As the amount of data stored in systems has increased, so has the frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks. The days of simply relying on a firewall and antivirus software to protect a business’ network and data are over. The technology landscape has shifted dramatically in the past decade. and businesses are being impacted by attacks that not only shut down and compromise devices but affect the network and cloud as well.
Catch me, if you can
Threat adversaries search for "open doors and windows" on your network that can be exploited, then execute attacks against them. With holistic attacks, the attack can originate anywhere a vulnerability exists whether that be the cloud, a server, a workstation endpoint, or a mobile device. From there, the attack can spread like wildfire, jumping across vulnerabilities and platforms until many endpoints and cloud systems are compromised.
Take for example ransomware attacks, which come in three extortion tactics. One that locks files and demands money, one that demands money over the threat of releasing details, and one that expands the problem to your business partners and clients. When an employee unknowingly clicks on a phishing email, the ransomware jumps into the endpoint. From there, it jumps across the network into the cloud, maybe even your Salesforce environment. Once in the cloud, they start grabbing and bundling data, then exfiltrate it. Often,m you simply focus on getting files unlocked on the device. They lurk within the unprotected gaps.
Hiding in plain sight
Smartly, many adversaries will try to gain a foothold into each of the 3 ‘assets’, in case you shut them down. That’s why it’s critical to have a solution in place to see all three. You can plug the holes with 3 different solutions (like an endpoint protection platform for endpoints, NIDS for network monitoring, and a cloud security solution. But without one threat hunting team, or one holistic solution that sees everything, and can piece it together, you’ll miss the enormity of the attack.
How do you prepare against holistic attacks? Download your free Threat Insight report.