Are Network Vulnerability Tools building your First Line of Cyber Defense?

Even with great vulnerability management software, your attack surface mitigation is based on the vulnerabilities you detect. And in the case of XYZ_Tech(imaginary example), the words were right on the mark. Be it regular vulnerability scans or rapid mitigation of the detected risks; the IT security team had done everything right. Yet XYZ_Tech was breached, and the hackers ransacked the organization. hence, it’s important to use Network Vulnerability Tools.

But how did the attack happen?

A network device typically has many layers of cyber defense. At the top is network security, followed by endpoint security and application security right on its heels.

Network security acts as the first line of cyber defense, and network vulnerability tools are the soldiers at the front. Network security consists of network vulnerability assessment to fix issues within the network and firewall configuration to block malicious unauthorized access into your network. Vulnerability management tool with comprehensive network scanners that detect security risks are the hard hitters critical in preventing cyberattacks.    

Any application that connects to the internet uses ports to communicate to and fro with an external server, all through your firewall. Network vulnerability management software that can detect firewall misconfigurations and vulnerabilities are key to ensuring an attacker is not exploiting these ports and getting into your network.

Looking inside the network alone and not at its perimeter was the reason why Beta_Tech was breached. With regular vulnerability scans and patches, Beta_Tech did many things right. But fixing software vulnerabilities in your network isn’t enough because only the application security part of your defense is taken care of. But what about the rest?

Network vulnerability tools are a critical piece in your cybersecurity, without which your network will left defenseless. By shielding away intruders trying to pry open the doors of your network, they are a must for combating cyberattacks, and the importance of these tools can’t be understated enough. Because the consequences you face if your network vulnerability tools aren’t effective enough are enormous.

From the devastating impact on your brand reputation translating to the loss of business, cyberattacks can completely cripple your organization. Without a good network vulnerability tool defending your network, the chance of hackers running away with your intellectual assets increases multiple folds too. Adding to all these consequences, regulatory organizations might impose enormous fines on your organization as well.

So, if someone breaches the first line of cyber defense, the consequences are often fatal.

Can you prevent an attack if you didn’t know about the vulnerability in the first place?

Fixing software vulnerabilities alone isn’t enough, and network vulnerabilities and misconfigurations are equally important in combating cyberattacks. Without these tools, your vulnerability management’s effectiveness reduces drastically. And without effective vulnerability management, the odds of preventing cyberattacks plummets.