Changes in the way we work have a significant impact on cyber security, and network monitoring is no exception. Company employees can no longer always rest assured that the network used by the office is secure. Development teams are constantly tweaking and breaking down legacy systems, so some elements may be exported to the internet.
Hackers will track network users, changes, and services; therefore, network security cannot last long. In fact, a secure work network is currently the backbone of every modern business. Therefore, regular network monitoring applications are needed. What exactly should be protected in the network? Why should it be done constantly? Check out the full info below.
What to Protect on the Network?
In corporate networks in modern businesses, there is so much expansion because employees can work remotely and various tasks can be completed with computers. Often, companies also use systems that are integrated with third parties. So, the network is no longer connected to devices and systems in the office and data center alone, but what needs to be protected in the corporate network expands.
Starting from the hardware to the network software itself, to all devices used to access the network, to the IoT endpoints, namely laptops and smartphones. Network security today must be able to transcend the boundaries of the cloud. The network must be protected from other integrated hardware and software as well as company-hosted assets.
It doesn’t stop there; in fact, network monitoring works even more complicated because some services (especially those hosted in the cloud) may only be active for a short time. The reason is because they are used only for specific projects or events. With a distributed network, the network monitoring model that is relevant to modern systems is one that is able to work as a whole.
What Faults May Occur on the Network?
Networks used by companies can become vulnerable in various ways. Some examples that may occur are misconfiguration, expired certificates, new assets added to the cloud environment, missing patches, or unnecessary exposure of certain services to the internet.
Not only that, but enterprise networks are at risk of external attacks by way of phishing, supply chain intrusions, and exposed credentials. For example, Windows SMB services within an internal network are not actually vulnerable on the internet. But if it is exposed to the internet, it will turn into something vulnerable.
Another example is a telecommunications company in Australia that experienced a data leak in 2022. Because of this problem, there were more than 11 million consumers’ data exposed publicly. This happened because of an unprotected API. To access these APIs, no user authentication is even required. Anyone who finds these APIs online can directly access them without a username, let alone a password.
If errors in the network are allowed to occur continuously and are not addressed immediately, of course the network will be disrupted. Employees may still be able to use it, but at the risk of data leakage. In addition, it is likely that the network performance will slow down. That way, employee productivity will be severely disrupted. Work efficiency will clearly not be achieved according to the initial goal. But what is worse, of course, is if the data is leaked to other parties who can be used for various negative things.
How to Protect the Network?
To protect a company’s network from leaks and hacker attacks, continuous network monitoring is required. The trick is to scan the network regularly to easily find various things that are vulnerable and prevent them from developing into bigger problems. Monitoring uses automation to detect and locate errors or weak points in devices, software, and operating systems.
Network monitoring detects errors on the network by sending probes to find if there are open ports and services. Once the list of services is found, then each service will be scrutinized one by one to get more information. Configuration weaknesses and other possible vulnerabilities will also be sought at this stage.
It is only natural that a company network has various systems that work according to their respective tasks. Starting from laptops and workstations in the office and at home (if there are employees working remotely) as well as systems on the cloud platform. Employees in the office might be using multiple operating systems at once.
There is a lot to scan and protect in a network scan. Choosing which elements to scan can be challenging due to the sheer number of elements. But there are ways to make this decision easier, and that is to categorize them based on sensitivity, scope, and exposure.
Why should network monitoring be carried out?
Network quality is always changing. New services are launched, web apps are updated, permissions change, plus devices are added or removed. All of these elements can potentially weaken the network. Therefore, continuous network monitoring is needed to provide information and feedback regarding these various changes in real-time.
Regular network monitoring does not only stop at providing information, but at the same time also assesses and prioritizes if there are problems or vulnerabilities that must be addressed. That way, network users can better understand the risks that may occur throughout the infrastructure used. With clear information, we know what is likely to happen and, if there is a problem, how to deal with it appropriately.
Network monitoring also shows what hackers might see and be able to access. That way, we can more easily find the right solution to overcome the problem. Continuous monitoring not only provides visibility into vulnerabilities in the IT environment and remote devices but also clarity on what is vulnerable and the consequences for the business.
That is why it is important to do network monitoring on an ongoing basis to protect data and network security. Make sure to use a quality network monitoring service, such as NetMonk, which has been providing monitoring solutions since 2017; until now, Netmonk is trusted by more than 1000 customers.
The establishment of Netmonk was initiated by young people who want to improve and strengthen the quality of the internet in Indonesia so that it can be used and distributed easily throughout Indonesia. Of course, companies that use their services can have a secure and practical connection with affordable service rates.
