<div>IT professionals can identify possible security threats and weaknesses, rank the significance of each, and prioritize mitigation strategies for attacks on IT resources by using the systematic threat modelling process.&nbsp;The main characteristic of a threat model is that it is methodical and structured, despite the fact that this broad definition may sound like a cybersecurity specialist's job description. Threat modellers follow a set of specific processes to completely understand the environment they are attempting to defend and find vulnerabilities and prospective attackers.&nbsp;Nevertheless, there is not a single canonical threat modelling procedure, and threat modelling is still, in some aspects, both an art and a science. Threat modelling builds on several prior security techniques, most notably the concept of "attack trees," which was created in the 1990s. Many people believe that the 1999 publication "The Threats to Our Products" by Microsoft employees Loren Kohnfelder and Praerit Garg was the first comprehensive account of threat modelling.&nbsp;However, it is critical to understand that there are several threat modelling frameworks and techniques accessible. Various models highlight different aspects, while others are specialized to certain IT specializations, such as models focused entirely on application security. <h2 style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Advantages of Threat Modelling</h2>&nbsp;When done well, threat modelling may offer a clear view of a software project as a whole, aiding in the justification of security measures. An organization's ability to identify known security risks to an application and make informed decisions about how to counter them is aided by the threat modelling approach. Otherwise, decision-makers could make hasty decisions based on little or no data.&nbsp;An application's or computer system's security posture can be explained and defended using guarantees that a well-documented threat model offers. Additionally, threat modelling is the most efficient technique to do the following when the development organization is serious about security:&nbsp; <ul><li>Identify problems early in the software development life cycle (SDLC).</li><li>Find design issues that code reviews and conventional testing methods might miss.</li><li>Consider novel assault strategies that you might not have before.</li><li>Target testing and code review to make the most of testing expenses.</li><li>Determine the security needs.</li><li>Fix issues prior to program release to avoid expensive post-deployment recoding.</li><li>Consider dangers that extend beyond common assaults to applications' particular security problems.</li><li>Prevent internal and external attackers relevant to applications by keeping frameworks up to date.</li><li>To determine the elements that attackers will try to compromise, highlight assets, threat agents, and controls.</li><li>To pinpoint possible attackers in connection to the system architecture, model the placement of threat agents, motives, skills, and capabilities.</li></ul>&nbsp;<h2 style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Phases in The Threat Modelling Methodology&nbsp;</h2>&nbsp;Each threat modelling technique has a unique set of phases; first, let us take a closer look at the fundamental logical structure of all these approaches.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The threat modelling process involves four broad steps:<ol><li>Disassemble the infrastructure or application</li><li>To determine the threats</li><li>Decide on mitigation and countermeasures</li><li>Rank threats</li></ol> We must discuss the specific methods that form the basis of threat modelling to comprehend what goes into each process. <h2 style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Threat Modelling Techniques</h2> What does it mean to disassemble an infrastructure or application? According to software developer Andrea Della Corte, decomposing an application is often characterized as "knowing the program and how it interacts with other entities. This includes creating use cases to understand how the application is used, identifying entry points to determine how a potential attacker might interact with the application, identifying assets, and determining trust levels, which represent the access rights that the application will grant to external entities.&nbsp;One way to break down an application is to create a data flow diagram. Early in the 2000s, the concept of a trust boundary—which indicates a point in the data flow where the data must be verified before the entity receiving it may use it—was included. This concept is crucial to utilizing data flow diagrams for threat modelling. These were initially created in the 1970s as a technique to visually depict the movement of data inside a programme or system as well as the locations where that data is changed or saved by different components.&nbsp;<h2 style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Threat Modelling Approaches and Frameworks</h2>The many organized techniques for threat modelling are typically referred to as methodologies or frameworks. There are many of them, but we will focus on the most well-known. 7 top threat modelling methodologies are mentioned below:<ol><li>STRIDE</li><li>DREAD</li><li>Trike</li><li>OCTAVE</li><li>NIST</li><li>PASTA</li><li>VAST</li></ol> <h2 style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Best Methods for Threat Modelling</h2> Whatever strategy you use, there are a few rules you should follow. The most important but often difficult task is prioritizing threat modelling while creating systems. A secure viewpoint will be built into your application or system if you can accomplish it from the beginning of a project, which will save you a lot of hassle later. Not seeing apps and systems in isolation from one another is yet another great practice. According to Michael Santarcangelo,"The result is a complete attack surface that the CISO can use to comprehend the whole threat portfolio throughout the organization if the various threat models are connected to one another in the same manner that the apps and components interact as part of the IT system." It is important to steer clear of frequent threat modelling blunders. The gist is this: do not get too caught up in the headline-grabbing dangers; remember that some of the largest unintentional risks are your users, and keep in mind that a threat model should be a dynamic thing that requires ongoing revision. <h2 style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;">Takeaway</h2>Regardless of the technology used, the threat modelling process should be redone whenever the application, IT infrastructure, or threat environment changes. As new threats develop, the threat model is kept up to date. Threat analysis takes time and effort. It is not a checklist exercise, but it is better to uncover and address a vulnerability before hackers do, and the threat modelling technique is the best approach to do it.<div><div><div id="_com_3" class="msocomtxt" language="JavaScript">

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Aftab Alam

Threat Modeling Through Security Partnerships

SaaS platforms are rapidly being employed for mission-critical applications by many enterprises. As a result, SaaS security is an important aspect of cybersecurity efforts.SaaS apps, on the other hand, are managed by a third party and are not under the authority of the business. How can companies control access and ensure that their applications and data are protected from cyber-attacks? Zero-trust is a viable option. It's a new security paradigm that, by default, limits access to everything and dynamically checks every connection based on the current security context, enforcing security regulations regardless of where users are or what application they're using.<h2 id="what-is-software-as-a-service-saas">What is Software as a Service (SaaS)?</h2>SaaS is a software delivery model that allows cloud providers to host programs and make them available to end-users via the Internet.Software companies usually use third-party cloud providers to host their apps. In some circumstances, cloud companies such as Microsoft or Amazon Web Services (AWS) offer SaaS directly. A software company that builds its own cloud infrastructure to host an application is a third option.A cloud-based distribution model is used for SaaS. The cloud provider (who may or may not be the application developer) hosts the application and related data on its servers, databases, network, and computational resources. Any device that is connected to the network can use the program. Web browsers are commonly used to access SaaS apps.As a result, businesses that use SaaS apps don't have to worry about installing and maintaining software. Users usually have to pay a monthly charge to use the software. Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) can be used to connect SaaS applications to other software.<h2 id="what-is-zero-trust">What is Zero Trust?</h2>Zero Trust is a theory that believes that a complex network's security is always in jeopardy from both external and internal threats. It aids in the organization and stratification of a comprehensive response to these threats. This is in sharp contrast to the classic perimeter security concept, which believes that bad actors are always on the untrustworthy side of the network and that trusted users are always on the trustworthy side. Zero Trust invalidates these assumptions, and all users are regarded as unreliable.<h2 id="how-does-zero-trust-security-work-and-protect-the-cloud-environment">How Does Zero Trust Security Work and Protect the Cloud Environment?</h2>A zero-trust architecture was created by John Kindervag in 2010 while working as a principal analyst at Forrester Research. It is a comprehensive framework that offers effective protection of an organization's most important assets. It operates on the assumption that every connection and endpoint is a potential danger. Even for those connections that are already inside, the framework defends against these dangers, whether external or internal. In a nutshell, a zero-trust network consists of the following components:<ul><li>All corporate network traffic is logged and inspected.</li><li>Access to the network is restricted and controlled.</li><li>It validates and protects network resources.</li></ul>To summarize, the zero-trust security model guarantees that data and resources are unreachable by default. Users can only have limited access to them under certain conditions, known as least privilege access. Every connection, such as when a user connects to a software or application to a data set via an API, is verified and authorized by a zero-trust security architecture (API). It guarantees that the interaction complies with the organization's security policy's conditional requirements. A zero-trust security strategy also uses context from as many data sources as feasible to verify and approve every device, network activity, and connection based on dynamic policies.Organizations must connect information from each security domain to successfully deploy a zero-trust architecture. Across the firm, security teams must agree on priorities and access regulations. They must safeguard all business connections, including data, users, and devices, as well as applications, workloads, and networks. This architecture necessitates a well-thought-out strategy and roadmap for implementing and integrating security measures to achieve certain business goals. Adopters must do the following to make a zero-trust model work:<ul><li>Commit from the top down.</li><li>All IT and data assets should be cataloged, and access privileges should be assigned based on responsibilities.</li><li>Fix some of the most common flaws.</li><li>For a data-centric strategy, classify the data.</li><li>Segment networks to avoid lateral movement, which is a common cause of data breaches.</li><li>During virtual machine and cloud server cross-movement, isolate and safeguard workloads.</li></ul>From the outside, it may appear to be a limiting process. However, a good deployment of a zero-trust model can help the security team get context and insight into a fast-evolving attack surface as well as improve the user experience.<h2 id="how-to-protect-saas-applications-using-saas-security-posture-management-sspm-and-zero-trust">How to Protect SaaS Applications Using SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) and Zero Trust?</h2>SSPM (SaaS Security Posture Management) is a new security category that can automatically assess a SaaS application's security posture, detect weaknesses, and assist administrators in implementing secure setups. SSPM's major purpose is to keep data safe and prevent unwanted access to SaaS services.Complex setups are common in SaaS services, and default settings are frequently insecure. A business can't rely on its users to remember to utilize secure configurations all of the time. Even if configurations may be applied centrally, administrators find it difficult to master each SaaS service's user interface and check configurations regularly. In a large company with hundreds of SaaS applications, this can be very difficult.Continuous monitoring and visibility into vulnerable setups across all SaaS applications utilized by a company are provided by SSPM technologies. They can also make recommendations for security improvements and, in some situations, automatically fix vulnerable configurations.Every user is verified and authenticated using a combination of authentication methods in the zero-trust security model (multi-factor authentication). Limiting and monitoring network traffic is made easier, and credentials are protected using layered and secure authentication. Devices remain password-protected, and only authorized individuals have access to them.IP allow-listing and location-based geofencing can also aid in tighter network access control. The flexibility and cost-effectiveness of zero-trust security in cloud-based architecture are greater. Organizations of all sizes can use a zero-trust approach to protect the cloud while avoiding the need for on-premise hardware.<h2 id="how-to-enforce-zero-trust-security-across-saas-applications">How to Enforce Zero Trust Security Across SaaS Applications?</h2>In a world with zero trust, access policies are often set by determining who is attempting to access a system (authentication) and what access and privileges they should be granted (authorization).Single sign-on is a practical approach to putting up this identity-centric security solution (SSO). In this sense, SSO refers to the process of maintaining identity across numerous platforms. For example, with a consistent authorization policy, a user can have only one user account and use it to access all of an organization's systems, both on-premises and in the cloud.<h3 id="using-single-sign-on-sso-to-guarantee-zero-trust">Using Single Sign-On (SSO) to Guarantee Zero Trust</h3>SSO integration is currently supported by the majority of SaaS providers, allowing enterprises to centralize identity management rather than build a separate store of identity data. When choosing a SaaS solution, make sure it supports SSO in a way that makes sense for your identity management system. Some SaaS suppliers charge for SSO integration, while others require costly bundle updates to enable particular functionalities.To be effective, an identity management system must take into account the enterprise's dynamic character. Employee access requirements fluctuate as jobs change and people come and go. Connecting your identity management system to an HR system that serves as a trustworthy source of employee roles and responsibilities is one method to overcome this challenge. Personnel changes in the HR system are automatically propagated to the SSO provider, and permission decisions are automatically implemented into the integrated SaaS application once the two systems are live.<h3 id="access-is-granted-based-on-the-security-context">Access is Granted Based On the Security Context</h3>The choice to give access depending on the status of a connected endpoint is another crucial component of a zero-trust architecture. The security team must take into account not only the identification of the user but also the larger security context, such as the device's health.Each connection request is analyzed in a zero-trust environment. The sort of data an individual accesses or the type of activity they want to perform is compared to the security policy via access control systems. The connection may be blocked or accepted depending on the context, such as the user's device, current location, time of day, and authorization policies.Integrating your SSO provider with your endpoint IT or secure proxy is one way to accomplish this. When a user attempts to log into an application, the provider verifies their identity and checks their level of access. Before providing access, it verifies with the endpoint agent to ensure that the device's health is acceptable.<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>In this article, I covered the basics of zero trust and how it might help SaaS security:<ul><li>By offering a standard platform for remote user access and authorization, zero-trust can improve cloud security.</li><li>Security posture management (SSPM) systems for SaaS applications can help provide granular access control within apps, ensuring that users are not given excessive rights.</li><li>SSO integration, in particular, helps ensure that the same authentication and authorization policies are implemented across the hybrid environment with zero trust access control.</li></ul>I hope you find this information useful as you consider whether or not to employ zero trust in your cloud applications.

UMAR NABI

How Will Zero Trust Change SaaS Security?

How to Improve SD-WAN Security?

How To Build Safer Virtual Worlds in the Web 3.0 Era?

Modern industry and society are increasingly reliant on software. As a result, customers have grown accustomed to receiving immediate satisfaction. As a result, companies are focusing more on innovation and getting products to market faster. Businesses that cannot compete in the hyper-competitive market of speed-to-value will be left behind.However, quick software delivery comes with a higher risk. As a result, businesses are reducing time to market, which has led many to switch from a waterfall to a DevOps strategy. In this strategy, security cannot be a gate at the end of the development process but must be a part of it, or security as code. You're employing security as code when you extend security into the stage of development and automate security checks at every code change. It reduces deployment times and ensures that security checks are not missed. Security as code will become increasingly important as the world prioritizes speed.<h3 id="what-is-security-as-code">What is Security-as-Code?</h3>Teams have been working in silos, whether they are developers, operations, or security. Previously, the Dev and Ops teams worked independently, giving birth to DevOps, where both Devs and Ops could handle some of each other's work. Now is the time for DevOps and security teams to collaborate, bringing some of the DevOps attitude, concepts, and agility to the forefront of security. In addition, security must be integrated into the whole pipeline, beginning with development and deployment from code to cloud.As a result, security isn't an afterthought; it doesn't arrive at the end of the development process, it's non-intrusive, and doesn't stifle or slow it down. In addition, Security-as-code aims to break down divisions between Ops, Dev, and Security teams so that everyone is security-conscious and collaborates rather than competes.<h3 id="what-are-the-fundamentals-of-a-successful-security-as-code-program">What Are The Fundamentals Of A Successful Security-As-Code Program?</h3>Assign specific ownership and responsibility.The first rule requires a focus on ownership and responsibility and an internal structure that can map individuals and roles to specific challenges. It can be challenging to define ownership or control, particularly in large enterprises with several territories, jurisdictions, divisions, or teams. However, defining and maintaining roles is critical to simplifying security and risk management throughout an organization.Design &amp; Manage Codified ControlsThe second concept is the creation and administration of control objectives to solve the set of discrete problems listed. It's ideal for keeping the defined rules distinct from the code that will regulate the application and cloud services. This allows security policy to function autonomously and adapt to new demands without the participation of developers. Create policy material that is precise enough to fulfill cloud control criteria and the capacity to manage a rising inventory of codified intellectual property. These are the pillars of a successful Security-as-Code program.Implement A Complete Set Of Cloud Security SafeguardsThe last concept includes switching from a security and risk strategy that uses a single control plane to one that uses APIs to inject security into as many sections of the SDLC process as possible. This complete solution allows for implementing cloud security guardrails throughout development, within CI/CD pipelines, and during runtime to identify risks related to drift, attack, and abuse. Additionally, organizations will continually audit cloud services and workloads for security, resilience, and regulatory compliance and develop a single framework for visibility, control, and collaboration across multi-cloud environments. Finally, a robust basis for ensuring the usage of public cloud services is provided by agile and automated policy enforcement inside dynamic workflows.For most firms, Security-as-Code represents a considerable cultural and technological transformation. It necessitates changes in people, processes, and technology that may be diametrically opposed to current techniques and disruptive in the early implementation phases. On the other hand, Security-as-Code is required to protect against the growing complexity of public cloud usage. While such a program needs careful consideration and transparent leadership, it has been shown to produce significantly better results than standard security measures.<h3 id="safeguarding-the-sdlc-with-security-as-code">Safeguarding the SDLC with Security as Code</h3>When you use Security as Code to protect your SDLC, you're supporting a culture shift in your organization that values security over needs, allowing for more chances to automate security.Here are some best practices for making sure your SDLC is secure with Security as Code:Evaluate security needs early and codify them -Security as Code is a strategy that demands DevOps stakeholders and team leadership to systematically prepare for security with a codified set of practical solutions that automate or must be implemented across the SDLC.Create user scenarios and conduct a security audit -User stories are an agile approach that encourages developers to review feature needs from the end user?s perspective. This ensures that no crucial elements are overlooked mistakenly. For establishing a SecDevOps environment, the same must be done for security.Check that the code is suitable for continuous delivery -Security checks and tests are performed early and too frequently, ensuring that software projects are ready to meet the demands of continuous delivery because security is automated across the development process and infrastructure.Automate regular compliance checks -Along with security scans, it's critical to conduct compliance checks to verify that your development adheres to regulatory requirements and industry best practices.In the test environment, finalize security-related tasks -By the time the product reaches the testing team, much of the compliance and security has already been taken care of through automation during the development phase. Using tools and resources like those provided by BMC, development teams may fine-tune and optimize application security and compliance.<h3 id="bottom-line">Bottom Line</h3>Shifting left helps organizations uncover faults faster, and the harm and expense of repairing them is lower than when developers launch an application or after it's delivered to production.However, the need for speed makes security by design more challenging. DevOps teams are responsible for quickly validating security needs. "Security as code" can help with this since it helps to automate the secure deployment process, making it faster and easier.I hope you will find this piece of writing helpful. Also, please drop your valuable feedback in the comment section below.

Yash Modi

How to get Security-as-code right

When J.C.R. Licklider of MIT was writing his memo and talking in August 1962 discussing his "Galactic Network Concept," he projected a globally interconnected computer set. I'm not sure he was expecting the numbers we have presently. With the number of devices joining the internet space growing daily, it would be hard to have an exact figure of devices connected to the Internet. What is unquestionable is that the numbers are increasing daily.With the number of people using the Internet growing, many firms are moving their activities online. The convenience created by the Internet, breaking of geographical barrier, reliable and fast delivery of goods and services introduced by the Internet has made it something the world cannot live without.Nowadays, businesses are not measured by how big their stores or warehouses across the globe are but by how visible they are online. However, that is not to say there aren't issues with the Internet. It's undeniable that there is a major crisis of users' security and privacy over the Internet. There are many security vulnerabilities associated with the Internet. Hardly a week can pass without significant security breaches on the Internet.A security breach is one of the significant problems associated with using electronic devices and the Internet. Victims of this suffer various degrees of damages ranging from having their details compromised, loss of valuable data, money, and identity to those with malicious intentions. Most of these damages cost people their lives and have made many bankrupt. One of the most common ways hackers break into computers or steal people's identity is by guessing the user passwords.Passwords are the most commonly used authentication system in the world, and when an attacker can guess your correct password, the system assumes the person to be you and grant such person access.The loss of identity, money, and valuable information due to weak or easy to guess passwords has made users more concerned about creating a strong password. To make a password not something that an intruder can easily decode, many companies/agencies set some specific criteria that the password must follow before it can be accepted as a password. The most common rules are:1. It must not be a dictionary word (it must not be something that can be found in the dictionary).2. It must be Alphanumeric (It must contain both Alphabet and Number).3. It must have at least a capital letter and a small letter.4. It must be at least eight letters.5. It must be changed after 3 months maximum.All the rules are to make your password a strong password and something that will be uneasy for an attacker to guess. The major problem associated with a strong password is that users do not always remember the password due to the combination of many things in setting up the password. Many of those who have a strong password are guilty of penning it down or saving it on their system in plain text, violating the password policies.The major weakness of the strong password isn't the one stated above, but the false sense of security it gives users. The feeling that "My password is strong and you cannot crack it." Most of those who have the "strong password" have just one, and they make use of the same on every system that requires authentication.Take a scenario: an intruder wants to access your Gmail account, but due to your password's strongness, an intruder couldn't guess the right keys. The intruder needs to create forms that match your interest and lure you into signing up for such a site (for example, if you are a football lover, a football trivia site can be developed by the attacker and share the link with you to register). People often unintentionally drop details to the attacker without even realizing it.The attack method is on the rise against a strong password, and a lot of people are falling victim to it. The best way to prevent such is to be careful and1. Avoid using the same password for untrusted sites2. Don't use the same password for recognized sites (like Facebook, Gmail, Amazon) with unknown sites3. After you register with an untrusted site, immediately change your original password.4. Separate work details (email and password) from other sites that are not for work purposes.Remember that security isn't meant for the IT officers alone. You also need to be security conscious, be aware, and stay and alert.

Olatunji Ayobami Peter

The Weakness of a Strong Password

Network security has been a hot topic for quite some time now. Whether small or large, every business invests a huge sum of both time and money on it. Almost every company now has a specialized team to deal with this aspect.But what exactly is network security, and why is it so important. Let's find out. What Is Network Security?The word network security is an umbrella term covering several processes, devices, and technologies that help ensure user privacy over a network. In other words, it is the defined set of rules that are meant to prevent internet users from unintentional online activities. It is one of the most important parts of the online world and a must to follow for every organization, regardless of its size. It is also necessary to prevent the issues of activities like Phishing, clickjacking, and brute force attacks that can compromise privacy.Usually, companies will have specialized software/hardware components to ensure their network security. Many of them are also deploying specialists to test its security and strengthen it. They may also use multiple firewall networks and an innovative authentication system for this part. Utilizing a multi-layer build for the website, and security is also a preferred method. With this method, the company will know about cybercrime activities much before the hacker gets access to the system data.Why Do We Need Network Security?The most straightforward reason for this rising need for network security is the increasing dependency on the internet. Almost every activity from banking to a simple bill payment has now moved to digital modes, creating more hotspots to acquire user data to harm them. According to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2019/08/20/data-breaches-expose-41-billion-records-in-first-six-months-of-2019/#2eaf6821bd54">Forbes</a>, these breached exposed over 4.1 billion within the first six months of the year 2019.They are using this dependence as an opportunity and are developing improved tricks that are unbeatable by the standard practices. The hack can also compromise the IT sector of your company, releasing all your confidential data. It can be a threat to both your employees and your companies' reputation. In many cases, the hacker can also use your private data to threaten you or blackmail you. Not to mention the risk of using your system to spread a virus or trigger illegal activities.The risk is even greater for companies that use a cloud-based system. They can lose both their business and their client due to these hacks. A lot of companies in recent years have had to face lawsuits after the hackers use their system to get user data and misuse it. So, if you don't want to end up with your data on a public platform or in the hands of a cybercriminal, you have to focus on network security.Network Security TypesThere are multiple ways to get access to a server and acquire secure data from it. The hacker can use conventional methods like Phishing, click-jacking, or go on to brutal methods like manually malware installation. They can even do it through a system connected to your network.Using a secure network and software like VPN can be a great way to shut them out, but they cannot always protect you. These applications can mask your system, but there are still many ways to find and get inside it. The worst part is that each of these risks even applies to your smartphone and clusters. Even these modern systems need an external application, and advanced protocol to protect them.Therefore, you have to deploy multiple security measures to ensure full security. The following are the four main types of network security sections that you have to consider.Network Access ControlOften the network owners don't set a protocol for the access level of their network. They offer full access to anyone connected to their network, which in turn makes them an easy target. Anyone in their network can easily upload a virus or hack into the system without much effort.Therefore, control the network access level your user has while using your network. Let's understand this with an example. Let's suppose that you are an agency owner with a team of say 40-50 people working on your website. Now, 10 of these people are freshers and don't have to upload anything online. The next 35 are your trusted employees who mainly add data to your agency site. Then there are the four managers who check the website and make changes to its UI as required. Finally, the last user is the site owner (you) who takes care of payments and other functions.Now, in this network, the freshers don't need network access. Everything they do will go to the experienced employees for a check. The next 35 employees need to add data so they will need network access but to a minimal scale. On the other hand, the managers will need considerably more writes while you will need all the rights. Therefore, when you create the network, you have to define terms and create categories according to this network access requirement.It will ensure that even if the lower level gets infected or hacked, the upper level will be safe. Therefore, even if a hacker gets through one of your employees, he/she will not get the administrator rights. They may be able to add data or make changes, but you will still be in power and have a chance to shut them.Installing a firewall to separate trusted devices and non-trusted devices is also an important measure. It will ensure that even the non-compliant devices can access your network without any safety issue. Other than the measures, you can also block malicious sites and tools on your network.App SecurityThe application that you create for your organization is also a part of your network. It means that if a hacker can use it to get inside your network and compromise our data. The hacking process will become even easier if the application doesn't have an integrated security protocol or has a lot of bugs.Hence, you must take every possible precaution while developing and deploying your application. You also need to ensure that the app stays up to date and gets regular bug fixing. Email SecurityEmails are a significant security risk for any network. They are the base of hacking tricks like Phishing, malware infections, scams, and many more. The hackers can also design the email to look authentic so that the user himself provides the credential without suspecting anything.Therefore, you should never access an email without taking preventive measures. For instance, you can train your network member to differentiate between authentic and malicious emails. It is also ideal to employ a malware software check before opening the email.Antivirus programsEmails are not the only source of infection. It can also happen through an online link, website, or a physical drive. Once infected, the system will not just harm itself but infect all the other systems in the network, and before you know about it, the whole network will lose its security. Malicious codes can also cause harm, like data deletion, system overload, and slow processing.The simplest remedy for this part is to install antivirus software on your devices. This program will check every device and website as soon as it connects and detects malicious software before your system gets infected.Network Security KeyThe network security key refers to a digital signature or a password that secures your Wi-Fi network. Anyone who wants to access the wireless network will have to enter this key before they can connect with your network. It helps you to ensure that your connection is safe and controlled.The following are the three types of network keys that you can use for your network.WEPWEB keys are passcode types of network keys that you can create using 0-9 numeric values and A-F alphabets. It generally has a length of 10,26 or 56 characters and lets you encrypt the sent and received data. However, they are not that secure and last preferable for any secure network.WAP/WAP 2WAP is the next generation network security key that uses a word or passphrase for securing your network. These keys don't have the restriction like the previous and can work with any type of input. They are also better because the user can set and reset it anytime.Some of the routers have gone even further than the WPA and use a newer version called WPA2. This network key uses an AES algorithm and offers unmatched security. It is highly recommended for heightened security.Network Security During COVID-19The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has affected almost all aspects of life, and network security is no different. With this pandemic at its height, more and more people are moving towards digital mode for shopping, jobs, banking, investment, and a lot more. The users are relying on the internet more than they did before.In such a scenario, even a minor glitch in your network security can compromise millions of users in an instance. It's a huge risk that no company is willing to take. Hence, almost all of them are moving toward better security solutions like AI.This technology offers a self-developing nature, which helps it learn from past cases and detect error possibilities even before they occur. It can also automate the whole threat detection system and even detect the already present threats in your system. The technology can also help speed up the recovery in case of an outbreak to minimize your downtime.The General Data Protection Regulation, which is the core of Europe's digital privacy, has also made some amendments to secure users during this critical time. Here's a list of changes it has introduced.<ul><li>The information that the organization collects from the user for monitoring COVID-19 status will fall under personal data.</li><li>If an organization wants to collect data from an individual, they have to be clear with their purpose and collect data only for that specific part and nothing else. For instance, if they need data for classifying people into safety zones, asking about their travel history and questions about their health will be enough.</li><li>The organization that wants to collect personal data related to COVID-19 will need a legal basis for it.</li><li>Any organization that has added data collection categories in their online form will have to update their privacy policies.</li><li>In case the organization has to disclose an individual's data, they have to ensure that minimal information is released.</li></ul>Wrapping UpThe safety of internet users is the priority of every network owner. They have to ensure that no one can access their network using a back door or a weak point and extract critical data. Companies like Norton, Cisco, and Symantec have spent years preparing and perfecting applications to prevent breaches. They have tons of spyware, malware, antivirus, and firewall systems that you can deploy to protect your network. These companies are also taking steps to integrate AI and ML in the application to predict unauthorized activities.Their application and the knowledge from this post will come in handy for dealing and preventing data breaches. Use them wisely.

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