Most of us probably remember a serious data network breach recently, and those breaches were against large companies that we expect to implement the most up-to-date network security procedures. The problem is that every business, big or small, gets advice on how to secure their network, but I’m sorry to say that in many cases, security policies are not always implemented as expected.

Why aren’t comprehensive security policies implemented? It could be a matter of cost, the inability of IT staff to recognize dangers, and sometimes it’s simply due to complacency when a business assumes that because its network hasn’t suffered a serious security breach, it probably never will. will.

Threats to a network come in many shapes and sizes:

Virus

A computer virus comes under the heading of malware, where the virus integrates with another program and can usually replicate itself so that it can spread from one computer system to another. The effects of a computer virus can range from mildly annoying symptoms to corruption or deletion of data from the infected computer system. There is usually an executable file associated with a virus that often requires a user to run that file. It is a well-documented fact that viruses often enter a system via email, transferring files from a drive, or sharing files over a network. Worms and Trojans can often be classified as viruses.

adware

Adware, as the name suggests, are programs that are designed to display advertisements on a user’s computer or to redirect a user’s browser to a website that displays advertisements. Some adware is even designed to collect data about the user’s system, often with little indication to the user of what is happening.

Adware often enters a computer system through some freeware and shareware software, or through the use of websites that have been infected with adware programs. Sometimes you realize that your browser has been hijacked and no matter what you do, it intends to land you on a particular web page. The good thing is that adware can usually be removed quite easily, but it can still be a nuisance at first.

Back (Denial of Service)

As its name clearly indicates, the purpose of DoS is to seriously inhibit or completely shut down a network service or the network itself. This is often achieved by overwhelming a target machine with bogus requests so that genuine requests cannot be processed, thus rendering the service unusable. Web servers or email servers are often the intended victims, particularly those run by large commercial organizations. There are a number of well-known DoS attacks:

SYN attacks take advantage of the 3-way handshake that precedes a TCP connection by sending a connection request, but never completing that connection. Eventually, all the TCP ports used for the service are in use and genuine users are unable to establish a connection to the server.

ICMP Flooding works by flooding a network with ping packets that require responses, therefore using up valuable network resources and eventually exhausting those services.

Buffer overflow attacks target specific network devices or programs with excessive traffic, causing the system to hang or shut down completely due to the weight of traffic.

Other DoS attacks simply take advantage of vulnerabilities that cause the target system or service to crash. In these attacks, information is sent that exploits bugs in the target that subsequently crash or severely destabilize the system so that it cannot be accessed or used. A particularly effective DoS attack is distributed, which means that a system is attacked from many machines in multiple locations, increasing the attack’s capability.

hackers

Hackers simply exploit vulnerabilities and weaknesses in computer networks or systems. The motives behind hacking are many and varied, the most common being stealing or compromising an organization’s information, embarrassing an organization, or simply hacking into a system to gain prestige among hackers.

identity theft

Where a computer system can be hacked to obtain sensitive information about users such as names, date of birth, addresses. Identity theft itself can be used as the basis for fraudulent activities such as:

• Open a bank account
• Ordering products in the name of another person
• Access or take over the bank account of a genuine user
• Obtaining a passport or other identity document such as a driving license.
• Obtaining a loan or credit agreement

Identity theft can often make lives miserable for victims, as they may notice property ordered in their name, racking up debt in their name, which can affect credit scores and make a person unable to obtain a credit, such as a mortgage.

zero-day attacks

This type of attack aims to exploit a vulnerability in a system or software program when that vulnerability is made public. Often known as the zero hour vulnerability.
Network security should be implemented using multiple layers and monitored in order to understand the types of attacks and whether or not some layers of security may have been breached.

We all know about firewalls and antivirus systems that most of us implement even on our home computers. Some firewalls are implemented in software, especially for end-user devices like computers and tablets, but corporate firewalls are usually hardware devices that are programmable and can also incorporate IDS (Intrusion Detection Systems) and IPS (Intrusion Protection Systems). ). It is also beneficial to incorporate VPN (Virtual Private Networks), especially important when using Public Networks as a means of Remote Access. VPNs must use industry standard authentication and secure encryption key exchange, as well as the encryption standard itself.

Businesses must implement multiple layers of security to ensure the safety of sensitive company information and also to protect against external attacks that can cripple the network, such as DoS. Although most DoS attacks tend to target large organizations where the impact can have the maximum effect. If the business transacts with customers and partners, the importance of good network security is even more important, especially if sensitive customer information is stored anywhere within the network.

Modern networks are complex, and the primary goal of network security is to provide access to authorized users and ensure that unauthorized users are denied access. It may sound simple, but with many means of access to networks, implementing a security policy can be a daunting task. If your network has wireless connectivity for users, this requires additional security measures. VoIP has vulnerabilities that need to be noted and taken into consideration. Partners and collaborators may require some limited access to your network. These connections must be verified and authorized.

It is imperative that an organization perform regular network security audits in order to identify new vulnerabilities. And when new vulnerabilities emerge, act quickly. Don’t think, well, we haven’t had a gap in that area, so it can wait a little longer. I’m sure I’m right in saying that some of the companies that experienced data breaches involving customer data actually knew there were some security loopholes, but due to financial constraints or simply an inability to realize of the real danger, they did not act accordingly. security audit report or recommendation from internal or external sources. I bet some wish they had acted sooner!

The bottom line is that network security is a must, and regular security audits are a must if you value your business.