Network Security Risks You Don’t Notice

They are at it again—hackers. In fact, they never stop. For every tactic foiled and exposed, hundreds more are on deck. Cyber criminals are masterminds, and every second of the day brings a new wave of attacks. The swift changes and ruthless tactics make it nearly impossible for the IT professionals and security experts to keep up. Imagine what chance a consumer has when trying to stay abreast on the network security risks that threaten their systems every day.

 

Network Security Risks Look Legit

The new way criminals are hacking into mother systems that control all of a company’s network is by posing as a legitimate representative of your company’s IT vendor, as an authorized administrator, or an authorized user. Cyber attackers are stealing what is referred to as “privileged account.” An external or internal takeover can go undetected for many months, and a complete takeover is the goal.

CyberArk recently released a report that revealed that 80% of cyberattacks against companies are the result of exploited privileged accounts. Unfortunately, businesses still believe that their existing security practices and systems can detect security threats and ward them off completely. The evidence proves otherwise.

The average length of time a threat goes undetected is about 200 days. Consider just for a moment the amount of data that can be collected in that amount of time. As a business owner, you know that critical data can be discovered in just a few hours. After 200 days, everything your business does and all the data it collects goes directly into the hands of cybercriminals.

Notorious privileges accounts attacks in the news include Sony and even the federal government. Those are just the accounts reported in the news.

 

Denial is the Culprit

As long as cyber decisions and security systems are being decided in boardrooms, companies will fail to address the real issues. The old system simply isn’t working with a download from the internet. As long as more than forty percent of companies believe they can keep criminals off a target network, and a quarter of business owners believe employees are to blame for intrusions, the root of the problem will never be addressed: outdated security understandings and systems.

 

What Can Companies Do?

Companies need to take steps to protect privileged information and credentials. Perhaps the most dangerous network threat is the “Golden Ticket Attack,” which a type of Kerberos attack that allows criminals to take over a complete network with total domain domination.

So, what is the answer? Companies must identify network security risks beyond network phishing and password panic. To protect your company’s network, it is necessary to think about the internal and external threats that are not obvious or predictable. Companies that hire professional service providers, such as PRO On Call, that assess the business’s needs, establish prevention procedures, manage the network, and support the business have the best opportunity for success and security.