Internal & External Cyber Threats

Here’s everything you need to know about them.

Today, everyone is shifting from a traditional brick-and-mortar store to a full-fledged online business. This increasing number of online businesses has led to a dramatic increase in internet traffic. Consequently, a massive amount of data is generated every day that has provided a breeding ground for cybercriminals to which we call the “Golden Age”.

Cybersecurity threats are on the rise and nearly 68% of business leaders agree. Whether the attacks are motivated due to financial reasons or cyber espionage, they have created havoc.

Cybercriminals are targeting everyone like small businesses, healthcare organizations, banks, financial institutions, and government organizations. The latest wave of cyberattacks can be seen in government agencies and human rights groups, mainly in the US.

The most recent example of cyber attacks is the alleged Russian cyberattack that targeted 3,000 email accounts of 150 different organizations. Out of these attacks, most were in the US.

It is said that the group that carried out this attack was the same one responsible for the SolarWinds attack last year. Additionally, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) is accused of orchestrating the attack as a part of intelligence gathering according to the tech giant, Microsoft.

The important question is what led to the attack? What were the risks and threats associated with the organizations?

Organizations need to understand the risks associated with their IT infrastructure and must have a holistic approach towards its management.

In this blog post, we will discuss the internal and external threats and how organizations can protect themselves.

What are Internal Threats?

Internal threats relate to the cybersecurity risks stemming from the inside of any organization that would exploit the system or causes damage.

The biggest reason found so far is the abuse of extensive privileges given to trusted employees of the organizations. Moreover, if the organization is not vigilant about adhering to the Principle of Least Privilege, then the employees can cause digital mayhem, whether accidental or intentional.

Check out for Internal Penetration Testing Service

How Do Internal Threats Arise & What are their Consequences?

Employees of any organization have the privilege of accessing physical equipment and documents, but without appropriate security measures, individuals can purposely cause damage.

There have been numerous cases like the Yahoo email leaks where the company was subject to the largest data breach on record. Additionally, there have been cases where employees have left their accounts logged in to systems so they don’t lose access.

This way, they can maliciously obtain administrative privileges and can take hold of administrative functions. They may change the access rights of other employees or deactivate network security tools.

Other than this, accidental data loss and data breach are quite common. Around 95% of security breaches happen due to human errors. The common example we see is people leaving their laptops accidentally in trains and buses while traveling, accidentally deleting data from a folder, or accidentally sending an email to the wrong person.

In addition to these human errors, weak cybersecurity measures and unsafe practices are associated with cybersecurity risks. For example, if an organization’s servers are left in an unsecured room, there are high chances anybody could walk into the room and steal crucial information or tamper with the systems.

Even ordinary employees of the organization can exploit the vulnerabilities accidentally by viewing anything on a malicious website. They may unintentionally download a virus and cause harm to the entire network.

What are External Threats?

An external threat relates to one that comes from outside of the organization, for example, an individual attempting to gain unauthorized access to the network of a targeted organization.

The majority of external attacks are intended to steal crucial information through the use of viruses and malware.

Check out for External Penetration Testing Service

How External Threats Occur & What Are Their Consequences?

External attacks are harder to deal with than internal threats because you have no control over people outside your organization. Moreover, you cannot predict what’s going to happen.

To better understand the intensity of attacks, organizations need to know the entry points from where these attacks can take place.

If we look closely, we will discover that most attacks are intended to steal information, generate revenue, or modify existing programs through the means of malicious software- often called malware.

Some software is less harmful while some have the potential to destroy a network. The common examples include spyware, adware, ransomware, worms, Rootkits, and Trojans.

Another common way that outsiders launch an attack is through hacking. When it comes to the intent, there could be a wide range of motivations behind carrying out an attack. However, it completely depends on the type of party attacking the network, whether it is an individual, hacking group, or nation-state actor.

Sabotage is another reason an attack can be launched. It defines the activities that are deliberately carried out to disrupt service.

The common attacks that can take place include denial of service attacks, distributing malware, or physically destroying the equipment and systems. It can be carried out by threat groups or terrorist organizations with the clear goal of causing damage.

While all of these can occur anywhere, a lack of knowledge regarding cyberattacks and unsafe practices heightens the chance of a cyberattack occurring at an organization.

Social engineering is one of the most prominent examples in terms of the various types of attacks that lead to account compromise, and things like bank and identity fraud.

Individuals are easily tricked into revealing their private information via phishing emails, a common form of social engineering where a bot or a person sends an email pretending to be in an authoritative position in any organization asking for confidential data.

Read Also: What is SQL Injection Attack?

Internal Threats Vs. External Threats

When we take a closer look at both internal and external threats, we realize that both are devastating for any organization. However, it depends on the industry and intention behind carrying out an attack.

When it comes to internal attacks and threats, you can lower the risk by following strict policies and security measures, like access control.

One of the primary concerns is safety and organizations must take proper security measures. One shouldn’t make the mistake of blindly trusting the employees of the organization.

Instead, strictly monitor their activities and behaviour. Otherwise, it is risky to ignore anything occurring from within or outside the organization.

On the other hand, external threats are a bit more dangerous and are often a priority in terms of data security. Most outsider attacks attempt to manipulate data and take advantage of a company’s structure, resources, employees, and information.

Let’s have a look at some of the ways you can protect your company.

How to Protect Your Company

When it comes to precautions and countermeasures, data protection is crucial. Here are a few ways you can ensure proper security from internal as well external threats.

• Consider a risk-based approach by addressing each problem individually. This way, you will know the priorities and reach an informed decision that can be cost-effective and gives you the best results. Moreover, you would also know the information that is most crucial to protect and input some extra layers of security.
• Make sure to restrict the sharing of passwords and other credentials through any means whether emails, messages, skype, or any communication channel as a part of cybersecurity measures.
• Don’t forget to remove ex-employees' data access rights and system access to prevent them from being able to access them post-termination.
• Consider automating everything by implementing automation programs that include filtering, detecting, and sending alerts based on keywords to check for any unusual activities. However, don’t completely rely on automation; instead, use a mix of both. Traditional methods that include background checks of employees and pre-employment screening are also important.
• We would recommend you conduct risk assessments, insider threat analysis, and ensure proper implementation of security management practices.

Additionally, we would suggest you take some crucial steps when it comes to the implementation of strategic cybersecurity measures:

• Always prioritize the business objective and categorize the risks
• Make sure you have a proactive security plan
• Consider having a response team for sudden attacks
• Educate employees of your organization and promote a security culture

Lastly, we recommend you consult cybersecurity professionals who can conduct risk assessments and ensure that no vulnerability stands overlooked. Secure Triad is a leading penetration testing company that offers thorough and insightful services.

Here you will get a certified and accommodating team of experts who brings in-depth knowledge to the table focused on remediating cyber threats.

Originally published at https://securetriad.io on June 21, 2021.