Ina Nikolova - PATECCO GmbH

Identity Security as a Core Pillar of Zero Trust

Nowadays cyber risks are constantly increasing. However, companies can significantly increase their level of security with a few preventative measures and the focus should be on an identity-based zero trust strategy. At its core, zero trust is a strategic cybersecurity model for protecting digital business environments, which increasingly include public and private clouds, SaaS applications and DevOps practices. Identity-based zero trust solutions such as single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) are designed to ensure that only authorized people, devices and applications can access a company’s systems and data. Simply explained, zero trust is based on the idea that you cannot distinguish the „good guys“ from the „bad guys“. In other words, the zero trust principle is based on the assumption that any identity – whether human or machine – with access to systems and applications may be compromised. Traditional concepts that rely on perimeter protection no longer work in an era of digital transformation, the increasing use of cloud services and the introduction of hybrid working models. This has led to the zero trust approach „Never Trust, Always Verify“ to secure identities, end devices, applications, data, infrastructures and networks while ensuring transparency, automation and orchestration. The five principles of zero trust protection There are many frameworks that support companies in the introduction of Zero Trust. However, as every company has different requirements, these frameworks should only be seen as an initial guide to developing and implementing a zero trust strategy and roadmap. In any case, an effective zero trust program should include five constants: By enabling consistent adaptive multi-factor authentication, organizations ensure that users are who they say they are. Organizations can detect potential threats faster and users can easily and securely gain access to resources. Organizations should automate identity provisioning and define approval processes. Re-authenticating and re-validating user identities – for example after high-risk web browser sessions or periods of inactivity – ensures that the right user has access to the right resources. It is essential to eliminate unnecessary privileges and remove superfluous authorizations for cloud workloads. It must be ensured that all human and non-human users only have the privileges required for their tasks in accordance with the least privilege principle. With the just-in-time access method, companies can also grant users extended access rights in real time. This means that an end user can access the required resources for a certain period of time in order to carry out a specific activity. The rights are then withdrawn again. Continuous monitoring is the best way to understand what is happening and to detect any anomalies that occur. By recording sessions and key events as well as tamper-proof stored audits, companies can document adherence to compliance requirements. Endpoint Privilege Management is the cornerstone of strong endpoint protection and is critical for detecting and blocking credential theft attempts, consistently enforcing the principle of least privilege (including the removal of local administrator rights) and flexible application control to defend against malware and ransomware. The intelligent, policy-based application control prevents the execution of malicious programs. In addition to classic software denylisting and allowlisting, it should also be possible to run applications in a „restricted mode“ so that the user can also access applications that are not explicitly trusted or unknown. Identity as the core pillar of Zero Trust In principle, zero trust is neither quick nor easy to implement, and implementation can be complex. If only because efficient zero trust strategies involve a combination of different solutions and technologies, including multi-factor authentication, Identity and Access Management (IAM), Privileged Access Management (PAM) or network segmentation. But one thing must be clear: For a Zero Trust project to be successful, identity must play a central role from the outset. With identity security, as the basis of a zero trust approach, companies can identify and isolate threats and prevent them from compromising identities. Identity security is the means to achieve measurable risk reduction and also accelerate the implementation of zero trust frameworks. The exponentially increasing number of identities to be managed – and the threat that each individual identity can pose – increases the need for organizations to implement a zero trust security approach. An identity-based approach to zero trust is therefore becoming increasingly popular, with more and more organizations taking this route to dramatically improve their overall security posture.

PATECCO Will Exhibit as a Golden Sponsor at „IT for Insurance“ Congress in Leipzig

Uncategorized / Von Ina Nikolova

For a third time the Identity and Access Management company PATECCO will take part in “IT for Insurance” (IT für Versicherungen) Trade Fair in Leipzig, Germany. The event is planned to take place from 28.11 till 29.11.2023. It is known as the leading market place for IT service providers of the insurance industry with a focus on the latest technological developments and IT trends. The congress unites all exhibitors, speakers, trade fair visitors and gives the opportunity to socialize, exchange experiences and discuss current trends and projects in the IT industry. During the two days of the event PATECCO will exhibit as a Golden sponsor and will present its portfolio and services to each visitor who is interested in Managed Services and Identity and Access Management. Along with the exhibition, PATECCO will participate at an Elevator Pitch with a presentation about Risk Management – „DORA ante portas“ – Improving risk management and resilience with Risk-Minim-AI-zer and Reslienz-Maxim-AI-zer. The main speaker – Mr. Albert Harz will share best practices on how IT risk management can be improved and how the corporate resilience can be increased using generative AI. Picture source: www.versicherungsforen.net PATECCO is an international company, dedicated to development, implementation and support of Identity & Access Management solutions. Based on 20 years’ experience within IAM, high qualification and professional attitude, the company provides value-added services to customers from different industries such as banking, insurance, chemistry, pharma and utility. Its team of proficient IT consultants provide the best practices in delivering sustainable solutions related to: Managed Services, Cloud Access Control, Privileged Account Management, Access Governance, RBAC, Security Information and Event Management.

The Role of Identity and Access Management in Enabling Digital Transformation

Uncategorized / Von Ina Nikolova

As the digitalisation continues to evolve, IAM will remain a foundational element of that process. In PATECCO latest whitepaper, we will provide you a clear understanding why IAM is a fundamental part of the security of the information systems and how it will ensure a successful digital transition for your company. The series of articles describe the role of Identity and Access Management in digital transformation which is integral to an organization’s overall security posture, adaptability, and resilience against evolving cyber threats. Let’s get started! Click on the image and download the whitepaper:

Cybersecurity in Banking sector: Importance, Risks and Regulations

Uncategorized / Von Ina Nikolova

The threat of financial fraud, cyber-attacks and other malicious activities has become a major concern for businesses around the world, especially in the banking sector. As risk management is essential to protect assets and maintain customer trust, it is important to keep an eye on the latest trends in cyber security in banking and best practices specific to banking. With constant changes in technology, regulations and security requirements adding to the overall complexity, it can be difficult to operate systems securely while meeting business objectives. To help banks better protect their networks against evolving threats – both internally and externally initiated – this article takes a closer look at current cybersecurity risks banks face today and strategic solutions institutions can use to defend themselves against attacks. Importance of cyber security for banking Due to rapid technological developments, maintaining a secure system is becoming increasingly important for banks. In today’s digital world, there is an even greater risk of sensitive personal information such as bank details and passwords being hacked or accessed by malicious actors. The security of customer data is critical to the survival and reputation of a bank. To achieve this goal, banks need to be constantly vigilant and implement enhanced security measures that protect against security threats when browsing the internet or engaging in online banking activities. Banks should also ensure that they use the latest software updates and that all employees are trained in the secure handling of customer data and banking transactions. Ultimately, protecting customer data through strong cybersecurity is essential to ensure safety and security in the banking sector and the longevity of business operations. The biggest risks for banks‘ cyber security In recent years, cybercrime has increased so much that it is already objectively considered the biggest threat to the financial sector. As hackers‘ methods and know-how have become more sophisticated, it is becoming increasingly difficult to consistently defend against attacks. Below you are listed the most important cyber security threats in the banking sector. Phishing attacks In this case, hackers create clone websites that any user can easily access via third-party messaging services. Since there is a credible multi-factor authentication there and it generally looks like a real website, users do not even realize that they have already given their credentials to hackers. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) A DDoS attack uses a botnet – a collection of connected online devices – to flood a target website with spoofed traffic. Unlike other cyberattacks, a DDoS attack does not attempt to compromise security. Instead, the goal is to exhaust network, server or application resources so that they become unavailable to the targeted audience. A DDoS attack can also be used to mask other malicious activity and disable security devices to compromise the target’s security. It is also interesting to note that during the pandemic, the number of DDoS attacks increased by 30% in the financial services industry. Unencrypted data As cybercriminals have become more creative, data threats have not diminished over time. It’s no longer enough to just protect data access points – the data itself must be encrypted. Our partner, IBM , reports that the average cost of a data breach is $4.35 million. The price tag is sure to rise in the future as cyberattacks occur daily, causing tremendous damage to businesses and users. However, with robust encryption methods, these costs can be reduced or avoided altogether. The Ransomware Ransomware is used by cybercriminals to encrypt important data and deny its owners access to it unless they pay a ransom. This cyberattack is unfortunately a serious threat to banks, 90% of which have already been hit. In the age of cryptocurrencies, fraudsters are particularly interested in finding vulnerabilities in the decentralized system. If these vulnerabilities are present, they can easily steal money from the trading system. Data manipulation Altering digital documents and information is known as data tampering. Cybercriminals use arbitrary attack vectors to penetrate networks, gain access to software or applications, and alter data. By manipulating data rather than stealing it, hackers can be more successful and cause catastrophic consequences for organizations or individuals. It is a sophisticated cyberattack because it can take a long time for a user to realize that their sensitive and confidential data has been irrevocably altered. Spoofing Spoofing is a form of cyberattack in which criminals disguise their identity as a trusted and known source in order to steal confidential information or money. Banks face a constant threat of spoofing attacks that can have serious consequences for their customers and operations. In addition, a man-in-the-middle attack is gaining traction, where a hacker intercepts communications between a customer and the bank to gain access to personal information, redirect payments or even launch a denial-of-service attack. Therefore, it is important that banks remain on guard and take measures to protect themselves from these threats. Cybersecurity regulations for banks impacting FinTech Financial institutions should consider the following FinTech regulations to maintain strong security and prevent data breaches. Security managers can use these regulations to evaluate their security measures and those of their suppliers. In addition, your organization can easily identify the processes and procedures needed to mitigate cybersecurity risks. Below are the three most common financial compliance requirements related to financial cybersecurity in banking. NIST NIST has become the No. 1 standard for cybersecurity assessment, security vulnerability identification and compliance with cybersecurity laws, even if compliance is not mandatory. NIST has developed 110 requirements covering various aspects of an organization’s IT procedures, policies and technology. These requirements address access control, system configuration, and authentication methods. In addition, cybersecurity and incident response protocols are defined. Meeting all of these requirements ensures that an organization’s network, systems, and people are efficiently prepared to securely manage all controlled unclassified information (CUI). GDPR The General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) is a security framework designed to protect citizens‘ personal data. Any company that processes private data of EU citizens, whether manually or automatically, must comply with the GDPR. This regulation highlights a

Why Penetration Test is Important in Cybersecurity and How Does it Work

Uncategorized / Von Ina Nikolova

It feels like every day starts with a new headline about the latest cyber attack. Hackers are stealing millions of records and billions of euros with alarming regularity. The key to combating these machinations is to continuously conduct thorough penetration tests. Penetration testing is used to test your security before an attacker does. Penetration testing tools simulate real-world attack scenarios to uncover and exploit security vulnerabilities that could lead to records being stolen or credentials, intellectual property, personal data, card data or private protected health information being compromised, data ransomware being extorted or other results harmful to business. By exploiting security vulnerabilities, penetration testing helps you decide how best to prevent cyberattacks in the future and protect your critical business data against them. What are the phases of penetration testing? There are five main phases to go through in any typical penetration test: 1. Target exploration and information gathering. Before the penetration testing team can take action, it must gather information about the likely target. This phase is important for creating an attack plan and serves as a deployment area for the entire mission. 2. Scanning After the reconnaissance phase, a series of scans of the target are conducted to decipher how the target’s security systems react to different attack attempts. Discovering vulnerabilities, open ports and other weaknesses within a network’s infrastructure can determine how pen testers proceed with the planned attack. 3. Gain access Once the data is collected, penetration testers use widely used web application attacks such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting to exploit existing vulnerabilities. Now that they have gained access, the testers attempt to mimic the scope of potential damage that could result from a malicious attack. 4. Gaining access The main objective of this phase is to maintain a constant presence within the target environment. As time progresses, more and more data is collected about the exploited system, allowing the testers to mimic complex and persistent threats. 5. Covering traces/analysis Finally, once the mission is complete, all traces of the attack must be erased to ensure anonymity. Log events, scripts and other executables that could be discovered by the target should be completely untraceable. A comprehensive report is given to the client with a detailed analysis of the entire mission to highlight key vulnerabilities, gaps, potential impact of an intrusion, and a variety of other important components of the security program. How does a penetration test work? Penetration testing can either be done internally by your own professionals using pen testing tools, or you can hire an external penetration testing vendor to do it for you. A penetration test begins with the security professional taking an inventory of the target network to find vulnerable systems and/or accounts. This involves scanning every system on the network for open ports running services. It is extremely rare that all services on a network are correctly configured, properly password protected and fully patched. Once the penetration tester has properly understood the network and the vulnerabilities present, a penetration testing tool is used to exploit a vulnerability to gain uninvited access. However, security experts do not only examine systems. Often, pen testers also direct their attacks at the users in a network by sending phishing e-mails or trying to manipulate target persons in their favour by telephone or on the internet/intranet (pre-text calling or social engineering). How do you test the risk posed by your own users? Your users are an additional risk factor. Attacks on a network via human error or compromised credentials are not new. If the constant cyberattacks and data theft cases have taught us anything, it is that the easiest way for a hacker to penetrate a network and steal data or money is through network users. Compromised credentials are the most common attack vector among all reported data breaches, as the Verizon Data Breach Report shows year after year. Part of the job of a penetration test is to address security threats caused by user error. A pen tester will attempt to guess passwords from found accounts via a brute force attack to gain access to systems and applications. Although compromising a device may result in a security breach, in a real-world scenario, an attacker will typically use lateral movement to ultimately gain access to a critical asset. Simulating phishing attacks is another common way to test the security of your network users. Phishing attacks use personalised communication methods to persuade the target to do something that is not in their best interest. For example, a phishing attack might convince a user that it is time for a „mandatory password reset“ and therefore to click on an embedded email link. Whether clicking on the malicious link drops malware or simply opens the door for attackers to steal credentials for future use: A phishing attack is one of the easiest ways to exploit network users. If you want to test your users‘ vigilance against phishing attacks, make sure the penetration testing tool you use has these capabilities. What is the importance of penetration testing for a company? A penetration test is a crucial component for network security. Through these tests, a company can identify: Through penetration testing, security professionals can effectively identify and test security measures in multi-layered network architectures, custom applications, web services and other IT components. Penetration testing tools and services help you quickly gain insight into the highest risk areas so you can effectively plan budgets and projects for your security. Thorough testing of an organisation’s entire IT infrastructure is essential to take the necessary precautions to protect critical data against hacking while improving IT response time in the event of an attack.

Why Identity and Access Management Plays a Central Role in the Cloud?

Uncategorized / Von Ina Nikolova

In the typical 21st century company, everything is globally networked – from teams to processes to IT systems. For IAM systems, this means that they must take these flexible structures into account and support them on a conceptual level. The topic of „cloud computing“ plays a central role in this. When they hear the word „cloud“, many people think of applications for end customers, such as Google Photos. Although these are only relevant to business customers to a limited extent, more and more cloud services for companies are coming onto the market that are similar to them: Salesforce.com, file hosting services à la Dropbox or Office 365, to name just a few. Such services must be taken into account in the company-wide IAM concept. How does a company now gain access to the applications operated in the cloud? In this context, SCIM (System for Cross-Domain Identity Management) is gaining importance. It is now considered the de facto standard for this form of provision. It remains to be seen whether the current trend will continue and lead to more application providers taking up this standard. The SCIM interface is currently supported by many, but by no means all cloud providers. Numerous users of Beta Systems IAM solutions are already setting up their cloud applications via the SCIM connection. Provisioning in private cloud environments Long before the term „cloud computing“ entered the normal vocabulary, companies started outsourcing individual IT applications or complete IT environments to external providers. From the IAM system’s point of view, these are invariably private cloud environments, as the target application is operated off the company premises. The different cloud-specific billing models (usage-based or subscription) have no influence on the technical implementation of this IAM approach. The challenge is rather to operate the IAM system across the entire IT landscape with its distributed IT platforms and complex organisational structures. Providing accounts whose associated applications run in a private cloud environment requires a robust, low-maintenance and autonomous concept for accessing the external applications. A similarly complex picture arises in the event that an IAM system must also manage applications that are run in independent branches or sister companies from an organisational perspective. Beta Systems recommends agent-free connection concepts in this area. Together with fault-tolerant, bidirectional communication and a concept for rapid deployment, the IAM software serves as an intermediary that gives the user maximum control over his external application network. IAM as a service in the Cloud IAM concepts are becoming more sophisticated as companies increasingly look for ways to reduce costs in IT. Therefore, a trend towards lean systems has been observed in recent years. Moving IAM to the cloud is one way to realise this goal. Economies of scale, lower requirements to operate the IAM solution and preconfigured governance concepts and applications are the advantages that customers expect from this. At present, not all expectations can be fulfilled, but many such advantages can already be achieved through the cloud-based use of IAM. The operational costs of an IAM solution can also be significantly reduced as soon as the solution is operated in a private cloud environment. Manage external users Working in a team with external partners or service providers is the norm these days. Be it freelancers, partners, suppliers or customers – these external users need access to specific applications of the company. For IAM systems, this modern division of labour leads to the necessity of introducing decentralised administration concepts. The constantly growing number of external user types makes it difficult for the HR department to control onboarding and offboarding processes. In this scenario, IAM can only work if possibilities for decentralised administration of (often project-specific or time-limited) access rights are found. The IAM system should therefore provide functions for flexible internal security (ISEC) and take organisational structures (access codes) into account. In this way, companies can assign administration rights to individual users on a fine-grained level and ensure the selective processing of access rights for individual user groups. Cooperation with other IAM bodies The management of external users is about more than just administration by means of decentralised concepts and remote connection. More and more applications are based on so-called identity federations. The resulting trust relationships between several identity solution providers and identity & access management systems make it possible to manage each individual identity in a single system. At the same time, a cross-system single sign-on functionality is provided, with which the leading systems identify users across all connected systems (SAML assertion). By taking over control tasks for the users to be identified by the IDP, the IAM solution provider can support interconnected systems and identity providers (IDPs). A central IAM system for cloud services Access management for cloud services can be controlled by an already existing IAM system on the local server (on-premise). An example process. A user is created on the local server. After approval by the supervisor, the identity management system creates the user on the local server as well as for all other required systems, for example for an external cloud application. Alternatively, the entire IAM system can be outsourced to the cloud. In this case, users, roles and authorisations are managed both locally and in the cloud systems used from the cloud IAM system. The market offers independent solutions for this from both established and new IAM manufacturers. Some solutions can also be operated exclusively in the cloud. As a conclusion we can say that the role of IAM is to ensure complete cloud security for business organizations employing policies and multiple verification steps within a specific framework. It is an impressive way to manage, control and protect information on the cloud network. By following robust IAM strategy businesses can detect, manage, and control user identities across the entire system and prevent future threats and data breach risks. Using the cloud without an IAM connection inevitably leads to a dead end, as administrative tasks have to be performed multiple times and manually. This not only costs money and time, but

Best Practices for Successful Risk Management

Uncategorized / Von Ina Nikolova

Markets and their requirements are currently changing faster than ever before. Digitalisation is advancing, and more and more companies are shifting processes to the cloud. Artificial intelligence is producing results that were previously not thought possible – the outcome is uncertain. Considering these developments, smart risk management is becoming indispensable for companies of all kinds. A robust and customised risk management process not only helps your organisation reduce uncertainty. It can also tip the proverbial scales when it comes to delivering critical value to your customers. This article explains risk management, how to implement enterprise-wide risk management and the link between risk management and information security. What is risk management about? Risk management in a company systematically identifies, evaluates and deals with potential risks. These risks could affect the company’s objectives, assets and stakeholders. Every company has its own risks, depending on the industry and context. An effective strategy requires tailored processes to analyse and appropriately manage the risks. As the use of online technologies in the business context increases, so do the threats. Examples include home office and cloud services to which companies are exposed. Dealing with these risks in a planned manner is essential for a company’s information security. Certification to ISO 27001 is particularly important for those companies that work with large amounts of personal data. This is even more true for companies in critical infrastructures, e.g. the healthcare and financial sectors. ISO 27001 is the international standard for information security and lays the foundation for a company-wide information security management system (ISMS), which in turn defines measures for risk management in the company. This makes the ISMS a particularly important element for the long-term success of a company. Development of a risk management process Risk management according to ISO 27001 follows a process that comprises three central steps: Below we look at each of these steps in detail and provide you with useful best practices. Are you ready? 1. Identification and assessment of risks There are various approaches to identifying and assessing risks for a company. Approaches focusing on assets to be protected, on vulnerabilities, on threats and on scenarios are particularly common. Each variant has certain advantages and disadvantages and areas of application in which it is particularly useful.Before you start with the actual assessment of risks, you must first decide on a basic perspective for the analysis. Basically, there are two categories: qualitative and quantitative risk analyses. 2. Develop a risk treatment plan Once the potential risks to an enterprise have been identified and assessed, a risk treatment plan must be developed. This is used to manage or eliminate the risks. Regardless of the industry, four ways have been established to deal with risks to businesses. „Avoiding the risk“ in this case means doing everything possible to eliminate the cause of the risk. This may include stopping certain activities, no longer serving certain markets or no longer pursuing certain projects. Avoiding the risk makes sense above all when the risk is very likely and the possible consequences would be particularly fatal. If a company decides to „reduce risk“, it takes measures to reduce the risk or mitigate consequences. These include the introduction of measures, processes or guidelines. This option makes sense if the probability of occurrence is low and the possible consequences are significant for the company. In „transferring the risk“, the risk is transferred to another party, for example by taking out insurance or outsourcing certain activities to a third party. This option is always chosen if the possible consequences of a risk would be high and the company itself cannot or does not want to take countermeasures. In this option, the risk and its possible negative consequences are accepted. Instead of taking countermeasures, one prepares as far as possible, e.g. through monitoring or contingency plans, and includes the negative consequences as costs in calculations. This option always makes sense if the possible negative consequences of a risk are relatively small and the company is prepared to bear them. 3. Review and check for residual risks After the risk treatment plan has been completed, it must be reviewed for its effectiveness and possible residual risks. If residual risks are identified, they can be assessed using the above approaches and integrated into the existing plan. The final review is to ensure that the internal risk management is designed for the long term and is continuously monitored and controlled. Any changes in business processes or the business context must be taken into account and may lead to changes in the risk treatment plan. Cybersecurity and compliance are complex and becoming more complicated as more sophisticated threats emerge across the globe. Comprehensive cybersecurity, driven by senior management, can provide flexible and responsive solutions to these issues and protect businesses with an exceptionally secure and robust infrastructure. PATECCO offers you competent expert advice and solutions tailored to you in order to optimally support you in your risk management. In addition, we support you with ISO 27001 certification, your DSGVO compliance and develop individual strategies for your company-wide risk management.

Security Information and Event Management as an Early Warning System for IT security

Uncategorized / Von Ina Nikolova

Security Information and Event Management, or SIEM for short, is of great value for IT security. With a good SIEM strategy, IT risks can be detected more quickly, defensive measures can be focused more precisely and compliance reports can be generated automatically. Today, cyber attacks are often so sophisticated and complex that they are only detected very late or not at all. The longer it takes for an attack to be detected, however, the greater the potential damage. However, there is no lack of indications of new IT threats or traces of attacks. Signs of security incidents can be found in log data, for example. Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)systems collect data from a wide variety of sources such as networks, systems and applications. By analysing this data, security incidents can be detected and remediated at an early stage. In this article you will learn more about SIEM and how it can help you protect your business from security risks. What is a SIEM system? The definition of a SIEM system is a combination of software and hardware that allows organisations to monitor their network security. SIEM systems are able to analyse logs from various systems and generate alerts when suspicious activity is detected. SIEM systems are usually part of a company’s larger security programme and can help detect and combat threats more quickly. SIEM systems can also help monitor compliance with security regulations. SIEM systems are an important tool for network security, but it is important to note that SIEM systems are only as good as the data they process. SIEM systems can only generate alerts if they are properly configured and process the right data (keyword: use case tuning). SIEM systems alone cannot eliminate threats, but they can be an important part of a larger security programme. SIEM systems are most effective when combined with other security tools and measures. A SIEM is a key component of an enterprise IT security management system. It serves as a central event management tool in the Security Operation Centre (SOC). We are happy to support you in the selection and implementation of a suitable SIEM solution for your company. What are SIEM systems used for? SIEM systems are primarily used to monitor and analyse security data. This includes data from firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS) and other security systems. SIEM systems can also be used to correlate data from different sources. This gives security analysts a better overview of the security situation in their network. SIEM systems are also used to detect security threats and incidents. How does a SIEM work? A SIEM is an approach to centrally collect and analyse data from various sources in real time. SIEM enables security officers to detect and respond to threats faster by correctly analysing critical information from multiple sources. SIEM typically involves a combination of software and hardware that can collect and analyse security data from networks, endpoints, applications and users. SIEM solutions typically provide a dashboard-based view of the organisation’s security posture and enable security officers to respond quickly to threats. SIEM is an essential component of a comprehensive security strategy. However, SIEM solutions can also be complex and expensive, making them prohibitively expensive for many companies. SIEM is an essential part of a comprehensive security strategy, but it is important to remember that SIEM is only as good as the data it analyses. SIEM solutions need to be carefully selected and configured to ensure that they work properly. Choosing the right SIEM solution If companies decide to use SIEM solutions, they should consider organising workshops either internally or with SIEM partners. This will allow them to coordinate their project scope and timeframe. To determine the size of your organisation and the time it will take to achieve it, you must first determine the use case and prioritise to determine the log sources required. SIEM solutions should be evaluated based on four main factors: Functionality, Cost, Integration and Maintenance. SIEM functionalities must meet the needs of security analysts. SIEM solutions should be able to be integrated into the existing security infrastructure and the SIEM system must be regularly kept up to date. SIEM partners should be regularly audited to ensure that they are providing the required SIEM functionality and services. By reviewing these four SIEM assessment factors, companies can ensure they find the SIEM solution that best suits them. SIEM solutions should be evaluated for features, cost, integration and maintenance to ensure they find the SIEM solution that best suits them. Why do you need a SIEM? As said above, SIEM can help detect and remediate threats faster. SIEM provides real-time monitoring and analysis of security data from multiple sources. SIEM can also help ensure compliance with security regulations. A SIEM can be a valuable tool for companies to improve their IT security. However, SIEM can also be very complex and expensive. SIEM solutions are usually only affordable for large companies. SIEM is also a relatively new concept, so it can be difficult for many companies to implement SIEM. SIEM also usually requires a high level of IT expertise. SIEM is therefore not always the best solution for all companies. SIEM should be carefully considered before a company decides to deploy SIEM. The advantages of Security Information and Event Management at a glance It is impossible to completely avoid security-critical incidents in the modern IT environment – but early detection and recording of dangers increases the chance of keeping any damage as low as possible. If you play to its strengths, a SIEM system provides you with the perfect basis for this. In particular, the real-time reaction to detected security events is one of the decisive strengths of such a solution: the automated algorithms and AI tools detect dangers at a point in time when normal security precautions are often not yet or not at all effective. Another advantage of a good SIEM solution is that all security events are automatically documented and archived in a tamper-proof manner. This makes

The Advantages of a Passwordless Authentication Within a Zero Trust Security framework

Uncategorized / Von Ina Nikolova

The rapid shift towards more remote working and the associated explosion of devices has dramatically increased the number of cyber threats. With this in mind, companies face the challenge of protecting their highly complex cloud-based technology ecosystems, as employees, software and even partner organisations can pose a threat to the security of valuable systems and data. As a consequence, the zero-trust approach has established itself as a popular security framework. What is Zero Trust? In a Zero Trust architecture, the inherent trust in the network is removed. Instead, the network is classified as hostile and every access request is checked based on an access policy. An effective zero trust framework combines several tools and strategies and is based on one golden rule: trust no one. Instead, each entity (person, device or software module) and each access request to technology resources must provide enough information to earn that trust. If access is granted, it applies only to the specific asset needed to perform a task and only for a limited period of time. The role of zero-trust authentication Because password-based, traditional multi-factor authentication (MFA) can be easily exploited by cybercriminals, an effective zero-trust approach requires strong user validation through phishing-resistant, passwordless MFA. It also requires establishing trust in the endpoint device used to access applications and data. If organisations cannot trust the user or their device, all other components of a zero-trust approach are useless. Authentication is therefore critical to a successful zero-trust architecture, as it prevents unauthorised access to data and services and makes access control enforcement as granular as possible. In practice, this authentication must be as smooth and user-friendly as possible so that users do not bypass it or bombard the helpdesk with support requests. The advantages of passwordless authentication Replacing traditional MFA with strong, passwordless authentication methods allows security teams to build the first layer of their zero-trust architecture. Replacing passwords with FIDO-based passkeys that use asymmetric cryptography, and combining them with secure device-based biometrics, creates a phishing-resistant MFA approach. Users are authenticated by proving that they own the registered device, which is cryptographically bound to their identity, through a combination of biometric authentication and asymmetric cryptographic transaction. The same technology is used in Transaction Layer Security (TLS), which ensures the authenticity of a website and establishes an encrypted tunnel before users exchange sensitive information, for example in online banking. This strong authentication method not only provides significant protection against cyber attacks, but can also reduce the costs and administrative tasks associated with resetting and locking passwords with traditional MFA tools. Most importantly, there are long-term benefits through improved workflow and staff productivity, as authentication is designed to be particularly user-friendly and frictionless. Zero trust authentication requirements at a glance It is important that organisations looking to implement a zero trust framework address authentication as early as possible. In doing so, they should pay attention to the following points: 1. Strong user validation A strong factor to confirm the identity of the user is the proof of ownership of their assigned device. This is provided when the authorised user verifiably authenticates himself on his own device. The identity of the device is cryptographically bound to the identity of the user for this purpose. These two factors eliminate passwords or other cryptographic secrets that cybercriminals can retrieve from a device, intercept over a network or elicit from users through social engineering. 2. Strong device validation With strong device validation, organisations prevent the use of unauthorised BYOD devices by only granting access to known, trusted devices. The validation process verifies that the device is bound to the user and meets the necessary security and compliance requirements. 3. User-friendly authentication for users and administrators. Passwords and traditional MFA are time-consuming and impact productivity. Passwordless authentication is easy to deploy and manage and verifies users within seconds via a biometric scanner on their device. 4. Integration with IT management and security tools Collecting as much information as possible about users, devices and transactions is very helpful in deciding whether to grant access. A zero-trust policy engine requires the integration of data sources and other software tools to make correct decisions, send alerts to the SOC and share trusted log data for auditing purposes. 5. Advanced policy engines Deploying a policy engine with an easy-to-use interface enables security teams to define policies such as risk levels and risk scores that control access. Automated policy engines help collect data from tens of thousands of devices, including multiple devices from both internal employees and external service providers. Because using risk scores instead of raw data is useful in many situations, the engine also needs to access data from a range of IT management and security tools. Once collected, the policy engine evaluates the data and takes the action specified in the policy, for example, approving or blocking access or quarantining a suspicious device. Traditional password-based multi-factor authentication is now a very low barrier for attackers. An authentication process that is both phishing-resistant and passwordless is therefore a key component of a zero-trust framework. This not only significantly reduces cybersecurity risks, but also improves employee productivity and IT team efficiency.

Why Identity and Access Management is Critical for Cyber Security in 2023?

Uncategorized / Von Ina Nikolova

In PATECCO’s latest whitepaper, we will provide you a clear understanding why IAM is critical for cyber security in 2023 and how it helps you to keep your enterprise safe and secure. The series of articles describe the role of Identity and Access Management which is integral to an organization’s overall security posture, adaptability, and resilience against evolving cyber threats. Let’s get started! Click on the image and download the document: