online security

While many businesses are concerned about the threat external hackers pose to their online systems, it is crucial to note that a clear majority of breaches begin with the compromise of an internal source. Data security is something no company should take lightly, especially smaller entities that may not have access to or knowledge of more advanced methods of intrusion detection and prevention. There are several reasons why business owners should be extremely concerned about internal threats to their infrastructure security. Access Requirements A requirement of efficient business operations today calls for employees to have the proper access to perform their jobs. Depending on the size of an organization, this can be a daunting task. Ensuring someone has the proper credentials without overstepping is critical to ensure potential breach points are limited. I have witnessed organizations that will “open-the-farm” and allow almost unrestricted access to virtually everyone simply because it’s easier to set up. This is a dangerous practice and sets a company up as an easy target. There may also be employees that have system administration duties necessitating their access to confidential information. For those skilled with computers, it is not extremely difficult to steal information or plant malware. Just one disgruntled employee with the right skills and access can wreak havoc. Set a standard as to what access levels are required for each level. Establish the proper credentials and permissions from the beginning. Permissions should also be regularly audited to ensure standards established by the organization are being met and adhered to. Trusting Employees People working for the same company can develop a certain level of trust with one another. This can lead to employees sharing passwords or other credentials, opening the door for a potential security breach. Most companies have not taken proper measures to educate their staff on the seriousness of keeping personal information and access credentials confidential. Lack of awareness can quickly set an organization up to be a target of phishing emails or scam phone calls requesting confidential information. Personal Internet Browsing In the business world, a typical employee can spend hours each day surfing the internet for personal reasons. The ever-increasing presence of malware and viruses on the internet means an employee can unintentionally introduce destructive content into company software and systems. Even games and videos that seem innocent may contain a rootkit that can go unnoticed until it wreaks havoc a company’s infrastructure. Clicking on the wrong link or downloading what is thought to be legitimate software can cause system compromise, loss and/or corruption of critical data, ransomware, etc. While most organization are utilizing some type of AV/AM along with IDS/IPS, they may not catch everything. It is equally important that all employees are fully educated on security awareness and best practices as it relates to navigating the web. Portable Information Advancing technology has continued to make information storage devices more portable and capable of holding increasing amounts of data. From MP3 players to USB drives, an individual has many ways to get information from a company’s network and out the door. Because the storage capacity on portable hard drives has gotten so large, vast amounts of data can be transferred and stolen. Even web-based email accounts or devices with Bluetooth capabilities pose threats to online security. Network Abuse Anytime an employee uses a company network to take part in illegal activities such as selling drugs or distribution of sexually offensive material, the company could be held liable. Fear of being caught using a personal network can drive some employees to their company’s network for their unlawful activities. Many companies have found it necessary to block specific websites and disable certain applications to help prevent employees from committing crimes on their network. Use of web filtering and/or proxy systems allow an organization to establish approved sites and limit access to business need. Monitoring software that scans emails and internet use for harmful file types or incriminating keywords can also be used to further protect the company infrastructure from malicious activity. A company’s network and infrastructure security are paramount to its ability to function properly and increase its customer base. Threats to the system and data security of an organization could spell disaster or even threaten the future of the business. Prudent organizations are beginning to understand the need to watch for both external and internal threats to their protected information.

Historically, when an organization thought about properly securing the logical infrastructure, it was about placing controls at the access points. Simply by limiting systems admission for different users and requiring passwords to access certain files/shares, a business could be fairly confident its information would remain private. With the advanced technologies available today, online security has become much more involved. Excellent website security is paramount to most companies and properly securing the data is a top priority for businesses in today’s marketplace. There are three key ways for a company to safeguard its information. Controlling Data at Rest Most data stored on a hard drive is fairly easy to protect with measures such as encryption, anti-virus programs and firewalls. These safeguards all provide a different layer of defense against intruders. Another important step that some businesses forget to take or are unaware of is to store smaller elements of data separately and in different places. This precaution can prohibit invaders from gaining access to large amounts of information at the same time and using it for illegal purposes such as fraud. And finally, encrypt the data using accepted standards such as AES256. Always assume the data will eventually be compromised and take the appropriate measures to make it practically useless if it occurs. Track Data in Use The more a company knows about how its information and networks are being utilized, the better chance it has of preventing significant attacks to its online security. Because data being used is accessible to more people, it presents a larger threat to companies. Limiting the number of devices and people able to access the data can reduce the risk it will be misused. Forcing privileged users to provide authentication before gaining access to the data is a common safety measure businesses should enforce. Multi-factor authentication will add another layer of security in specially identifying the user and/or device accessing the data. Creation of a data-flow-diagram and tracking when and where data is accessed can alert a company to suspicious activity and expose possible threats. It can also enable a business to improve its security before an attack occurs by identifying problematic patterns or unusual user behavior. Safeguard Data in Transit Any time data is transmitted, it is extremely vulnerable. Special precautions are necessary to protect data in this form. As many business deals and transactions require an immediate response, sensitive information such as contracts, government forms and other confidential content are sent through emails. The main problem with this method of delivery is the journey an email must take through multiple network locations before reaching its intended recipient. This provides multiple opportunities for someone with special computer skills to intercept an email and be privy to all the information it contains. Keeping an email and any attached data secure is most easily accomplished by sending it though some type of encryption platform that works with the email system. The email is encrypted and unusable if intercepted. The recipient will need to enter the proper key and/or credentials to access the correspondence in decrypted format. Both small businesses and large companies face an increasing number of threats to their data security on a daily basis. Avoiding passwords and accessing restricted files are small deals to the criminals of today, and website security needs to be tightly monitored and improved to prevent privileged information from falling into the wrong hands. When there are attackers actively trying to infiltrate company networks, businesses large and small must guard confidential data with intentionality and intensity.