In today’s security climate threats have only become more sophisticated. They use machine learning and artificial intelligence to seek out areas of vulnerabilities in networks and devices and spread rapidly.
An example of the use of AI in malware is the act of concealing malware in seemingly innocent applications. The malware is designed to hide and not execute until a specified set of parameters are in place. This could have the malware dormant for months until it's triggered. Making it much harder to track where it came from.
Just how dangerous are online threats getting?
During the first half of 2021, ransomware attacks increased 151%, that’s on the heels of a spike in 2020 of 485%. Other types of attacks are up as well, such as attacks on cloud accounts and firmware attacks.
To fight the increasingly dangerous cyberattacks out there, cyber security software providers have created platforms that provide advanced threat protection, that also use AI and machine learning.
If you want to properly secure your company from threats and improve your business success, then it’s a good idea to turn to threat protection technologies.
Threat Protection Explained
What’s the difference between threat protection and antivirus? Threat protection (also called threat intelligence) is the “cyclical practice of planning, collecting, processing, analysing, and disseminating information that poses a threat to applications and systems.” (ref. Wikipedia)
Where an antivirus is only focused on one thing, detecting a virus or other malware that is executed in a device, threat protection is a full range of different tactics taken to identify any type of threat to a device or network.
It has the ability to analyse behavior and see patterns. This, in turn, helps a threat protection application recognise new behaviors of malicious code and adapt to identify and neutralise them.
Some of the things that companies will gain from using advanced threat protection solutions include:
- Detection: Companies gain the ability to better detect, validate, and investigate potential security threats.
- Understanding: Threat protection “connects the dots,” making it easier to understand the broader context of a security threat and its implications to multiple systems.
- Reporting: Companies get detailed reporting on threat-related incidents and how they relate to incident response, risk management, and more.
- Aggregated Learning: Threat protection platforms aggregate data across organisations, which means they ramp up the learning curve on new threats much faster than disconnected anti-malware software. If there’s a new threat out there, even if you haven’t seen it yet, your threat protection application can already know how to spot it.
72% of companies are planning to increase their threat intelligence spending in the future.
Why Your Company Should Upgrade Security to Include Threat Protection
As part of our shared responsibility on cyber security with our clients, Netcare subscribes and partners with four Threat Intelligence platforms including:
- SANS Internet Storm Center:
About Us (sans.edu) (https://isc.sans.edu/about.html)
- Australian Cyber Security Centre (Netcare is a partner)
Partner hub | Cyber.gov.au (https://www.cyber.gov.au/partner-hub/overview)
We understand that to fight today’s sophisticated cyber threats you need to have an “assume breach” mentality and use methods that can stay one step ahead of the attackers, like threat protection.
Here are some of the reasons why threat protection has become vital for businesses of all sizes.
Cyberthreats are Growing at a Rapid Pace
As we mentioned earlier, all types of attacks are on the rise. This is being fueled, in part, by large criminal groups and state-sponsored hacking organisations making malware delivery more efficient. For example, the rise of Ransomware as a Service (RaaS), is now enabling novices to try their hand at a ransom score for a small monthly subscription price.
In addition to the over 600% rise in ransomware over the last 18 months, cloud account attacks are up 630% during the pandemic.
With attackers leaning on AI to make their attacks more effective, the best way to defend yourself is to use a threat protection platform that can detect new zero-day threats and variants.
Covers Multiple Security Activities
An advanced threat protection solution doesn’t just detect a threat and then lets you do the rest. It has programmable capabilities to immediately neutralise a potential threat to keep it from impacting your security.
Threat protection applications also proactively search for any potential threats to your network, they don’t just wait until one happens to trigger. Proactive protection is needed today when so many threats are designed to be in “stealth mode” to avoid antivirus/anti-malware.
Automates Protection
The AI and machine learning components of a threat protection solution help it to immediately detect threats and automate the response. The threat isn’t left unaddressed until human intervention occurs. You can have the program take immediate action based on certain variables, so even in the middle of the night, you know your network is being protected.
Learn More About Using Threat Protection for Your Network
NetCare can help your Sydney area business with affordable options for advanced threat protection that can ensure your network can keep up with the latest threats and cyberattacks.
Contact us today to learn more. Call (02) 9114 9920 or .