Network Security Threat #2 - Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
The 2021 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report found that DDoS attacks are the most prevalent form of network security threats. In a DDoS attack, a hacker takes down a site or network by swarming it with fake page requests. This can cause massive outages resulting in lost productivity and revenue -- and they’re only getting bigger.
Preventing a DDoS attack requires constant vigilance and continuous monitoring of one’s network for anomalous activity. A massive burst of website traffic from unusual sources is a defining trait of a DDoS attack. Employ threat detection tools -- like Bitsight for Security Performance Management -- to better understand and defend your attack surface.
Network Security Threat #3 - Supply Chain
Supply chain breaches are increasingly commonplace. A study by Opinion Matters found that 92% of U.S. organizations have experienced a breach that originated with a vendor.
In the wake of large-scale supply chain hacks like SolarWinds, the question of how to understand and mitigate the risk posed by third and fourth parties looms large for all businesses. Cyber security audits and assessments can help, but they fail to provide a complete view of supply chain network security threats. That’s because they only capture a point-in-time and don’t account for evolving risk.
A better option is to use a continuous monitoring solution like Bitsight for Third-Party Risk Management that provides an immediate, near real-time snapshot of the security postures of third parties. The insight can be used to identify cyber risk in the supply chain during onboarding and for the life of the relationship. For a deeper view of risk, Bitsight also brings the capability to continuously monitor fourth parties for a complete view of your organization’s risk surface.
Network Security Threat #4 - Widespread international business
This may not crop up on a traditional list of security threats, but businesses that operate across geographies and regions are at heightened risk of cyberattacks due to their complex and large digital ecosystem. Oftentimes, the security posture of different hubs may be different or fail to align with established security policies. Many companies also rely on a vast, interconnected ecosystem of vendors who are based or operate overseas, further complicating cyber risk management efforts.
To ensure that networks are protected -- domestically and globally -- you must continuously analyze your attack surface to discover where risk is hidden across geographies, subsidiaries, and even in the cloud. With this visibility you can then prioritize high-risk assets -- like a misconfigured firewall on a server that stores sensitive data -- and take action to reduce risk, before the bad guys spot the vulnerability.
And, using Bitsight for Third-Party Management, you can also expose risk that lies hidden in vendor networks worldwide.