Why Does Your Enterprise Need A Network Security Firewall?

Managed Threat Response

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July 14th  2:00 EST
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A network security firewall works as a barrier that will prevent destructive forces away from the computers on a network that’s behind the firewall. The network firewall is a lot like a physical firewall that prevents a fire from spreading from one place to another. Firewalls will protect against various security threats such as denial of service attacks, worms, viruses, and unauthorized remote logins.

 

What is network security firewall?

 

Firewalls are considered as network security systems that check and control the network traffic according to the predetermined security regulations. A firewall Myrtle Beach SC will create a barrier between untrusted external networks and trusted internal networks. Firewalls can either be host based firewalls or network firewalls. A network firewall will filter traffic between several networks and generally runs on a network hardware. Meanwhile, host-based firewalls can be operated on host computers. They work by controlling the traffic of the network both in and out of these machines.

 

Network security firewall is referred to as a security system that is created for stopping unauthorized access to sensitive network information. Firewall could e used as hardware or software and could separate a certain network as well as its data from an external network to keep the privacy of a certain network’s data. There many benefits linked with the use of a firewall in a network including its easy installation and high speed. Using a firewall for your network is relatively cost effective compared to securing every computer separately.

 

Types of Firewall Architectures

 

Circuit Level Gateways

 

A circuit level gateway is a simple type of firewall Myrtle Beach SC that is made to easily and quickly deny or approve traffic without taking up a lot of computing resources. It works by verifying the TCP or transmission control protocol handshake. This check is made to ensure that the session the packet came from is legitimate. Therefore, in case a packet will hold malware, but provided the appropriate TCP handshake, it will be approved. That’s why circuit level gateways alone may not be sufficient for protecting your business.

 

Next Generation Firewalls

 

Next generation architectures are the latest firewall products that were released. The common features include TCP handshake inspections, deep-packet inspection, as well as what they refer to as packet inspection on a surface level. Next generation network security firewalls may also include other kinds of technologies like IPS or intrusion-prevention systems that run to immediately prevent attacks on your network. However, there’s no single definition of what a next general firewall is and that is why it is crucial to check what certain capabilities like firewalls have before you purchase one.

 

Packet Filtering Firewalls

 

Packet filtering firewalls will make a checkpoint at a switch or a traffic router. Firewalls does a basic check of the data packets that comes through the router, checking data such as the destination as well as the origin of the IP address, packet type, port number as well as other surface level data without going to open up the packet to check its content. In case the information packet doesn’t pass the infection, it will be dropped. These firewalls are not resource intensive, and that is a good thing. They do not have a major effect on the performance of the system and these firewalls are simple.

The network security firewall market is increasing at a rapid pace because of different factors. Factors that promote the adoption of this industry are increasing demand for network security and privacy across the globe. Firewalls are the first line of defense and the protector against legal traffic and attacks that pass in and out of the network. Firewalls are crucial components that assist in protecting private systems of a home system, company, etc.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. and let our team of IT experts find the most effective firewall and cybersecurity measures that will protect your company against various online threats.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

Intelligent Endpoint Detection and Response

Intelligent Endpoint Detection and Response

Synchronized security allows you to layer your defenses and stop malware in its tracks, no matter where it is in your environment.

July 7th 2:00 EST
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Tens of millions of workers have been forced to work from home as the COVID-19 virus rampages around the globe.

That has naturally increased reliance on internet connectivity and disrupted a number of longstanding, well-established working routines. Some of the changes have been for the better, including not having to fight traffic during the daily commute, for example.

However, other changes have made it difficult to work effectively and efficiently. Until recently, no one has been able to study or precisely measure how those changes are impacting the legions of people currently working from home.

That is beginning to change. Recently a California-based tech firm called Fluxon published the results of a survey they conducted to get a better handle on how work behaviors have changed with so many people now working remotely. The results of the survey contain a number of surprises.

Here's a quick overview of the company's findings:

• Nearly one quarter (23.3 percent) of survey respondents reported feeling more disciplined and almost a third (29.6 percent) report that they are more creative working from home than they were in the office.
• Nearly three quarters (72.4 percent) of respondents reported that there have been challenges and difficulties with the transition, with the top ten problems survey respondents encountered being:
  • Technology/connectivity issues (50.6 percent)
  • Communication issues (39.6 percent)
  • Virtual Meeting issues (34.4 percent)
  • Lack of social interaction (32.5 percent)
  • Boredom (31 percent)
  • Difficulty collaborating with colleagues (29.9 percent)
  • Not enough face to face time with team members (26.3 percent)
  • Loneliness (25.1 percent)
  • Difficulty accessing company resources (19.1 percent)
  • Difficulty balancing work and home life responsibilities (18.6 percent)

Other issues included things like unproductive meetings, difficulty stopping or stepping away from work, insufficient workspace, and colleagues contacting workers outside of normal business hours. In addition to that, fully a third of survey respondents said they felt less disciplined and efficient since working from home.

The survey results are fascinating and clearly illuminate the challenges, opportunities and areas where working from home can be improved. Wise is the manager who takes these statistics to heart and uses them to make incremental improvements.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. and let our team of IT professionals set up the appropriate cybersecurity measures to protect your employees as they work from home.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

Credit Card Data Breach Affects Jewelry, Accessory Store

Claire's Jewelry and Accessories is the latest company to fall victim to hackers.

According to a recent disclosure made by the company, both the retail giant's main website, and the website of their subsidiary, Icing, were compromised.

They were hit by what appears to be a Magecart attack.

The company's disclosure reads in part as follows:

"On Friday, we identified an issue related to our e-commerce platform and took immediate action to investigate and address it. Our investigation identified the unauthorized insertion of code to our e-commerce platform designed to obtain payment card data entered by customers during the checkout process. We removed that code and have taken additional measures to reinforce the security of our platform.

We are working diligently to determine the transactions that were involved so that we can notify those individuals. Cards used in our retail stores were not affected by this issue. We have also notified the payment card networks and law enforcement. It is always advisable for cardholders to monitor their account statements for unauthorized charges.

The payment card network rules generally provide that cardholders are not responsible for unauthorized charges that are timely reported. We regret that this occurred and apologize to our customers for any inconvenience caused"

The attack apparently came just one day after the retailer closed down all of their brick and mortar shops worldwide as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the investigation to this point, the hackers were actively trying to steal customer credit card data between April 30th and June 13th, 2020.

If you or any member of your family has made a purchase on either the Claire's website or their subsidiary site Icing, be aware that your payment card information may have been compromised. Be sure to alert your credit card issuing company right away, and be on the alert for any suspicious charges that may appear on the card or cards used to make those purchases.

 

Call SpartanTec, Inc. today and let us help you set up the most effective cybersecurity measures to protect your business against potential data breaches.

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

Proactive Cybersecurity – Watch Out For Compromised Credentials

Many IT security teams these days are under pressure. With the decrease in human resources, the have to deal with a rising number and range of complicated threats and support the ground breaking digital transformation projects that could either make or break their organization’s fortunes. Given this uphill task, most cannot do anything but react to cyber threats as they come up, fighting so desperately in a cycle that seems to never end.

However, there is a much better way. By investing in a managed IT services and making it a part of a multi-layered cybersecurity approach, IT leaders could regain their control back. Keeping track of the deep, surface, and dark web for these compromised credentials can help them protect the company from the outside in; getting rid of the breach risk before it actually has time to take root and harvesting insight to create a more resilient and stronger cyber defense.

A New Cybersecurity Focus

Many organizations have a reactive security stance because of the pressures the IT security team faces during these modern times. Apart from that burden are the heterogenous and complex systems; IT skills shortages are expected to reach 350,000 roles in 2022.

The industry of cybersecurity has over time created a notion that you could block the threats at the perimeter, that with the appropriate tools set in place, cyberattacks can be prevented. This as provide several firms a false sense of identity.

Therefore, the key is not to totally depend on reactive cybersecurity. Once you admit that your business can be a target of cyberattacks, the focus must be shifted to preventing these attacks even before the hackers have had the chance to make money out of the customer and corporate credentials that were stolen.

Anatomy of a Security Breach

Knowing the lifecycle of the credential theft is the first step to mitigating the risk effectively. There are four stages that you need to know.

1. Gathering of the credentials through phishing, malware, DNS hijacking, and more.
2. Filtering and extracting the credentials are done through emails, FTP, IRC and other channels.
3. Stolen credentials are validated through bots and automated online account checkers.
4. The credentials are monetized by selling them via the cybercrime underground or utilizing them directly to hack corporate social network accounts, mass identity fraud, defacing websites, and more.

With the appropriate threat intelligence, IT security teams could mitigate the risks while the cybercriminals are still validating the credentials that have been stolen or even before they have extracted them fully.

Getting Rid Of The Blind Spots

Companies should already be using multifactor authentication. However, only a few businesses do and many are still using password based systems. If you are one of the latter, you should find ways to minimize the risk of credential theft.

That’s why it’s crucial for you to find ways to detect compromised credentials effectively. The appropriate kind of threat intelligence fees would search the deep, open, and dark web for stolen passwords proactively through the use of crawlers, sensors, honeypots, sinkholes, or a combination of any of them.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let our team of IT expert help set up the most effective cybersecurity strategy to protect minimize the risk of your business facing a cyberattack.

 

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

Issues With Internet Based Devices After Expired SSL Certificate

Recently, a number of Roku streaming channels mysteriously stopped working, leaving customers scratching their heads trying to figure out what went wrong.

After some research, Roku's support staff discovered that the issue stemmed from a global certificate expiration.

They advised impacted customers to update their certificates manually by visiting the company's website and following the instructions posted there.

Since Roku's announcement, both Stripe and Spreedly experienced similar disruptions that traced back to the same root cause. This issue has revealed a hidden flaw in the design of many, if not most Internet of Things devices, and many of them will ultimately suffer the same fate.

IoT devices are becoming increasingly popular, but unfortunately, making use of them is fraught with peril. Most have no security at all, and few have anything more than the most rudimentary security protocols in place and can be hacked with relative ease.

Worse, as this issue highlights, many IoT devices simply have no means of receiving updates automatically, which puts users on the hook to manually update every smart device they have in their homes.

Security researcher Scott Helme had this to say about the issue:

"This problem was perfectly demonstrated recently, on 30 May at 10:48:38 GMT to be exact. That exact time was when the AddTrust External CA Root expired and brought with it the first signs of trouble that I've been expecting for some time."

"We're coming to a point in time now where there are lots of CA Root Certificates expiring in the next few years simply because it's been 20+ years since the encrypted web really started up and that's the lifetime of a Root CA certificate. This will catch some organizations off guard in a bit way."

Heme notes that the next potentially significant date will be 20th September, 2021, when the CA certificates issued by DST Root CA X3 are slated to expire. If you have one or more IoT devices in your home, be aware, and be prepared to manually intervene when they stop working.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. if you the help of IT experts in securing your devices, network, and data. 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

This New Malware Is Hitting Exchange Servers To Steal Info

Protect Your Company Data Webinar
June 25 1:00 EST
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In late 2019, a new strain of malware called "Valak" was detected. In the six months that followed its initial discovery in the wild, more than 30 variants of the code were detected.

Initially, Valak was classified as a simple loading program.

As various groups have tinkered with the code, it has morphed into a much more significant threat, and is now capable of stealing a wide range of user information. That is, in addition to retaining its original capabilities as a loader.

Researchers from Cybereason have cataloged the recent changes to the code. They found it to be capable of taking screenshots, installing other malicious payloads, and infiltrating Microsoft Exchange servers, which seems to be what it excels at.

Most Valak campaigns begin with an email blast that delivers a Microsoft Word document to unwitting recipients. These documents contain malicious macro codes, which is an old, time-tested strategy.

If anyone clicks on the document and enables macros, that action will trigger the installation of the malware. Chief among the executables run is a file called "PluginHost.exe," which in turn, runs a number of files, depending on how the Valak software is configured. There are several possibilities here including: Systeminfo, IPGeo, Procinfo, Netrecon, Screencap, and Exchgrabber.

It is this last one that is used on Microsoft Exchange servers and is capable of infiltrating a company's email system and stealing credentials.

It is the extreme modularity of the malware's design that makes it a significant threat worth paying close attention to. Cybereason found more than 50 different command and control servers in the wild, each running a different strain of the software, and each with wildly different capabilities. However, they all share a common infrastructure and architecture.

Stay on the alert for this one. We'll almost certainly be hearing more about it in the weeks and months ahead.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let our IT team help you improve your cybersecurity measures.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

Making This One Mistake With Your Network Can DESTROY Your Business

Protect Your Company Data Webinar
June 25 1:00 EST
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A lot of businesses wait until something breaks before they fix it. And even then, they may take a “patchwork” approach to fixing the problem. They are reactive rather than proactive. Sometimes taking a reactive approach is fine, but other times, and depending on the circumstances, it can lead to even bigger problems.

When it comes to network security, for example, being reactive to problems can be downright dangerous. It’s not just hackers you have to worry about. There are power outages, data loss, equipment failure and more. In IT, a lot can go wrong. But if you’re proactive about cyber security, you can avoid many of those pitfalls.

Reactive IT support used to be the norm. Most network security specialists went to work after something went wrong. Unfortunately, some businesses still have this reactive mindset when it comes to their IT and network security. They have an “it won’t happen to me” attitude. The truth is that these are the people most at risk. It’s not a matter of if, but when. Hackers and cybercriminals are more active than ever.

Thankfully, proactive support is now the norm. More and more IT services and security firms have the tools and resources to protect you BEFORE the worst happens. So, why partner with an IT services company?

There are many reasons why it’s a good idea. One great reason that doesn’t often get talked about is that working with an IT services company is an added value for your customers. When they know you’re taking IT security seriously – and when they know their data is safe – their trust in you is boosted.

When you build trust, you build loyalty, and customer loyalty is getting harder to come by these days. Plus, happy, loyal customers are much more likely to refer you to others who may be in need of your services. That alone makes investing in proactive IT security worth it.

Here’s another reason why working with a proactive IT services firm makes sense: it’s MUCH easier than trying to do it yourself. Many small businesses simply don’t have the resources to hire an internal IT specialist or a team. Not only can that be very costly, but it’s also rarely practical. Think of it this way: if you hire an IT specialist to handle your network security, manage cloud backups and provide general IT support, then what happens when they take a day off or take a vacation?

Having a dedicated IT specialist on your team isn’t a bad thing, but they can be stretched thin very easily. You could be left with gaps in your support should anything go wrong. Suddenly, you don’t have anyone you can call. Working with a dedicated IT services firm solves these problems.

To take that a step further, good IT services companies are also great at catching problems before they become problems. They can catch things that might not have even been on your radar. For example, if your cloud backup service isn’t backing up your data correctly, or is backing up the wrong data, they’ll catch that. Maybe you’re saving data that’s not properly encrypted. They’ll catch that. Maybe you have an employee using software that’s months out-of- date. Again, they’ll catch that.

When you call up an IT services company and say you want to take a proactive approach to your network security, they should be willing and able to provide just that. An experienced firm will have a team with the training, certification and experience required to tackle today’s cyberthreats, while managing your network’s day-to-day needs.

They know IT because they live IT. They help with data recovery should anything go wrong; they are your help desk when you have questions or concerns and they keep your onsite malware protection up-to-date. They are tailored to your business’s specific needs. And as you grow, they adapt to your changing needs.

Put an end to the outdated way of thinking about IT security. It’s time to be proactive and to recognize your company’s vulnerabilities before they become vulnerabilities. You just have to make the call. Get in touch with SpartanTec, Inc. now and let us help you.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/