How do you detect network security vulnerabilities in real-time?

As a pentester, I leverage active probing and exploitation techniques to detect network security vulnerabilities in real-time. Continuous monitoring, manual testing, and advanced tools are key components of my approach, helping uncover vulnerabilities beyond automated scans. Analyzing network traffic, logs, and behaviors guides my assessment, and I adapt strategies to mimic real-world attackers and stay updated on emerging threats, ensuring comprehensive security testing.

There are many monitoring tools that can detect traffic signatures and anomalous behavior. The key is to configure network solutions where detection is followed by automated prevention. This prevention many include request limits, restrictions and blocking. For many organizations they have found this type of solution in a SIEM/SOAR combination, followed by IPS activities.

The state of the art in networking monitoring today is a SIEM (Security Incident and Event Monitoring) framework. A SIEM would consume events generated from your cloud provider and security broker to perform Host Intrusion Detection (HIDS), Network Intrusion Detection (NIDS), and use correlation to find out about any security breaches. It works on the principle that it's hard to spoof multiple sources of data in your network, and it a must in any security programme.

Good indicators can come from the network monitoring tools. It could be part of a strategy based in threshold detections, of course another tools that generate automatic and intelligent traffic profiles like IPSs, NDRs will be needed too as may the static thresholds are not enough for a complete detection of real time attacks.

There is just an immense amount of data to analyze and recent developments in AIOps have enabled us to receive targeted insights that correlate huge amounts of data coming from our network. These insights will adapt according to user preference and can be used in real time to trigger mitigation actions and further investigation. We are able to track multiple behavior deviations on our network with Kentik and, when anything suspicious is detected, we automatically divert the traffic to our A10 scrubbing center to take a closer look at the data.

Vulnerability scanners perform periodic scans of assets and require credentialed scans to deliver accurate results. Network devices that analyze traffic in real-time are guessing the software or the OS and inferring vulnerabilities based on the detected versions. They typically rely on protocol analysis or ML and are best suited for OT/IoT applications where high fidelity agent based scanning is difficult.

Vulnerability scanners are only as good as the process behind dealing with the results. Having the ability to detect known vulnerabilities is great, but most organizations struggle with what to do next. Before implementing a piece of software that is going to detect vulnerabilities, an organization should think about the process behind vulnerability management. Who specifically is going to be responsible and accountable for the remediation? Will it require additional personnel? Who needs to be informed? Work through this process before committing to the setup and maintenance of a vulnerability scanner, or alternatively, hire an outside vendor to do it for you.

A vulnerability scanner helps to build a list of known technical vulnerabilities present on a host. However the scan is normally based on ip addresses (or domain names) and in today's virtual infrastructures we see often more than 1 application running on the same host. This make complex to define to which application the vulnerability belongs to and ultimately who is responsible to fix it. Besides the technical information it is than crucial to enrich the vulnerabilities with their business context. Regarding real time analysis the best approach is to have an agent running directly on the host joined with the regular network scanner which can detect also external threats.

Using the SIEM security engineers can swiftly and accurately evaluate the significance of any security event and address critical questions: Who is associated with this event? Is this an important user with access to intellectual property or sensitive information? Is the user authorized to access that resource? Does the user have access to other sensitive resources? What type of device is being used? Does this event potentially indicate a compliance issue?

When it comes to traditional vulnerability assessment, two challenges arise: knowing what to scan and when to scan. To begin with, it is crucial to keep an up-to-date inventory of assets, which requires specific tools and strategies. Additionally, it is essential to ensure that your vulnerability scanning tools cover non-traditional assets, such as BYOD devices, IoTs, mobile assets, and cloud services. In a world where cyber threats can come from any direction and at any time, the ability to configure and perform continuous monitoring and scanning is crucial, rather than relying on monthly or quarterly vulnerability scans.

Regarding web/mobile applications, it is crucial to identify which of your applications hold the highest value based on your business criteria. Once identified, conduct manual pentests for the critical ones. Some of the most critical bugs/findings within applications originate from the complex and intricate matrix of application logic. These types of bugs cannot be identified using automated tools. You'll require a pentester with sufficient experience to manually analyze the application, comprehend its functioning and understand how it can be exploited.

External penetration tests every quarter should be the bare minimum that any company dealing with any sensitive data should undertake. In addition to external audits (which can be time consuming), ensuring that your DevSecOps has a vulnerability analysis step, static code analysis step and if possible an automated yet simple penetration testing setup is useful to have continious security of your infrastructure.

Penetration testing replicates real-world attack scenarios, providing a practical assessment of your network's security readiness. It allows you to understand how your systems and defenses perform when faced with actual threats. Penetration testing goes beyond scanning for vulnerabilities; it actively exploits them. This approach uncovers vulnerabilities that automated scanners might miss, including complex configuration issues and logical flaws.

Tagging a few of the most trusted penetration testing solution providers - -- Astra Pentest -- Rapid7 -- Wireshark Foundation -- Burp Suite by PortSwigger -- ScienceSoft Undoubtedly, penetration testing is an absolute game-changer for improving an organization's network security. It simply simulates real-world attacks on your network to evaluate its security posture and resilience. And, it helps you detect network security vulnerabilities in real time by exposing the gaps & weaknesses in your network defenses, policies, and procedures. For all business sizes, penetration testing is the proactive stance that safeguards your assets, protects your reputation, and keeps your business resilient in defense against evolving cyber dangers.

Penetration testing serves as a critical tool for identifying potential risks that an organization may face. This process involves testing the security measures in place to determine how susceptible they are to breaches and attacks. There are several reasons why penetration testing is important, such as risk assessment, compliance with regulations, maintaining reputation, and staying ahead of competitors. By conducting regular penetration testing, organizations can gain valuable insights into their system's vulnerabilities and take proactive steps to address them, ultimately improving overall security and mitigating the risk of cyber threats.

Threat intelligence allows organizations to adopt a proactive stance against cyber threats. Rather than reacting to incidents after they occur, it empowers them to anticipate and mitigate threats before they materialize. Threat intelligence provides context around threats. It helps organizations understand the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) of threat actors, enabling a more informed and effective response.

SECOPS teams need to develop standards for scoring their intelligence sources before integrating it into their security tools. The quality of the source, age, and context are important aspects, especially given the trend of adversaries using shared infrastructure. Threat intel doesn’t necessarily equate to real time vulnerability detection. Instead intel often represents indicators of compromise or indicators of attack. SECOPS teams need to still examine the attack path associated with a match to determine if an actual vulnerability is present and that takes time.

Traditional cyberattacks – social hacking is what your should be most concerned about. Leveraging human psychology and behaviors, this tactic preys on poor personal habits to breach organizational security. Often fueled by oversharing on social media, seemingly innocuous information like birthdays, travel plans, and relationships can provide hackers with the keys to breach systems, manipulate colleagues, and execute phishing attacks. These poor habits weaken the security fabric of your company. To counteract this threat, companies must adopt a multi-faceted approach. Employee awareness becomes paramount through comprehensive training programs that highlight the risks of oversharing and educate about the subtleties of social hacking.

Threat intelligence plays a crucial role in bolstering the security of organizations. By providing a comprehensive understanding of potential threats, it allows companies to make better-informed decisions that can help save time and resources. Additionally, it reveals adversary behavior, aiding in data loss prevention efforts. With the help of threat intelligence, organizations can transition from a reactive approach to a proactive one, empowering them to take swift and effective action against threat actors.

It`s involves gathering & analyzing data on existing or emerging threats,including malware,hackers,& phishing schemes.This process is invaluable for real-time network security,furnishing actionable insights,indicators,& alerts regarding the ever-evolving threat landscape,trends,& attack methods.Leveraging threat intelligence allows organizations to adapt their network security tools,policies,& practices for proactive threat prevention & effective response strategies.Valuable sources of threat intelligence encompass security blogs,forums,reports,& feeds from a variety of providers,researchers,& communities.In a rapidly changing digital environment,staying well-informed through threat intelligence is paramount for safeguarding network assets.

Cyber threats are dynamic and ever-evolving. Therefore, security awareness training should be an ongoing process rather than a one-time event. Regular updates and refreshers keep employees informed about emerging threats and evolving best practices. Security awareness training should be tailored to an organization's specific risks and needs. A one-size-fits-all approach may not be as effective as a customized training program that addresses the unique challenges an organization faces. Leadership buy-in and participation in security awareness training can set a positive example for the entire organization. When leaders prioritize cybersecurity, it sends a clear message about its importance.

Security awareness training educates employees about cybercrimes, hacking, phishing, and more. It helps prevent online crimes and avoids blunders. It increases security measures, assures educated staff to start defiance, saves organizational reputation, boosts morale, and saves precious time and money.

I completely agree with it! In fact, security awareness training on "a quarterly basis" is a must for every organization. As the web-based threat landscape constantly evolves, the organization should prioritize its priority equally as other mandatory programs. Here are the 3 simple reasons for it - -- 3 -- To comply with regulations such as PCI DSS and HIPAA, that require organizations to provide regular security awareness training to their employees. -- 2 -- To identify areas where employees need additional training and ensure that they are up-to-date on the latest security threats, policies, and procedures. -- 1 -- To reinforce the critical security best practices periodically.

If we are talking about web app penetration testing, here a short path you should work on - try to understand how the application works. - enumerate subdomains - enumerate directories - find all GET and POST parameters, even try to search for hidden parameters. - start your penetration testing with the (OWASP Top Ten) - Injection - Broken Auth - Sensitive Data Exposure - Broken Access Control - Security Misconfiguration - XSS - RCE, SQLI, LFI, RFI, Open Redirect - Insecure Deserialization

From my perspective, imparting security awareness training stands out as a crucial component of your overall security strategy. This training actively involves end users in avoiding clicking on suspicious links or falling for scams. Balancing usability and stringent security measures is pivotal for network security, with end users consistently representing the vulnerability. Conducting regular Security Awareness programs remains the sole means to effectively bridge and mitigate this vulnerability gap.

Once the cybersecurity posture of your company is mature enough, you can consider starting a bug bounty program. However, running a successful bug bounty program requires a solid plan. It's wise to start with a limited scope private program, focusing on specific applications/areas, and gradually expand as confidence grows. Try to pre-identify individuals or teams responsible for addressing the findings to avoid potential bottlenecks that could affect your company’s reputation.

Network security consists of evolving solutions and approaches. The concept has been broadened from protecting the network edge with firewall to zero trust network access. Even the firewall itself has developed from ACL-based router to stateful firewall to NGFW integrated with IPS/IDS. The growingly sophisticated cybersecurity threat demands a layered protection approach where the conversation starts with some basic components such as end-to-end network segmentation with software defined network, granular network traffic control with NAC solution, automated response to threats detection, network perimeter protection with NGFW, east-west security in data center and public cloud with VM or container firewall and so on.

Continuous vulnerability detection starts with accurate inventories of applications, devices, software and configurations. Those inventories need to be collected automatically and updated frequently. Security tools need to then overlay known vulnerabilities and use context such as asset value, vulnerability details, and compensating controls to assign a risk score. Then humans need to quantify the risk in the terms of the business to compel action. Over time as trust is established, automated compensating controls can be implemented to reduce the organizations attack surface in real-time.

Use a framework such as Mitre Att&ck framework to ensure all aspects are covered. It provides attack paths based on what has already been used by attackers and tools, techniques and processes(TTPs) used to perform attacks. Add custom TTP based on your attack scenario.

Behavioral analytics, by monitor user, network dan endpoint behavior to detect anomalies that could indicate a security incident.