A Comprehensive Guide to Network Threat Assessments

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Safeguarding sensitive information and ensuring uninterrupted business operations have become paramount concerns for organizations across all industries.

As cyber threats continue to grow in sophistication and frequency, the need for proactive security measures — in addition to existing reactive security measures already in place — has never been more critical.

One such measure that has gained prominence in recent years is a network threat assessment (NTA). Let’s dive into the intricacies of NTAs, exploring their importance, the process involved, and the benefits they offer to organizations seeking to fortify their cyber defenses.

 

What is a Network Threat Assessment?

At its core, a network threat assessment is a systematic evaluation of an organization’s network infrastructure to identify vulnerabilities, assess potential risks, and recommend mitigation strategies. It involves a thorough examination of hardware, software, configurations, policies, and procedures to uncover weaknesses that could be exploited by malicious actors.

NTAs are often conducted by experienced cybersecurity professionals or specialized firms with expertise in penetration testing and vulnerability assessment. These experts employ a variety of tools and techniques to simulate real-world attack scenarios, probing the network for entry points and assessing its resilience against various threats.

 

Non-Invasive Approach: No Risk to Your Network

One of the key advantages of modern network threat assessments is their non-invasive nature. Unlike traditional penetration testing, which often involves actively exploiting vulnerabilities, modern NTAs prioritize the safety and integrity of the client’s network.

Through the use of sophisticated scanning tools and careful testing methodologies, cybersecurity professionals can thoroughly assess a network’s security posture without causing any disruption or risk to its operations. This approach allows organizations to gain valuable insights into their vulnerabilities without compromising the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of their data and systems.

Without requiring access to — or visibility into your network or assets — Trinsio’s complimentary network threat assessment will identify and classify potential threats empowering you to take action.

 

What Organizations Can Expect from a Network Threat Assessment

The benefits of conducting a network threat assessment extend beyond simply identifying vulnerabilities. Organizations can expect to gain a deeper understanding of their overall security posture, enabling them to make informed decisions about resource allocation and risk mitigation strategies.

Some of the key benefits include:

  • Enhanced Security: By identifying and addressing vulnerabilities, organizations can significantly reduce their risk of cyber attacks and data breaches.
  • Improved Compliance: NTAs help organizations meet regulatory requirements and industry standards, demonstrating a commitment to security best practices.
  • Prioritized Security Investments: By understanding the most critical risks, organizations can prioritize security investments, ensuring that resources are used most effectively.
  • Increased Confidence: A comprehensive NTA provides stakeholders with confidence in the organization’s security posture, reassuring customers, partners, and investors.

 

The Importance of Network Threat Assessments

Sadly, today no organization is immune to cyber threats. From small businesses, to local governments, to multinational corporations, every entity that relies on digital technology is a potential target.

Network threat assessments play a pivotal role in identifying and addressing vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by attackers.

By proactively identifying weaknesses in the network infrastructure, organizations can take steps to mitigate risks and prevent costly data breaches, service disruptions, and reputation damage. NTAs also enable organizations to prioritize security investments, focusing resources on areas that pose the greatest risk.

 

The Network Threat Assessment Process

While the specific steps involved in a network threat assessment may vary depending on the organization’s size, complexity, and industry, the general process typically follows a structured approach:

  1. Planning and Scoping: The first step involves defining the scope of the assessment, identifying critical assets, and establishing objectives. This helps ensure that the assessment is tailored to the organization’s specific needs and priorities.
  2. Information Gathering: This phase entails collecting relevant information about the organization’s network infrastructure, security policies, and firewall logs.
  3. Vulnerability Scanning: Automated tools are used to scan the network for known vulnerabilities in operating systems, applications, and network devices. This step helps identify low-hanging fruit that could be easily exploited by attackers.
  4. Penetration Testing: Experienced testers attempt to exploit identified vulnerabilities to assess the effectiveness of existing security controls and determine the potential impact of a successful attack.
  5. Risk Assessment: The findings from vulnerability scanning and penetration testing are analyzed to assess the likelihood and potential impact of each identified risk. This step helps prioritize remediation efforts.
  6. Reporting and Recommendations: A detailed report is prepared, outlining the identified vulnerabilities, associated risks, and recommended mitigation strategies. The report may also include a prioritized action plan to address the most critical issues.

 

Get Your Free Trinsio Triple Threat Assessment Today

If your organization has not yet conducted a network threat assessment, it is time to consider taking this critical step towards a more secure future.

With the guidance of Trinsio’s experienced cybersecurity professionals and the use of non-invasive methodologies, you can gain valuable insights into your network’s security posture without compromising its integrity.

Contact us to get started today.

Trinsio Threat Assessment Case Study: Jefferson County, Idaho

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Third-Party Validation Threat Assessment Leads To Enhanced Cybersecurity Protections for Idaho’s Jefferson County Government

 

Less than 100 miles west of Yellowstone National Park, Jefferson County, Idaho, offers scenic views and unparalleled wildlife sightseeing at either the Camas National Wildlife Refuge or Mud Lake Wildlife Management Area. The county seat, Rigby, is famous as the home of Philo Farnsworth, inventor of the first television system including both a TV receiver and camera. The region was originally founded in the mid 1800s by Pioneers trekking the Old West.

Jefferson County IT Director, Garn Herrick, had recently completed a new next-generation firewall deployment combined with additional security features from his firewall vendor.

However, Garn knew even the best-practices reactive measures on offer from next-generation firewalls no longer can be assumed to be considered comprehensive protection due to the size and scope of today’s cybersecurity attacks and the fact that organizations like Jefferson County now endure almost half of all attacks – far more than any other private or public sector organization.

Garn was aware of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) published report for State and Local governments entitled “A Look at Local Government Cybersecurity in 2020”, that directed small governments to better protect sensitive personally identifiable information being stored on their networks.

He also knew about the alarming growth of cybersecurity attacks targeting small county and municipal government networks that drove the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to publish its Cybersecurity Performance Goals (CPGs) recommending a variety of third-party validations available to public and private sector organizations at no cost.

The next task on Garn’s cybersecurity action plan was to align with recent guidance from CISA on third-party validations as a method of identifying any potential gaps in cybersecurity protections through penetration tests, risk assessments, and vulnerability scans.

Like many IT professionals, Garn understood that directives from both CISA and ICMA are critical to follow, but also that the size and budget constraints of organizations like Jefferson County greatly impact their ability to prevent attacks.

As Garn began his search for third-party validations he encountered Trinsio, a technology solutions provider who offers low and no-cost options designed to empower IT departments with tools to protect their networks and data.

A threat assessment from Trinsio identified that a large percentage of the inbound and outbound traffic to and from Jefferson County’s firewall was actually malicious in nature. This data aligned with the majority of similar threat assessments performed by Trinsio for smaller county or municipal governments, further re-enforcing the threats reported on by CISA, ICMA, and other similar groups. It was evident by this data that the consensus across the cybersecurity community is correct, that simply deploying a next-generation firewall is no longer enough protection.

While still a critical part of network security, a firewall’s reactive approach to dealing with threats when paired with a proactive Active Defense with Real-time Threat Intelligence solution offers a new level of cybersecurity protection for any network.

“Even with the peace of mind that came from my next-gen firewall deployment, I knew that my county’s network may not be fully protected (especially from outbound traffic that typically isn’t dealt with at the firewall level). Trinsio’s free threat assessment really opened my eyes to the large number of both incoming and outgoing threats our network was getting exposed too. I told Trinsio about my budget limitations, but they were able to quickly design and deploy an affordable, proactive solution that sits in front of my firewall blocking millions of threats before they hit my network while also blocking potentially malicious outbound traffic at the same time.”

Garn Herrick

IT Director – Jefferson County

Trinsio’s Solution

Trinsio’s threat-blocking technology, powered by Threater’s Active Defense with Real-time Threat Intelligence, proactively protects against threats from every path in your network. Leveraging more than 50 world-class cyber intelligence feeds, Trinsio can inspect, block, and log every known threat trying to access your network.

Since Threater sits in front of the firewall, Jefferson County did not need to rip-and-replace any existing network gear making the process quick, easy, and cost-effective. Millions of bad actors now are being actively blocked on a daily basis before traffic ever reaches Jefferson County’s firewall providing Garn and county officials with an enhanced level of confidence in their security stack.

Results

  • Millions of identified threats detected
  • Significant reduction in time spent monitoring network traffic
  • Implementation of blocklist containing millions of known bad actors
  • Cost-effective solution that fit the county’s budget constraints and needs
  • Active defense built on real-time threat intelligence

Challenges

  • Searching for guidance on CISA-recommended third-party validation testing services
  • Recent deployment of new next-gen firewall
  • Small, rural county with limited budget.
  • Ideal target for cyber-attackers

Trinsio Threat Assessment Case Study: Sherman County, Kansas

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Defense-in-Depth Mindset Leads Sherman County to Threat Assessment

Sherman County, Kansas, faced a critical need to modernize and secure its IT infrastructure across multiple facilities, including the courthouse, sheriff’s office, health department, and 911 dispatch services. To tackle this, the county’s Director of IT, Eric Albright, led an initiative to implement a unified, defense-in-depth cybersecurity strategy that would provide comprehensive protection for their network.

Eric had been keeping a close eye on the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) guidelines, particularly the Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Performance Goals (CPGs), which emphasize the necessity of third-party evaluations to strengthen security posture. Despite having internal systems like IDS and IPS in place, Eric understood that even the most robust systems need external validation.

Eric’s Perspective

“One of my top concerns was that we didn’t have full visibility into our network traffic,” Eric explained. “Even though we had great systems in place, you just don’t know what you don’t know. Trinsio’s analysis gave us the information we needed to address gaps we didn’t even know we had.”

Eric sought out third-party assistance to help identify vulnerabilities that may have gone unnoticed and to ensure the county’s network was fully secure. His search led him to Trinsio, a trusted provider of no-cost threat assessments for local governments, healthcare institutions, and schools.

Enhancing Security with an External Perspective

Trinsio’s approach appealed to Eric because it didn’t require access to sensitive internal data or administrative privileges. Following a brief consultation, Eric provided Trinsio’s team with non-sensitive public firewall log files. From there, the cybersecurity team at Trinsio conducted a deep analysis of incoming AND outgoing traffic using more than 50 cyber intelligence feeds from around the globe.

The results were staggering: millions of traffic requests from known malicious IP addresses had bypassed Sherman County’s next-generation firewalls. Despite the county’s adherence to industry best practices, these threats continued to evade detection.

The Solution

Trinsio recommended cost-effective solutions that integrated seamlessly with Sherman County’s existing infrastructure, allowing Eric to deploy additional layers of security without disrupting day-to-day operations or requiring new hardware. These new measures enabled the county to block malicious traffic before it reached the firewall and prevent harmful outgoing traffic.

“It’s really comforting to have things in place now that block malicious traffic before it even reaches our firewalls,” said Eric. “We’ve enhanced our security with simple, budget-friendly measures that offer an additional layer of protection.”

Results

  • Millions of malicious traffic requests identified and blocked
  • Enhanced visibility into network traffic
  • Seamless integration with existing systems without additional hardware
  • Implementation of advanced cybersecurity measures beyond the firewall
  • Cost-effective solutions tailored to the county’s budget

Challenges

  • Legacy hardware and disparate systems across county facilities
  • Lack of visibility into network traffic
  • Ensuring compliance with CISA’s Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Performance Goals (CPGs)