Every other day, there is a headline all over the mainstream news sites that a security breach has occurred. No organization should sit back, cross their fingers, and hope they don’t get hacked. They need a robust plan to up their network security game and ensure data breaches never happen. Even if they do, there should be a recovery plan in place to help the organization overcome the loss.
But what is Network Security to be exact?
Network security includes multiple facets of defenses for implementing policies and controls to ensure that only the authorized resources within your organization get access to the network resources. It also consists of practices and policies for preventing and monitoring the unauthorized access of a PC and its network. These are the main types of network security:
· Firewalls
· Anti-malware Software
· Access Control
· Application Security
· Email Security
· Data Loss Prevention
· Security Information & Event Management
· Mobile Device Security
There are 3 phases of network security:
Phase 1: Protection
You must ensure that the network is configured correctly
Phase 2: Detection
Identify when a configuration has changed or when there is a problem with the network traffic
Phase 3: Reaction
After the identification of the problem, respond immediately to restore the safe state of the network.
7 Tips to Boost Network Security
Ready to boost the security of your networks? These 7 tips will prove handy:
1. Use strong authentication methods
Stolen credentials are the leading cause of security breaches. To amplify the security of your network, having a strong password and user name is not enough. It’s important to use multifactor authentication so that no unauthorized user can get access to the company’s accounts.
2. Keep all software updated
Software security patches are important. A software or a machine that is not updated is an easy target. Hackers can exploit it via viruses or malware. It is important to keep all software updated and implement network security patches time after time.
3. Keep your equipment and ports secure
Hardware is just as important as software. After all, PCs and external devices have sensitive company data or customer records. Hackers won’t have to go online to steal the data. They will just have to infect your pc with malware and do the deed. To prevent that from happening, keep your equipment and devices secure.
4. Establish cybersecurity rules
Another leading cause of data breach is human error. That’s why no matter the size of your organization, establish data security policies and make sure all your employees understand them. Knowing the rules is not enough, it’s also imperative for your employees to implement these rules. They should know the repercussion of their behavior, which will motivate them to adhere to the rules.
5. Enable BIOS password
Another way to boost security is to implement bios passwords. This makes the hard drive inaccessible. Let’s say a laptop from your company is stolen. Unless the thief knows the bios password, they can’t access anything. Likewise, the data stored within the organization must be encrypted.
6. Install antivirus and malware software
All PCs and devices used must have antivirus and anti-malware protection. Make sure these software are updated automatically so that no external threat can corrupt or steal company data.
7. Perform regular security audits
Implementing a network security plan is not enough. Technologies are changing readily. During the coronavirus pandemic, cybersecurity breaches have increased. Therefore, organizations need to up their security game.
The traditional cybersecurity measures are not enough now that many employees are working from home. It’s important to stay protected. Keep on performing security audits regularly. They should be performed once a year at the very least. These audits will help you measure the security policies against new threats and then come up with a better action plan.
Other Important Measures to Take
Don’t share the administrator accounts
There is a high risk involved in sharing admin privileges. If you are doing so, you are putting important credentials at risk. Instead, implement strong authentication for all admin accounts. The credentials should never be shared. Only authorized individuals in the organization must have access to this account.
Create policies for BYOD
Most employees prefer to bring their own devices to workplaces. This is great but it tends to increase security threats. If your organization has a policy of BYOD, make sure these devices don’t turn out to be a threat to the security of your networks.
They could bring malware and virus and inflict the security systems in place. Those employees who will be using their devices must abide by the network security policies just as any other employee.
Summing Up
Network security is the responsibility of not just the organization but the employees as well. It is the backbone of your company because sensitive information and data have to be secured in some way!