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Cyber Security Challenges For Businesses

Combating cyber security challenges is all about staying ahead by taking preventive actions before any threats exploit the system. It is important as a cyber security threat can not only result in a reputational or monetary loss but also cause a complete financial bust after the business pays the penalty. In order to adopt proper preventive actions, it is important to understand the cyber security challenges that businesses face.

Here is a list of the biggest cybersecurity challenges for businesses:

  • Artificial Intelligence: Artificial intelligence plays a parallel role in cyber-attacks & their prevention. Research and modeling can be used to make AI systems learn to detect anomalies in the behavior pattern of events. AI systems can be used to create defensive tools such as biometric login. However, in a parallel scenario, the same characteristics of AI systems are exploited by hackers to execute a cyber attack.
  • Technical Skills Gap: There is a huge gap between the available cybersecurity professionals and the number of vacancies. This emphasizes on the marked inability to employ cybersecurity professionals at a speed that matches the rise of new vulnerabilities. As cyber-attack techniques have become more sophisticated, it has become imperative for organizations to hire employees with the right skill set. A simpler solution is to train existing staff according to the organization’s requirements to prevent cyber attacks and combat vulnerabilities. Additionally, companies heavily invest in making the system and network robust by implementing new advanced technologies, but effective implementation and use of these technologies require a skilled and trained workforce.
  • Cloud Risks: It has become a common practice for companies to move their sensitive data to cloud services. However, the effective movement of data to the cloud needs proper configuration & security measures. Organizations need to ensure the security of the platform along with the security of the organization’s data from theft & accidental deletion over the cloud. If not taken care of, cloud services can pose a major cyber security risk. In order to avoid these risks, organizations need to implement solutions such as firewalls, multi-factor authentication, Virtual Private Networks (VPN), etc.
  • Ransomware Threats: It is the most common type of cyber threat that is growing at a fast pace. Ransomware encrypts files or blocks access to the victim’s system or network. Once the access is blocked, the hackers demand ransom for re-allowing access. This can result in the loss of critical data, financial loss, and productivity loss.

For more information about cybersecurity solutions, contact Centex Technologies. You can call the following office locations – Killeen (254) 213 – 4740, Dallas (972) 375 – 9654, Atlanta (404) 994 – 5074, and Austin (512) 956 – 5454.

How to Train Employees on Cyber Security?

View PDF: How-to-Train-Employees-on-Cyber-Security

How To Secure Smart Homes?

 

PDF Version: how-to-secure-smart-homes?

Honeypots For Cyber Security Intelligence

The honeypot acts as a decoy, diverting hackers’ attention away from the real target. It may also be used as a reconnaissance tool, with the adversary’s methodologies, capabilities, and sophistication assessed through intrusion efforts. Any digital asset, such as software programs, servers, or the network itself, can be used to create a honeypot. It is carefully constructed to resemble a valid target, with structure, components, and content that are similar to the actual target.

Honeypot intelligence is important in assisting businesses in evolving and improving their cybersecurity strategy in response to real-world threats. It also helps in identifying possible weak spots in existing architecture, information, and network security. A honeynet is a collection of honeypots that are designed to appear as though they are part of a genuine network, replete with various systems, databases, servers, routers, and other digital assets. The cybersecurity team can track all the malicious traffic inside this isolated network while preventing the movement of the attacker outside.

Examples of Honeypots deployed in IT infrastructure

  • False/apparent looking database: In this type of honeypot, a decoy database is created with a motive to mislead the cyber attackers. These databases include dummy information that resembles the actual database, however sensitive business information is missing from the decoy database. The honeypot database has some system vulnerabilities and weak system design, SQL injections, etc. These vulnerabilities pose as a soft target & attract the hackers.
  • Spam honeypot: Spam honeypots work by accepting all the emails without filtering out the spam mails & other proxies. The program opens the mails to reveal their IP address of the spammers so that it can be blocked by the IT team for protecting the network systems.
  • Fake email address: In this case, a fake email address is created which is not visible to legitimate users. The email address can only be reached by automated address harvesters. Thus, the cyber security team is not required to analyze every email and can rest assured that all the emails received on this address are spams and sent by cyber attackers.
  • Spider honeypot: The motive of spider honeypot is to identify spiders – automated web crawlers. A net of web pages and links is created which is concealed from legitimate search engine web crawlers. Only automated and malicious web crawlers can access them. This helps in identifying how bot crawlers work to develop a way to block them.
  • Dummy malicious software: A dummy software or an application programming interface (API) is created to attract the malware attacks. This helps in studying the vulnerabilities that are exploited and the techniques used by the attacker. The information is then used by the cyber security team to develop an effective anti-malware system.


Classifying Honeypots by their Complexity of interaction with hackers

  • Low-interaction honeypots: This type of honeypots is not designed to behave like production systems but can be scaled, if needed. Although they fail to hold the attention of cyber attackers for long but are useful in causing a distraction for some time.
  • High-interaction honeypots: These honeypots are more sophisticated and pose as actual network target. They have the capability to engage the cyber attackers for a longer period and are used to study the malware attacks to improve cyber security practices.
  • Pure honeypots: Pure honeypots are full-fledged network systems and are designed with mock information, user data, etc.

Advantages of deploying Honeypots

  • Recognizing threat actors: Since honeypot systems are only accessible to malicious actors, it makes it easier for the cyber security teams to identify and block them.
  • Break down attacker chain: While the attackers might be crawling through your organization’s network, honeypots can be used to stop these crawlers and trap them from moving further.
  • Adaptation and evolution of ML-AI algorithms: Honeypots assist in studying the mode of action of cyber-attacks and help in adapting ML-AI algorithms to protect against modern attacks.
  • Insider & Outsider threat detection: Honeypots are unique systems that not only help in recognizing malicious actors but also insider attackers.

Risks

  • Hackers might detect a decoy and try to deceive with fake intrusion attempts in order to divert the attention of SOC Analysts away from actual attacks on legitimate system targets.
  • False information is conveyed to the honeypot by hackers to enable them to conceal their identities and confuse the detection algorithms and analytical models.

Honeypots are just one part of a larger cybersecurity posture. When used alone, the honeypot will not be able to safeguard the company from a wide range of dangers and vulnerabilities.

Centex Technologies provides cyber security solutions to businesses. To know more, contact Centex Technologies at Killeen (254) 213 – 4740.

Cybersecurity Leadership Principles For Secured Business Operations

Businesses becoming more reliant on the internet and digital platforms must examine cyber resilience from a business standpoint. The leadership must look at the cybersecurity posture of the various operational risks. They must also develop a flexible attitude in terms of how they would respond to and recover from a significant cyber incident. The ideas that follow help organizational leaders outline a plausible course of action balancing short-term goals along with the medium to long-term requirements.

Encourage a cyber-resilient organizational work culture

Businesses must establish plans to maintain durable and sustainable networks while also taking advantage of the benefits that digitalization may offer. Following important measures assist executives in instilling a cyber resilience culture throughout the organization and wider ecosystem: –

  1. Enforce the cyber-resilience governance in place
  2. Designing infrastructure for disaster flexibility
  3. Exceed the call of duty hours and deploy 24/7/365 security team
  4. Employee habits and behaviors that assists in being flexible and proactive in responding to cyber threat should be strengthened

Concentrate on safeguarding the most vital capabilities and services

The leaders are advised to identify the possible repercussions of a crisis on revenue, workers, customers, and the availability of key services. Business executives must have a holistic and systemic perspective of their critical services, applications, suppliers, and assets. The important steps listed below assist executives in maintaining their company’s cyber health and protecting critical capabilities and services: –

  1. It is necessary to ensure strict digital hygiene
  2. It is important to keep crucial assets safe, isolated, and air-gapped
  3. Keep a watch out for any strange activity around the most valuable assets
  4. Automating cybersecurity helps to reduce the fatigue of Security teams

Risk-informed decisions and judgments during and after the crisis

Enterprises should realize that their business risk posture has shifted dramatically and, following the crisis, has to be restored to an acceptable level. Leaders may balance risk-informed choices by taking following important steps: –

  1. Transition the switch to a zero-trust approach to supply chain security
  2. Define and utilize useful cyber-resilience measurements
  3. Concentrate on cyber-threats that are vital to operations

Revise and rehearse your response and continuity strategies

Veteran cyber-resilience leaders and CEOs use their previous crisis expertize to respond to cyber-attacks. The important steps listed below assist leaders in maintaining business continuity through the volatile and dynamically changing period: –

  1. Develop a thorough crisis management strategy
  2. Keep the reaction and resilience plans up to date and revamp them as required
  3. Get ready to adopt the changes

Collaboration throughout the cyber security ecosystem should be strengthened

Leaders in the public and private sectors must encourage collaboration and actively participate in projects to ensure that steps are made to protect the broader ecosystem from existing and potential cyber threats. Furthermore, businesses must set clear expectations with suppliers about their cybersecurity controls in order to encourage regulatory alignment in terms of 3rd party assurance. They should also advance a variety of community initiatives to raise cybersecurity risk awareness throughout the supply chain. Following important measures assist leaders in building a collaborative culture inside the organization and across the ecosystem: –

  1. Boost overall situational awareness
  2. Motivate people to work together
  3. Take a holistic strategy to manage cyber risks

Business leaders may better satisfy their duties to sustain their organization’s security posture and ensure business continuity if they follow the guidelines set up in cyber-security plan. Businesses can create smarter, quicker, and more connected futures with strong cyber-risk management and cyber-resilience strategies, promoting corporate development and efficiency.

Centex Technologies helps business leaders understand and implement necessary cybersecurity principles. To know more about cybersecurity, contact Centex Technologies at Killeen (254) 213 – 4740.

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