Network Security Assessment Methodology

The best practice assessment methodology used by ambitious attackers and network security consultants includes four different high-level components:

Network discovery to identify IP networks and hosts of interest

Batch network scanning and research to identify potentially vulnerable hosts

Investigation of vulnerabilities and further manual network exploration

Exploiting vulnerabilities and bypassing security mechanisms

network security assessment

This complete methodology pertains to Internet-based networks that are blindly tested with limited target information (such as a single DNS domain name). If a consultant is commissioned to evaluate a particular block of IP domains, he or she will skip the initial network enumeration and begin mass network scanning and investigation of vulnerabilities.

Internet Host and Network Enumeration

Various discovery techniques are used to query open sources to identify hosts and networks of interest. These open sources include web and newsgroup search engines, WHOIS databases, and DNS nameservers. By querying these sources, attackers can obtain useful data about the structure of the target network from the Internet, often without actually scanning the network or necessarily directly researching it.

Initial reconnaissance is crucial because it can reveal hosts that are not properly fortified against attacks. While a determined attacker spends time identifying peripheral networks and hosts, companies and organizations concentrate their efforts on protecting obvious public systems (such as public web and mail servers) and often neglect unpopular hosts and networks.

It might be good for a determined attacker to also enumerate the networks of third-party vendors and partners who in turn have access to the target network area. Today, such third parties often have private connections to internal corporate network domains via VPN tunnels and other connections.

Key pieces of information gathered through initial discovery include details of Internet-based network blocks, internal IP addresses collected from DNS servers, insight into the target organization's DNS structure (including domain names, subdomains, and hostnames) and details of relationships between them. physical locations.

This information is then used to further evaluate the target network area and perform structured aggregated network scanning and research exercises to investigate potential vulnerabilities. Further discovery includes extracting user details, including email addresses, phone numbers, and office addresses.

What is Managed service delivery model

IT managers are under constant pressure to reduce costs while meeting operational expectations, security requirements, and performance improvement requirements. To solve this problem, they have a managed service provider, also known as an MSP, which they call a managed service delivery model.

MSPs take a holistic approach to IT services and offer a much higher standard than most organizations can achieve in-house. In addition, best-in-class providers provide customers with ongoing maintenance and management of their existing infrastructure and service with end-user support.

 

services delivery model

Why do you need it?

Today's IT managers are under tremendous pressure to keep costs low while meeting their business' performance, operational expectations and security requirements. Most financial experts recommend moving to predictable cost models such as managed services in these circumstances. Companies that provide these services are called Managed Service Providers (MSPs). The best time to meet with your MSP is when you set strategic goals for the future or deploy new services in your IT environment. In many cases, company employees may not have experience with new technologies or be unable to maintain new services or applications. Hiring contractors to provide services is more expensive when budgets are stagnant or tight and can provide less value in supporting a company's ever-growing performance goals. This generally applies equally to small businesses and large businesses.

The managed service model has evolved significantly over time and experienced providers have perfected their offerings. It is very effective for businesses such as:

Rely on your IT infrastructure to adequately support your daily business operations.

We do not have enough trained personnel or time to formally carry out proper maintenance, upgrades and repairs.

To provide a high level of service to your business, you want to pay a flat monthly fee for the service.

For most business services, IT supports the business engine. From software to hardware and the technology needed to keep services running, companies can invest significant capital to build and maintain in-house support staff. However, given the maturity of the managed services model and the transition to virtualization and the cloud, the need for onsite IT staff may be limited to exceptions where operational sensitivity is justified. To better predict IT costs amid uncertain requirements, companies may consider leveraging managed services specialists.

MSPs often price their services on a subscription-based model. Depending on the service you choose, pricing is usually based on the number of units priced for the different package categories. Some provide on-site customer support as needed. Basic services often start out as monitoring services that identify potential problems that you can fix yourself. At the other end of the spectrum, service providers offer comprehensive managed services that cover everything from alerts to troubleshooting.

Who works in a SOC

 

The SOC Network is comprised of exceptionally talented security experts and designers, alongside chiefs who guarantee everything is running easily. These are experts prepared explicitly to screen and oversee security dangers. In addition to the fact that they are gifted in utilizing an assortment of security apparatuses, they realize explicit procedures to follow if the framework is penetrated. 

noc vs soc

Most SOCs receive various leveled way to deal with oversee security issues, where investigators and specialists are sorted dependent on their range of abilities and experience. An average group may be organized something like this: 

Level 1: The main line of occurrence responders. These security experts watch for alarms and decide each ready's earnestness just as when to move it up to Level 2. Level 1 workforce may likewise oversee security apparatuses and run standard reports. 

Level 2: This workforce normally has more skill, so they can rapidly get to the foundation of the issue and survey which some portion of the framework is enduring an onslaught. They will follow methods to remediate the issue and fix any aftermath, just as banner issues for extra examination. 

Level 3: At this level, the workforce comprises of elevated level master security examiners who are effectively looking for vulnerabilities inside the system. They will utilize propelled risk discovery apparatuses to analyze shortcomings and make proposals for improving the association's general security. Inside this gathering, you may likewise discover masters, for example, legal agents, consistent examiners or cybersecurity experts. 

Level 4: This level comprises of significant level administrators and boss officials with the longest stretches of understanding. This gathering regulates all SOC group exercises and is answerable for recruiting and preparing, in addition to assessing individual and in general execution. Level 4s stage in during emergencies, and, explicitly, fill in as the contact between the SOC group and the remainder of the association. They are likewise liable for guaranteeing consistency with association, industry and government guidelines.

By what method can SIEM improve your SOC? 

SIEM makes the SOC increasingly compelling at making sure about your association. Top security investigators — even those with the most developed arrangements — can't audit the perpetual stream of information line by line to find malignant exercises, and that is the place SIEM can be a distinct advantage. 

As we've referenced, a SIEM gathers and composes all the information originating from different sources inside your system and offers your SOC group bits of knowledge with the goal that they can rapidly distinguish and react to inward and outside assaults, improve danger the board, limit hazard, and increase association-wide perceivability and security insight. 

SIEM is basic for SOC errands, for example, observing, episode reaction, log the board, consistent detailing, and arrangement implementation. Its log the board capacities alone make it a vital apparatus for any SOC. SIEM can parse through enormous groups of security information originating from a huge number of sources — in negligible seconds — to discover unordinary conduct and malignant movement and stop it consequently. Quite a bit of that movement goes undetected without the SIEM. 

The SIEM enables the SOC to arrange the logs and make decides that empower computerization and can definitely diminish bogus alarms. Security investigators are opened up to concentrate on the genuine dangers. Moreover, the SIEM can offer powerful detailing that assists with both measurable examinations and consistent necessities.

What is Firewall

Firewalls are a type of cybersecurity tool used to filter traffic on a network. A firewall can be used to isolate network nodes from external traffic sources, internal traffic sources or certain applications. Firewalls can be software, hardware, or cloud-based, and each type of firewall has its own pros and cons.

The main purpose of the firewall is to block malicious traffic requests and data packets while allowing legitimate traffic.

Different Types of Firewalls

Types of firewall

Firewall types can be divided into several categories depending on their overall nature and how they work. Here are 8 types of firewalls.

packet filtering firewall

Circuit level gateway

Stateful firewall

Application-level gateway (i.e. proxy firewall)

Next generation firewall

Software firewall

Hardware firewall

cloud firewall

Note: The last three bullet points list how to provide firewall functionality, not the type of firewall architecture.

How do these firewalls work? Which is best for your cybersecurity needs?

Here are some brief explanations:

Packet filtering firewall

Firewall architecture type

Packet filtering firewalls, the most "basic" and oldest type of firewall architecture, create checkpoints on traffic routers or switches by default. The firewall performs a simple inspection of data packets from the router. That is, it checks information such as destination and source IP address, packet type, port number, and other surface level information without opening the packet and examining its contents.

If the information package does not pass inspection, it is dropped.

The advantage of these firewalls is that they are not resource intensive. However, it is relatively straightforward, with no significant impact on system performance. However, it is relatively easy to bypass compared to firewalls with more robust control capabilities.

circuit level gateway

Another simple type of firewall, circuit-level gateways work by resolving Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) handshakes to quickly and easily grant or deny traffic without using significant computing resources. This TCP handshake check is designed to verify that the session from which the packet was sent is legitimate.

Although very resource efficient, these firewalls do not check packets on their own. That is, if the packet contains malware, but a valid TCP handshake, it passes directly. Therefore, circuit-level gateways alone are not enough to protect your business.

Status Check Firewall

These firewalls combine packet inspection technology with TCP handshake verification to create a higher level of protection than only one of the previous two architectures can provide.

However, these firewalls also put more strain on your computing resources. This can lead to a slower legitimate packet transfer compared to other solutions.

Proxy Firewall (Application Level Gateway / Cloud Firewall)

The proxy firewall works at the application layer to filter incoming traffic between the network and the traffic source, hence it is called an "application-level gateway". These are provided through firewalls, cloud-based solutions or other proxy devices. Instead of allowing the traffic to connect directly, the proxy firewall first establishes a connection to the traffic source and examines the incoming data packets.

This inspection is similar to a stateful inspection firewall in that it verifies both the packet and the TCP handshake protocol. However, the proxy firewall performs deep packet inspection to verify the actual contents of the information packet to ensure it is free of malware.

When the verification is complete and the packet's binding to the destination is confirmed, the proxy sends the packet. This creates an extra layer between the "client" (the machine from which the packet originated) and the individual devices on the network, preventing these devices from creating additional anonymity and protection for the network.

One disadvantage of proxy firewalls is that extra steps in the data packet transfer process can cause significant slowdowns.

Next generation firewall

Many of the most recently released firewall products are being touted as "next generation" architectures. But there isn't much consensus on what makes firewalls truly next-gen.

Some common features of next-generation firewall architectures include deep packet inspection (checking the actual content of data packets), TCP handshake inspection, and surface-level packet inspection. Next-generation firewalls may also include other technologies such as intrusion prevention systems (IPS) that automatically block attacks on your network.

The problem is that next-generation firewalls do not have a single definition, so this security

What is a security breach and how to avoid one

 

A security breach is any incident that results in unauthorized access to computer data, applications, networks, or devices. It leads to accessing information without permission. Usually, this happens when an intruder is able to bypass the security mechanisms.

security breach meaning

Technically, there is a difference between a security breach and a data breach. A security breach is an effective breach, while a data breach is defined as a cyber criminal escaping the information. Imagine a thief. The security breach is when he climbs into a window, and a data breach is when he grabs your pocket or laptop and takes it away.

Confidential information has an enormous value. It is often sold on the dark web; For example, names and credit card numbers can be bought and then used for identity theft or fraud purposes. Not surprisingly, security breaches cost companies huge sums of money. On average, the bill is around $ 4 million for the major corporations.

It is also important to distinguish between the definition of a security breach and the definition of a security incident. An incident could include a malware infection, a DDOS attack, or an employee leaving a laptop in a taxi, but if this does not lead to network access or data loss, it will not be considered a security breach.

Examples of a security breach

When a major organization has a security breach, it always hits the headlines. Examples of a security breach include:

Equifax - In 2017, a vulnerability in its website application caused the company to lose personal details of 145 million Americans. This included their names, Social Security numbers, and driver's license numbers. The attacks took place over a three-month period from May to July, but the security breach was not announced until September.

Yahoo - 3 billion user accounts were compromised in 2013 after a phishing attempt that gave hackers access to the network.

EBay experienced a major breach in 2014. Although PayPal users 'credit card information was not at risk, many customers' passwords were compromised. The company acted quickly to email its users and ask them to change their passwords in order to stay safe.

Dating site Ashley Madison, which marketed itself to married people wanting to have sexual relations, was hacked in 2015. Hackers continued to leak a large number of customer details online. The extortionists began targeting customers whose names had been leaked; Unconfirmed reports have linked a number of suicides to data breaches.

Facebook saw that internal software flaws resulted in 29 million users losing personal data in 2018. This was a particularly embarrassing security breach as the compromised accounts included the account of company CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Marriott Hotels announced a security and data breach that affected up to 500 million customer records in 2018. However, the guest reservations system was breached in 2016 - and the breach was only discovered two years later.

Perhaps most embarrassing, being a cybersecurity company doesn't make you immune - the Czech company Avast revealed a security breach in 2019 when a hacker managed to compromise an employee's VPN credentials. This breach did not threaten customer details but instead aimed to introduce malware into Avast products.

A decade or so ago, many companies tried to keep news of security breaches secret so as not to destroy consumer confidence. However, this is becoming increasingly rare. In the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires companies to notify relevant authorities of any breach and any individuals whose personal data may be at risk. By January 2020, the GDPR was only in effect for 18 months, and indeed, more than 160,000 separate data breach notices were sent out - more than 250 per day.

WHY SERVICE DESK IS IMPORTANT?

Service Desk is a ticket management system that allows enterprises to implement strong and effective work-flows for internal and customer-facing support departments.

IT Help Desk Services

The Support Ticketing Management System (also called as Service Desk or Help Desk Ticketing System or Remote Help Desk Support System), enables MSPs (though administrators and help desk staff) to keep track of tickets raised by users, attend to them, reassign them to appropriate department or organizations, and generate reports and more.

ITarian is a fully-featured cloud-based ticket management system that is a part of ITarian - a complete, scalable central IT management platform that includes Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM), Service Desk, Patch Management, Mobile/Endpoint security management, and other essential IT management tools for MSPs in a single, easily navigated console.

IT Help Desk Software

The ITarian Help Desk Ticketing System provides enterprises with a single point of contact for meeting communication needs of all departments- internal as well as customer-facing. A company, its customers, employees, business partners all would converge at the Help Desk and a strong and effective workflow would thus be maintained.

MSPs will be able to gain real-time visibility as issues develop and generate detailed reports based on a project timeline, assets, costs, ticket type, and staffing. Further, MSPs will be able to easily define service level agreements and configure ticket due dates, warnings, and billing to match. It also allows the administrators to set up auto-responder, knowledge base articles, and automatically assign tickets to departments/staff based on specific criteria

The Checklist for Managing a Help Desk for Business

Productivity and Accuracy — Ultimate Combo 

IT Help desk Services

A fruitful assist work area with encountering depends innovation as well as the nature of it's operators. While handling a call, an operator must be set up to comprehend and dismember an issue rapidly. The objective is to convey a proficient and precise reaction to fulfill the client's needs. The devices accessible to the specialist just as their preparation are basic to manufacture these significant abilities. 

Concentrate on Solving the Problem 

A specialist can encounter numerous circumstances during a call. This can make it simple to dismiss the first issue should have been explained. From the beginning, the specialist ought to pose inquiries to completely comprehend the issue and how the client needs it settled. Keep the issue to be tackled top of brain all through the call. This will improve the probability of an effective call and thus an upbeat client. 

Settle on Choices and Solutions Clear 

For an accomplished specialist, the decisions and arrangements can appear to be extremely clear. In any case, for somebody inexperienced with the ramifications of every decision, this can turn into an upsetting circumstance. While giving arrangements, the operator should spread out the procedure and results of every choice. By giving the client all the data, they feel all the more piece of the procedure and ready to settle on a more clear choice. 

Recap the Call 

"What simply occurred?" This is the exact opposite thing you need a client thinking when they hang up the telephone. Prior to completing a call, recap the bring in a short yet complete synopsis. Give the first issue they were calling about and the arrangement you gave. End by inquiring as to whether they have any inquiries. On the off chance that there is supporting data like a ticket number, give that to future reference. 

The Checklist for Managing a Help Desk 

This agenda may appear to be simple and that is the point. Your care staff can follow this simple agenda to guarantee an effective assistance work area experience. For exceptionally prepared operators, this agenda is natural for them. Be that as it may, regardless of whether you your group is running great, it is critical to search for help work area improvement thoughts. Ask your group how to improve help work area execution or improve administration work area proficiency. Specialists can be an extraordinary wellspring of new thoughts for IT administration work area. 

Regardless of your methodology — keep the principle objective top of psyche; giving a superior client experience. 

About Unicom Teleservices 

Unicom highly esteems giving top preparing to its live operators. Explicitly managing specialized assistance work area calls expects operators to be learned all parts of an item or administration's abilities. Our operators experience a half year of preparing before taking care of help work area calls. Our assistance work area redistributing administrations offer live operators 24/7/365. We never close. What makes Unicom extraordinary is our capacity to work inside an association's assistance work area stage. Rather than driving an organization to utilize an alternate arrangement, we effectively incorporate into theirs. 

We are a 24-hour replying mail organization situated in Chicago, Illinois. For a long time, Unicom has worked with organizations huge and little organizations. Basically demand a replying mail quote. Together we can decide whether there is a solid match to deal with your assist work area with calling calls.