Data breaches occur every day and most never get reported. Automated attack programs are constantly on the lookout for weaknesses in network security systems and inherent vulnerabilities in software. Over the course of a single day we recorded and compiled attempted attacks made against a Next Generation Firewall. When an attempted attack takes place, the Next Generation Firewall not only blocks the intrusion, but outputs a report to let the system administrator know if any further action is required. All of these attacks were prevented, but show what can happen if your system networks are not secured.
Port Scan Attempt
This first intrusion attempt was a port scan. Port scan attacks are one of the most popular reconnaissance techniques that attackers use. All machines connected to a network run services through any of the 6000+ TCP or UDP ports. Essentially, a port scan consists of sending a message to each port, one at a time. The type of response received indicates whether the port is in use and can therefore be probed further for weakness.
DoS Attack
This intrusion attempt is better known by another name, a remote denial-of-service (DoS) attack. A DoS attack sends an information packet to a system that contains instructions to send data to itself. The result is that the system creates an infinite data loop that will quickly overload the system and most likely result in a crash.
Trojan/Virus
The Downloader.UH Trojan is a type of malware that is used to download files automatically without a user’s permission. Had this system become infected, they could have quickly become of the host of numerous more threating types of malware and potentially, even spread the infection further.
All of these attacks were discovered within a short period of time and show just some of the threats that arrive at a typical business network on a daily basis. Next Generation Firewalls provide a strong defense against these types of attacks but to fully protect your business, you need to pair them with Penetration Testing to check for any weaknesses that may be able to bypass your firewalls defenses. As an added and very important benefit, the penetration test also fulfils the mandated requirements for both HIPAA and PCI compliance.
If you would like more information on the topic of Penetration Testing, check out some of our other articles listed below:
Penetration Testing: What is it and Why Should You Care?
Penetration Testing: How to Choose the Right Vendor
