How to face cybersecurity challenges in 2023

Organizations, companies, and government entities are vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks. These attacks put them at risk for information theft, activity blocking, extortion, being fined for non-compliance with regulations, and suffering serious damages to their reputation. Most importantly, cybersecurity attacks can result in significant economic losses.

According to the tenth edition of the ENISA Threat Landscape report, an annual report from the European Cybersecurity Agency, the main threats of 2022 included spyware, phishing, adware, ransomware, supply chain threats, and persistent malware. These types of attacks are becoming progressively more common, and data indicates that they will increase in time.

The current situation is serious and can get quite complicated. So, what should we do? During the webinar “Business cybersecurity challenges for 2023”, IFX Networks analyzed the situation and possible solutions. The activity was led by Adriana Jiménez, Regional Product Manager for Latin America.

In this sense, people and organizations have become victims of a wide variety of computer threats. While some threats have more obvious attack mechanisms, others remain much more hidden and can go unnoticeable.

Critical information, considered the most important asset of a company, has become the main target for cybercriminals. What are we doing, then, to prevent such important information from falling into the wrong hands?

For IFX Networks, threat neutralization begins with prevention. A preventative mindset should be adopted by the entire company, from managers to employees. In this sense, IFX suggests developing a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy based on three recommendations: risk management, specialized cybersecurity monitoring, and selecting a qualified strategic partner.

Risk management

The Covid 19 pandemic increased teleworking significantly. Although this model ensured the continuity of operations, it also made clear that we were not prepared to protect information under new conditions. Each user became one more company branch and, consequently, expanding operations also meant increasing security risks, explains Adriana Jiménez.

Now, in a post-pandemic scenario, remote work has been established, and the number of places where attacks can occur has increased. This includes internet browsing, accessing email, endpoint devices, applications, and the network.

It has become necessary to implement intelligent solutions that protect companies from unwanted access, inspect and clean incoming and outgoing emails, and check software and hardware upgrades while preserving and protecting equipment (computers, tablets, smartphones) and other devices involved in company information management, both inside and outside its facilities.

Finally, regarding network security, organizations must have centralized solutions that optimize the Internet channel through firewall policies and content control, managing internal, external and web access. Its scope should include mechanisms for intrusion prevention, web filtering, anti-malware, and application control.

Specialized cybersecurity monitoring

A fundamental component of cybersecurity strategies is the monitoring of infrastructure, users, and applications. This allows the user to visualize possible threats. Therefore, it is vital to have a specialized cybersecurity monitoring service that makes it easy to collect, analyze, and correlate data both centrally and automatically, 24/7. This will help the user to prioritize events and manage effective incident response to each cybersecurity incident.

“Digital transformation also increases risks. We cannot purchase a security service and instantly believe that everything is fine. You must be able to visualize what is happening on the network. Not noticing a screen lock or lagging does not mean that everything is OK on the network or that a user isn’t doing something inappropriate”, warns Adriana Jiménez.

Monitoring and reporting are critical. Knowing what is happening and how the network is behaving can be crucial. Is there an anomaly? Is a user trying to dodge security policies? Was an application violated? It is important to be aware of this sort of behavior and provide proper support in a report.

Selecting a qualified strategic partner

It is important to have competent and qualified cybersecurity professionals on your IT security team. They should be responsible for planning, organizing and prioritizing needs and requests to achieve the best results possible. It is also important for companies to have tools to properly transfer passwords, implement secure protocols, and send classified information.

“To optimize costs and time, many organizations look for an external security team that can properly handle the company’s sensitive information. This allows the company to focus on their business, while specialized companies oversee designing, executing and supporting a complete information security strategy”, says Adriana Jiménez.

IFX Networks currently serves more than 4,000 corporate customers in 17 countries in the region. One of its lines of business is IFX Security Solutions. This solution includes SOCAAS (Security Operations Center as a Service), Close Protection 360 (a service that protects the perimeter network), and Server and Endpoint Protection (a tool that guarantees the protection of servers and end devices).

This set of services and solutions is intended to guarantee the availability, privacy, and integrity of information, and help companies and organizations avoid cyberattacks or computer crimes.