Six methods to reduce penetration risk
- On October 7, 2024
- contact center, Firewall, high availability
Reducing penetration risk to your network involves implementing a combination of technical, procedural, and organizational strategies. In this post we will review six effective technical methods and in addition we will present two mitigation methods.
1. Minimize external interfaces
Try and minimize the usage of software components that rely heavily on external interfaces. The logic is simple: each external interface increases the vulnerability of your system and the penetration risk. You should try and select software components that do not need to “phone home“.
2. Implement Strong Access Controls
Use Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) components that limit user permissions based on roles to minimize unnecessary access. In addition activate Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) that requires multiple forms of verification to access sensitive systems.
3. Network Segmentation & Protection
Divide your network into smaller, isolated segments to limit lateral movement if an attacker gains access. Each segment should be protected using a Firewall. Implement virtual LANs (VLANs) to control traffic between segments and protect sensitive areas.
4. Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS)
Deploy IDPS systems to monitor network traffic for suspicious activities and respond to potential threats in real time. It should help you detect anomalies using machine learning-based tools that identify unusual patterns that may indicate a breach.
5. Endpoint Security Measures
Install Antivirus and Anti-Malware on all endpoints to ensure all endpoints are equipped with up-to-date security software. You may also deploy Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions to monitor, detect and respond to threats on endpoints.
6. Use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
Use VPN to secure remote access for remote workers that need connection to the network. Ensure all data transmitted over the VPN is encrypted to prevent interception.
The above methods can help you reduce the risk of being penetrated but unfortunately there is never a 100% success and you should also have a mitigation plan in place. The next two bullets elaborate on mitigation methods that can reduce the damage in case a penetration did occur.
1. Data & Traffic Encryption
Make sure to encrypt the traffic using secure protocols like HTTPS, SSL etc. In addition, encrypt any sensitive data that is stored in your storage areas. These steps will disable the ability of the attacker to use the stolen data.
2. Regular Backup and Disaster Recovery Planning
Make sure to have frequent backup of critical data in a way that allows quick recovery from any attack. For immediate recovery you may consider a hot backup using a stand-by infrastructure for example via an active-passive architecture.
In this post we reviewed six method using which organizations can significantly reduce the risk of penetration and enhance their overall cybersecurity posture. At the end of the post we discussed two mitigation method to reduce the damage a penetration can cause.