Modern companies often rely on complex IT environments to run the applications they need to meet their business objectives. Many teams deploy multiple advanced security solutions to protect their environments from sophisticated attacks by malicious threat actors. These security tools are designed to make it extremely difficult for entities to compromise mission-critical systems and applications.
Companies that implement state-of-the-art security tools may feel confident that they are effectively protecting their environment. However, threat actors prefer to find the easiest way to attack an organization’s IT infrastructure. The path of least resistance typically does not require intricate or technically involved attacks. Malevolent entities exploit security lapses, making it easy to infiltrate and strike unprotected assets.
Unfortunately, many businesses make basic security mistakes that play into the hands of organized or individual threat actors. The mistakes may lead to significant and costly breaches that put sensitive or proprietary data at risk. The good news is that teams can effectively address the following issues that lead to poor security.
Inconsistent or Non-existent Patching Procedures
Many security breaches are caused by attacks against unpatched systems and applications. Hackers exploit publicly documented vulnerabilities published by software and hardware vendors. Attackers study these vulnerabilities and develop automated tools to identify unpatched systems, enabling them to attack with minimal effort. A single unpatched workstation or server can provide attackers with entry into the environment, resulting in further compromise of business-critical resources.
Teams may fail to implement viable patching procedures and schedules for several reasons.
- Companies may be running legacy applications and have concerns about making updates that could affect compatibility and impact operational efficiency.
- Technical teams may be hampered by a lack of personnel or limited maintenance windows in which to perform the necessary patching.
- Businesses may have incomplete asset inventories and fail to patch systems because they are unaware of their existence.
- Teams may be reluctant to introduce patches into environments that require complex testing to ensure no dependencies are broken.
Organizations must address patching lapses to maintain a secure environment. They must find ways to meet the challenges to avoid putting their data at risk.
Weak Access Controls
Companies exercising poor account management present inviting targets for external threat actors and motivated insiders. Businesses with weak access controls make it easy for attackers to gain entry into the environment and cause greater damage once inside the infrastructure. The following are common access control mistakes that can result in disastrous security breaches.
- Teams with shared accounts increase the risk of insider threats that can be difficult or impossible to attribute to a specific individual.
- Organizations often have poor or ineffective password policies that do not require strong passwords and fail to enforce regular changes to reduce the probability of compromised credentials.
- Companies that do not implement multi-factor authentication due to technical roadblocks or to streamline operations introduce unnecessary risks.
- Departments may fail to remove obsolete or orphaned accounts that remain active, offering threat actors an unmonitored entry point.
- Users may be granted excessive administrative privileges that provide threat actors with damaging permissions if their credentials are compromised.
Companies should implement the principle of least privilege to minimize damage from stolen credentials. Teams should review access rights regularly to ensure they are not excessive and reduce threat exposure.
Configuration Errors
The complex environments favored by many businesses present multiple potential for misconfigured settings. Teams must ensure that databases, storage systems, and firewalls are correctly configured to prevent the exposure of sensitive information. It can be very challenging to verify all settings in a multi-cloud or hybrid infrastructure. Examples of dangerous configuration errors include:
- Misconfiguring cloud storage buckets, making them publicly accessible;
- Defining overly permissive firewall rules;
- Relying on insecure default configuration settings;
- Inadvertently disabling security monitoring and logging features.
Security teams performing forensic investigations into security incidents often discover that the incidents resulted from simple misconfigurations.
Incomplete Visibility Into the IT Environment
Security teams cannot protect assets if they are unaware of their existence. Complex cloud environments and shadow IT present visibility challenges that require advanced tools to provide an accurate inventory. Businesses must adopt solutions that provide fine-grained visibility into their environment to have any chance of securing it effectively.
Teams should maintain updated and complete inventories of their hardware assets, software solutions, user accounts, and cloud resources. Companies that lack this information risk unnecessarily providing threat actors with an expansive and exploitable attack surface
The Human Factor
A common aspect of these basic security mistakes is that they involve oversights by well-intentioned teams. It is a fact that humans sometimes make mistakes, which can have serious effects on IT security. While it is virtually impossible for decision-makers to eradicate these mistakes fully, their impact can be minimized by adopting effective tools and management policies.
Companies should train employees on protecting credentials with strong passwords. They should develop clear access policies that ensure no excessive privileges are granted. Organizations should implement strict patching policies that address vulnerabilities as soon as they are discovered to avoid exploitation. Businesses must deploy technological solutions that foster the visibility required to protect their IT environment and valuable data.
How VAST Helps Enhance Your Company’s Security
VAST’s portfolio of services includes many solutions that enhance your company’s security. Our expert and experienced technical teams understand the challenges and complexities of securing modern IT environments. The following examples cover a wide range of security issues that minimize incidents and safeguard your data.
VAST View is a comprehensive management platform that provides visibility into on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, allowing you to deploy the necessary security solutions to protect them.
Our Cloud Backup-as-a-Service (CBaaS) and Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS) offerings provide a streamlined way to protect your data with immutable backups and to recover from ransomware and other cyberattacks.
VAST’s managed public cloud and managed infrastructure services let you focus on your core business while we handle the IT environment and address security vulnerabilities that put it at risk.
Get in touch with our team and learn how we can help you secure your essential IT environment.
