Some time back, I remember speaking to a few of my friends’ kids. They were between 12-15 and had just started using laptops and smartphones and knew a few things about the dangers of poor security practices.
I was just running them through OTPs and password managers and maybe I didn’t notice that they were bored (it happens! Cybersecurity can be dull for people who don’t understand why it’s so important), when one of them interrupted me and asked, “What’s, like, the WORST thing that could happen if you don’t do any of this stuff?”
I laughed. As someone in the industry, we hear about network security horror stories on an almost daily basis. “Hmmm let me see,” I responded. I thought about all the nightmare-like data breaches over the years.
“So, Dubsmash. They had a major network security breach a few years ago.” At this point, I got a few funny looks because the kids didn’t expect me to know about Dubsmash. “I think more than 150 million accounts were compromised. That means passwords, emails, and other personal data were stolen and even put up for sale on the dark web.”
While I then had to explain what the dark web was to some of the kids, they got the point - you can’t mess around with cybersecurity. While many of us think this is fairly obvious, there are plenty of people who still don’t understand why we, as security specialists, recommend as many fixes as we do.
Network security, in particular, is crucial. This broadly encompasses the strategies leveraged to prevent the unauthorised access, use, modification, destruction or improper disclosure of enterprise networks. These strategies encompass both hardware and software components of a company’s network.
We’ve all heard of firewalls and have some basic understanding of what it is. What many don’t know is that firewalls play a crucial role when it comes to network security.
Leave aside your idea of a flaming barrier - this type of software offers powerful monitoring tools, keeping tabs on incoming and outgoing network traffic in addition to a range of other features including (but not limited to):
Which firewall you will need to leverage for your business will really depend on the specifics of your network and your activity and is an entirely different topic altogether. You will need to consider what kind of protection you enjoy from each firewall and if this is what you really need.
When it comes to network security, there are two words that are more important than any other: Access control.
Here, your security strategies need to focus on antivirus protection, vulnerability assessments (especially to ensure that network endpoints are protected), as well as host intrusion protection. You will also need to consider authentication for network users and dedicate resources to ensure that your security measures in this area are running constantly.
Another critical area of focus when it comes to network security is behaviour analysis. Much like a tantrum-prone child, you need to keep a careful eye on your network to make sure it’s behaving the way it should.
While you might need some insight on what’s normal and what’s not - and here, you may benefit from the expertise of network security experts - making sure that your network is not displaying any anomalies or is gravitating towards a data breach is more important than ever.
Here at Triskele Labs, our experts can support you in bolstering and maintaining your network security. We help you dive into the finer elements of this area of your security strategies, ensuring that you stay on top.
Get in touch with us to find out how we can help you keep your data safe, your clients happy, and your operations risk-free.
