Uncategorized - PATECCO GmbH

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

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:

How Artificial Intelligence Helps Minimizing Cyber Risks

Uncategorized / Von Ina Nikolova

The digital age has opened up numerous opportunities for us, but at the same time we are exposed to entirely new cyber threats. Never before we have been as connected as we are today – across all sectors and areas of life, in industry, business and society. Especially through the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, processes are becoming more and more automated and optimized. The challenge for cybersecurity is that every exchange of data must be secured and protected from unauthorized access. Furthermore, cybercriminals are constantly looking for ways to compromise networks and steal sensitive data. These techniques are becoming increasingly advanced and can be difficult to detect by humans or traditional defense solutions. For this reason, organizations are looking to AI techniques to strengthen their cybersecurity defense plan. Artificial intelligence in cybersecurity can help companies understand and defend against these threats. How can companies protect themselves against cyber risks? As already mentioned, the application of AI has significantly impacted people’s lives. We now have machines that can drive cars, understand verbal commands, distinguish images, and play games. This is the reason why AI and machine learning have become indispensable to information security, as these technologies are able to quickly analyze millions of data sets and detect a wide range of cyber threats – from malware threats to phishing attacks, ransomware and zero-day vulnerabilities. These technologies are constantly learning, using data from past cyberattacks to identify potential threats. Regarding IT security, companies must ensure that they develop and operate a holistic security concept. In addition to using the appropriate protection products such as firewalls, virus protection or backups, this also includes active management of the IT components. All network components must not only be permanently patched and updated, but also continuously monitored. This ensures that security gaps are detected as quickly as possible. IT monitoring tools can be used not only to continuously monitor networks, servers, applications and other IT components to ensure that they are functioning properly, but to measure the performance of IT systems and detect security incidents, as well. Active monitoring is usually difficult for companies to implement, which is why support from a managed service provider is advisable. AI for cybersecurity can help you detect threats masquerading as normal traffic, and can process and analyze a large amount of data more thoroughly and in less time. A managed service is responsible for the provision and management of a company’s IT infrastructure. In doing so, we ensure that the customer’s IT infrastructure is always available and functional. Integrated services such as update management and monitoring, significantly increase the IT security. Of course the MSP use special software and AI-supported tools to ensure that potential attackers do not take advantage of artificial intelligence. Proper vulnerability management is the best way to secure an organization’s network. As mentioned earlier, a lot of traffic flows through an organization’s network, and it is imperative to detect, identify, and protect that traffic from malicious access. Unlike human security personnel, AI can quickly learn network behavior to identify vulnerabilities in the system, allowing organizations to focus on ways to mitigate those risks. In this way, vulnerability management can be improved and the enterprise can secure its network systems in a timely manner. Given the speed at which cyber threats evolve, it’s a fact that traditional rules-based security systems can’t keep up. This is where AI systems come into play. AI technologies are equipped with advanced algorithms that detect malware activity, perform pattern recognition and identify anomalous behavior before the system is compromised. Machine learning algorithms can learn from historical data and behavior patterns to identify new and emerging threats, including malware, ransomware, and phishing attacks. AI systems can help identify your IT inventory, a documented record of all tangible and intangible assets. Cybercriminals are always trying to target these assets. Using AI in cybersecurity, you can predict how and when a cyberattack will occur and plan accordingly to allocate resources to the most vulnerable areas. One of the key benefits of incident response automation is its ability to significantly reduce the time it takes to detect, respond to security threats and remediate security incidents. AI and ML-powered tools can monitor network traffic, user behavior, and system logs to detect unusual activities that may indicate a cyberattack. This allows organizations to identify potential threats much more quickly than would be possible using manual methods, enabling them to take action before any significant damage is done. Cyberattacks are becoming more advanced, and cybercriminals are finding more creative ways to carry out their evil plans. That’s why companies are turning to AI to strengthen their defenses and mitigate cyber risks. AI offers so many cybersecurity benefits, including vulnerability management, risk prediction, threat detection, and network traffic monitoring. We hope this article has given you some insight into the use of AI in cybersecurity.

How to Implement Zero Trust With Privileged Access Management

Uncategorized / Von Ina Nikolova

Zero Trust and PAM both emphasize the importance of access control. As we know, Zero Trust adopts a least privilege approach, ensuring that users and devices have only the necessary access rights to perform their tasks. PAM focuses on managing and controlling privileged accounts, which have elevated privileges and access to critical systems and data. By integrating PAM within a Zero Trust framework, organizations can implement strict controls over privileged access, reducing the risk of unauthorized or excessive access. Guide to implementing Zero Trust with Privileged Access Management: Implementing Zero Trust with Privileged Access Management (PAM) involves combining the principles and practices of both approaches to enhance security and minimize the risk of unauthorized access. In this article will be presented a step-by-step guide to implementing Zero Trust with Privileged Access Management: Remember that implementing Zero Trust with Privileged Access Management is an ongoing process, and it requires commitment, regular monitoring, and a proactive approach to security. It’s recommended to engage with security professionals and consider consulting with experts to ensure a robust implementation. What is the interaction between zero trust and privileged access management? As already mentioned, Zero Trust and Privileged Access Management (PAM) are two complementary security concepts that work together to enhance overall cybersecurity. While Zero Trust focuses on the principle of not trusting any user or device by default, PAM specifically addresses the management and control of privileged accounts. Zero Trust and Privileged Access Management (PAM) interact in several ways to strengthen overall security and mitigate the risks associated with privileged accounts. Here’s a closer look at their interaction: By combining the principles and practices of Zero Trust with the capabilities of Privileged Access Management, organizations can enhance their security posture, minimize the risk of unauthorized access, privilege misuse, and potential security breaches involving privileged accounts. The interaction between Zero Trust and PAM helps organizations enforce strict access controls, implement strong authentication, monitor privileged access activities, and make risk-based decisions to protect critical assets and sensitive data.

What Are the Differences Between Active Directory und Azure AD?

Kommentar verfassen / Uncategorized / Von Ina Nikolova

As managed service providers we are often asked by the clients whether an on-premises Active Directory or Azure AD is the best option? The decision on this question is not easy to make, because more and more cloud services are also spreading into traditional data center environments. Even though Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) and Microsoft Azure Active Directory look very similar, they are not interchangeable and there are a few key differences. Administrators considering a move to Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) for the authentication and authorization, need to understand exactly how the cloud-based platform differs from a traditional on-premises Active Directory (AD). With Azure Active Directory, Microsoft offers a directory service for the cloud. Even though the name is similar to Active Directory, the differences are serious. In this article, we are going to compare Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) with Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) and examine the most important differences. A local Active Directory is initially a combination of several services to manage users and systems. These include the Active Directory Domain Services and the Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS). AD DS is the central database that provides all directory services. AD DS is therefore the actual core of an Active Directory. Microsoft Azure Active Directory cannot create and manage the same domains, trees and forests that AD DS can. Instead, Azure AD treats each organisation as its own tenant, accessing Azure AD through the Azure Portal to manage its employees, passwords and access rights. Companies that opt for one of Microsoft’s cloud services, be it Office 365 or Exchange Online, are tenants or subscribers of Azure AD. On one hand, Azure Active Directory is a multitenant, cloud-based directory and identity management service from Microsoft. It combines core directory services, application access management, and identity protection into a single solution. Furthermore, Azure Active Directory is designed to support web-based services that use REST API interfaces for Office 365, Salesforce.com, etc. Unlike pure Active Directory, it uses completely different protocols (Goodbye, Kerberos and NTLM) that work with service protocols such as SAML and Oauth 2.0. With Azure AD, single sign-on scenarios can be implemented very easily. In addition to seamless networking with all Microsoft online services, Azure AD can connect to hundreds of SaaS applications via single sign-on. In this way, employees can access the company’s data without having to log in again and again. The access token is stored locally on the employee’s computer. You can also restrict access by setting up expiry dates for these tokens. On the other hand, Active Directory focuses on authenticating server services in the data centre. The service was not designed to deal with the challenges of authentication for cloud services. Active Directory does not natively support the connection and management of smartphones and tablets. In most cases, third-party tools are needed here. Azure Active Directory is directly connected to Microsoft Intune and therefore already offers functions for the management and connection of modern devices. Active Directory focuses on desktop computers and local servers. However, these devices can also become part of Azure AD and benefit from the functions of Microsoft Intune. It’s important to note that only Active Directory offers support for group policies. The group policy function does not exist in Azure AD. There are policies in Azure as well, but they are not compatible with group policies. Companies that rely on Azure AD and Active Directory must therefore build two policy infrastructures that take different approaches and thus support different settings. AAD is managed either in the Azure Portal or with PowerShell. In internal networks, Azure AD will certainly not be ready to replace Active Directory any time soon. In the cloud, Azure AD is better suited in most cases, but not every local server application can be easily moved to the cloud and use Azure AD. For example, it is not possible to extend the schema in Azure AD. Applications that require schema extensions must be installed in Active Directory. Trust positions between domains also do not exist in Azure AD. Administration in Azure Active Directory is delegated through Role Based Access Control (RBAC). Functions such as Privileged Identity Management (PIM) and Just-in-Time (JIT) are already firmly integrated here. These technologies also exist in ADDS, but must first be set up manually via server services. In most cases, separate servers are even required for this. Azure AD and local Active Directory can work together. Microsoft offers the possibility to synchronise local user accounts and group with Azure AD. The necessary tools are provided free of charge. Single sign-on scenarios can also be mapped in this way. If local Active Directory user accounts are required in Microsoft Azure, a domain controller can be operated in Azure that is connected to the local Active Directory. In most cases, companies therefore rely on Active Directory in the local data centre and Azure AD in the cloud. Through synchronisation, user accounts are available everywhere and can be used in a way that makes sense and can be implemented with the respective infrastructure. Microsoft Active Directory and Azure AD are suited to a particular IT environment. So, in which case you can use either solution or a combination of both? If you have an established on-prem intranet, then Microsoft AD is the best option. You probably have AD installed if the network is large enough and runs Windows Server. As mentioned above, Azure AD is designed for cloud authentication. This makes it the perfect IAM solution for organizations with a large cloud footprint. It also makes sense to consider Azure AD if you plan to move to the cloud. Combination of both solutions ensures seamless authentication between on-prem and cloud resources. As a conclusion we could say that Microsoft AD or Azure AD is not a matter of choice or preference. It’s more about what best works for your authentication needs. If you need a robust and integrated solution for managing user identities and access to applications

DKB Customer Success Story: IAM Tool Implementation and Segregation of Duties

Free, Uncategorized / Von Ina Nikolova

Do you enjoy reading customer success stories? If yes, download PATECCO latest whitepaper. It describes how a renowned German banking institution overcomes a number of security challenges by means of unique combination of strategies, methods, and integration of an IAM tool, coupled with robust segregation of duties practices. This customer success story serves as a good example and as an inspiration for the financial companies to be more active, to be alert and to be more responsible in providing security, efficiency, and compliance in the dynamic landscape of the banking industry. Click on the image and download the document:

What are Insider Threats and How Can Identity Governance and Administration Prevent Them?

Uncategorized / Von Ina Nikolova

Insider threats are a major and growing concern for organizations, as the human factor is often the most difficult to control and predict when it comes to data security and privacy. With digitization, the amount of digital data is growing exponentially, and with it comes an increase in the number of systems and human interactions with data. More interaction means that data is exposed to more security vulnerabilities. The potential risks from insider threats are numerous, including financial fraud, data corruption, theft of valuable information and malware installation. These incidents can lead to data breaches that expose sensitive information such as personally identifiable information (PII) or intellectual property (IP) and can result in large fines, while their detection is no easy task for security teams. What are insider threats in cybersecurity? Insider threats are cybersecurity risks that originate within the organization itself. They can be caused by users with legitimate access to the organization’s assets – including current or former employees, contractors, business partners, third-party vendors, etc. Insiders can vary significantly in awareness, motivation, intent, and level of access. Traditional security measures such as firewalls or antivirus systems focus on external threats and are not always able to detect threats originating from within the organization. In addition to being invisible to traditional security solutions, attacks from insiders can be more difficult to detect or prevent than attacks from the outside and can go unnoticed for months or years. Difference between internal and external threats In many ways, insider threats can do far more damage than external threats. This is because an insider threat potentially has direct access to sensitive data and critical applications, which it can exploit by moving laterally and vertically until it reaches its desired target. For example, it is easy for cybercriminals to hack an administrator’s account to gain access to the root server and database system. Most companies are also not adequately protected against attacks from the inside, making them much easier to carry out than attacks from the outside. And in many cases, the attacker can carry out his malicious activities undetected. For example, a hacker can trick a user into giving him his credentials, which then allows him to log in as a legitimate user and steal data without being noticed. He could also gain access to a trusted insider, and then lie in wait until he achieves his goal. Without IGA tools, administrators would never notice this because there are no guardrails to guarantee a minimum level of privilege. Finally, the measures that protect against external threats are largely useless against internal attacks, as they are simply bypassed. Therefore, specialized solutions are needed to effectively combat them. How IGA can help mitigate insider threats An IGA tool is a fundamental protection against insider threats. That’s because it addresses the core of what makes insider threats dangerous and effective – identity theft. GA provides a streamlined way to manage an organization’s identities, including user accounts and access rights. Ensure that employees, contractors and outsourced IT departments can only access network resources designated for them. In addition, access rights can be granted or revoked automatically, depending on the situation. For example, if the system suspects that an account has been compromised, it can revoke all privileges to prevent the account from further penetrating the network. This is also useful for tracking down and deleting orphaned accounts that are easy targets for insider attacks. IGA tools also have monitoring and analysis capabilities that constantly check user activity. If an irregularity is detected, the account in question can be immediately blocked as a preventative measure. In other words: IGA is like a watchful eye, keeping an eye on the network around the clock. A robust IGA solution combines user lifecycle management, role-based access control, and automated auditing to reduce the risk of unauthorized data breaches. It also enables organizations to scale and keep up with changing business needs thanks to the following capabilities: Insider threat indicator monitoring Robust monitoring and security analytics detect any suspicious activity that could indicate an insider threat. This allows malicious access to be quickly detected and patterns used to identify potential threats before they cause real damage. A comprehensive IGA solution also helps protect against data loss by alerting when files are accessed without authorization. Such a solution can even detect when privileged users gain unauthorized access to sensitive data and take it out of the organization. With this feature, potential internal threats can be quickly identified and action taken before damage is caused.