The Need For A Holistic Threat Detection And Response Strategy

Data breaches are one of the most significant threats facing today’s businesses. We work in a world where everything and everyone is connected, our workforce is more mobile, and our working environments are increasingly cloud-based. While this is an incredible advancement, enabling us to work collaboratively, remotely and effectively, it has drastically changed the threat landscape. With almost everything we deal with becoming digitised, we store and share a considerable volume of sensitive data, exposing our firms to significant risk.

THE RISK OF CYBER SECURITY BREACHES

Today’s cybercriminals are extremely sophisticated. As there are huge financial rewards on offer, they continually evolve their methods to override anti-virus solutions and traditional security solutions. It can be tempting for companies to tackle the problem head-on by increasing their spend on perimeter technologies. However, the more targeted attacks, that are becoming commonplace in our workplaces, require a different approach. It is no good to simply defend the frontline, if an attack gets through, significant damage can and does result.

The risk of cyber security breaches is real, and so is the fact that they will happen. To mitigate this risk, organisations need to accept that intrusions will happen. Cyber security threats need to be detected and responded to in order to minimise business risk.

WHAT IS THREAT DETECTION AND RESPONSE?

Threat detection and response uses big data analytics to seek out threats. By uncovering anomalies and determining their threat level, it is then possible to respond appropriately to reduce any potential damage. The available threat detection and response software solutions, detect and respond in real time, correlate data from a wide range of sources and allow threats to be prioritised. By implementing threat detection and response, firms are ensuring they will know what to do if and when a threat emerges.

HOW CAN THREATS BE DETECTED?

To detect the wide range of threats that businesses are facing, a new generation of security tools are required. Malware authors will do everything they can to access a firms’ networks and endpoints. The only way to be fully protected is to have a suite of tools available that is capable of identifying and stopping threats and guiding an appropriate response should they get into the network.

Threat detection and response software solutions include the following key areas, each with its own challenges that need to be met:

• Next Generation Anti-Virus – it is vital for anti-virus software to continually monitor files on the endpoint, regardless of whether they are malicious. This next-generation technology leans on machine learning, cloud scanning, automated remediation and forensics to provide a more proactive and system-centric approach.
  
• Endpoint Detection and Response – the endpoint is a frequent target due to our mobile workforce; secure networks and legacy anti-virus solutions aren’t enough to stop threats. Constantly monitoring and analysing activities on an organisation’s endpoints allows for patterns to be found and threats identified.
  
• Incident Response Services – it is impossible to have a perfect security solution, so it is vital to know how to respond should the worst occur. The way a business responds has a considerable impact on the level of damage and how quickly it can recover.
  
• Threat Intelligence – using legacy endpoint security solutions is no longer enough for businesses to protect themselves from threats. As well as knowing how to respond, they need to understand the threats they face. Threat intelligence is part of security strategy, enabling firms to understand current cyber risks and analyse their potential impact.
  
• Threat Hunting – unfortunately, cybercriminals continue to outsmart technology, even the next-generation solutions that have been implemented. While endpoint security is more effective than it used to be, it’s not infallible. As well as prevention, firms need to focus on proactive tactics. Threat hunters assume cyber actors are already in a company’s systems and look out for suspicious activities.
  
• Vulnerability Management – as businesses work increasingly in the cloud and more devices and applications are used than ever, the risk of cyber-attacks grows. Cyber attackers look out for vulnerabilities caused by platforms being used outside of the corporate network and other network weaknesses. Vulnerability management reduces a company’s weak spots, ensuring hackers will be stopped in their tracks.

There’s no doubt that cyber security is extremely complicated. However, it should form a vital part of every business, ensuring that the focus is not only on prevention but on threat detection and response.