It’s best to acknowledge that there are never any guarantees: there’s always a chance you could encounter a security breach, but in most cases, it’s preventable. There are tools by which every user, every business, and every network can benefit and protect themselves from such breaches. However, the types of tools vary, and in many cases, people are only willing to start with a few, since they take time and money to implement.
As is the case with so many preventive measures, people seem most keen on them only when things have gone awry. However, despite all that, there are five in particular that prove exceptionally crucial for any user. Those five tools are listed below, along with how they help you defend yourself against possible breaches.
Perimeter Tools
One of the most basic and fundamental tools to utilize in cybersecurity are those tools that protect the perimeter of your endpoint or of your network: the most commonly known of these tools is the firewall, which only allows certain data or programs through when no threat is identified within that traffic.
Other perimeter tools to consider when building out your cyber defenses include URL filters, which bring additional protection to your browsing experience by filtering out access to potentially harmful sites. Even spam filters in your email (and other such gateways) can be considered perimeter tools, as they all serve the same purpose: gatekeeping where you need it most.
Data Mapping and Network Mapping Software’s
One of the most preemptive ways you can protect your network is by mapping it out: there are software’s that allow you to notate every endpoint, every connection, every user interface that serves as a part of your network. Whether you’re investigating the online parts of your infrastructure, or simply the on-premise devices, this mapping practice helps you identify all the “moving parts” of the system as a whole, and in turn, become away of any doors left ajar, so to speak, be they from unpatched software or unprotected endpoints.
The same goes for data mapping, too. If you are unsure about exactly where your sensitive data is going or where it comes in contact with places in the network that might be less secure, it’s a good idea to map out that data flow and to determine in what ways you can fix it, as well as where you need to continually fortify your network.
EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response)
One of the tools that serves the most when talking about prevention of breaches is the EDR, or the endpoint detection and response platform. Tools like the EDR are designed to find and identify intrusions into your system, and to act accordingly by responding automatically to these: they can isolate network segments, run antivirus protocols, and flag you for further action. You’ll not only be in the loop 24/7 with an EDR in place, though: you’ll also be able to experience the benefits of endpoint threat hunting.
With a robust EDR, you can use threat hunting as a tactic to suss out potential dormant threats in your network long before they’re an issue. Threat hunting is the proactive search for threats on a network — meaning it happens before the threats are detected by regular means. This proactive practice is essential to having the utmost protection against cyber threats, which become increasingly more sophisticated and harder to detect upon first entry.
SIEM (Security Information and Event Management)
The way that your system behaves is an important factor in determining whether you have something to worry about. As such, it’s crucial that you gather that information in one place, and make it available for analysis. That’s what SIEM is for. SIEM, or security information and event management, is a type of platform that collects data from within your network and its many devices to correlate and predict events that sometimes go unnoticed by other means.
The name of the game here is trends: SIEM platforms utilize the data to form trends that they can base their analyses on, and in any case where the trends indicate a possible issue, can notice attacks early, and in many cases, even stop them from continuing altogether.
Vulnerability Auditing Tools
Whether it’s penetration testing, daily device health scans, or a general vulnerability scanner, there are numerous tools that fit the need of having to find out what might already be wrong with your security posture. Such auditing is essential, of course, because in identifying actual vulnerabilities with a test or audit, you can be all the more sure that your possible problem areas are confirmed with “test threats” and the like.
While using a vulnerability scanner will help identify the common vulnerabilities that are present in your own network, penetration testing is useful in identifying how an attack could make it through those openings, as well as others.
It’s not essential to have every tool you think of when building your security approach. In fact, in most cases, that’s not a feasible approach at all; that’s why it’s better to focus on the tools that are absolutely vital in protecting against the threats that are most likely. You can use the above tools to do just that, building your defenses in a sensible, holistic way that accounts for various methodologies and weakness types, and making it all the more difficult for anyone to commit a breach on your network.
