Today, to enable businesses to operate quickly and seamlessly, it takes a sophisticated system to regulate and manage network performance. However, just because a network system is sophisticated does not mean that it is not prone to threats, such as cyber-attacks, that could damage the core system and result in an impacted operational performance.
Vulnerabilities in operational systems are often exposed and leveraged by hackers, malicious software and virus-infected applications which can be dangerous and harmful in a variety of ways, such as lost or corrupted data in an operating system. A compromised system may result in service interruption, which could impact a customer’s experience. Business productivity could also decline and it could cause damage to brand reputation and credibility of the company as a whole. At the end of the day, the business could lose many consumers that it had already fought hard to secure.
Network security services can protect systems from vulnerabilities and potential attacks from outsiders who may want to steal or harm data in your system. Network security services can also reduce the threats from intruders or malicious applications from invading systems. Another benefit of network security services is that the system can also be protected from natural disturbances such as earthquakes, fires, lightning and so forth.
A secure business system can provide advantages for consumers, as well as reliable services. Consumers will certainly prioritise working with suppliers who are able to provide the most secure products and services, so it is a worthwhile investment for any company. A security guarantee will allow consumers to settle on a single business enterprise more easily. Customers can be free from the threat of service disruption and this will bring a positive impact through increased interests in continuing to use the company’s products or services, which also drives loyalty. Gaining a customer’s loyalty is high on the agenda for many organisations as it underlines a company’s credibility, as well as provides a sound platform for future business.
Highlighted in Telstra’s Security Report 2016, there has been numerous security breaches in the US, announced by government departments in 2015, where significant amounts of sensitive, personal information had been stolen.
Cyber criminals typically target financial information linked to credit and debit cards, with high profile examples like Target (US) and Home Depot in 2014. However, there is a growing trend among cyber criminals towards stealing broader personal details, including healthcare information and identity theft, which has a higher impact and consequence than simply having to reissue a credit card. Full identity records, including healthcare records, are more attractive targets as this can sell for more than 10 times the price of credit card details in dark markets and as there are multiple opportunities to fraudulently claim for benefits in a user’s name (e.g. tax refunds or health insurance refunds) or build up debts on new loans/credit cards.
Of particular note, the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced two separate security breaches in April and May 2015. The earlier breach exposed basic job application data for 4.2 million people. All of these people were notified and offered to enrol in an identity protection program. The much larger breach, which was discovered in May, involved more sensitive personal information which was gathered for security clearance investigations for current, former and prospective federal employees and contractors. The breach included 19.7 million contractors and employee security clearance information and also 1.8 million “non-applicant” information whose personal data was included as part of the security clearance, e.g. spouses. A total of 21.5 million Americans had been compromised.
The IRS announced security breaches in May and August 2015, that 334,000 taxpayers had had their information compromised due to data theft. The thieves accessed the information by entering personal data, which included social security numbers, date of birth, tax filing status and address, which was previously stolen from other sources. This potentially allowed the thieves to claim fraudulent tax refunds in the future.
Since the breach, the IRS has been notifying all potential victims and offering free credit monitoring services and enrolling the potential victims in a program that assigns them a special ID number to use to file their tax returns. This was not the first time the IRS has been targeted by identity thieves. The IRS estimates it paid out $5.8 billion in fraudulent refunds to identity thieves in 2013.
As such, we know that systems can be penetrated or compromised by intruders and viruses if not well-protected. Companies, therefore, need to get protection from a qualified network security services provider. The harm caused by a network security breach requires great attention from companies. Especially when the business has system integration such as cloud computing, big data and mobile technology to provide improved services. The total potential loss resulting from an unsecured network is much higher than the cost of securing the network. It could even put your very brand or organisation at risk.
Good providers will need to provide three important stages in its security service:
- First, the supplier needs to provide services such as consulting, where customers would be briefed to obtain information about the benefits of their network security service, what type of service they will get and how to manage network security service so that the threat of damaging the system can be avoided. One type of consultation is to apply methods of system penetration, i.e. testing piloted directly by entering the system. Intruders and hackers designated as simulations commissioned to find the weak points in a system that can be a source of attack, compromising infrastructure, data and applications.
- After this process, the provider deploys an established network security system to help design and manage an operating approach based on the results of this testing. At the same time, the organisation should review and prioritise information to be transitioned.
- The final process is the management of the on-going security system. This process needs to include the day-to-day operational, diagnostic and maintenance as well as system updates.
A robust provider is capable of providing the full management system, where there is an on-going service, incident and security management to protect your infrastructure, data and applications. This service should also be scalable to ensure it can support a broad portfolio of consulting and professional services, covering multiple aligned domains.
(June, 2016)