The World Wide Web has come a long way from 1989 to the present day and is home to around 2 billion websites. This expansion has brought the world closer in the virtual world and slimmed it down into a global village.
However, with a shift from the physical to the digital landscape, security threats have also changed from physical to cyber. According to Juniper research, cybercrimes accounted for $2 trillion dollars in 2019. Hackers and cybercriminals are always on the lookout for finding loopholes in security systems to gain direct benefit from it. Damaging the goodwill of a company is a matter of minutes for hackers unless adequate security measures are in place.
With such vulnerabilities in the online space, businesses are investing heavily towards cybersecurity, training their employees regarding scams and ransomware attacks. Studies estimate that global spending on cybersecurity will reach $10 billion by 2027.
Below are some tools that businesses should look towards to ensure cybersecurity:
Firewall
With hacking and cybercriminals becoming sophisticated and the defense mechanism becoming stronger, one can never assume that a firewall has become obsolete. It is the core of security tools where the job is to block any unauthorized access to the system. A firewall monitors online network traffic along with connection attempts and decides if they can pass freely to the network or computer. Although they’re useful, it has its own set of limitations. Professionally skilled hackers understand programs and data and they can create such data which can easily trick firewalls into believing it to be trusted. Hence it can pass through the firewall without major hassles. Having said that, firewalls are effective in detecting less advanced and sophisticated attacks.
Penetration Testing
Integrating security measure in infrastructure is one thing, checking if it works is another. Businesses shouldn’t wait for an actual cyber-attack to happen to assess the solutions, rather be proactive in testing the defense mechanism. Penetration testing is a way to test any business’s security systems. During the test, cyber experts use the same techniques used by hackers to check for any vulnerabilities and weak areas, right from password cracking to phishing. Businesses can also leverage open source tools like Metasploit to scan for exploits and circumvent existing security measures.
Application and Data Protection
Cybercriminals and hackers are constantly looking for ways to penetrate the infrastructure in malicious ways. It’s imperative that businesses have mechanisms in place which immediately counter such traffic from accessing key resources on the network like a web application or database. This can be done through the use of web application firewalls (WAFs) and data protection services. One such attack mitigation resource which can be deployed is Imperva which profiles traffic and transactions and helps prevent malicious traffic from accessing these data.
Antivirus Software
People and businesses often think that ‘firewall’ and ‘antivirus’ are synonymous, they’re not. Both remain a vital component for cybersecurity to keep the system secure. Antivirus software alerts for virus and malware infections and it also provides for additional services such as scanning emails to ensure they are free from malicious attachments or web links. Modern antivirus programs add an additional level of protection by quarantining potential threats and removing them.
Staff Training
One might not consider staff training as a ‘tool’ but investing in knowledgeable employees who understand cybersecurity is the strongest form of defense against cyber-attacks. A business organization can invest in multiple training tools to educate the employees about the best cybersecurity practices. Regular updates in cybersecurity strategies and practices can make a huge difference. Training can also be taken up on how to spot suspicious links, scam emails or a phishing attack.
With cybercriminals expanding their scale of operation and level of sophistication, it is important for businesses to invest in these tools for securing their infrastructure. Failing to undertake security measures will make the business an easy target for hackers. The investment into such tools is a lifetime investment.
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