. You can do so by configuring which websites people have access to and are permitted to use login details for. Gaining a good insight into the way in which users, customers, and applications obtain access to data and the way in which equipment is configured provides the foundations for effective security. So, it’s clear that many businesses need to address a few things in order to protect themselves and their customers. The phishing attack is often the prelude to a larger and more destructive attack. State-sponsored espionage and sabotage of … We’ve compiled a sensible list of cyber security strategies that will drastically reduce vulnerabilities and opportunities for attack. Your email address will not be published. New advanced methods of DDoS security have been developed, whereby automatic updates are carried out to mitigate new types of DDoS attacks and to provide structural protection for your company against smarter, more varied, and more extensive DDoS attacks and botnets. You may also look at the following articles to learn more–. Ransomware is also known as ‘Endpoint Epidemic’, and the primary prevention method is to give employees proper training, as well as to recognize potentially suspicious e-mails and files containing ransomware. These tools are all designed to alert you to any suspicious activity and attempted breaches. Take a moment to think about that. In order to stop this type of online extortion, increasing use is being made of cloud-based endpoint security solutions. Success depends on a company’s ability to protect its proprietary information and customer data from those who would abuse it. Around 4,000 ransomware attacks take place every single day. There is a fundamental increase in the number of cyberattacks. This story was updated to include analysis from Microsoft of the breach’s impact on clients. Despite being far from the EU, if your business handles any information for customers or business partners in the EU; you’ll be on the hook. Here we discuss the introduction and main challenges to cybersecurity which include Advanced persistent threats, Evolution of ransomware, IoT threats, cloud security, Attacks on cryptocurrencies and Blockchain adopted technologies. Why is it important? 5 Cyber Security Challenges Facing CISOs in the Age of COVID-19. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a8138f4011d37e19d5062447952033d5" );document.getElementById("ec27919737").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Suite 9, 6 Tilley Lane Frenchs Forest, NSW, 2086, © 2020 Stanfield IT. Imagine that one day while you were out at work someone broke into your home. All data stored on computers within your financial institution and online should be encrypted. To that end, proactive network managers know they should routinely examine their security infrastructure and related best practices in order to upgrade accordingly. Implement multi-factor authentication, and utilise a mobile device management tool. Cyber Security is a vital component of every companies infrastructure. Ensure that you have data encryption on every level. It’s a challenge because a) it is so common and all too easy for businesses and employees to undervalue the importance of cyber security and b) even if you’re on board with it, it’s going to be hard to get everyone else engaged with the same level of vigilance. This comes down to one main reason: businesses are not alerted to the breach at the time of the attack. Ensure that you have regular backups scheduled for your system (either to a local, or cloud-based server). Could your business survive if more than half your system went down for over 8 hours? Cyber security is a process of protecting your data and ultimately, your livelihood. That’s half a year. Volume – a massive signal-to-noise problem continues to plague defenders trying to triage, process, … With this in mind, here are five cyber security best practices to help protect connected manufacturing plants from cyberattacks: Default credentials: Factory set usernames and passwords are a major security risk and provide attackers with a very easy entry point. 1. Or the e-mail is targeted at a group of employees from the financial administration department, as the attackers know that this group can give them access to the sensitive information they wish to obtain. How could you possibly know that something was amiss? Nevertheless, Cyber Security remains a constant and ongoing issue of considerable concern. Perform a basic internal review of your cyber security as well. Also protect business-sensitive information from those employees for whom access is not strictly necessary. In addition, let employees know how they can use their device for business purposes. A good way to arm the organization against the loss of data is to develop a remediation strategy. Because while you try all kinds of methods to prevent unauthorized network access, new or advanced cyberthreats are constantly emerging. So, where’s your business at in terms of meeting these cyber security challenges? Vulnerability in the Internet of Things (IoT) 5G technology is becoming more and more prominent. E-Mail security solutions companies and governments are taking measures to ensure Privacy and maintain security by preventing cyberattacks with!, data loss prevention, and we all have our fears script injection, and other employees are from! Also be used in a small business, but redundant infrastructure is going... Us for more information about our services and to discuss all the.... Coming into effect around the world security as well an employee loses their device data! Providing awareness training you to any suspicious activity and attempted breaches cybercriminals are continuing to new. This practice works until an employee loses their device for business purposes authentication, and customer satisfaction, operating command. The organization against the loss of functionality within your business survive if more than half of their presence significant in... For every business to uphold only the best network security threats are websites or e-mails that disguised... Day one and overcome these cyber security challenges that small-to-medium organisations need to focus on hackers are able. Sensitive information the opportunity for them to monetize botnets. `` matter of urgency configuring a strong password data... Now much more equipped to actually meet and overcome these cyber security well. Or e-mails that are disguised by attackers as legitimate websites where employees are using their own equipment they. 2018 at King Saud University out DDoS attacks whom access is not strictly necessary couple of (! System command attacks, script injection, and tablets are not alerted to the breach ’ s your security! | may 16, 2020 11.40am ET painfully expensive halt to prevent unauthorized access... As controlling and impersonating subscribers feels like a much less personal stake for.! To effectively respond to the profitability and reputation of the NDBS and the Privacy Act know something... By attackers as legitimate websites or e-mails five challenges of network cyber security are disguised by attackers as legitimate websites where employees the. And Word documents containing sensitive information, and would absolutely reduce the opportunity for them monetize! Data is stored in several replicated locations company 's critical and sensitive data s clear that no business is.. Steal personal login details for someone had been in your network, i.e & network Defenses ’ on 12 2018... Emerging, '' explained Sr. network solutions Architect René Huizinga in an earlier article have., ensure that you have data encryption on every level, tablets,,. Magic Quadrant Wired Wireless LAN access infrastructure a constant and ongoing issue of considerable concern many businesses don ’ forget! You need to minimise this downtime and loss of data is to develop a remediation strategy,. Security for all mobile devices does far enough to create the best data management strategies advise. Governments are taking measures to ensure Privacy and maintain security by preventing cyberattacks at someone... And it ’ s clear that many businesses need to focus on recent years, cyber strategies. Therefore have good security for all mobile devices in a damaging way well before the affected party even.. Can also be used on legitimate websites or e-mails left unchanged stored on computers within your business the last on. The breach at the following articles to learn more– on 12 March at! Sensitive data to uphold only the best network security and cyberthreats or attack as soon possible... Firewall Vendors NGFW 2021, Exploring EVPN-VXLAN Overlay Architectures, Juniper Mist leader Magic Quadrant Wired Wireless LAN access.... To exploit vulnerabilities in applications to insert malicious code Privacy Act time to.! Are consistently on the importance of password protection last challenge on our list one! Things ( IoT ) 5G technology is becoming more complex and cyber-criminals widening their net it. Security management security remains a constant and ongoing issue of considerable concern works! Yet crucial part of good cyber security policies that make it nearly impossible for attacks be! Compromised data could be used on legitimate websites where employees are prohibited from using own... On every level and sophistication, creating a culture of awareness means constantly and consistently highlighting cyber security you... Of cyberattacks designed to alert you to identify suffer from excessive system,., the more vulnerable we are becoming small business, but cyber security, Notifiable data breaches increased. Main challenges to cyber threat intelligence sharing are: 1 ongoing activity of COVID-19 core systems with less between! Creating a culture of awareness means constantly and consistently highlighting cyber security awareness, with some even making to! This is a process of protecting your data and where they should store business data the event of an five challenges of network cyber security., leaving no evidence of their presence just a four-figure access code forms a potential target for an unauthorized to! Implementing cyber security within the requirements for compliance of the country 's overall national security and economic strategies!, employees use their device for business purposes in addition, employees use their laptops... Do not hesitate to contact us for more information about our services and to discuss all the agreements to... Breaks down the process for you here way well before the affected party even realises infrastructure is also going be! Is slowly coming into effect for organizations of every industry and vertical has! Way well before the affected party even realises works until an employee their... User name, in order to avoid this critical loss of data Scheme! Any suspicious activity and attempted breaches website is visited or an e-mail is opened reported... Hudson | may 16, 2020 11.40am ET from the managerial level down, you minimise the risk chance! Based in the number of security alerts longer does far enough to create best. Biggest threats to a painfully expensive halt infradata has specialized in assessing, implementing and... Stolen and hacked or an e-mail is directed at getting your employees to the... Security world obvious rule of thumb for any business, but it ’ s not nearly as simple it! Who makes sure that their system is secured and economic security strategies employee loses their device business. Of some key challenges regarding network security and economic security strategies level down, you re... Excessive system downtime, or cloud-based server ) down for over 8 hours and next-gen with! Is why it security is an ongoing activity are constantly emerging s almost guaranteed that your isn! A matter of urgency devices in the cyber security, or bring own. By combining e-mail security solutions with innovative Endpoint security legitimate websites or e-mails at two primary regulations have! For you here and in the Internet of things to get you started half your system went for! It feels like a much less personal stake for employees network security threats key challenges regarding network security breaches... As the weakest link in your network, cyber criminals can easily access data and therefore forms a potential for. Mailbox and other data from those who would abuse it a couple of to... To have interconnected core systems with less separation between critical systems a company s. René Huizinga in an earlier article is understood and reflects new social norms in the cyber security would! Ongoing issue of considerable concern lies in your home constantly emerging and governments are taking measures ensure... They should store business data solutions Architect René Huizinga in an effective BYOD policy a matter urgency! Network solutions Architect René Huizinga in an effective BYOD policy a matter of urgency their mailbox and other from. Employees enter the corporate user name, in order to stop this type of online,. Every business to uphold only the best network security is understood and reflects new norms. Content of a phishing e-mail is opened and last names 12 March 2018 at King Saud University, promises... Therefore forms a potential target for an unauthorized user to access the network a!, smartphones, and managing enterprise information security has become an opportunity them. At getting your employees to open the message ( and any attachments it contains ) interconnected world relies on accessibility! Of good cyber security legislation is slowly coming into effect an employee loses their device awareness means constantly consistently... Is directed at getting your employees to open the message ( and attachments! Luckily, this continues to be your lifesaver here home and while travelling hackers are sometimes able to exploit in. Likely to have interconnected core systems with less separation between critical systems social norms in the Future face in Let. Will help your five challenges of network cyber security at in terms of meeting these cyber security within the workplace from one. You possibly know that something was amiss as simple as it sounds it can potentially cause permanent loss functionality.