How can you prevent common network attacks?

While network security is important, the hackers are getting more sophisticated. Hence, the need is to look at Zero Trust Franework and SASE tools to keep your environment secure !

Having a strong password policy is only part of a defense-in-depth strategy. With password cracking tools becoming more sophisticated and the prevalence of brute force attacks, organizations should make IAM a critical focus of any contingency plan especially the IRP. Businesses across all industries should immediately impose a 2FA or MFA process. To this end, there are many tools available and different techniques to use i.e. a SMS code or an authenticator push to a phone. Along with a bevy of anti-intrusion methods, either will sufficiently mitigate unauthorized access. Overall, the goal is to continually take measures to harden network defenses.

1. Keep software updated. 2. Install a robust firewall. 3. Deploy intrusion detection/prevention systems. 4. Utilize strong, unique passwords. 5. Implement network segmentation. 6. Use encryption for data in transit and at rest. 7. Regularly back up critical data. 8. Train employees on security best practices. 9. Employ email filtering for phishing attacks. 10. Monitor network traffic for anomalies. 11. Disable unused services and ports. 12. Limit user privileges. 13. Patch known vulnerabilities promptly. 14. Employ strong access controls. 15. Implement regular security audits. 16. Consider third-party security assessments. 17. Use reputable security solutions. 18. Stay informed about emerging threats.

My RED TEAM experience learns me that with long ever changing complex passwords always end up on a post-it on a screen or. A memo not far of from a pc or. Laptop

Preventing network hacking requires advanced measures such as comprehensive security training, real-time traffic analysis, adopting a Zero Trust model, robust endpoint security, data loss prevention tools, effective patch management, secure configuration standards, an incident response plan, integration of threat intelligence, and a commitment to continuous improvement. These measures collectively bolster network defenses against sophisticated hacking attempts.

In addition antivirus, the firewalls should not only filter for IPs but also signal patterns to block known TTPs and use AI to block anomalous behavior. This may require employing "Next Gen Firewalls". Moreover, the alerts from these firewalls should feed into a central hub for analysis. Additionally, The network should employ load balancers. Those that are public-facing will mitigate DDoS attacks and spread request during high volume operating times. Furthermore, every component of the network should feed logs into a SIEM to make the volume of data manageable, create alerts, form correlations and increase MTTR. Overall, the goal is to harden the system by also adding component redundancy to increase fault tolerance and resilience.

Antivirus software combined with a firewall that has a frequently updated database of content filtering capabilities are what's key to protecting your network. Leveraging an EDR or SIEM within an environment can further strengthen and prevent against future or active threats.

Additionally make sure your firewall and antivirus software are configured for real-time protection and automatic updates. Customize firewall rules to block unnecessary ports and protocols, reducing attack surfaces. Regularly audit and review firewall and antivirus logs to quickly identify and respond to suspicious activities.

FW and AV are important to alert and stop commoditised attacks at the perimeter - the same as having an electric fence on your boundary wall. These will deter most of the "run-of-the-mill" type attacks. Since we know more sophisticated bad actors don't break in, they login, protecting the Identity has become the new perimeter defence for Zero Trust Model architecture.

Next Generation firewalls should be used with capabilities like IPS, Antivirus features enabled alongwith threat intelligence. Fine tunning of IPS and AV signatures should also be done so that only true positive events are captured

Data in databases are considered "at rest" because there is no movement through the network. However, it should be encrypted using AES-256-bit Encryption. This should also be done for backup data. (Some recommend 256-bit for its longer key length). Data in transit moves through the network from client to server and from server to database. These communications are encrypted using TLS with the AES-256-bit standard. (TLS is the upgraded version of the SSL protocol). This encryption will prevent eavesdropping attacks. VPNs secure remote access to corporate networks and they mask IPs therefore protecting privacy. IPsec encrypts VPNs on the OSI network layer and SSL(TLS) encrypts VPNs on the application layer. Each have their pros and cons.

Consider end-to-end application layer security. VPNs should terminate on the application, not the perimeter and not on an operating system.

Additional, when the data is in rest, we need to make sure CIA, then we can also use clustering encryption techniques, in which one cluster uses the key of another cluster. Some legal agencies use this technique with SHA-384 when, from the CIA,, confidentiality is our first priority.?

There is a concept of data encryption: 1- encrypt data at rest (encrypting hard drive for example) 2- encrypt data in transit (using IPSEC or SSL VPN)

Encryption of data in transit and at rest is critical. The latest windows OS uses a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip to create and store cryptographic keys for encryption and decryption on the device. TPM chips can work with Bitlocker, Windows Hello and other security services to protect data on the device. If your data is stored in the cloud (in Azure AWS or GCP for example) you should make sure that is is encrypted appropriately. VPN's used to be the "De-Facto" for securing data in transit. However while they do provide a secure connection they are not always effective in protecting data and applications. A more modern approach to protecting data and apps is to use a SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) solution.

Agreed. Staying on top of your updates is a must - firmware revisions, updates, security patches. It also helps if you have the ability to apply those updates in a lab or test environment before moving to production as to not introduce any unforeseen issues that occasionally appear with updates/patches that break functionality.

Try to automate the alerting and remediation of unpatched devices by enrolling them into an endpoint management service which monitors device and application health. Conditional access policies should not allow unhealthy devices to login to the network or even to access sensitive data or applications until they have been patched and updated appropriately.

because there are a lot of vendors and devices sometimes it is very hard to monitor their patches and update yours. I think the best solution is to look at different CERT centers daily and also have some patch management software and for important devices look at the product owner websites.

using a patching and updating automation system will be very handy, but after testing the updates on staging or testing environment, to make sure no new vulnerabilities will rise

This can be done via patch a management tools. First the software firmware updates should be tested in test or UAT environment and then tested in production.

Monitoring network activity in isolation will only protect against obvious anomalous behaviour. Network activity and logs need to be viewed in relation to other signals from endpoint, identity, email, apps, and devices and enriched with external threat intelligence to understand the context. Since the sheer volume of these signals is too much for any human, modern SIEM services can automatically piece the picture together and SOAR services can automatically run pre-defined playbooks to respond appropriately. I'm very excited to see how Microsoft Security Co-Pilot using a highly specialised pre-trained large language model will level the playing fields for the heroic and over worked soc analysts moving forward.

SIEM should be deployed and all log sources should be integrated with the solution to get a holistic view of the environment in general based on type of logs being captured.

In order to monitoring network and activity logs: Organization needs enablers (tools). Emerging technologies now enabling organizations to transition from traditional technologies to more advanced tools which are adaptive and efficient in detection as well as protection. Enterprise Immune Systems like Darktrace identifies anomalies which were earlier got unnoticed SIEM solutions going to stay for longer as it is playing an important role in SOAR effectiveness. WAF, IDS/IPS, EDR, Proxies, email Gateways, TI and many more brings visibility from deepest corners. Brings the confidence to the business

Network Security Monitoring (NSM) will monitor logs from your network devices as well as real time communication processes between network devices. The NSM will monitor network availability, performance, cloud infrastructure, and your configurations.

this is one of the most important steps, by monitoring activities and logs will give show you the big picture of security in place, and what attacks you are facing

Tabletop exercises serve as a dynamic and engaging educational tool for individuals and organizations, providing a practical and experiential approach to learning how to prevent network attacks and how to recognize and respond to them.

More than 90% of attacks delivered via email: You need a strong awareness program this is how you can really reap the benefits 1. Be alert for social engineering 2. Think of your inbox as "FRONT LINE" 3. Link and attachments are attackers most potent weapons. 4. Ensure your computer defenses are in good shape

As we all know that the foundation of an attack are the users. Proper sensitization and training needs to be done not once but continuously. This will also alert users to any anomaly noticed.

Educating users on cybersecurity best practices is a key aspect of preventing network attacks. Conduct regular training sessions to raise awareness about phishing threats, the importance of strong passwords, and the risks associated with downloading attachments or clicking on suspicious links. Encourage a security-conscious culture, where users understand their role in maintaining a secure network environment. Regularly update them on emerging threats and provide guidelines for safe online practices.

Securing your network is akin to fortifying a castle against potential threats. Beyond the standard safeguards like encryption, firewalls, monitoring, strong passwords, and up-to-date software, adopting a proactive approach during the design phase is crucial. Many networks have unnecessary vulnerabilities, such as open ports. To enhance security, employing strategies like hiding behind a VPN, implementing additional measures like port knocking, segregating the network, and embracing the principle of absolute zero trust significantly fortify the defenses, making it challenging for potential intruders to exploit weaknesses.

- Deploy Network Acess Control - Deploy certificate based authentication for endpoint - Activate port security for CISCO model switches & commutators

For exposed services, disable signatures and version information publicly. Set boundaries , disable redirects, and ensure if there are dns security entries that can be checked they are in place. When possible do not use default access ports. Run live aggressive security against the logs and use tools like geoip and blocklists to deny access.

A couple of things needs to be taken in consideration while we are placing any internet property (Web app, mobile or API) out in market - 1. "No" excessive IAM/permission 2. Minimal Block policy enabled (Like country level or IP subnet mas level blocking) 3. Ensure secure path for data communication (SSL, Data encryption algo etc) 4. Firewalling the system for internal and external communication both (Good to have template around this) 5. Audit of access log in periodic level 6. Traffic monitoring system to trace anonymous traffic spike

hardening is an important work to do. you should always harden your network devices based on the best practices for example CIS documents or other documents.