Comprehensive site-based cybersecurity assessments are a must to protect public sector entities from cyber threats.
The NetAlly family of network testing tools are a go-to solution for many public sector organizations to identify performance issues, and as NetAlly tool use has expanded within the public sector and beyond, a new use case has emerged: site-based cybersecurity assessments.
The urgency has only grown as public sector IT teams in general and security groups specifically are stretched ever thinner. SecOps simply cannot be in all places at all the time to eliminate the constantly emerging areas of exposure. Examples include:
· Analysis for Ethernet, Wi-Fi, BT/BLE (Bluetooth/blue tooth low energy)
· Device misconfiguration/improper open ports
· Misconfigured wireless security
· Network incorrectly segmented and/or provisioning errors
· Rogue devices
Of course, these apply to any IT organization. However, the public sector—with its goal of accessibility to its constituents and repository of related sensitive data—frequently has heightened levels of risk in these areas. Why? Because many public sector entities have numerous physical locations that are often distributed across large geographic areas. Each one of these represents an IT site; each susceptible to all the security threats listed above.
Given the dynamic nature of networks, these areas of exposure require constant oversight. Potential examples of exposure include onsite visitors performing a service connecting a BLE device to the network to gain access to sensitive data—it only takes a moment to do this. Or IT staff could incorrectly provision a VLAN (virtual local area network) that exposes secure servers to users not authorized for access. The longer these go undetected, the larger the risk grows they will be exploited.
That’s why NetAlly has developed a tool targeted to address this critical need. A first in the industry, it will offer end-users unique value that builds on their current cyber security initiatives and increases their IT security posture. It will also offer NetAlly distributors, resellers, and managed security service providers (MSSPs) an engaging touchpoint, and compelling value add.
Look for the upcoming NetAlly announcement and more information on this exciting new tool on April 24.