How to Take on Hackers by Utilizing Virtual Weapons!

Online Thieves Strike Again

A recent update on online theft created waves all over the internet. A Trojan called ‘Pony’ allegedly stolen crypto currencies worth around $220,000 from users’ online wallets. The Trojan worked as an advanced botnet from September 2013 to January of this year. The thieves stole around 700,000 online user credentials and accessed 85 wallets.

The crypto currency addresses and wallets are anonymous, which made it impossible to contact the wallets’ owners. Hence, a new web page has been created where owners can enter their wallet’s public key to verify whether their wallet accounts have been affected or not.

The German Connection

According to Germany’s Internet Security Agency, hackers stole User IDs and Passwords of 16 million German users. This hacking incident took place in January of this year. Many of the targeted computers were infected with malware after this cyber-attack. The authorities started a probe to look into the matter.

Protecting your Virtual Fortress

The above two instances prove how a lack of virtual security can cause havoc and lead to huge financial and data losses. If a robust and foolproof security system is not in place, hackers can break into a network with their sophisticated malware and other forms of viruses to steal and infect key information. In addition, online attacks like Denial of service (DoS) are used for blocking access to specific websites. Cyber criminals also use Domain Name System (DNS) information to redirect web traffic for their personal gain. Hackers are always on the prowl to break into a virtual infrastructure and tamper with the configuration. It results in the compromising of key devices that create security loopholes. 

For comprehensive security, your organization needs the Next Generation Firewall (NGF) with the following features:

• Firewall with user identity-based decision making to prevent errors related to IP addresses.
• Firewalls that are integrated with Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam, Web Filtering, VPN for security, connectivity, and productivity.
• Multiple virtual security zones
• Firewall appliance with dynamic routing
• Centralized security management
• Layer 8 identity-based security

So, with the comprehensive Unified Threat Management (UTM) appliances including firewalls, a barrier is established between a secure internal network and an outside network. Firewalls keep the destructive forces away, which come up from the Internet. Thus, they keep your network and business completely secured.

Be Clear With Firewall and Intrusion Prevention System

With the advancement in technology, computer or network security has become a major concern for most organizations. Intruders attempt to go through the network and access confidential data or misuse emails to send spam. This is a serious threat for organizations. Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) is used to detect and prevent intruders and save data over the organizational network.

IPS is a technology that provides network security. It monitors the network traffic and blocks malicious activities. These activities include intrusion attempts, denial-of-service (DOS), distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks, malware, backdoor activity and malicious code transmission.

The attackers send codes hidden in the main application. On occurrence of a defined event, the attackers take control of the application or the computer. This can lead to denial-of-service (DOS), if an attacker disables the target application or modifies the access rights. Another threat is backdoor activity. This is when a computer program facilitates remote access to the user to bypass normal authentication. Now, the intruder is free to make any changes to logs, rights, files, softwares and even to reboot the computer.

Generally people confuse IPS with the firewall. The firewall stands at the entry level of the network. It allows/denies the entry of the users/ programs over the network. IPS stands at the next level of security. IPS examines the traffic allowed by the firewall. For example, at the airport, the security officials check your ticket and boarding pass. After certain formalities they give you clearance to board the plane. The firewall performs and allows the selected traffic. What happens to the stuff you carry, like your baggage? Your baggage is scanned to make sure that the authorized entrants carry no harmful items. IPS plays the same role by carefully examining the allowed traffic.

Along with the intrusion prevention system, an organization cannot deny the enterprise firewall security significance. The increased online activities serve as a golden opportunity for the intruders. Fake messages/emails from friends, banks and links directing to dangerous sites can infect the computer/network. IPS helps in protecting you against the vulnerabilities.

For the data and network security of your organization, consult the experts from the security domain. These experience players offer a wide range of products/services. They customize the solutions depending upon the size of the organization, number of users, accessibility rights and level of security.

When it comes to security, you cannot rely on one technology. A perfect combination of technologies delivers security against different types of threats before they reach your computer memory.