If a hacker were to find themselves on your network or within one of your accounts, would you be able to detect them and eliminate them? Today we want to share some of our best strategies for how you can identify the warning signs of a hacking attack, as well as how you should respond. This is particularly important for a workforce that is working remotely, so we hope you take these tips to heart.
Monitor Failed Password Attempts
Passwords are a terribly important part of keeping your information secure. Not only do they prevent unauthorized access to accounts and important data, they also inform you of when someone is actively targeting you. This helps to protect your data, especially when you have remote employees accessing your network.
The problem here is that devices with remote desktop protocols enabled on them, like the ones your remote users are likely utilizing, are quite easy for hackers to find and target if they aren’t configured properly. These devices are often targeted by brute force attacks. In these cases, a hacker will bombard a password requirement with every possible option until they discover the correct password.
When remote protocols are properly configured, too many failed password login attempts will lock down the device and send you a notification to inform you of the failed attempts. When this happens, you reach out to the user and confirm that they were simply having problems with their password. If the failed attempts were not from the employee, then you know that the credentials were stolen.
This level of oversight allows you to prevent brute force attacks from becoming an issue, as locked password attempts keep these brute force attacks from being successful.
Keep an Eye on Your Traffic
Experienced hackers can hide their location to keep themselves from being discovered, but many often do not have the ability to do so. Maybe they lack the technical skill or the attack is too broadly distributed for them to cover their tracks. Either way, you can discover if you are the target of an attack by keeping a lookout on where your network traffic is coming from. If anything looks suspicious, then it’s time to investigate.
For example, if your technology infrastructure has never interacted with a server from any given country, but now regularly contacts a domain in that location, then you know that something fishy is going on.
Actively Make Things More Challenging for Cybercriminals
When you make it more difficult for hackers to gain access to your network, they will be less likely to persist and do so. You can make it extraordinarily difficult for hackers to access your network through a variety of methods. For remote desktop protocols, you can customize the configuration rather than using the default settings. Password timeouts and two-factor authentication are also important for network security, as are access controls on your internal resources. All of these tools combine to create a difficult time for your attackers and, thus, a more secure network.
If you would like assistance with your business’ network security, don’t wait any longer. Give us a call! We’ll work with you to ensure that your network is protected against today’s security threats. Learn more by contacting us at (336) 790-1000.