Network Security

Network security has three chief aims listed below:

Having endpoint security systems in place help protect these endpoints on a network or in the cloud from cyber security threats. Endpoint security has evolved from traditional antivirus software to providing comprehensive protection from sophisticated malware and evolving zero-day threats.

Businesses of all sizes are at risk from nation-states, hacktivists, organised crime, and malicious and accidental insider threats. Endpoint security is key in cyber security and a must for network security.

As the volume and sophistication of cyber security threats have steadily grown, so has the need for more advanced endpoint security solutions. Today’s endpoint protection systems quickly detect, analyse, block, and contain attacks in progress. To do this, they need to collaborate with each other and with other security technologies to give administrators visibility into advanced threats. This helps with the speed detection and remediation response times.

Types of Network Security Technologies.

An endpoint protection platform (EPP) is a vital part of enterprise cyber security for several reasons. First of all, in today’s business world, data is the most valuable asset of a company. To lose that data, or access to that data, could put the entire business at risk of insolvency.

Businesses have also had to contend with a growing number of endpoints as well as a rise in the number of types of endpoints. This makes endpoint security more difficult on their own, but they’re compounded by remote work and BYOD policies. Which make perimeter security insufficient and create vulnerabilities. The threat landscape is becoming more complicated, as well. Hackers are always coming up with new ways to gain access, steal information or trick employees into giving out sensitive information. Add in the opportunity, cost of moving resources from business goals to addressing threats, the reputational cost of a breach, and the actual financial cost of compliance violations. It’s easy to see why endpoint protection platforms have become regarded as must-haves in terms of securing modern enterprises.

To build network security systems, security teams combine the following tools:

Firewalls

A firewall is software or hardware that stops suspicious traffic from entering or leaving a network while letting legitimate traffic through. Firewalls can be deployed at the edges of a network or used internally to divide a larger network into smaller subnetworks. If one part of the network is compromised, hackers are still shut off from the rest.
There are different types of firewalls with different features. Basic firewalls use packet filtering to inspect traffic. More advanced next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) add intrusion prevention, AI and machine learning, application awareness and control, and threat intelligence feeds for extra protection.

Network access control (NAC)

Network access control (NAC) solutions act like gatekeepers, authenticating and authorising users to determine who is allowed into the network and what they can do inside. “Authentication” means verifying that a user is who they claim to be. “Authorisation” means granting authenticated users permission to access network resources. NAC solutions are often used to enforce role-based access control (RBAC) policies, in which users’ privileges are based on their job functions. For example, a junior developer might be able to view and edit code but not push it live. In contrast, senior developers could read, write, and push code to production. RBAC helps prevent data breaches by keeping unauthorised users away from assets they are not permitted to access.
In addition to authenticating users, some NAC solutions can do risk assessments on users’ endpoints. The goal is to keep unsecured or compromised devices from accessing the network. If a user tries to enter the network on a device with outdated anti-malware software or incorrect configurations, the NAC will deny access. Some advanced NAC tools can automatically fix non-compliant endpoints.

Virtual private networks (VPNs)

A virtual private network (VPN) protects a user’s identity by encrypting their data and masking their IP address and location. When someone uses a VPN, they no longer connect directly to the internet but to a secure server that connects to the internet on their behalf.
VPNs can help remote workers securely access corporate networks, even through unsecured public wi-fi connections like those found in coffee shops and airports. VPNs encrypt a user’s traffic, keeping it safe from hackers who might want to intercept their communications.
Instead of VPNs, some organisations use zero trust network access (ZTNA). Rather than using a proxy server, ZTNA uses zero-trust access control policies to securely connect remote users. When remote users log into a network through ZTNA, they don’t gain access to the whole network. Instead, they only gain access to the specific assets they’re permitted to use, and they must be reverified every time they access a new resource. See ‘A zero trust approach to network security’ below for a closer look at how zero trust security works.

Application security

Application security refers to the steps security teams take to protect apps and application programming interfaces (APIs) from network attackers. Because many companies today use apps to carry out key business functions or process sensitive data, apps are a common target for cybercriminals. And because so many business apps are hosted in public clouds, hackers can exploit their vulnerabilities to break into private company networks.

Application security measures defend apps from malicious actors. Common application security tools include web application firewalls (WAFs), runtime application self-protection (RASP), static application security testing (SAST), and dynamic application security testing (DAST).

A zero trust approach to network security

It is considered an endpoint if a device is connected to a network. Also with the growing popularity of BYOD (bring your own device) and IoT (Internet of Things), the number of individual devices connected to a network can quickly reach into the thousands.

However, as organisations pursue digital transformation and adopt hybrid cloud environments, networks are becoming decentralised. Now, network resources exist across cloud data centres, on-site and remote endpoints, and mobile and IoT devices.

Perimeter-based security controls are less effective in distributed networks, so many IT security teams are shifting to zero-trust network security frameworks. Instead of focusing on the perimeter, zero-trust network security places security controls around individual resources. Users are never implicitly trusted. Every time a user tries to access a resource, they must be authenticated and authorised, regardless of whether they’re already on the company network. Authenticated users are granted least-privilege access only, and their permissions are revoked as soon as their task is done.

Zero trust network security relies on granular access policies, continuous validation, and data gathered from as many sources as possible — including many of the tools outlined above — to ensure that only the right users can access the right resources for the right reasons at the right time.

Network Security