Intrusion

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A cyber Intrusion is any unwanted, unauthorized, and forced entry into a network or device. Network intrusions involve breaching the security controls of networks in order to access the systems and data they contain and are meant to protect. System intrusions involve forced entry into an operating system or application with the intent of discovering the contents (data) of that system or application and possibly exfiltrating that data beyond the confines of the system or network within which it operates. Intrusions may cause lasting damage to the systems intruded upon such as a ransomware or malware attack..

An intrusion may include or lead to the following situations:

Malware or ransomware deployment

Gaining unauthorized access to a system, network, or data set

Causing a Denial of Service (DDoS) condition to a resource

Equipment destruction (Wiper Malware)

Future attacks, based upon information gleaned during a physical or logical intrusion into a company’s networks, systems, or employee Social engineering efforts

There are countless ways in which your company can experience negative repercussions from an intrusion. The good news here is that there are many simple ways to dramatically improve and harden your environment from an intrusion.

To begin with, one must become aware of their natural state of being. Through network monitoring, one can template or document normal activities on the network enabling you to identify abnormal activities on your network. This is most often achieved through a technology solution called an Intrusion Detection System (IDS). A related technology, Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) goes a step further with active intercession when a known malicious activity is identified. The IPS system can reset active connections, quarantine devices, and even block communications between attacker source and destination target.

What does this mean for an SMB or MSP?

Network Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems can be expensive and costly for companies to implement. If your company has the budget for such services, then investing in such capabilities can provide many benefits. Some IDS/IPS systems even help identify misconfigurations in your network which can help improve network performance. Unfortunately, for many SMBs, a full-blown dedicated IDS/IPS system is not economically viable. However, modern firewalls provide rudimentary IDS services, block unauthorized users from accessing your network, and can even alert you to certain attack scenarios so you can take evasive actions. Beyond firewalls, every company ought to take some or all of the following actions to protect themselves from intrusions and harm.

Additional Cybersecurity Recommendations

Govern employees with policies and procedures. You need a password policy, an acceptable use policy, an information handling policy, and a written information security program (WISP) at a minimum.

Train employees on how to spot and avoid phishing attacks. Adopt a Learning Management system like CyberHoot to teach employees the skills they need to be more confident, productive, and secure.

Test employees with Phishing attacks to practice. CyberHoot’s Phish testing allows businesses to test employees with believable phishing attacks and put those that fail into remedial phish training.

Deploy critical cybersecurity technology including two-factor authentication on all critical accounts. Enable email SPAM filtering, validate backups, deploy DNS protection, antivirus, and anti-malware on all your endpoints.

In the modern Work-from-Home era, make sure you’re managing personal devices connecting to your network by validating their security (patching, antivirus, DNS protections, etc) or prohibiting their use entirely.

If you haven’t had a risk assessment by a 3rd party in the last 2 years, you should have one now. Establishing a risk management framework in your organization is critical to addressing your most egregious risks with your finite time and money.

Buy Cyber-Insurance to protect you in a catastrophic failure situation. Cyber-Insurance is no different than Car, Fire, Flood, or Life insurance. It’s there when you need it most.

All of these recommendations are built into CyberHoot the product or CyberHoot’s vCISO Services. With CyberHoot you can govern, train, assess, and test your employees. Visit CyberHoot.com and sign up for our services today. At the very least continue to learn by enrolling in our monthly Cybersecurity newsletters to stay on top of current cybersecurity updates.

To learn more about Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems, watch this short 4-minute video:

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