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Information Security is an issue in organizations. Although it does not yet have the space for discussion it needs, corporate ecosystems need to be increasingly embedded in solid, secure security frameworks. Therefore, investments in the area are extremely necessary and justifiable, especially in view of the consequences of targeted and opportunistic attacks.
One of the main ways to avoid such incidents is through good security solutions such as firewalls. These, in their great majority, present identification and preventionmodules to the virtual attacks, called IDS and IPS, respectively.
For these reasons, we will explore in this post blog the main reasons for companies – of all sizes and areas of activity – to invest in these two modules. If it is in your interest, just continue reading.
Minimizing security incidents
There are numerous possible ways cybercriminals can carry out virtual attacks. Some of them are targeted, that is, they accurately select their victim, and others are opportunistic, exploiting vulnerabilities not addressed by users, to initiate an attack.
In both formats, identification and prevention modules are extremely important for data protection and corporative structure. They work as an extra and extremely effective security layer, which explains the presence of both features in Firewall solutions – in both UTM and NGFW solutions. With the precise operation of IDS and IPS, the incidence/impact of virtual attacks becomes smaller.
After all, the best way to contain threats is prevention. Thus, intrusion detection and prevention system are two major needs when it comes to Information Security.
Avoiding financial losses and unavailability of services
Financial loss is among the many consequences of virtual incidents. A company can suffer great losses, and this varies according to the type and size of the attack, as well as the position taken by the corporation when it comes to dealing with it.
Ransomwares, for example, work with rewards. This variation of malware hijacks data, and in return requires a payment for the release of stolen files. Although it is not advisable to make the payment, in view of the uncertainty of the criminals to comply with their part of the “agreement”, this type of threat can extort the money of companies, besides burdening all the technology team in search of the solution for the problem.
Another consequence, this time related to the unavailability of services, are DDoS attacks (Distributed Denial of Service). These incidents work by sending requests to a server to the point where the service is interrupted. In other words, there are so many requisitions (created artificially by cybercriminals) that generate unavailability of the structure focus of the attack.
Get visibility and variety of controls
Identity (IDS)and prevention (IPS) modules for virtual attacks are needed for various reasons, as you’ve seen so far. One of the main ones, however, and that deserves some attention, is the variety of controls that the two features offer the company and its technology analysts.
This filtering and blocking of threats occur in large part through configurations on its interface that categorize specific events – unusual situations that should not be occurring in a network structure.
Through this event control, the main characteristic of virtual attack identification and prevention modules, it is easy to maintain a network structure extremely protected and prepared for potential contingencies.
Some of these configurations per event are:
- Allow alerts and notifications in case of high traffic – above what has been set as default;
- Detection of suspicious logins (unsuccessful attempt to obtain privileges from users);
- Name of suspicious files infiltrating the network;
- Inappropriate content;
- Detection of trojan content or activity;
- Attacks on web applications, etc.
Professional efficiency through real-time notifications
In addition to identifying and preventing virtual threats, as well as controlling corporate security through event configurations, IDS and IPS modules can ensure IT professionals are more efficient in their work routines.
This is because both modules have alert and blocking options. Thus, technology analysts do not need to remain in constant attention, applying their time better, without endangering corporate security.
IDS and IPS features have specific features, capable of sending notifications to any unusual move. However, this efficiency can only be guaranteed by a good configuration, which will ensure that analysts are assured of the safety and assertiveness of their activities.
One of the great challenges associated with configuring intrusion detection and identification modules is the parameterization of events that really have an intrusion intent, avoiding the generation of “false positives”.
Carefully evaluating each business reality is fundamental for having a positive result in the implementation of solutions focused on intrusion detection and prevention. At this time, expert professional advice may be required to reduce the time for implementation of the resource.
To learn more about perimeter security, the correct firewall to purchase and the many variations and characteristics of them, we recommend the material “10 Essential Tips for Purchasing Firewalls”.
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