Contents:
In this article, I will go over the definition of a network vulnerability, and the most common types of flaws that impact network security.
Unpatched applications, misconfigured routers, or weak passwords can enable attackers to gain access to the company`s sensitive data. Applying network security best practices and using professional security software helps you protect the organization`s data and assets.
What Is a Network Vulnerability?
A network vulnerability is a weakness in a system or its design that an attacker can exploit to breach a company’s system. Network vulnerabilities stand in one of two categories: internal or external, depending on where the flaw is located.
Misconfigurations, bugs, poorly written code, or even employees are usually the source of internal network vulnerabilities. External network security vulnerabilities are represented by the devices or platforms a company uses daily.
By the ISO/IEC 27005 set of standards, vulnerabilities in general can be classified according to the type of asset they belong to. Thus, your enterprise can deal with:
- software vulnerabilities,
- hardware vulnerabilities,
- personnel vulnerabilities,
- organizational vulnerabilities,
- or network vulnerabilities.
10 Common Network Vulnerabilities
Vulnerable Mobile Devices
Mobile devices are present in the cyber-environment of any company, be it on-premises or remote. Employees either bring them to the office or use them for their work as part of the company’s BYOD policy. Unfortunately, there are many ways in which laptops, smartphones and tablets can become a security risk. In order to stay safe from potential network security threats, use a mobile device management solution.
Physical theft or misplacement is one of the most common issues regarding mobile devices. Employees connects their phones or tablets to the corporate network to access sensitive data. Thus, stealing such devices is, for an attacker, an open gate to accessing the network.
Another method hackers use to gain network access is creating lookalike apps that trick the user into disclosing private information.
Exposed IoT Devices
The Internet of Things consists of devices that are able to transfer data within a network. However, they remain outside the spectrum of what we generally consider as part of the system. Many companies have IoT devices such as smart thermostats, surveillance cameras, or even refrigerators.
Securing IoTs gets more complicated when the enterprise operates remotely. Your employees can have a variety of IoT devices in their homes, like smartwatches, ovens, and TVs. They are often overlooked as potential security risks, but the truth is that IoT security is essential to the digital safety of an enterprise. In their cyber attacks, hackers can use them as an entry point into the network, then move laterally to other devices.
The vulnerability of IoTs is one of the reasons why we recommend using an automated patch management solution to make sure you apply the latest security patches to all devices connected to the network.
USB Flash Drives
USB flash drives might seem completely benign, but they can contain malware that auto-installs once the device is plugged in. Many high scaled cyberattacks, such as the 2008 cyberattack against the United States Department of Defense, were triggered this way.
Fortunately, people rarely need to use USBs in the modern cloud-connected work landscape. Therefore, if you ever spot a wild USB flash drive connected to a device in your workspace, it might be safe to assume you should remove it immediately. Check with your colleagues before doing so, however. While it’s true that most of us keep backups in the cloud, you can never know for sure if someone decided to go old-school or not.
As a network security measure, monitor all USB ports so that no unapproved devices can connect to the organization`s network.
If it doesn`t tamper with the workflow, as a security measure, you can also automatically block USB usage on the company`s devices.
Misconfigured Firewalls
After the border router, the firewall is the next line of defense your data has against attackers looking to exploit a network vulnerability. It is a powerful network security system that blocks unauthorized access to a computer or network. Many organizations use firewalls to protect their sensitive data and devices against cyber attacks.
If the firewall settings are too permissive, threat actors might be able to access sensitive information. Disabling advanced security features is another misconfiguration that turns a network vulnerable. System Admins sometimes choose to turn off leak detection and port scan alert features, in order to reduce alert fatigue.
A better and safe way to reduce alert fatigue is to use an MXDR solution to correlate, analyze and prioritize alerts. This will reduce the pressure on the security team and also bolster network security.
More often, what makes a firewall vulnerable is failing to apply software updates in time.
Single-Factor Authentication
Single-factor authentication (SFA) is a method of authentication that relies on only one factor. The usual request to verify the identity of the user is a password.
The risks associated with SFA are that it can be easily bypassed by a malicious actor who obtained the password through phishing techniques, from the dark web or in other ways. There are websites and platforms that still allow single-factor authentication.
In the past years, online banking platforms, social media, and other services did, however, implement a Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) system. Two-factor authentication is a common example. It requires two items to authenticate the user: a password and a safety code that is sent on a device. So, in case some malicious actor managed to compromise your password, he won`t be able to break into your account since he`ll still need the code.
Inadequate Passwords
If allowed, most employees will create easy to remember, weak passwords. Some of them might not even be aware of the associated security risk.
Unfortunately, using inadequate passwords or reusing them can lead to security breaches. In this situation, hackers can easily break into work accounts and steal sensitive information. A strong password policy is an important line of defense against cyber attacks.
Poorly Configured Wi-Fi
Both the modern office and remote workers rely heavily on the use of Wi-Fi internet connections. Accessing the Internet through wireless access points encourages mobility, communication and cooperation inside a team. However, a poorly configured or unpatched router will rapidly become a network vulnerability. Attackers can use vulnerable routers as an entry gate to an organization`s system.
Sometimes System Admins overlook basic network security measures. In order to provide a secure Wi-Fi connection and avoid a security breach, you should always:
- use WPA2 encryption,
- change the default password with a strong one,
- change the name of the network from its default,
- Disable access to the network for unknown devices.
Unsecured Email Services
Businesses rely on email services to send and receive data. Naturally, this sometimes involves confidential communications. There are messages that contain confidential data, like:
- personal identification information,
- health-related data,
- bank account information,
- intellectual property,
- trade secrets,
- various financial data, etc.
Hackers can use social engineering techniques, like CEO fraud, spear phishing, or phishing to trick employees to reveal private data.
They often exploit email services to create a gateway into the company network, making it vulnerable to an attack. Besides hunting for critical data and intercepting messages, they can also get employees to become unknowing malware spreaders within the system.
Outdated Software
In the past, software companies would often release a new version of their software every few years. They did it to introduce new features and improve the user experience. However, in recent years, software companies started releasing new versions of their software more frequently. This time, they do it to fix the bugs and security vulnerabilities that they, the security researchers, or even the users find in the software.
Failing to install in time critical updates can become a security risk for your enterprise. Unpatched software turns the system vulnerable to cyber threats. Hackers know about these vulnerabilities and use them to steal data or infect a system. In fact, most of successfully exploited vulnerabilities are known flows that were left unpatched.
Almost every organization has at least one old device or software that is still in use yet is not the main focus of the IT team. Those devices and applications that everybody forgot about and are left unpatched are a threat actor`s dream. They can use them to gain unauthorized access to the company`s network.
A patch and assets management tool solves this problem fast, remotely and without putting unnecessary pressure on the employees. It`s the most efficient way to keep all software, network devices, and endpoints up to date.
Insider Threat
Sometimes, it`s not a flaw in architecture that causes the cyber incident. There might be other network vulnerabilities, besides poorly written code, router misconfigurations, or unpatched software. Every now and then, the true culprits are the people in your organization. Insider threat is by far the most dangerous network vulnerability. Employees themselves can become a liability to your enterprise’s digital wellbeing, either inadvertently or intentionally.
Why Are Network Vulnerabilities Dangerous?
Network perimeter vulnerabilities can hide in plain sight, within a seemingly innocent asset. This is particularly what makes them so dangerous. Many companies are unaware that they have at least one such weak point in their organizational structure.
Research cited by Help Net Security has shown that the security of 84% of organizations in IT, finance, retail, manufacturing, government, advertising, and telecom is compromised by one or several high-risk network perimeter vulnerabilities.
What is more, 10% of the identified vulnerabilities have publicly available exploits that cyber attackers can abuse. Additionally, 58% out of the 3,514 hosts that were scanned during the study presented these openly available weak spots. Examined endpoints include network devices, servers, and workstations.
Hackers use common network vulnerabilities to deploy malware, ransomware, spyware, Trojans, and worms on a company`s endpoints. Unfortunately, cyberattacks are not a one-step operation. In 2021, our cybersecurity tools registered over 10 million infection attempts. A part of them targeted the network level and were delivered through more cunning means, such as email.
Read more about the cyberattack surface and the malware hackers deploy through network vulnerabilities in the Heimdal Threat Report 2022-2023.
How to Prevent Network Vulnerabilities
The first step in preventing network vulnerabilities is performing a vulnerability risk assessment, a mandatory starting point of any successful cybersecurity strategy. During this process, a company identifies its security risks and decides whether to remove them or roll with them.
Performing a vulnerability risk assessment also allows you to set priorities for remediation. Chances are that you will need to close these gaps in security one weakness at a time. This means that you should ideally know what needs to be dealt with and when.
Dealing with outdated software is the most important step in vulnerability remediation. The aforementioned research cited by Help Net Security has found that 47% of network perimeter vulnerabilities can be corrected by installing the latest software versions. That’s almost half of them.
What is more, 42% of them used software that had reached its end of life and received no security from the developer. The oldest identified vulnerability was from 16 years ago. Additionally, every single company involved in the study had an issue with keeping its assets up to date. But why does this happen, considering the importance patching holds in the ecosystem of IT security? The answer is surprisingly simple: because it’s disruptive and time-consuming.
This is where Heimdal Security steps in. The Heimdal Patch & Asset Management automatic software updater is specifically designed to facilitate the process of vulnerability management through optimized and reliable patch deployment.
Heimdal Patch & Asset Management allows you to define policies for software installation and patch distribution. The module is managed under Heimdal’s Unified Threat Dashboard (UTD). It allows you to set schedules and other parameters for updates, so that interruptions are minimized, and efficiency is maximized.
Heimdal® Patch & Asset Management
- Create policies that meet your exact needs;
- Full compliance and CVE/CVSS audit trail;
- Gain extensive vulnerability intelligence;
- And much more than we can fit in here...
Final Thoughts
Network vulnerabilities are a dangerous liability for your company, especially considering how widespread and undetectable they are. So, having a proper cybersecurity strategy is essential for the well-being of any organization. Risk assessment programs, automated patch management and additional cybersecurity tools are mandatory for a successful defense strategy.
Alina Georgiana Petcu is a Product Marketing Manager within Heimdal™ Security and her main interest lies in institutional cybersecurity. In her spare time, Alina is also an avid malware historian who loves nothing more than to untangle the intricate narratives behind the world's most infamous cyberattacks.
