Network teams and the devices they manage are not the usual audience for discussions about ransomware. Ransomware affects endpoints and is often the purview of IT administrators and security teams. However, once data is encrypted and/or stolen, the costs of a ransomware attack snowball – as much as 1,000 times higher than if an incident […]
Originally published in Help Net Security on February 27, 2025 According to Gartner, 30% of enterprises will automate more than half of their network activities by 2026. You’ve thought about network automation because you understand it would enable you to engage in more impactful work, but it has been sidelined because you always seem pressed
Vulnerability management is a fundamental element of cyber hygiene. So, why do 56% of organizations report that their most recent data breach resulted from a known vulnerability not properly patched or addressed? As networks become more complex and include network and security devices from multiple vendors, vulnerabilities increase, putting pressure on teams to identify and
This month, Fortinet released a significant security update that addressed multiple vulnerabilities. This addresses issues across its product portfolio, including FortiOS, FortiProxy, FortiManager, and FortiAnalyzer. Such disclosures are not uncommon. However, they pose a challenge to network and security professionals striving to secure their networks. Already overwhelmed, news of new vulnerabilities might not even cut
Why risk management? Risk and risk mitigation involve predicting future probabilities and investing to minimize the likelihood of a breach. Predicting the future is a fool’s game with uncertain and unknowable outcomes. Risk modeling, they say, becomes security theater. Risk Assessment has transformed into a tool for persuasion—essentially, “security theater”— instead of serving as a
Network vulnerability management is the discipline of tracking, identifying, understanding, and remediating network device (routers, switches, load balancers) and security device (firewalls, IPSs) vulnerabilities. Networks provide the backbone for today’s digital businesses and present a rich target for malicious actors who wish to exploit network and security device vulnerabilities to achieve their goals. Key components
Network vulnerability management is challenging for a few reasons. Devices are difficult to update, organizations often have a very heterogeneous environment with multiple vendors for network and security gear, and most security products are not purpose-built for network teams, which means people need to connect security products to what they mean in their environment. That
Vulnerability intelligence is crucial for maintaining network security. As networks become increasingly complex, vulnerabilities rise, placing pressure on teams to identify and resolve these issues. There are two steps every network and security team should take to enhance their network security posture: Mitigate defined cybersecurity threats via programs that reduce an enterprise’s exposure to associated exploits
The odds of your network and security devices being disrupted by breaches are increasing. Threat actors leverage known vulnerabilities in devices such as firewalls and routers because they are ripe sources for data gathering and cyber espionage, where bad actors can sit undetected for long periods of time. And since 25% of network vulnerabilities remain
Originally published in Network Computing on December 26, 2024 Cyber resilience is crucial as organizations realize that attacks are inevitable. In 2024, 94% of cloud users experienced threats monthly, with 62% of those successfully compromised. Network devices are often overlooked in cyber resilience discussions, despite their importance to business operations. This piece explores why cyber