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.

VPN Firewall Capabilities, Needed For Virtual Environment Security

One of the most vital and challanging aspects of virtual firewall security is the ability to effectivelyt manage the environment. Most VPN firewall appliances today need to support rapid deployment and be used to implement virtualization security policies. Such VPN safety approach is done not just on partnership basis, but also between organizations or applications within the same infrastructure.

The VPN needs to provide adaptation and privacy within the organization and be able to migrate inside the virtual infrastructure. It must provide network security using the high-availability capabilities of the former and offering protection even during the dramatic change in the network architecture. The web security system needs to be easily installed and deployed along with the virtual machines that serve different web applications, making it easy to protect them and their crucial stored data, files and information. 

The virtual security policies should be defined not only at the intersection of physical networks, but also between each VPN networks within server farms or even on individual servers. The unified threat management system must be implemented at the physical network perimeter and at the connection point for mobile and personal devices. Hence, configuring virtualization security is not an easy task.

Today’s virtualization security appliances must be prone to attacks like hyperjacking; exploits attacking vulnerabilities in hypervisor, management console, hypervisor and guest OS; security risks arising out of loss of separation of duties between security/network security and operations; and attacks on virtualized servers and web-facing applications. 

The internet security architecture should consist of different security layers that should work cooperatively with one another to dynamically detect, block, and report on malicious traffic while passing favorable traffic through as efficiently as possible. The appliance should be able to protect your organization from new, unknown threats often called zero hour threats.

Things To Check While Selecting VPN Firewall Appliance:

• A cloud-based URL reputation enabled defense that protects end-users from malicious web pages, while managing bandwidth and dramatically improving web throughput. 
• Ability to block unwanted email with 100% accuracy along with the viral, spam that mails often carries. The tool can recognize trojans regardless of the language, format, or content of the message and also check image-based spam or any data leakage. 
• A URL filtering service that blocks access to dangerous and inappropriate web sites in the workplace must capable to filter URLs on both HTTP and HTTPS.
• A powerful signature-based protection at the gateway against known viruses, trojans, worms, spyware, and rogueware 
• Tool should have capability to scan all ports and protocols and block attacks like malicious content, including buffer overflows, SQL injections, and remote file inclusions 
• The appliance should have ability to stay on top of the applications running on your network for high security and productivity and finding which applications that can be used within your organization 

Difference Between Hardware Firewalls And Software Firewalls

There are basically two types of firewalls:- 1.hardware firewalls, 2.software firewalls.

1. It is a physical device that is located between networks connections and the computers that are    operating on the network.
2. It is also known as personal firewall as it can be installed in the personal computers as well for domestic use.

Some use both of these firewalls uniquely for both of them covers a blanket of protection.

A hardware firewall is used only if there is a use of more than three computers that shares a particular Internet connection for home or for business transactions. It acts as a barrier between the Internet and all computers that have an internet connection within them. Though it vary in prices then also they are very cheap than the software firewalls.

A software firewall can also be referred as a ”personal” firewall as it is very unique for protecting individual computers not depending upon whose network it is based on. One thing must be kept in mind that if there is use of a dangle in a personal computer or laptop then the use of firewalls is a must. It must be a first process of safety measures for computer security. What is most essential is that with the introduction of firewalls also the computer is not fully secured, the use of anti viruses and anti-spy work products must be installed for total protection.

Basic Difference:-

1. Hardware firewalls is basically used for large scale industries whereas Software firewalls is used mainly for small scale retail industries.
2. Hardware firewalls is basically a physical device located between the networks and the computers having internet connection. A Software firewalls is mainly installed in personal computers.
3. Hardware firewalls is most cost-effective and therefore they are easy to purchase whereas Software firewalls are relatively costlier.
4. Hardware firewalls is mainly designed to prevent the outside intruders for blocking and getting access in your network, Software firewalls is designed to prevent intruders also but its scope is limited as it is only for a personal computer.
5. Hardware firewalls use various techniques whereas Software firewalls have a limited technique.
6. Hardware firewalls can be bought individually irrespective of that the Software firewalls have to be bought with a computer or with a system.
7. A Hardware firewalls can separate a computer from its process and A Software firewalls helps to separate only a personal computer system.
8. Hardware firewalls is not as hard as the out-going traffic whereas Software firewalls is comparatively far harder.
9. Hardware firewalls  is good at blocking direct intrusions or any deactivating codes, and Software firewalls is used basically for detecting Trojans and email viruses.
10. Hardware firewalls  is much more protective than the Software firewalls.

Both these two types of firewall is used for protecting computers in a big scale industries or for personal computer process. It is used basically in computers but it is not so protective as use of antivirus is still required.