Here's how your ITOM strategy can tackle 5 common security attacks

Strategic ITOM doesnt just ensure operational continuity but can be a key enabler of your organization's cyberdefense strategy.

As attackers target vulnerabilities across different layers of IT environments, having a robust ITOM strategy can be the difference between efficient, secure operations and a costly security breach.

In this month's edition of ITOM Insider, let's explore how building a resilient IT infrastructure helps you respond dynamically to security threats.

1. Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks?

DDos attacks can cause service disruptions by overwhelming your IT infrastructure with traffic. These attacks target the availability of services, which is a key concern for IT operations.

For instance, last October, Google tackled the largest DDoS attack—a HTTP/2 rapid reset attack that peaked at 398 million requests per second.

To counter such threats, it's crucial to adopt a proactive stance.

Ensure?service visibility and resilience with continuous network performance and traffic monitoring. This helps in detecting and mitigating abnormal resource usage and traffic patterns, ensuring that business operations remain uninterrupted even under duress.

Automate incident response by configuring predefined workflows that scale up additional infrastructure to handle load or isolate affected services until traffic stabilizes.

2. Insider threats?

Employees or contractors with privileged access can pose significant risks, either through negligence or malicious intent.

Over the past five years, 76% of organizations have observed a rise in insider threats, yet fewer than 30% feel they have the appropriate tools to manage them effectively. - StationX

To effectively mitigate insider threats, organizations must shift their focus to both prevention and detection.

Scan and block unauthorized devices connecting to your network with rogue device detectors. This helps you avert threat actors from gaining access.

Ensure that access controls are enforced rigorously through role-based access management. Real-time logging and auditing of user activities across IT infrastructure allow for early detection of suspicious behavior, mitigating insider threats before they escalate.

3. API attacks?

APIs often serve as gateways to systems and data. Poorly managed APIs can be exploited by attackers to extract sensitive information or launch attacks.

Insecure APIs now account for up to $87 billion in losses annually, marking a $12 billion increase since 2021. - Thales

Given the growing financial impact, securing APIs has become a critical priority for businesses.

Enforce secure API governance policies for all API usage across your enterprise. This includes defining access levels and security protocols for the entire API life cycle.

By continuously monitoring API traffic, you can detect and throttle or block abnormal spikes in API traffic. With rate limiting and traffic analysis, block potential API abuse to protect network integrity.

4. Configuration drifts

Configuration drift occurs when network settings and configurations deviate from secure baselines. This causes network vulnerabilities.

To prevent these security gaps, it's essential to maintain consistent network configurations.

Deploy automated configuration management across your IT infrastructure to ensure security,??consistency, and to prevent unauthorized network changes.

Enable?self-healing mechanisms that can automatically revert secure configurations to maintain system integrity and thwart vulnerability exploits.

5. Manipulator-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks?

MITM attacks compromise communication between two network components by allowing attackers to intercept and alter network data.

For instance, a vulnerability in a banking app used by HSBC, NatWest, Co-op, Santander, and Allied Irish Bank enabled criminals to carry out MITM attacks to steal personal information and credentials. - Fortinet

Preventing MITM attacks requires securing every layer of communication.

Enforce network and traffic encryption with encrypted protocols, such as TLS, across all systems and services to minimize the risk of intercepted communications.

Continually monitor network devices and traffic flows from end to end. This helps in detecting abnormal routing changes or suspicious access points that could indicate an ongoing MITM attack.

Security risks run deeper than just software and network configurations. One often overlooked area is firmware, which can serve as a hidden entry point for attackers.

In fact,?80% percent of enterprises have experienced at least one firmware attack between 2020 and 2021, yet only 29% of security budgets are allocated to protect firmware. - Microsoft

A severe firmware attack can give attackers full access to device details and control over the entire network. Networks with thousands of devices are especially vulnerable if not carefully managed.

How can you address this?

This e-book offers clear insights on managing firmware vulnerabilities with Network Configuration Manager and eliminating external threats by creating an impenetrable defense.

Read now