Network infrastructure security is a holistic approach for protecting the entire infrastructure from malicious cyber threats. Understanding the cyber threat is crucial for any organization nowadays to develop effective protection initiatives. Malware and viruses are designed to damage the network infrastructure system, and organizations must have strong security measures for mitigating the risk.

Vulnerable Types of Cyber Threat in Network Infrastructure

Network infrastructures are prone to cyber threats and attacks of different forms. So, an organization must be aware of types of cyber threats to safeguard itself against potential hazards.

• DDoS attack

A DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack creates a breakdown of services by attacking network resources like websites and servers. It sends multiple connection requests and malformed packets to slow down the network infrastructure and even forces it to crash down completely.

• Malware and viruses

Malware is the program code that harms the network infrastructure, and viruses are the type of malware that replicates itself to spread over the other network devices. Ransomware, trojans, and spyware are the potential malware threats that affect network systems.

• Insider Threats

Insider threat is the result of negligent action of an organization when any insider intentionally leaks the confidential information. The poor access control mechanism creates this kind of cyber threat.

• DNS attack

DNS attacks exploit the domain name system (DNS) and hamper the communication between the client and server. The malicious cyber threats steal the login credentials from the DNS provider website and disclose the record outside of the system.

• Phishing

Phishing is a common practice of sending fraudulent communications in the form of emails and messages to steal sensitive information from the network infrastructure. The attackers target the network to get access to login information, install malware programs, or conduct unauthorized financial transactions.

Basic Form of Network Infrastructure Security

A variety of security exists to protect network infrastructure in the organizations.

• VPN

A virtual private network (VPN) establishes a secure connection within an unsecured internet infrastructure by encryption. VPN hides the IP address and allows the user to make his surfing information secret from the internet service producer (ISP) or any other third parties.

• MFA

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) provides an extra layer of security by allowing a user to log in through multiple verification processes. MFA reduces the risk of unauthorized access of outsiders significantly within the network infrastructure.

• XDR

Extended detection and responses (XDR) considers data from various security layers, such as cloud environments, networks, and endpoints, and uses machine learning and AI to analyze the data. It identifies the anomalies by understanding the pattern of data while any potential threat attacks.

How to Secure Network Infrastructure Against Cyber Threats

There are some holistic approaches to protect the network infrastructure, which are essential for mitigating any risk.

Network and function segregation

Network segmentation stops harmful intruders from redirecting from one part to another within the internal devices. The use of a router for segregation of the network is beneficial to create boundaries between different network systems.

Avoidance of lateral communication

Unfiltered peer-to-peer communication within a network often allows intruders to make unauthorized entry within the network infrastructure. Network monitoring and limiting lateral communication is a useful solution.

Out-of-band (OoB) network management

It is a dedicated independent channel that manages network devices remotely. The organization can manage the downtime by accessing the system remotely if any breaches or outages occur within the IT infrastructure.

Conclusion 

Network infrastructure security plays a cushion against any vulnerable cyber threats to the organization. The network security by adopting advanced approaches gives the protection to the network communication, such as DNS, routers, switches, servers, or any storage systems. Partnering with a leading network infrastructure service provider is essential for any organization.

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