Technology has the power to revolutionize your business, but it also opens your organization up to vulnerabilities. The more technology you implement into your IT infrastructure, the more potential vulnerabilities there are. To stay safe from cyber threats, it’s necessary to invest in cyber security solutions. However, even if you have security measures, like a firewall and antivirus software, how can you be sure your computer systems are secure?
How Do I Know My Computer is Secure?
The key to knowing if your systems are secure is to be aware of all the cyber threats that pose a risk to your company and to then mitigate those threats. A cyber threat refers to anything that could bring harm to a computer system or network. It is not the same thing as a cyberattack; rather, it represents the potential for an attack to occur. Knowing what cyber risks your organization is vulnerable to allows you to implement countermeasures.
There are a few ways to detect and mitigate cyber threats. One way is to perform a security and vulnerability test that identifies exploitable weaknesses in your network. However, we’re going to focus on a more immediate solution, an intrusion detection system (IDS).
What Is an Intrusion Detection System?
Also known as threat detection and response, this is software that is deployed on every user device. This software connects back to a centralized management platform for monitoring, administration, and reporting. Using big data analytics, this sensor examines large amounts of data to uncover hidden patterns, correlations, and other insights.
The information that’s gathered is used to detect anomalies in real-time, analyze their threat level, and determine what mitigative measures are required for a response. Such a system can discover threats before they can be exploited.
Types of Detection
A network intrusion detection system uses various methods to detect malicious activity. Signature, anomaly, and policy-based detection are the top three methods typically used to identify a threat.
- Signature-Based Detection: This is where the system monitors uniquely identifiable “signatures” that consist of well-known or previously identified network threats. If an attack is identified, the system blocks any further action.
- Anomaly-Based Detection: Anomaly-based detection recognizes unusual network traffic based on baseline performance levels. If unusual traffic is detected, it blocks further action.
- Policy-Based Detection: This requires system administrators to create security policies for the system to follow. If the network activity violates these predetermined security policies, the system is triggered and alerts the admins.
What Are the Benefits of Security Detection?
The biggest benefit of an IDS is the ability to find and respond to threats in real time. Since an IDS is able to comb through vast data sets, it can often detect threats that are missed by firewalls and antivirus software. Outside of identifying suspicious behavior, it gives users the ability to prioritize threats. This means you can rank threats, telling the system which threats need the most immediate attention.
Finally, a user can create alerts that trigger once suspicious processes, risky activities, or unrecognized connections are detected. Once an alert is triggered, the system admin can go in and do the following:
- Review Recorded Data
- Validate Threats
- Eliminate False Positives
- Ban Malicious Files
- Quarantine Infected Systems
- Perform Forensic Analysis
- Respond
How to Respond Once There’s an Incident
Ideally, your IT department deals with security threats before they can be used for nefarious purposes. However, that’s not always the case, which can lead to a disaster. In this situation, it helps to have a response plan your staff can follow to mitigate and recover from a cyberattack. Having a response plan can help minimize the possibility of a service outage, data loss, theft, or unauthorized access.
Secure Your Network With Net3 IT
When businesses in Knoxville, TN and surrounding areas require IT services, they turn to Net3 IT. We are committed to delivering cost-effective, high-value, enterprise-level IT. If you’re concerned about the security of your infrastructure, we have you covered. With our managed security services, we provide you with a tailored security solution that meets all of your needs.
Contact us today to learn more about the variety of IT services our team offers.
