Cybersecurity

What is Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity encompasses all measures taken to protect an organization, its employees, and assets from cyber threats. As cyberattacks become increasingly common and sophisticated, and corporate networks grow more complex, organizations must therefore adopt various cybersecurity solutions to mitigate risks effectively.

1. Network Security

Since most attacks occur over networks, network security solutions are crucial. They identify and block these threats using tools like Data Loss Prevention (DLP), Identity Access Management (IAM), Network Access Control (NAC), and Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW). Advanced prevention technologies, including Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), Next-Gen Antivirus (NGAV), Sandboxing, and Content Disarm and Reconstruction (CDR), further enhance network protection. Additionally, network analytics, threat hunting, and automated Security Orchestration and Response (SOAR) are vital.

2. Cloud Security

As organizations increasingly adopt cloud computing, securing the cloud has become a top priority. Indeed, a robust cloud security strategy includes solutions, controls, policies, and services that protect the entire cloud environment—applications, data, infrastructure—from attacks. While cloud providers offer security measures, they may not be sufficient for enterprise-grade security, thus necessitating supplementary third-party solutions to prevent data breaches and targeted attacks.

3. Endpoint Security

Given that companies now have a mobile workforce, endpoint security is essential for securing end-user devices like desktops and laptops. Companies use data and network security controls, advanced threat prevention (such as anti-phishing and anti-ransomware), and forensic technologies like Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) to protect these devices.

4. Mobile Security

Mobile devices, including tablets and smartphones, often access corporate data, making them targets for threats from malicious apps, zero-day vulnerabilities, phishing, and Instant Messaging (IM) attacks. Thus, mobile security solutions prevent these attacks, secure operating systems, and protect devices from rooting and jailbreaking. When combined with Mobile Device Management (MDM), these solutions ensure only compliant devices access corporate assets.

5. IoT Security

Internet of Things (IoT) devices, while beneficial for productivity, expose organizations to new cyber threats. Threat actors often exploit vulnerable devices connected to the internet. Therefore, IoT security protects these devices through discovery and classification, auto-segmentation, and virtual patches using IPS to prevent exploits. In some cases, device firmware can be enhanced with small agents to prevent runtime attacks.

6. Application Security

Web applications, being directly connected to the internet, are frequent targets for attackers. Application security prevents the OWASP Top 10 attacks, bot attacks, and malicious interactions with applications and APIs. With continuous learning, these solutions ensure apps remain secure, even as DevOps releases new content.

7. Zero Trust

Traditional security models focused on building perimeters around assets, like a castle, but this approach has flaws. As organizations move assets off-premises due to cloud adoption and remote work, a new approach is needed. Zero trust provides granular security, protecting individual resources through micro-segmentation, monitoring, and role-based access controls.

1. Ransomware

While ransomware has been around for decades, it only became the dominant form of malware within the last few years. The WannaCry ransomware outbreak demonstrated the viability and profitability of ransomware attacks, driving a sudden surge in ransomware campaigns.

Since then, the ransomware model has evolved drastically. While ransomware used to only encrypt files, it now will steal data to extort the victim and their customers in double and triple extortion attacks. Some ransomware groups also threaten or employ Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks to incentivize victims to meet ransom demands.

The growth of ransomware has also been made possible by the emergence of the Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) model, where ransomware developers will provide their malware to “affiliates” to distribute in exchange for a piece of the ransom. With RaaS, many cybercrime groups have access to advanced malware, making sophisticated attacks more common. As a result, ransomware protection has become an essential component of the enterprise cyber security strategy.

2. Phishing

Phishing remains the most common way cybercriminals infiltrate corporate environments. Moreover, modern phishing attacks are highly sophisticated, making them difficult to distinguish from legitimate emails. Therefore, effective protection requires cybersecurity solutions that block malicious emails even before they reach users.

4. Malware

Cyberattacks have evolved with malware, and attackers continually develop techniques to bypass security measures. Indeed, modern malware is stealthy and sophisticated, rendering legacy detection methods inadequate. Thus, preventing malware attacks before they begin is critical to mitigating the damage caused by these threats.