Examples of typical and active cyber security threats in 2022
- Ransomware attacks: Ransomware is malware that blocks access to the system or data until a ransom (a form of payment) is paid. This type of attack is one of the most common and active cyber threats in 2022.
- Spear phishing: Phishing attacks typically involve randomly sending emails to large numbers of people with malicious attachments or links. Spear phishing takes this process further by targeting specific individuals within an organization rather than anyone who might visit their website, making it more likely to open the attached file or click on the link later on down the line.
- Cryptojacking: Cryptocurrency mining has become very popular recently due to its high-profit margins, but doing this requires considerable computing power, which means it can slow down your computer significantly if you’re not careful about how much processing power you give away when you’re browsing websites online without installing any anti-cryptocurrency mining software first (and there are plenty available).
- Vishing: This is calling people up and pretending to be someone in authority (like a bank or police officer) who requests information such as passwords or account numbers over the phone.
- Social engineering: This is using someone’s natural curiosity against them by tricking them into clicking on links or opening attachments containing malware.
- Pharming: This involves setting up a website that looks similar to another popular site (like your bank) but isn’t that site. Instead, it’s a fake website that will harvest your data (such as passwords and account numbers) and send it back to the hackers who set up the phishing site in the first place.
- Spam emails: These send unsolicited messages (usually advertising products or services).
- Malvertising: This is a form of online advertising that involves placing ads on websites that contain malware (or links to malware sites) that infect visitors’ computers when they click on those ads.
Unpacking the buzzwords on Managed Security
SOC or Security Operation Center
The SOC (Security Operation Center) is a central hub for monitoring and managing cyber security threats. The SOC should be staffed with experienced professionals and set up as a 24/7 operation center. To identify potential threats, the SOC must access all relevant data from your network, applications, and endpoints.
SOC functions include:
- Incident detection and response through real-time analysis of network traffic, user behavior, and endpoint activities.
- Monitoring and management of intrusion detection systems (IDS), firewalls, anti-virus software, and anti-malware software, as well as other tools.
- Forward alerts with actionable intelligence to appropriate parties, including security teams at different locations when needed.
SOAR integration
A SOC is a critical component of any effective cyber security program. As such, a SOC can detect, respond to, and manage threats by integrating multiple platforms like SIEMs and other network security tools. One of the most critical components of a good SOC is SOAR integration.
SOAR (Security Operations Analytics & Response) is an acronym that defines how an organization deals with cybersecurity incidents through the entire lifecycle process: detection, investigation, containment, and eradication/mitigation (DICEM).
This framework integrates with many other platforms, including threat intelligence feeds, incident response tools, ticketing systems, SIEMs (security information management), and more to enable a centralized source to ingest and contextualize data from these various tools. These integrations allow organizations to collect data from all tiers within their IT infrastructure so they can quickly see a complete picture of what happened during each incident or attack attempt—not just what was logged down in their firewall logs or network packet captures alone.
Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
MDR is a proactive approach to cybersecurity. It’s a process that detects and responds to cyber security threats before they become significant problems. It also means you don’t have to hire someone on staff who knows how to do it all—a huge benefit for small businesses and startups (and even larger companies with limited resources):
Benefits of MDR:
- Helps prevent a breach from becoming a disaster.
- Gives your business an early warning system that can help stop attacks before they impact your customers or your own ability to operate.
- Makes it easier and faster for you to detect and respond to threats, including malware infections, phishing scams, as well as other threats like ransomware.
- Allows you to receive immediate, threat intelligence updates, so you always have the latest information on emerging threats and vulnerabilities.
Hosted SIEM
A hosted SIEM is a managed security service that provides real-time threat intelligence to help you stay ahead of cyber threats. The term “hosted” refers to software, hardware, and services provided by a third party rather than by your company itself so that your organization does not have to purchase and maintain costly hardware.
Moreover, hosted SIEM solutions can integrate with other systems, such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and authentication servers, to identify potential threats faster than traditional solutions.
Endpoint detection and response (EDR)
Endpoint detection and response (EDR) is a software-based tool that monitors the endpoint for any suspicious activity. An EDR solution can be integrated with other security tools to provide a better security posture by identifying malware and blocking it at the source before it has a chance to spread throughout your network.
A good EDR solution can also collect forensic data from the endpoint to help determine how an attack happened and what impact it had on your environment. This information may be helpful when you’re working with law enforcement or third-party partners like auditors, who require proof of internal compliance standards being met by your organization.
Network detection and response
Network detection and response (NDR) is a subset of MDR. NDR monitors the network for suspicious activity and can detect threats such as malware, phishing, and ransomware. This type of monitoring helps to identify new threats in real time.
Examples of artificial intelligence and machine learning in managed security services.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are buzzwords often used interchangeably. However, they’re not the same thing.
AI is software or a system that makes predictions based on data inputs. It can analyze large amounts of data to find patterns, which can then be used to detect cyber-attacks or predict future behaviors by an individual online user by leveraging AI with tool functions such as User & Entity Behavior Analytics.
The more data you feed into a machine-learning algorithm, the more accurate its predictions will be—though it might take several passes through the algorithms before your AI reaches peak performance capability due to limitations with computing power and available memory capacity on your device running the algorithm program code (a process called “training”).
Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence where computers are trained using historical datasets so they can make their own contextualized decisions without being explicitly programmed to do so first.
Hence, this type of training usually takes place offline after human experts have completed initial programming to understand better how effectively utilize resources available at any given time when setting up specific rulesets/algorithms within an architecture model.
It can also work towards identifying potential weaknesses/flaws within those same architectures so changes can be made accordingly before going live with said architectures after testing them thoroughly first (also known as validation testing).
Here are some examples of how these technologies are being used in managed security services:
- Intelligent alerting: This is a feature that allows for more accurate detection of threats and reduces the risk of false positives by leveraging machine learning to identify patterns in alerts that indicate legitimate attacks.
- Automated response rules: This feature allows for automatic responses to threats without human intervention. For example; if an attack is detected, the system can automatically block access or quarantine devices that are infected with malware. It can also be used to automatically restore access after an attack has been detected and remedied.
- Real-time incident response: Lastly, this allows organizations to respond faster to threats by using automated responses along with human analysis to determine how best to respond based on their documented policies and procedures.
It’s more important to work with a partner who understands how to use security tools the right way
While the tools are essential, it’s even more critical to work with a trusted partner who fully understands how to use them correctly and has a robust service model supporting both the tools and the organization. Just like with any other technology, they can be misused and cause more harm than good—and that’s where both AI and a trusted partner can help.
AI cannot solve cyber security issues alone without thoughtful management
It’s no surprise that adopting AI for cyber security is a popular solution for many organizations. After all, AI’s ability to learn from data and make predictions can be compelling when it comes to detecting threats faster. But it’s also important to remember that AI isn’t a catch-all solution.
First of all, even though AI can learn from data and make predictions, it can’t think like a human, which means that it doesn’t have the same level of insight as an experienced human Analyst.
While an expert might know how to use context clues to determine whether a particular piece of information is suspicious, an algorithm won’t be able to do this independently without human intervention.
In addition, the amount of training required for an AI model depends on how many samples you have available from past attacks. If you don’t have enough data, then your model won’t be able to accurately detect threats because it isn’t trained on enough examples from real-world scenarios, therefore your AI will not function up to its full potential.
Further, if you don’t have enough training data, then your model won’t be able to learn how best to respond when something does happen.
As a result, working with a partner who understands how to use these tools correctly is essential for any business looking to protect itself against emerging threats.
Managed security services offer several benefits over traditional IT service providers, including:
Expertise – Your managed security provider will have expertise in areas like network monitoring and firewall management as well as threat detection technology, such as SIEM (Security Information Event Management) solutions.
Ease – The second benefit of managed cybersecurity services is ease; someone else takes care of daily tasks related to protecting your network infrastructure through ongoing maintenance agreements instead of having employees take turns performing maintenance duties on their own time—and even paying someone else overtime fees if necessary.
Consistency – A good MSSP is going to have several layers of redundancy built into its program. That means that company turnover will no longer impact your organization’s ability to manage, monitor, and maintain these security tools. Moreover, the MSSP will also have the proper training and support for all of the tools they support. This enables your team to have more time to focus on what matters most to your business.
Benefits of managed security services and how they can bolster your defenses against emerging cyber security threats
Managed security services can help you mitigate the risk of cyber-attacks by providing an experienced team that is dedicated to keeping your network protected. In addition, managed security services are a great way to reduce the cost of cybersecurity, as they provide a detailed analysis of your current state and any vulnerabilities that may exist in your network. Furthermore, your MSSP should also be able to advise on additional areas of risk reduction.
Managed security services also allow for increased visibility into potential threats, which enables you to take steps toward improving your overall cybersecurity capabilities. You’ll have access to critical intelligence about emerging threats, so you can keep ahead of hackers who prey on outdated systems or weak passwords.
It’s important to know what each of the buzzwords means before making a decision on which managed security provider is right for you
It’s vital to know what each buzzword means before deciding which managed security provider is right for you. Each buzzword has its meaning, and knowing what that is can help you make more informed decisions about your business’s cybersecurity. Knowing how they work is also critical to understanding their benefits and limitations.
It’s also critical to know what each of these types of managed security services does so that you can find one that meets all of your needs, not just a few. This means understanding the differences between cybersecurity strategies, best practices, and functions offered by different providers.
In summary
Artificial intelligence is one of the main buzzwords used when describing managed cybersecurity services, and it does have a lot to offer. However, AI is not some magical technology that will solve all your problems and replace your Team. You need to be careful with how you use it and implement it correctly so that your business isn’t left vulnerable by relying on automation alone.
Are you looking for managed security solutions for your organization? Novawatch is here to help.
We provide comprehensive managed cyber security services, from detection to prevention and response. Our team of experts will work with you to develop custom-designed solutions with industry-leading tools that fit your company’s needs and technological requirements. We’ll also proactively monitor your systems, alerting you to any potential threats so that you can focus on running your business while we keep you safe from hackers and ensure that your compliance obligations are being maintained.
