Whether you’re from Chicago or Tampa, one of the most serious challenges facing all businesses within the US and beyond is the rampant surge of cybercriminal activity. In fact, recent reports found that year-to-date ransomware cases in the United States have increased by 185%, with Florida being one of the hardest hit states. Unfortunately, ransomware is only one threat that plagues businesses. Cybercriminals are constantly developing new techniques to infiltrate or take down vulnerable networks, costing businesses potentially thousands of dollars in the process.
This is why it’s so crucial to fortify your network perimeter defenses. Implementing cutting-edge network security solutions will keep a slew of threats at bay. Here are six essential components of a strong network security framework:
1. Network firewall
Firewalls serve as a gatekeeper between your company’s private network and the public internet. It monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic and determines whether to allow or block traffic based on a set of predetermined rules. These rules may involve blocking unwanted incoming traffic from specific IP addresses while allowing access to only trusted sources.
Firewalls will usually come with a list of untrusted IP addresses out of the box to protect networks from well-known threats. Network administrators can also whitelist and blacklist certain domains to configure network security rules to the company’s needs. It is always best practice to configure firewalls beyond their default configurations in order to further harden network security.
2. Intrusion prevention system (IPS)
An IPS is a network technology that actively monitors network traffic to stop potential threats. Unlike firewalls, which sit on the edge of the network to permit or deny access to network traffic, IPS works from inside the network to inspect network payloads for signs of policy violations, malware attacks, and other abnormal activities.
There are two main detection methods that intrusion prevention systems employ to detect network threats. The first is signature-based detection, which essentially leverages the latest threat intelligence databases to recognize known cyberattacks and vulnerabilities. The second detection method is anomaly-based detection, and it’s used to detect unknown threats. The best IPS solutions will learn the baseline functions and performance levels of a network — down to metrics like network throughput, latency, and packet loss. Anomaly-based detection simply compares current network traffic against the pre-established baselines to see if there’s something wrong. For example, unusually high data upload activity may indicate that cybercriminals are attempting to steal data from your network.
When an IPS detects an anomaly or threat signature, it will automatically execute certain actions to mitigate the threat. These actions include blocking traffic from the source IP address, dropping any malicious packets, and even resetting the connection. The IPS will also send alerts to network administrators via email or text message so they can quickly secure any network vulnerabilities.
Related reading: Why does your business need network management?
3. Advanced threat protection
Advanced threat protection systems use various techniques to uncover and defend against increasingly sophisticated malware attacks that have eluded traditional security measures. First, it uses heuristic and code analysis — a technique that examines the intricate bits of code on a suspect program or file. Heuristic analysis compares the code to how known malware strains behave. For instance, ransomware is designed to forcefully encrypt a victim’s files, while cryptojacking malware steals computing resources from the target server to mine cryptocurrency. If there’s underlying code within a suspect program that resembles that of modern-day attacks, advanced threat protection systems instantly flag the program as a threat.
Another technique leveraged by advanced threat protection is sandboxing. This involves running a file or program in an isolated virtual environment so it never makes contact with your corporate network. Then, with heuristics and machine learning techniques, advanced threat protection can examine how the file in question behaves and determine whether it’s a threat to your business. If malware has indeed been identified, advanced threat protection will remove it and update threat intelligence databases to make detection easier for future investigations.
4. Network access control (NAC)
NAC uses company-wide policies and network administrator tools to prevent unauthorized users and devices from gaining access to corporate networks. NAC enables you to assign accounts to internal users, which are protected with unique username and password credentials. You can then categorize users based on their job functions and establish role-based permissions that define what they’re permitted to do and access on the corporate network. Alternatively, NAC can grant limited access privileges to guest users on a separate network so they don’t stumble upon sensitive company information.
With NAC tools, you can also register company-approved devices into your system so your network knows which devices it should grant access to. You can even restrict access based on what operating system a device is running or if they have appropriate security software installed to ensure high-risk devices don’t leave your network open to an attack.
5. Web filtering
A web filter is a piece of software that stops users from visiting certain websites or URLs on their web browsers. Most web filtering software will determine the quality and reputation of a site by referencing up-to-date security intelligence databases, but administrators can set their own policies on which websites to block, too. This is crucial for reducing the likelihood of employees stumbling into dangerous websites, such as fake app stores and peer-to-peer file sharing sites. Additionally, from a productivity standpoint, web filtering allows businesses to restrict access to distracting websites like social media platforms, video streaming sites, and games.
6. Security information and event management (SIEM)
SIEM software gives network administrators complete visibility into the activities within the company network. It does this by collecting and aggregating log data generated by the company’s unified security framework, consisting of firewalls, IPS, advanced threat protection systems, NAC, and more. The software then creates a security report that covers analyses on abnormal network activities as well as incidents such as potential malware attacks. Once all the data is laid out, administrators can quickly address threats by restricting user access, isolating network environments, and blocking malicious payloads. SIEM software also helps administrators make informed decisions on how to improve network security and minimize threat exposure by providing granular insights into network traffic and signatures.
Establishing a strong cybersecurity infrastructure doesn’t just end with these network security components; you need to round out your defenses for devices, applications, and even people. If fully securing your business seems like a daunting task, Dynamic Solutions Group is here to help. Our top-notch security consultants can assess your company’s cybersecurity needs and implement solutions to keep your networks safe from harm. Give us a call today for a professional network security assessment.
