Countering Cyberthreats with a Whole Enterprise Security Approach

There has been a significant amount of focus on ransomware in recent years, and for good reason. In 2021, Fierce Healthcare stated that there was a 470% surge in ransomware attacks on the healthcare sector in 2020 compared to the previous year. Threat actors recognized the opportunity to exploit the chaos caused by the pandemic and specifically targeted a vulnerable area of the economy. Healthcare bore the brunt of these attacks, but no industry was spared. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported a rise of over 20% in ransomware investigations during that time and noted that ransomware payments increased even more rapidly. Furthermore, Security Magazine's more recent analysis reveals an ongoing increase in the ransomware threat, with more attacks, new criminal groups, and manufacturers becoming favored targets.

However, ransomware is not the sole threat to IT networks and the integrity of data. There are other types of attacks that aim to steal valuable information rather than encrypt it, and they pose a significant risk to businesses. According to the latest annual report from IC3, the FBI received 2,385 complaints related to ransomware, resulting in losses of over $34.3 million. Moreover, the Bureau dealt with more than 800,000 cybercrime complaints overall in 2022, with losses exceeding $10.3 billion.

Live, Full Picture

Protecting an organization's business and operational interests, as well as the safety of individuals and assets such as finances and intellectual property, requires effectively countering various types of cyber threats. Numerous cyber attacks display common characteristics and signs of compromise, such as the method of entry and path taken, movement within the network, and disturbances in regular communication patterns. It can be challenging to identify these without a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of all network assets and detailed information about each connected device. Therefore, it is crucial to adopt a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity that encompasses the entire enterprise in order to enhance threat prevention measures.

Exploiting Devices With Obsolete Systems Allows Rapid Network Traversal

This is particularly crucial when contemplating the increasing dependence numerous companies have on the Internet of Things (IoT) and connected technologies such as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), operational technologies (OT), cyber physical systems, and various other kinds of interconnected devices. Assailants are unconcerned about the specific devices an organization has implemented; their sole interest lies in the operating system it runs on. Unfortunately, numerous devices employ outdated and unsupported operating systems, making them highly susceptible to exploitation and facilitating rapid movement across the network towards their objective.

It is logical to adopt a comprehensive approach when it comes to cybersecurity. This approach involves the use of various resources and insights to enhance the security team's ability to identify unusual communication patterns and make informed decisions. This is the basis of Ordr's philosophy towards securing connected devices. We have devoted considerable resources to developing a platform that provides real-time information on an organization's connected devices and incorporates intelligence and automation for creating and enforcing policies. This platform also supports Zero Trust security initiatives.

Optimal Cybersecurity: Holistic Enterprise Approach For Informed Decisions

This is crucial because malicious individuals are focusing more on connected devices that are known for their lack of security, such as IoT, IoMT, OT, and other devices. These devices are either used as a way to launch attacks or as a pathway to infiltrate an organization. These threat actors are aware that if 20% of a company's connected devices are hidden from security measures, they are less likely to be detected and stopped. Consequently, their attempts are more likely to succeed.

7 Tactics For Fighting Back

In order to combat this danger, Ordr empowers users with seven essential functions in the battle against cyber assaults.

Recent Attacks Highlight Danger

Multiple recent, well-known threat campaigns demonstrate how these abilities and a comprehensive corporate approach to cybersecurity can aid in preventing or reducing the consequences of an attack. By taking advantage of weaknesses in Fortra's GoAnywhere managed file transfer software, Progress Software's MOVEit managed file transfer software, and the RDStealer tool aimed at remote desktop applications, threat groups were able to inject malware, including ransomware, into hundreds of companies and extract millions of data files containing sensitive personal and business information. Even in cases where attacks exploit previously unknown vulnerabilities to infiltrate network security without detection, the extraction of data itself can activate automated policy enforcement, lessening the impact of the incident.

Ordr plays a pivotal role in the overall cybersecurity plans of numerous leading healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, and other firms who acknowledge the potential risks associated with their increasing dependence on interconnected gadgets. With the aid of Ordr, these organizations are now able to OBSERVE, UNDERSTAND, and PROTECT their systems and information.

This blog post is sourced from the Security Bloggers Network and originally written by Srinivas Loke on the Ordr Blog. To access the original article, please visit: https://ordr.net/blog/countering-cyberthreats-with-a-whole-enterprise-security-approach/