Every day millions of computers are falling victim to new and advanced threats. The more serious of these are called Intrusions – in terms of computing, this is the act of compromising a computer system by breaking through its security. Unfortunately, the recent Solar Winds hack has provided cybercriminals with the access they need to successfully compromise networks by infecting the very tools used to keep them secure.
But these aren’t the only tools available.
With an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), small businesses can help to protect themselves from a variety of threats, and more importantly, detect and prevent intrusions to secure critical data and information systems.
The goal for us here at CLARK is to detect and prevent unwanted traffic on networks and devices. While security tools, such as antivirus programs are readily available to protect computer systems, their capabilities are limited when it comes to preventing unauthorized access.
Fortunately, there are a number of intrusion tools that have been created to track, monitor, comprehend, and detect unwanted traffic on a network or networking device. Because so many businesses are in danger of losing money or having private and confidential information exposed, network security has become important for all sizes of business. While I go into using Intrusion Prevention Systems more in this video blog, I wanted to highlight some aspects of it for you here.
The IDS is responsible for monitoring all of the data traffic inside a network, looking for malicious activities and policy violations. Intrusion activity or violations are collected centrally, with alerts sent to administrators, combining outputs from multiple sources to distinguish malicious activity from false alarms. These range in scope from single computers to large networks, with solutions available for any size business.
An IPS not only detects an attack, it takes the preventive action of responding to the attack, such as closing access points and configuring firewalls to prevent future attacks. In addition, they can be used to identify issues with security policies and internal challenges to them, deterring employees and network guests from violating the policy rules.
Both the IDS and IPS can be divided into two main categories. A Host Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS) monitors and evaluates the traffic before it reaches the network, while a Network Intrusion Prevention System (NIPS) monitors and evaluates packets before they enter the computer. Regardless of which is used, all traffic must pass through them before being allowed in, thus the process doesn’t affect performance.
Cybercriminals are clever, which is why we so often hear that it takes weeks or months to even detect a hack. With these threats out there, all small businesses should incorporate an Intrusion Prevention System into their network immediately. Please note, this is not a DIY project, properly setting up and configuring an IPS takes time and experience, so be sure to reach out to your IT provider to get the process started.
If you don’t have an IT Provider and have further questions, fill out the form below or give us a call for more information.
I left big business to start Clark Computer Services in 2003; not because I had a grand vision, but because I had three young children who needed their Dad around. Knowing I had to replace my salary, I went door-to-door visiting small businesses to introduce myself and ask if they needed IT support. I heard story after story from business owners and office managers about IT companies not returning calls and emails, grumpy technicians showing up late or not at all, and systems being down for days, weeks, and in some cases…months. I realized quickly that there was a clear and pressing need for reliable, honest, and professional IT support completed pleasantly and on time.
