Integrating Smart Surveillance to Bolster Cybersecurity

Organizations like yours have cybercrime on the mind – and for good reason. The volume and impact of cyberattacks have risen considerably over the years, with 2023 being a record year for losses and data breaches. With well over 300 million victims impacted in 2023 and a 72% increase in data breaches from the previous highest year (2021), organizations have taken cybersecurity off the back burner and put it front of mind.

However, organizations may rightly question how they can best future-proof their systems. After all, cybercrime attacks break through in a variety of ways: a lack of employee knowledge or watchfulness, exploiting vulnerabilities in existing security frameworks and obtaining access via physical components of company systems. Advancements in cloud technology have also created new vulnerabilities, allowing cybercriminals to leverage a single foothold to haul themselves into the entire corporate network.

Organizations like yours have to take all of these risk factors into account, while still anticipating and mitigating the risk from the threats of tomorrow. In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into each of these risk factors, showing you how to shield yourself from cyberattacks by protecting each of these pain points with smart surveillance.

The Role of Cybersecurity Awareness

The concept of cybersecurity awareness has two vitally important, equal components: employee vigilance and built-in framework protection. Creating a framework that showcases your attainment of this principle then depends on widespread education about cyber threats and deploying solutions that will reinforce the system against incursion. Building a system that incorporates both principles should be your first priority in 2024.

For the people component, train your employees to be able to recognize signs of these common cybercriminal tactics:

• Phishing or social engineering
• Malware
• Ransomware
• Trojan horses
• Cryptojacking
• Brute Force Attacks
• DDoS
• Spoofing
• Insider Attacks

Once your employees know how to recognize these attacks, they will be prepared to react agilely when one of them starts to occur. It’s also crucial that you create a system that allows them to quickly report signs of these attacks to tech personnel; they can then turn around and mitigate the damage however possible.

For the tech component of cybersecurity awareness, consider activating these protections:

• Device Hardening Protocols: Changing passwords frequently to ensure only authorized users log into your network devices. This will add an extra layer of security in case a cybercriminal gains access to IoT-connected corporate devices.
• Patch Management: Frequently patching your system’s OS, and holding employees accountable for installing these patches. This allows you to reinforce potential vulnerabilities regularly, sometimes as quickly as they crop up.
• Encryption: Encrypting data in motion and data at rest. This process protects data that’s being stored in your systems as well as data that’s in transit; cybercriminals will often attempt to spy on networks if they can’t outright break in, and end-to-end encryption prevents them from getting ahold of something valuable.

These layers of protection provide insulation against vulnerability exploitation and also add a defensive layer in the event that an employee accidentally lets something slip by. Accidents happen, even when your employees are actively vigilant; therefore, best practice dictates that your system be prepared for such eventualities.

The Latest Technological Frameworks

Your framework should also allow your organization to gain a level of threat intelligence. Threat intelligence is self-monitoring to detect early warning signs of trouble, and resultantly gaining the ability to resolve issues before they become threats. The latest technological frameworks available can be leveraged in this regard, as they continually surveil your network, flag potential causes for concern, and present those issues to your cybersecurity team.

Fortunately, there are a wide number of solutions available on the market that serve this purpose. Some of them are:

• WireShark: An open-source network protocol analyzer. Easily connects with existing frameworks, monitors your network, and reports on potential threats as they occur.
• Splunk: A cloud-based platform that also monitors network security, but with the added benefit of monitoring application activity as well.
• Nagios: A free network monitoring tool that surveils network resources like HTTPs, NNTPs, ICMPs, and SMTPs. This tool doubles down on real-time threat notification, aiming to get vital information into your employees’ hands as quickly as possible.
• Metasploit: A suite of tools used to test network penetration, a function that’s crucial for identifying and patching vulnerabilities within your network.
• Snort: An open-source network security tool that scans and detects unauthorized network activity, Snort allows you to better protect your network from being spied on.

Many of the above tools are open source, allowing you to seamlessly integrate them into your own network without too much trouble. Some of these tools have a bit of a learning curve, so make sure you research the tool you want to use and train your IT division on how to maximize its value.

The Synergy Between Physical and Digital Security Measures

Finally, every component of your network, both physical and digital, is valuable. Cybercriminals can and have gotten into networks via someone leaving their laptop around, or discarding an old mainframe neglectfully. Instituting strict protocols on asset disposal and asset use is vital to make sure your digital and physical assets are protected.

Remember; you’re only as strong as your weakest link. Take steps to reinforce every aspect of your network, and you’ll be able to weather any cyberthreat that comes your way.