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Modern organizations depend on a wide range of interconnected digital platforms and collaboration tools, often hosted on the cloud and accessed from a variety of different devices. As the organization’s infrastructure becomes more complex, the network becomes more challenging to protect, as each user, device and service becomes a potential attack vector. To address this, organizations have largely adopted a network security approach, a scalable and adaptable security strategy suited to the modern, cloud-native business environment.
In this guide, we’ll dig deeper into the concepts behind network security, the methods that modern security teams use and how they harden systems without adding friction for users.
Modern security professionals have to balance several priorities, including keeping the network secure from malicious activity, searching for potential vulnerabilities and ensuring that their security measures do not impede the usability or performance of internal systems. They also need to monitor where data is being collected and stored, as many modern cloud-native business operations depend on highly distributed cloud storage.
Network security involves a multi-layered approach which leverages many different security tools and strategies to handle organizational complexity. Security teams work proactively to uncover potential threats, patch vulnerabilities and ensure all internal tooling and software is up to date. This approach is designed to offer flexibility, scaling up with the organization as it grows larger and more intricate.
Here are the three dimensions that security professionals focus on to secure their networks:
Many modern workplaces require employees to scan a badge to enter, along with cameras and guards on staff. Some may limit access to specific parts of the building, requiring anyone entering and exiting a server room to have a physical key, FOB or passcode. This physical control also extends to datacenters, which might have fences, security walls, physical access controls and even separate generators or power sources for outages.
Technical controls utilize tools and platforms to detect and mitigate security vulnerabilities. Examples include two-factor authentication tools, malware detection services and a network firewall. Automated tools can engage in continual threat assessment, monitoring user activity and flagging anything that seems aberrant or risky, such as when someone accesses the network from an unrecognized IP address.
Organizations build administrative controls with internal policies, such as a rule which mandates that every employee use a password manager to store and manage their credentials. Administrative controls also include teaching employees about best practices, like using a VPN when on a public Wi-Fi network.
Here are some of the most common network-based security threats that modern organizations face:
Malware is a broad term used to identify any software intended to damage or disable systems, steal data or otherwise cause harm. Although some malware is overt and has immediate effects, some types run undetected for long periods of time, collecting personal information or repurposing hardware for some other use. Malware can also infect IoT devices across the network, running on internet connected appliances or tools which may not have robust security protections.
Ransomware is a specific form of malware that locks out user access to a critical system or account until they pay a ransom. Although this approach most often uses encryption to prevent system access, it can also sometimes utilize other threats, such as posting sensitive information about the user online or leaking their credentials publicly.
Phishing is a form of social engineering, in that it depends on human error rather than a software or hardware vulnerability. Phishing attacks use email or other communications to get a person to reveal sensitive information, such as their credentials. A common example is an email pretending to be from an organization’s IT team that requests remote access to an employee’s computer. These techniques are difficult to counter with technical controls, requiring security training and administrative policies to prevent.
A digital denial of service (DDoS) attack uses a botnet, or a network of devices infected with a specific kind of malware, to send an overwhelming amount of requests to a service, website, piece of hardware or other target. The huge volume of requests overwhelms the system, slowing it down until it is non-functional.
Many cyberattacks come from inside the organization, as a team member or contractor uses their credentials to leak data, install a backdoor in a system or collect sensitive information from their colleagues. Because they happen inside the firewall, insider threats can be difficult to catch, necessitating the use of strict data access controls, employee background checks or a zero-trust security architecture.
Network security combines multiple solutions, strategies and tools to prevent security breaches, data leaks and other risks. Here are some of the essentials:
A firewall is a hardware or software tool which monitors network traffic, blocking any data packets or requests that do not have the correct credentials. They are almost always present at the network edge in order to protect an organization's internal network from malicious traffic. They can also be set up within a network to monitor traffic between pieces of the network and cordon off sections of the network which are especially vulnerable.
Where a firewall operates on a basic set of rules, an IPS works in real time to analyze incoming traffic more thoroughly for known threats. They are most often set up after traffic has passed through a firewall and can act as a more detail-oriented traffic filter, analyzing data packets deeply and alerting the security team if they identify a potential threat. It’s similar to a security line for a concert or sports game, where the firewall is someone checking tickets (credentials) and the IPS is a bag search, metal detector or pat down (searching for a specific threat).
Antivirus tools operate inside the network, checking files or code against a database of known malware and warning the user about any possible threats. However, because new vulnerabilities are always being discovered, many organizations take the extra step of sandboxing any files or other malware vectors, opening and analyzing files in an isolated environment to eliminate any risk of them affecting internal systems.
The proliferation of mobile devices and the rise of remote work has made remote access VPNs a mandatory workplace tool at many organizations. VPNs provide a private connection between the user’s device and the organization's network, encrypting any traffic that runs between them. This allows users to utilize public networks safely, as it prevents malicious actors on the public network from intercepting their private data.
NAC tools control the permissions that each user and service has within a network. For example, an organization may grant 3rd party vendors limited access to one system to do maintenance. These controls often provide granular control, for example, down to specific columns and rows in a database. The customer support team may only be able to access relevant columns of a customer’s profile like name and account number, as this limits access to sensitive information like the customer’s payment information.
Security threats are always evolving, and a network security approach helps organizations proactively harden their systems to reduce the risk of a data breach or intrusion. Here are some of the key benefits of this approach:
Customer trust is easy to lose and difficult to restore, which is why so many organizations take a proactive approach to security. The large amount of sensitive data collected and stored by even smaller businesses means that a flexible and multi-layered approach like network security is essential. This is especially true in areas like medicine, finance and the public sector, where data breaches can be catastrophic.
Security threats can harm product performance and uptime, but an overly-stringent security posture can also increase friction and make it difficult for users to have a positive experience. Network security can help balance these needs, securing sensitive data and monitoring traffic for suspicious activity without obstructing UX.
Network security can provide granular control over every user and system, allowing administrators to provide essential data to any service that needs it while using roles-based access control (RBAC) to redact or remove anything that isn’t necessary. This approach allows organizations to maintain business operations without the risk of one of their systems or users getting access to data they don’t need.
Here are some of the main challenges to a network security approach:
Many organizations use a bring your own device (BYOD) policy, which allows team members to interact with parts of the network from their personal computer, smartphone or other device. This creates a new wrinkle for administrators, as they may not have the oversight or ability to assess the security, or lack thereof, on each device. This is also true for remote work, which often happens in public locations and on public networks, exposing the network to possible snooping and data theft.
The spread of data across multiple clouds, services and devices makes it hard for administrators to define where the network edge lies. Without proper safeguards and oversight, sensitive user or employee data may end up stored in a less secure location, leaving it vulnerable.
Even a robust RBAC approach may not be enough to prevent malicious insiders from accessing sensitive data or systems. Entrusting team members or tools with too much access makes them a potential target, as a malicious actor could use their credentials to bypass internal security.
These best practices form the foundation of a successful network security approach:
Using firewalls on the network edge helps block intrusions from malicious actors. Internal firewalls segment off each piece of the network, isolating a compromised system from the rest of the network.
Using an RBAC approach allows organizations to keep track of who can access what data and ensures that systems only get the minimum necessary data that they need to function. This helps prevent sensitive data from spreading to unsecured parts of the network.
Consistent system audits and monitoring can ensure that all internal systems and 3rd party tools are updated, as previous versions may have vulnerabilities or exploits that an external actor can use to penetrate the network.
Breaking a network into segments can make each segment easier to secure and control access to. Organizations can store and anonymize sensitive data in a highly secure segment, which limits the risk of exposure.
Many security tools and best practices only function if every member of the organization buys in. By providing consistent training and resources to all team members, organizations can help address any questions or issues they may have using tools like a VPN or password manager.
The adoption of cloud-based services and tools, the proliferation of mobile devices and the massive increase in organizational data collection and storage needs mean the traditional castle-and-moat security model is no longer sufficient. Security incidents can be costly to both product performance and organizational reputation, which is why most modern organizations have invested in a multi-layered and proactive network security approach.
Network security is a multi-layered approach, meaning it uses multiple techniques to secure a network both at the edge and internally. It combines different security controls, including physical and technical controls, proactive security assessments, penetration testing and staff education to block malicious actors, limit potential attack vectors and reduce the risk of human error.
Breaking security down into three categories — physical, technical and administrative — can help identify what is currently in place and what may be missing. Many organizations invest heavily in physical and technical checks but do not train their teams on security best practices, which can lead them to ignore or misuse tools like VPNs or password managers.
Organizations use a combination of different techniques, including firewalls, IPS and VPNs, access control tools, sandboxing and antivirus tools. Organizations with strong network security also change their policies and organizational approach, enlisting the help of team members to use network security tools and services appropriately and tasking the security team to continually monitor, test and improve the organization’s internal and external security posture.
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