Your network security is at risk. How can you ensure it's protected in 2023?

1）Well documented of current IT infrastructure: good understanding on the current network setup, network diagram, devices connectivities, different roles or privileges on login accounts. 2) Asset regular vulnerability assessment: identify known vulnerabilities on your network: via penetration testing or vulnerability scanning 3) Baseline your network traffic, patterns, admin/ user login behaviors

Assessing your network's security posture is fundamental to fortifying defenses in 2023, requiring a comprehensive evaluation of existing vulnerabilities, risks, and gaps through rigorous scanning, testing, and analysis of network infrastructure, configurations, and policies. Conducting a thorough network audit empowers organizations to proactively identify and remediate weaknesses, misconfigurations, and potential threats, paving the way for effective security enhancements and risk mitigation strategies.

The first step to secure a network is to perform a thorough audit to identify the weakness in the network posture and design. Performing a network audit identifies and assesses: Presence of security vulnerabilities Unused or unnecessary applications Open ports Anti-virus/anti-malware and malicious traffic detection software Backups In addition, third-party vendor assessments should be conducted to identify additional security gaps. Deploy network and security devices Every organization should have a firewall and a web application firewall (WAF) for protecting their website from various web-based attacks and to ensure safe storage of their data. To maintain the optimum security of the organization and monitor traffic.

I've found a network health check can benefit businesses which are not familiar with the current state of their network security. Having a third-party conduct an audit on your network hygiene is the first step towards improving your security posture.

Assessing your network involves: 1. Inventory: Document all devices, software, and users connected to the network. 2. Vulnerability Scanning: Use automated tools to scan for known vulnerabilities. 3. Penetration Testing: Attempt to exploit weaknesses in the system to understand the potential impact of a breach. 4. Security Policy Review: Ensure policies align with regulatory requirements and best practices. 5. Access Control Review: Verify that access privileges follow the principle of least privilege. 6. Network Architecture Review: Ensure proper segmentation and demilitarized zones (DMZ). 7. Infrastructure Security Assessment: Check firewall configurations, encryption standards, and anti-malware deployments.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions are a great way to protect your network from cyberattacks. EDR solutions continuously monitor end-user devices to detect and respond to cyber threats like ransomware and malware. They record and store endpoint-system-level behaviors, use various data analytics techniques to detect suspicious system behavior, provide contextual information, block malicious activity, and provide remediation suggestions to restore affected systems EDR security solutions record the activities and events taking place on endpoints and all workloads, providing security teams with the visibility they need to uncover incidents that would otherwise remain invisible.

Some key metrics to choose EDR solution: 1-Detection Capabilities: Evaluate ability to detect a wide range of threats, known malware, zero-day exploits, fileless attacks, insider threats. behavioral analysis, machine learning, and threat intelligence integration. 2-Response Time: Assess how quickly the EDR solution can detect and respond to security incidents. Look for solutions that offer real-time detection and response capabilities. 3-Scalability: Consider the scalability of the EDR solution to accommodate the growth of your organization and the increasing number of endpoints. 4-Ease of Use: Assess the usability of the EDR solution, including the user interface, workflow automation capabilities, and ease of deployment and management.

Implementing Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) involves: 1. Define Requirements: Understand your organizational needs. 2. Select Providers: Compare features, compatibility, scalability, and pricing of different providers. 3. Implementation Plan: Outline phases for rollout, noting potential network downtime or disruptions. 4. System Configuration: Customize settings to align with organizational security objectives. 5. Install EDR Software: It may be rolled out in stages to minimize any potential issues. 6. User Training: Ensure all employees understand the use and importance of the EDR system. 7. Continuous Monitoring: Regularly review threat data and system alerts to identify suspicious activity swiftly.

The telemetry is great but only as good as the people that are watching it as automated detection and blocking can be circumvented and attacks missed if you just rely on the tools. Make sure you have good coverage, someone watching the log output and have a process defined to investigate indicators of compromise and attack.

I agree that implementing EDR solutions is a great way to ensure that your network is secure and is a great resource for monitoring any potential threats or vulnerabilities beforehand. However, it involves the following steps: 1. Assessment of requirements 2. Vendor evaluation 3. Pilot deployment 4. Deployment planning 5. Configuration and tuning 6. Integration with SIEM and other security tools 7. User training and awareness 8. Continuous monitoring and analysis 9. Incident response and remediation 10. Ongoing maintenance and updates By following these steps, organizations can effectively implement EDR solutions to enhance their endpoint security posture and better protect against advanced threats and cyberattacks.

Updating and patching systems involve several steps: 1. Inventory: Maintain an active inventory of all software. 2. Patch Management Tool: Utilize this tool to streamline the process. 3. Monitor Vendor Patches: Stay updated on patches released by your software vendors. 4. Prioritize: Not every patch needs immediate attention; prioritize based on risk level. 5. Test Patches: Before a full rollout, test patches in a controlled environment to detect any problems. 6. Application: Apply patches in accordance with the priority list prepared earlier. 7. Track and Monitor: Regularly monitor systems after patch application to detect any abnormalities.

Regularly updating and patching your systems is a critical measure in safeguarding network security, as it enables the timely resolution of bugs, vulnerabilities, and compatibility issues that could be exploited by attackers. This practice should encompass not only operating systems but also applications, firmware, drivers, and security software, with the adoption of automatic updates or centralized management tools to ensure efficiency and consistency throughout the network.

To effectively protect your network in 2023, here are some key steps to take: Adopt a Zero Trust Approach The old model of hard perimeter defenses has been rendered obsolete. With mobile and cloud computing, network boundaries have expanded exponentially. Zero trust assumes no user or system should be implicitly trusted - verification and authorization is required before granting any access. Technologies like microsegmentation and multifactor authentication (MFA) help implement zero trust. Keep Software Patched and Updated Upgrade End-of-Life Equipment Review IAM Processes Harden Devices and Connections

Updating and patching systems is a crucial process that involves several steps. Here are the 11 key steps of the patch management process: Create an inventory of all software applications and systems. Review endpoints that need patching. Establish priorities. Create a patch management policy. Document everything. Assess and test patches. Create a full backup. Conduct a pilot deployment. Deploy system-wide patches. Monitor and verify patches. Stay up-to-date

Dont forget that patching is not just about the operating system its also requires you to patch the software running on the system. Also its important to monitor for new vulnerabilities and have a way to identify unpatched systems. The other area to consider is your third parties what vulnerabilities might they have and how would you know if they are patching systems?

Regularly updating and patching your systems is a critical measure in safeguarding network security, as it enables the timely resolution of bugs, vulnerabilities, and compatibility issues that could be exploited by attackers. This practice should encompass not only operating systems but also applications, firmware, drivers, and security software, with the adoption of automatic updates or centralized management tools to ensure efficiency and consistency throughout the network.

Data encryption and backup are imperative for network security: 1. Encryption: Encrypting data enhances security by converting it into code only accessible with a key or password. It includes full disk, file-level, and end-to-end encryption. 2. Backup: Consistent backups of critical data ensure business continuity in case of data loss or corruption. ? 3. Cloud Storage: Consider using encrypted cloud storage for additional security and accessibility. 4. Two Factor Authentication (2FA): Implementing 2FA increases security during data access. 5. Automatic Backups: Set up automatic backups to occur at regular intervals, ensuring recent data preservation. 6. Test Restores: Do periodic test restores to verify backup integrity.

In OT network security data availability is more important than confidentiality hence backing up huge data is very difficult and unnecessary. But monitoring the service account and their credentials is important. Making sure the legacy systems are not misused simply because they are old and non upgradable. Most of the times restoring part of 'Backup and Restore' is not efficient

Encrypting backups adds an additional layer of security by converting sensitive information into an unreadable format. Even if threat actors manage to intercept the data while in transit, they will not be able to read the content. Backup can help you to recover your business once you got a compromise such as ransomware attacks. Some practices may combine backup and encryption together to increase the security posture. Lastly, in order to satisfy some of the regulations that require businesses to encrypt customer personal information when it is stored at rest or transmitting across public networks.

The list of tasks to ve perfomed to maintain the security of a computer system is, as well all know, very, very long. But we know that ir can fail, and what's more, weust prepare for that failure. Sobre should always keep in mind the last resort: restire sistema and data. Thatvus the reason why backup IS so important. IT is always behind the last libe of defensa.

Employee education and training play a critical role in network security: 1. Cybersecurity Training: Offer ongoing training on cyber threats like phishing or social engineering attacks. 2. Security Policies: Establish clear, detailed security and acceptable use policies that all staff must adhere to. 3. Password Best Practices: Teach employees to create strong, unique passwords and update them regularly. 4. Software Use Guidelines: Provide guidance on downloading and installing new software. 5. Incident Reporting: Encourage reporting of suspicious activities or potential breaches without fear of penalty. 6. Simulation Tests: Test employees with fake phishing emails to measure threat awareness.

your staff plays a pivotal role in network security, serving either as a strong defense or a potential vulnerability. By adhering to best practices, reporting suspicious activities, and staying informed about emerging threats, they can actively contribute to preventing or detecting attacks. However, to mitigate risks associated with human error, such as falling for phishing scams or using weak passwords, it's essential to provide regular education and training on security protocols. Additionally, enforcing clear and stringent security policies can help establish a culture of vigilance and compliance among staff members.

UK Government mandated that CAF(Cyber assessment framework) B6.a & B6.b is met by CNI. The standards are need to be reported to UK Govt with parameters like Achieved, Partially achieved, Not Achieved If not Heavy fines are included. 1. Not achieved when employee does not know how to raise a cyber incident, or Reporting could get them in trouble, or reporting an incident could be bad for organisations business. 2. Partially achieved when every employee know who to contact to report an incident, and Executive management communicates the importance of cyber security culture in the Organisation. 3. Management is active in addressing the cyber security issues and concerns. Employees are activily raising and contributing to the Security Posture.

Educating and training staff is an important part of network security, but always being ignored or nelgected . Staff should be aware of the potential threats and how to avoid them. This can be achieved through regular training sessions, workshops, or even simulations. Something like internal phishing attacks.

This is the most critical step now, many businesses will get hacked and you need to be prepared to respond quickly to incidents. For many businesses they dont have time, knowledge or resource to do the basics which is a daily review of logs. SIEM technologies over the years have been complex and difficult to get setup well. To get the most out of your logs do these 5 things: 1.Identify critical systems and data 2. Centralise logs from critical systems 3. Filter out noise and setup alerting (tools like IFTTT or PagerDuty) are good for alerting. 4. Train staff how to identify indicators of attack 5. Have a process to contain a breach and respond, EDR solutions help to give great telemetry and respond with blocking.

In My National Grid Experience, I Learnt that most of the commercial solutions focus on 'What' to protect but 'How' to protect is never addressed. Having wide variety of Assets from simple smart monitor to International Power system Bidding Software for Interconnectors. So a single monitoring solution generates lot of false positive which in-turn lets true positive to be ignored. So I as a Consultant suggested staged solution 1. Security policy focused on incident recovery like ransom 2. Secure supply chain and contract management including long term support is reviewed. 3. Depth-in security by having multiple sources of intrusion analytics 4. Cross functional teams who does Active directory management as well as vulnerability management.

Network security monitoring involves capturing and inspecting network packets, logs, and other network data to identify potential security incidents, malicious activities, and vulnerabilities within the network infrastructure. Regular reviews of these monitoring systems are essential to ensure they are functioning correctly and to identify any areas for improvement Tools such as SIEM, XDR, NDR are so helpful to reduce false positives, improve detection. Some include AI features to classify the piority so that the network soc team can address those most important and critical events.

Monitoring and reviewing on daily basis the network of any enterprise, rheir vpn tunnels, their remote access servers and using performance monitoring software for equipments and endpoints in addition to implementing a CA authority server with vlan implementation on layer 3 switches and applying encryption algorithms on the network assure the safety of the network with implementing a remedy servers to check endpoints before connecting to the network that measures their compatibility, antivirus system, authenticatio using strong passwords. One additional step is to train users and make awareness sessions to identify threats.

Be open-minded! Often involves a combination of the above methods and solutions, tailored to the specific needs and context of the organization. It’s also important to keep up-to-date with the latest advancements in network security to ensure the most effective protection. Security posture sometimes introduces user difficulties but we have to make a balance.