The changing face of IT security is seen in such factors of modern life as the pervasiveness of the Internet, the sheer abundance of mobile devices, the rise of social media, and dramatic shifts in web and cloud-based technology.<\/p>\n
The Internet of Things (IoT) adds another layer of complexity in which applications are at the core of this changing landscape.<\/p>\n
According to F5 data that tracks the 25 largest security breaches between 2000 and 2015, an astounding 72 percent of today\u2019s attacks target identities and applications, not the network.<\/p>\n
This is according to Simon McCullough, major channel account manager at F5, who says, \u201cThis shift has come about because data is what hackers are after, and the most direct pathway to data is through user credentials and applications. In this complex and vulnerable environment, applications and corresponding data can be anywhere and everywhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe traditional network perimeter has dissolved in this online, interconnected world, and so, in an attack on applications, traditional network firewalls are not enough of a defence. However, according to F5 research (specifically, marketing sizing estimates aggregated from global research firms), 90 percent of today\u2019s IT security budget is spent on perimeter solutions, leaving minimal budget on protecting user identities and applications, where 72% of today\u2019s attacks take place .\u201d<\/p>\n
McCullough says that in this new, borderless security landscape, it\u2019s important to know your company\u2019s threat profile.<\/p>\n
He clarifies, \u201cIn this regard, you need to understand the likelihood of exploitation at all of your network\u2019s entry points – users, applications, data centres, and network infrastructure – and the resulting impact if these entry points get hacked. Your threat profile is a key element in determining that likelihood. Could your business be a target because of such factors, for example, as its geographic profile, industry, systems, software, or data?\u201d<\/p>\n
McCullough offers the following 10 useful focus areas to consider in order to help businesses strengthen their security programmes and risk mitigation strategies.<\/p>\n
Although hackers today include less-skilled novices who are out to cause malicious chaos, as well as those who are driven by social and political agendas, the majority of today\u2019s hackers are cybercriminals who are motivated by money.<\/p>\n
Although they have a reputation for sophisticated methodology, in fact, many of their methods are actually relatively unsophisticated, and they tend to take the path of least resistance, going after easy targets.<\/p>\n
As outlined previously, applications and user identities form around 72 percent of today\u2019s IT attacks, yet this is not generally reflected in IT budget allocations.<\/p>\n
Spend your security budget in the right way, and ensure that you have cyber insurance as part of your budget.
\nData breaches will cost you money, and insurance here is as necessary as household insurance for a homeowner facing the aftermath of theft.<\/p>\n
Awareness training makes everyone more alert. Train your users to recognise and curtail factors such as spear phishing attempts and social engineering.<\/p>\n
Help them understand the importance of proper password management. Train developers in secure coding so that your web applications don\u2019t have coding vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n
You can\u2019t manage what you can\u2019t see. It\u2019s particularly important to make sure you have the visibility you need into your critical data.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to properly architect, implement and continually manage intrusion detection\/ prevention systems (IDS\/ IPS), Security Information Event Managers (SIEM), data loss prevention (DLP) systems, and others.<\/p>\n
These systems need to have access to all parts of your network, systems, data, and data centres, and encrypted and non-encrypted traffic. Pay special attention to visibility within new virtualisation software.<\/p>\n
If you have an application that could cause significant harm to your business if it were compromised, it\u2019s worth hiring an engineer to try to hack it.<\/p>\n
If hiring a hacker doesn\u2019t sit comfortably, implement a public bounty programme.<\/p>\n
Compliance and incident response are two key areas for using the guidance of experts.
\n\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Security as a service is a great option for effectively managing high-risk controls that require immediate response by highly skilled engineers.
\n\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Test the effectiveness of your controls and control operators. Don\u2019t let poorly designed controls or inadequate operators become the culprit.
\n\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Get help in the event of a breach. Get the professional experience you need after a breach so that they can make the important decisions that could have a material impact on the outcome of\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0the incident.<\/p>\n
The DDoS attack landscape has shifted rapidly. No longer are complex, expensive attacks launched only at high-value targets.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s reality includes bots with plug-and-play attacks that criminals can rent at low cost, as well as IoT botnets that are easy to make and capable of launching terabyte-per-second attacks. Having a DDoS plan is critical.<\/p>\n
Communicate the possibility and subsequent effect of a breach to your board of directors, senior management and others who need to be in the know.<\/p>\n
They need to be armed with this information rather than being hit with the reality of a breach that they never imagined. Properly done, this should also support your budget requests.<\/p>\n
Anton Jacobsz, managing director at Networks Unlimited, a value-added distributor of F5 in Africa, concludes, \u201cFew organisations today have the internal resources required to fight cyber threats on their own. They need intelligence from outside sources, and this is where the Networks Unlimited partnership with F5 can help. F5 was founded 20 years ago and understands applications and the network at the deepest levels. Together with its threat research and intelligence team, F5 Labs, the company works to provide the security community with threat intelligence about current cyber threats and future trends to help them stay abreast of the security landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n