The growth of cyber
threats has made more companies willing to invest to improve the security of
their networks and to prevent leaks of sensitive data.
With the rapid
advancement of information and communication technologies, global cyber threats
have also developed at a rapid pace, so the number of data breaches is
increasing every year. This means that network security has become essential to
safeguard the information of all types of organizations.
No client will entrust
their confidential data to a company with security problems. Ultimately,
installing protective barriers safeguards one's reputation. This means that
Mexican entities and those around the world must have specialists who can
prevent any negative security event and invest in the protection of their
networks. This includes all policies and practices that are required to be
adopted to prevent unauthorized access, misuse or modification of a computer
network, as well as unauthorized downloading of corporate data.
In general terms,
protection technology is made up of several layers of defense at the perimeter
and the network itself. In each layer, policies and controls are implemented to
prevent the passage of malicious users who can attack system vulnerabilities,
while allowing access to certain authorized persons.
Network security keys
There is no company
whose network is completely and absolutely secure. However, measures can be
applied to minimize the impact of a possible cyberattack and different
mitigation strategies that considerably reduce the risks.
In terms of network security, when faced with a
threat, the key strategies are:
●
Anticipation and prevention. You need to be
prepared in advance with a robust response plan that helps prevent breaches.
Preventing and detecting advanced threats, zero malware, ransomware, phishing,
in-memory exploits, and other attacks both inside and outside the corporate
network.
●
Detection and analysis with intelligent
security. Once the threat is detected, the first thing to do is determine the
cause of the incident in order to try to contain it. It is essential that the
attack trajectory is monitored, the incident is documented, and the response is
classified and prioritized based on its severity.
●
Triage and analysis. It is essential to
evaluate all the protection efforts implemented to give the best response. This
assessment will include: binary and endpoint analysis.
●
Containment, eradication and recovery. Once a
damage materializes, it must be contained. In addition, it is important to
create a backup of all compromised devices, systems or networks, in case it is
useful for future forensic inspections.
● Application of
changes. Once the attack is over, it is necessary to apply the necessary
cybersecurity modifications to prevent it from happening again. This means that
the incident response plan needs to be updated to reflect the new procedures.
The growing relevance of network
security
Currently, cyber
threats are clearly on the rise. A RiskBased Security report revealed that
globally some 7.9 billion records were exposed by data breaches in the first
nine months of 2019 alone. This figure represents an increase of 112% compared
to the same period in 2018.
In Mexico, 2021
has been the most dangerous year in terms of cyber attacks on homes and
businesses, due, in large part, to the implementation of new work,
communication and coexistence modalities derived from the pandemic. The
Panorama of Threats in Latin America 2021, prepared by Kaspersky, shows that
the country ranks second in the region in malware attacks, with more than 299
infection attempts per minute.
With these ever-increasing threats, the
International Data Corporation predicts that global spending on cybersecurity
solutions will reach $133.7 billion by 2022. This shows how important network
security has become in recent years and the essential role played by subject
matter experts.
Points to consider for an
information security strategy
When selecting a good
information security strategy for a corporation, it must be taken into account
that it must include:
Asset Management
It implies the design,
establishment and implementation of a procedure that allows the identification,
evaluation, classification and treatment of the most important information.
Necessary:
●
Carry out a detailed inventory of computers,
corporate cell phones, tablets, servers, software, monitors, projectors and
computer equipment in general.
●
Classify the information considering the three
properties of computer security: confidentiality, integrity and availability.
●
Apply the measures required for data
protection.
● Safeguard the media to
prevent unauthorized disclosure, modification or removal of stored information.
Operations security
It includes all the tasks aimed at
ensuring the proper functioning of the equipment where the data is processed.
Between them:
● Establish and document the
procedures and responsibilities that are carried out.
● Guarantee the installation of
systems and applications in accordance with the established security
requirements.
● Monitor the capacity of servers and
devices.
● Control the antivirus systems of the
company.
●
Make backup copies regularly.
Incident management and disaster
recovery
It is important to establish a plan
to deal with any eventuality, defining responsibilities and procedures.
Access control to systems and
applications
Physical and logical
policies should be instituted to:
●
Ban access to critical applications and
restricted areas.
●
Manage entries and process credentials,
permissions, attributes and authentication measures.
●
Manage users and divide functions.
● Apply strong
passwords.
Security Awareness
It includes training
of users in security policies, the use of their systems in a safe way and
practices that include maintaining awareness of cyber risks.