Cybercriminals can take advantage of various vulnerabilities within your company. Patching them up is crucial to protecting your business’s day-to-day operations and reputations. Here are the 6 most common cyber security vulnerabilities that our IT experts have come across within various organisations and industries.
THE SIX CYBER SECURITY VULNERABILITIES
VULNERABILITY #1 – LACK OF ENDPOINT DEFENSES
Many enterprises fail to set up endpoint defense mechanisms such as antivirus tools. This means their organization is more susceptible to cyberattacks, allowing criminals to easily access their endpoints and servers. Inadequate endpoint defenses such as signature-based antivirus platforms are no longer efficient since many tech-savvy criminals can quickly bypass them.
The best way to address these issues is to invest in cutting-edge endpoint defense tools that involve next-generation antivirus, response, and behavioral analysis capabilities. They provide a comprehensive evaluation of malicious actions and flexible prevention options. If you’re operating a traditional antivirus platform, consider upgrading it to a version with in-depth behavioral inspections. At ITFR we partner with the best security vendors in the industry that offer unique auto-containment technology.
VULNERABILITY #2 – POOR ACCOUNT PRIVILEGE CONTROL
Limiting the access privileges of your software users is the tenet of controlling vulnerabilities. The less information they can access, the less harm they can do if their account or device is compromised. The problem comes if your company doesn’t control your user account access, enabling practically any user to have administrator-level privileges. It gets even worse if your configuration allows unprivileged members to set up admin-level accounts. Therefore, users should only have access to folders, applications and controls that are required for performing their daily duties. IT First Responder offer endpoint privilege management to all our clients. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you feel like your account access requires improvement.
VULNERABILITY #3 – COMPROMISED OR WEAK CREDENTIALS
Your password and username may be the most widely used access credential. And cybercriminals can easily compromise them, exposing your user credentials. This usually happens when an unsuspecting team member falls victim to phishing and enters their login information on a fake website. And with compromised credentials, an intruder gains insider access. Even though analyzing and monitoring can help identify malicious activity, these credentials can bypass security and impede detection. The consequences vary, depending on the access they provide. For example, privileged credentials offer administrative access to systems and devices, posing a higher risk than consumer accounts.
Keep in mind that humans aren’t the only ones who own credentials. Security tools, network devices, and servers generally have passwords to enable communication and integration between devices. Intruders can utilize them to activate movements throughout your enterprise both horizontally and vertically – their access is almost unlimited. To avoid this scenario, you should implement stringent password controls such as 2-step authentication. Another great idea is to include longer and complex passwords, as well as frequent changes. Combining these principles is another effective method to prevent compromised credentials. If you would like to know more about effective ways of password management ask ITFR team today about our Password-as-a-Services product.
VULNERABILITY #4 – LACK OF NETWORK SEGMENTATION
Cybercriminals can target inadequate network monitoring and segmentation to obtain full access to your system. This is a huge vulnerability as it enables attackers to maintain their access longer.
One of the leading causes of this weakness is the failure to develop subnet monitoring or outbound activity control.
Overcoming this obstacle in a large company can be challenging if hundreds of systems send outbound traffic and communicate with each other. Nevertheless, solving the problem is a must.
To do that, you should primarily focus on controlling your network access in systems within your subnets and building robust detection strategies for lateral movements. Plus, make sure to pinpoint strange DNS lookups, behavioral traffic trends, and system-to-system communication.
Also, micro segmentation, firewalls, and proxies can help create restrictive policies for system communications and traffic.
VULNERABILITY #5 – MISCONFIGURATION
Misconfiguration refers to errors in your system configuration. For instance, enabled setup pages and default usernames or passwords can result in breaches. If you don’t disable setup or application server configuration, hackers can recognize hidden vulnerabilities, giving them extra information. To prevent this, establish systems and procedures to tighten the configuration process and employ automation whenever possible. Monitoring device and application settings and comparing them to the best practices also reveal potential threats across the network. Our team can help you with configuring your systems in a way that is in line with best practices and that would work for your business.
VULNERABILITY #6 – LACK OF STAFF AWARENESS
Unfortunately the majority of of cyber crimes happen due to human error. Clicking the wrong link, forgetting to log out and leaving devices unattended, using unreliable networks are only a few of the mistakes that can lead to you organisation being compromised. Regular cyber security training and awareness are an absolute must for every business. Cyber crime evolves rapidly and giving you employees the knowledge to be able to identify malicious activity can save your business from potentially being hacked.
ITFR’s team of tech experts has developed short and easy to understand training sessions for employees across various industries which cover cyber security basics and trends. A training session would only take an hour of your time, but can potentially save you time and money in an event of a cyber breech.
NEUTRALIZE THREATS FOR PEACE OF MIND
Successfully running a company with poor cybersecurity measures is virtually impossible. The risk of losing precious data and reputation is just too high. To ensure your organization isn’t a sitting duck for cyber attackers, you must implement reliable defense strategies. IT First Responder is here to help. If you think you might have one of the cyber security vulnerabilities discussed in the article reach out today for an obligation free chat. We offer a wide range of services to assist you minimize cyber threat and reduce damages if disaster strikes. From advanced endpoint protection software and data backup to onsite employee training, we can help you patch those crucial cyber security vulnerabilities.
Article used with permission from The Technology Press.
