The advancement in technology released through 5G, artificial intelligence, and machine learning in the last decade has seen a tremendous increase in cyber-attacks and data breaches. Recent reports show that hackers attack computers across the US every 39 seconds compromising data from individuals, companies, and governments. In recent years, there have been high-profile breach incidents such as Solar Winds, Colonial Pipeline, and the Kaseya attack, among dozens of other cyber-attacks that have had a major economic and security-related impact.
According to the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, cybersecurity aims at protecting networks, devices, and data from unauthorized access or criminal use through practices that ensure integrity, confidentiality, and availability of information. With businesses and governments changing their operation strategies to take advantage of the new hybrid work models, there is a need to implement cybersecurity technologies including SD-WAN, zero-trust network access, and secure access service edge for improved security.
The 5 Types of Cyber security
Cybersecurity is a critical part of managing risks in today’s business landscape. Maintaining business continuity rests on the ability of organizations, individuals, and the government to protect networks and data. To do this, it is important to understand the five different types of cyber security and how they defend against cyber-attacks.
1. Application Security
Mobile and web applications are available over various networks and connected to the cloud, increasing vulnerabilities to security breaches and threats including DDoS attacks, misconfigurations, and SQL code injections. Application security protects sensitive information at the app level, ensuring the safety of code and data within the App.
It uses software, hardware, and procedures to tackle external threats that may arise not only during the development stage of an application but throughout its lifecycle. An example of such an attack on applications of the WannaCry ransomware campaign that exploited weaknesses in the Microsoft Windows operating system.
App security can involve tactics requiring strong passwords from users, step-two authentication, security questions, and other protective measures that ensure users are identified. Continuous risk assessments and patching can help companies and organizations detect sensitive data sets within apps and secure them.
2. Critical Infrastructure Security
Critical infrastructure cybersecurity techniques are deployed to secure systems that have critical infrastructure. These systems include major utility services that society heavily relies on, such as the electricity grid, traffic lights, water purification, hospitals, and shopping centers. Although they are not directly linked to a possible cyber infringement, they act as target platforms through which threats can happen to the endpoints through crypto-jacking, credential theft, and social engineering.
Trends including hybrid work models, bring-your-own-device, and workplace mobility create additional risks and complexities in securing critical infrastructure. Common security practices such as endpoint protection platforms, encryption, and mobile device management can be adopted to secure critical infrastructure.
Organizations responsible for critical infrastructure should perform due diligence to understand the vulnerabilities and mitigate their businesses against potential risk to enhance the security and resilience of critical infrastructure. Organizations that are not directly responsible for critical infrastructures but rely on them for their business operations should develop contingency plans by evaluating how potential cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure affect their business operations and users.
3. Network Security
Network security refers to the protection of your computer network from opportunistic malware, intruders, and targeted attackers. It is a broad term that includes activities and controls created to protect the physical, technical, and administrative network infrastructure, defending them from data threats, intrusion, breaches, and misuse.
The internet has an assortment of networks associated with various websites that contain third-party cookies which can track users’ activities. Although cookies are important for business growth through personalized advertising and lead generation, customers become prey to malware attacks, mainly through phishing.
To counter cyber-attacks and malware associated with the network, organizations can deploy security programs that monitor the internal network infrastructure. Network security uses many different protocols to block attacks but still allows authorized users to access secure networks. Organizations can leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence technology that can alert authorities in the event of abnormal traffic. Furthermore, organizations must continuously upgrade their network security, for instance through firewalls, encryption, and extra logins as additional security policies.
4. Cloud Security
Cloud computing has evolved to create an enabling environment for the organization to improve their businesses, enhance customer experience, and boost efficiencies. Cloud security refers to the technology, processes, and policies used to mitigate security risks in cloud computing, whether on public, private, or hybrid clouds.
The major cybersecurity challenges with cloud computing encompass a multi-cloud environment, limited visibility into the data stored in the cloud by in-house IT teams since the services are managed by a third-party provider, and additional regulatory compliance. There is a challenge arising from the shared responsibility model that cloud providers use for security, regardless of whether they are delivering platform-as-a-service (PaaS), software-as-a-service (SaaS), or infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) cloud services.
Security solutions and best practices for cloud security include a cloud access security broker that helps identify misconfigurations and provides additional security through access controls, multifactor authentication, and identity and access management.
5. Internet of Things (IoT) Security
The Internet of Things has been realized as a major tool for the technological revolution. IoT comprises a wide variety of both critical and non-critical cyber systems, like sensors, appliances, Wi-Fi routers, security cameras, and medical devices. IoT data center analytics, networks, consumer devices, and connectors are the core technology enablers of the IoT market.
With the interconnection of IoT devices, security is a major threat to the adoption of this technology. Since IoT devices offer no security patching, they pose major security threats. An attack on one device will affect the entire IoT infrastructure.
Businesses must integrate methodologies including application program interface security, public key infrastructure, and authentication security to thwart the growing threats in the IoT landscape.
Let Cyber Sainik help with your cybersecurity needs.
As the global business landscape changes, technology will continue to create opportunities for business continuity. Organizations, individuals, and governments must implement cyber security solutions to keep up with the pace of technological advancement. Cyber Sainik identifies security solutions to help protect business assets against cyber-attacks. With our cybersecurity solutions, we help improve cybersecurity programs by discovering data breaches. This helps your business achieve end-to-end security, including network security, penetration testing, and intrusion detection and prevention. Call us and schedule free consultation with our security experts and get a proactive approach to cyber security.
