What are the different types of network security?
Cybercrime is one the fastest-growing criminal activities. The global cost of dealing with the damage caused by cybercrime is estimated to reach $6 trillion by 2021, doubling the damage recorded in 2015. According to some reports, the average cost of a cyberattack is more than $1 million, and is also expected to rise.
It’s crucial that you provide the best network security for your customers as a managed service provider (MSP). Hackers and cyberattackers can be persistent and clever, so you need to make use of networking security tools to create and maintain an effective defense.
MSPs are especially responsible for helping customers understand the necessity and importance of network security best practices.
This article will give you a brief overview of the most important information about different network security tools. The need for strong network security has been highlighted by recent attacks on MSPs. This article will provide a recap of the key points to help you explain to your customers these topics.
Which network security types are there?
Network security is the collection of countermeasures that are put in place to protect your network and the data that passes through it. Network security is designed to protect the network from hacking attempts and employee negligence. Network security consists of three components: software, hardware, and cloud services.
Hardware appliances are servers and devices that provide security functions to the network environment. You can install hardware outside of the network traffic path, also known as “out-of line,” but more often it is installed inside the traffic path, called “in-line.” Hardware appliances are servers or devices that perform certain security functions within the networking environment. Out-of-line appliances monitor traffic and send alerts when something suspicious is detected. Network security software, which includes antivirus applications, can be installed on devices and nodes across the network to provide added detection and threat remediation.
Cloud services are the offloading of infrastructure to a cloud provider. This setup is similar to how network traffic flows through in-line appliances. However, incoming traffic is directed to the cloud service. Before traffic is allowed onto your network, the cloud service scans and blocks potential threats.
A network security system that is effective uses multiple types of network security tools in order to build a layered defense system. This strategy is based on the idea that if a threat manages slip past one security measure, the other layers will stop it from entering the network. Each layer provides threat identification and threat remediation capabilities, as well as active monitoring to ensure that the network is as secure as possible.
What is the difference between network security tools and devices?
There are many different security tools that you can use to protect your network. This list is not exhaustive. However, you can find security tools that include:
- Access control. It is the process of controlling who has access to the network and which sections are most sensitive. You can limit network access to users and devices that you are familiar with, or allow guest users or non-compliant users limited access.
- Antivirus software and anti-malware software. Malware is a common type of cyberattack. It comes in many shapes and sizes. While some varieties are quick to delete files and corrupt data, others can remain dormant for lengthy periods of time, allowing hackers access to your systems quietly. The best antivirus software will monitor network traffic in real time for malware, scan activity log files for signs of suspicious behavior or long-term patterns, and offer threat remediation capabilities.
- Application security. It is crucial that all programs are kept current and updated to protect sensitive data from cyberattackers. Application security is the combination of software and hardware. It also includes best practices that you use to monitor and close security gaps.
- Behavioral analysis. Security support personnel must establish a baseline for normal behavior for each customer’s applications and users. The purpose of Behavioral analytics software, which is used to identify signs that an abnormal behavior has occurred, is to detect them. MSPs will be able to spot potential problems faster and isolate the threats by having a better understanding of the baselines of each customer.
- Data Loss Prevention. DLP technologies prevent employees from sharing company information or sensitive data outside of the organization. DLP technology can stop actions that could expose data to bad actors beyond the network environment. These include uploading and downloading files as well as forwarding messages or printing.
- Prevention of distributed denial-of-service attacks. Distributional denial-of service (DDoS), attacks are increasing in frequency. These attacks overload a network with unidirectional connection requests, which eventually causes the network to crash. DDoS prevention tools scrub incoming traffic to remove unlegitimate traffic that could compromise your network. This may include a hardware appliance that filters out traffic before it reaches your firewalls.
- Email security. Many threat vectors such as scams, phishing and malware can be embedded in emails. Many of these threats often include personal information to make them appear more convincing. It is crucial that employees of an organization receive sufficient security awareness training in order to recognize suspicious emails. Email security software can be used to block outgoing threats. It can also be configured so that outgoing messages cannot share certain types of data.
- Firewalls. Firewalls are another component of a network security system. Firewalls act as a gatekeeper between the network and wider internet. Firewalls are used to filter out inbound and outgoing traffic. They compare data packets with predefined policies and rules, and prevent threats from reaching the network.
- Mobile device security. Most of us carry sensitive or personal data on our mobile devices. Hackers are well aware of this fact and can take advantage of it. Mobile device security measures can be used to limit access to networks. This is an important step in protecting network traffic from being leaked through mobile connections.
- Network segmentation. Dividing and sorting network traffic based on certain classifications streamlines the job for security support personnel when it comes to applying policies. Segmented networks make it easier for employees to request authorization credentials. This ensures that no one has access to information they shouldn’t. Segmentation is also useful in securing potentially compromised devices and intrusions.
- Event management and security information. These security systems, also known as SIEMs, combine network-based and host-based intrusion detection systems. They combine historical data log file scanning with real-time network traffic monitoring to give administrators a complete picture of all activity on the network. SIEMs can be compared to intrusion prevention system (IPS). They scan the network traffic for suspicious activity and policy violations. In order to keep network administrators informed, an IPS can log security events and send notifications.
- Web security. Security software has a few functions. It restricts employees’ internet access to prevent them from visiting sites that may contain malware. It can also block other web-based threats, and protects a customer’s website gateway.
What principles are there for network security?
There are three principles within the concept of network security–confidentiality, integrity, and availability–which together are sometimes referred to as the “CIA triad.” A network can only be considered secure when it has all three elements in play simultaneously.
Confidentiality is a way to protect sensitive data and keep it from being accessed by average users. This is in line with the principle of accessibility, which aims to ensure data and resources remain accessible to those authorized to access them. DDoS attacks and equipment failure can be challenges to availability. Integrity is a principle that protects information from accidental or intentional changes to ensure data reliability, accuracy, and trustworthiness.
Each decision regarding network security must be guided by at least one of these principles. MSPs should ask themselves if every decision regarding network security will protect data’s integrity, keep it confidential, and make it more accessible to authorized users.
These network security concepts are so crucial. Cyberattacks are on the rise, with a recent report from Positive Technologies showing that government and healthcare organizations are becoming prime targets for hackers. This report shows that data theft is the main motivation for more than half the cybercrimes. It also shows that 42% of cyberattacks on individuals were motivated by financial gain, while 30% of cyberattacks on organizations were motivated by this goal.
Our world is becoming increasingly digitalized and we depend more and more upon the internet and network to function. This means that we need reliable and secure internet service.
However, as more of our personal and sensitive data is stored in electronic repositories and archives, hackers are turning their attention to networked systems. It is essential that MSPs and security personnel provide customers with robust security systems to protect data from all threat vectors.
