Enterprise cyber and infra security testing determines the firm’s IT fort’s strength. Yes, a firm’s IT infrastructure is to be considered a fort and should be guarded cautiously and vigilantly against all the external forces that try to breach that fort and destroy the firm. Infrastructure here refers to, apart from real estate, technology assets like computers, servers, and networks, which include software, hardware, and even cloud resources. Protecting these valuable assets from various cyber attacks is as important or perhaps more important than protecting them from natural disasters and other calamities. Leaving modern IT systems aside, most critical infrastructure systems are designed with technology that is at least 20 years old and hence becomes vulnerable to the malicious forces that use modern technology. Security testing services and techniques of the past don’t hold well when today’s modern tech weaponry is aimed at enterprises that not only use outdated infrastructure but are not constantly vigilant. As the enterprises grow, so is the threat to all the assets in it, and employing an enterprise cyber security services army that not only performs cyber and infra security testing from time to time to secure all the weak and vulnerable points of a firm’s IT fort, but also design a remedial action in case of a breach by streamlining the incident response and risk mitigation. An enterprise should know all its adversaries before planning on how to tackle them. The following are the most common enemies of an enterprise that could try to bring it down.
Competitors
Enterprises operate in a competitive market and as such, they indulge in corporate espionage quite often. Competitors in a business try to gather information about their opponent, their corporate secrets, and other vulnerabilities so that they can use them against the competition at an appropriate time to bring them down.
Hackers
These are mostly technologically brilliant wayward youths who want to test their skills by trying to penetrate a corporate system either for fun, to exhibit their talent, or in some cases, for a ransom too. These hackers can come in groups or as individuals.
Criminals
Criminals can be from organized crime syndicates or individuals operating in small groups. These thugs are well-versed in coordinated criminal activities and mostly deal with stealing sensitive personal data such as credit card information and bank details.
Cyber Terrorists
These terrorist groups can be from within the country, outside, or sometimes even state-sponsored. These terrorist extremist groups often indulge in breaching various top private and public enterprises to incite fear, create chaos, make their presence felt, and extract a ransom. State-sponsored terrorist elements try their hand at acquiring classified, critical information about opponent countries to gain economic, political, and military advantage.
Employees
Disgruntled employees who hold sensitive information about an enterprise may resort to divulging it to competitors or use it to defame the organization. Also, employees who are negligent, ignorant, and lack proper training can cause significant damage to an enterprise by exposing sensitive data inadvertently.
The above are the typical groups who can cause much harm to an enterprise that can result in loss of business, money, reputation, and sometimes even human lives. Seeking the help of cyber and infra security testing services can help mitigate most of the threats that are posed by various groups mentioned above.
The increased connectivity across the world which works to the advantage of various enterprises also poses some serious threats. First and foremost, the attack surface which is limited earlier is now not only vast but also easier to attack. It is imperative for enterprise cyber security services to not only focus on lowering all the potential risks of a firm but also to secure a plan of action in case of an unforeseen cyber-attack that can disrupt the day-to-day operations and impact the business financially. Various cyber security testing services approach various ways at different levels to identify critical infrastructure protection areas to secure an enterprise. Below are some of the most common levels of infrastructure security for an enterprise.
Physical Security
Physical security is protecting the infrastructure of an enterprise, using proper physical security such as securing the premises under lock and key, surveillance cameras, access points, securing backup servers, and backup in case of a power outage.
Network Security
Network security refers to securing the data while it is moving to and from the enterprise. This is done through network firewalls, the use of authentication and authorization protocols, and the encryption of data both on-premises and on the cloud.
Application Security
Application security refers to the security features within an application that can be a threat such as SQL injections, unauthorized access, and modification of the application.
Data Security
Data security is protecting all the data of an enterprise whether it is public, internal-only, confidential, or restricted. This is achieved by various means like data encryption, backups, or through data anonymization which is the process of sanitizing the data by removing personally identifiable fields from the data sets so that the individuals whom the data describes remain anonymous.
IT infrastructure of an enterprise has become more complex with the evolution of various technologies like cloud platforms, the Internet of Things, and work-from-anywhere environments. These evolving technologies give rise to various new vulnerabilities in a business and enterprise cyber security services should be able to tackle every type of threat that comes the way and evolve alongside the new technologies. Cyber security testing services adopt various techniques and solutions to secure an enterprise, some of which are discussed below.
Passwords
The most important and perhaps the most neglected aspect of an enterprise’s cyber security. Logins of all types should be protected by strong passwords. The characteristics of a strong password include hard-to-remember ones, a combination of upper & lower case, inclusion of numbers and symbols. Two-stage authentication wherever possible also gives an added advantage.
Secure Socket Layer, SSL
Secure Sockets Layers, SSL is mainly used in applications such as emails, web browsers, and voice-over IP. SSL is a cryptographic protocol that creates an encrypted link between the web server and web browser and is used to secure online transactions where sensitive customer data is involved.
Encryption
Encryption is one of the best practices to secure data whether it is at rest, in motion, or in use. Data can be encrypted using various methods such as symmetric, asymmetric, and hashing. In case of a cyber attack, the encrypted data will be useless to hackers without a decryption key.
Firewalls
Firewalls are like security guards at a gate. They monitor and control incoming and outgoing traffic based on predetermined security guidelines. A firewall is a security system that monitors network traffic and its main objective is to protect the system/server from outside attempts to gain access or control. A software firewall is a computer software program that runs on a computer or a server, a hardware firewall is a piece of physical equipment that is placed inside a router that is situated between a system and an internet gateway.
Data backup
One of the best ways to protect an enterprise from a ransomware attack is to have a regular data backup plan, both offsite and onsite. Even better, if you have distributed backups that make it even more difficult for the ransomware to spread between different types of data.
Intrusion Detection System
An Intrusion Detection System, IDS is a monitoring system that continuously monitors the activities of a network system for any malicious activity and generates alerts when they are encountered. These alerts can then be investigated for further inspection by the cyber and infra security testing team.
Network Vulnerability Scanning Tools
If they can’t get in, they can’t attack! There are various network vulnerability scanning tools that search through the network on an enterprise and report vulnerabilities found so that those drawbacks can be acted upon.
Authentication Tools
Authentication software tools with real-time monitoring give a glimpse of users’ behavior on an enterprise network. Using AI, these tools will report any unusual activity from a login that implies the same has been compromised and immediate action can be taken before the attack.
All the tools, techniques, and solutions mentioned above require continuous monitoring, analyzing, and reporting. The cyber security testing services team is an army that safeguards an enterprise’s IT fort! Recruiting the best security testing services that are experienced, strong, vigilant, and agile will make an enterprise hacker-proof to the extent possible and mitigate the loss when there is an inevitable attack.
