Many small- to medium-sized enterprises haven’t given enough attention to network security monitoring of their cyber defenses. But not properly surveying an organization's network for threats can lead to dangerous results. Here are three of the biggest misunderstandings about network security monitoring.
Assumption #1: Endpoint Security Is Enough
It’s a common assumption that if the network entry points made by individual devices—employee laptops, warehouse processing terminals—are secure, then nothing else needs to be done. Familiarity with common endpoint security such as anti-virus scanners and anti-spyware programs breeds a false sense of security. Simply because individual devices are secure does not mean the overall network is safe from cyber threats.
It's not enough to have endpoint security. Adding network security monitoring means accounting for portable devices, which might not be covered by an organization's endpoint security policy. Further, it means monitoring unusual traffic patterns of insider threats. Insiders will be familiar enough with company machines to bypass endpoint security—but with network security monitoring, their behavior on the organization's system will still be supervised.
Assumption #2: A Firewall Is Enough
In the past, an organization's firewall was regarded as the heart of its network security. Firewalls filter and block various types of traffic, allowing or disallowing it based on selected characteristics such as what ports are being used. While firewalls are still important security tools, the problem is that the threat landscape has advanced beyond the simple blocking capabilities of a firewall. Cyber attacks can come through browsers or email, for example, and an IT team can't prevent email breaches with a firewall. They need advanced network security monitoring.
While firewalls don't have visibility into the content and context of network traffic, advanced security monitoring technology, such as SOCVue, can closely examine the details. With log management, SIEM, and other capabilities, the managed security service SOCVue can watch network traffic for unusual and possibly threatening patterns, unlike a firewall, which follows a blind set of simple, direct rules.
Assumption #3: A Reactive Posture Is Enough
Once IT teams learn that endpoint security and firewalls are not enough to protect their organizations from cyber attacks, they might settle for a reactive security posture. Reactive security simply collects logs to review after a security incident occurs—it responds to an incident, rather than actively prevent it. But proactive security will search for security holes that hackers might exploit and repair them before any damage can be done.
EiQ's vulnerability management is a subscription-based service that uses the latest databases to proactively scan for security vulnerabilities in a system. That way, flaws can be fixed before the hackers can take advantage of them. By implementing vulnerability management, organizations can improve their network security monitoring and avoid serious cybersecurity dangers.
More and more, organizations who were previously understaffed, underbudgeted, and overwhelmed are finding that EiQ’s hybrid SaaS security services that combine the best people, process, and technology are a welcome change from going it alone. EiQ is transforming how mid-market organizations build enterprise-class security programs. Acting as an extension of our customers’ IT teams, EiQ’s SOCVue provides continuous security operations based on best-of-breed technology at a fraction of the cost of alternative solutions. EiQ is a trusted advisor to organizations that need to improve their IT security and compliance posture by protecting their infrastructure against cyber threats and vulnerabilities. Would you like to learn more about how EiQ can help? Sign up for a SOCVue demo today.
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Tags: Endpoint Security
