How to protect your business from emerging cybersecurity threats

The modern world is full of ever-emerging cybersecurity threats. After all, as technology advances, cybersecurity threats and attacks will naturally become more complex and intelligent — meaning that any company should take responsibility to know how to counteract these threats.

With the knowledge of what these threats are and how you can stop them, you’ll be able to better protect yourself from any malicious forces looking to cause disruption or catastrophe to your organisation.

In this article, we’ll go over the emerging cyber threats in 2023, and how you can take steps to protect your business from them today.

Interested in the latest cyber threat trends in business? Get your FREE copy of the 2023 Mid-Year SonicWall Cyber Threat Report here

How to Protect Your Business

Next-Generation Network Security

Firewalls are an essential component of any holistic security solution, but not all firewalls are created equal.  A next-generation firewall (NGFW) represents a significant advancement in network security technology. Traditionally, firewalls have functioned as perimeter security measures, assessing incoming and outgoing traffic based on predetermined rules. However, next-generation firewalls introduce a heightened level of sophistication by incorporating advanced techniques and AI to analyse and manage network traffic.

NGFWs leverage a combination of application awareness, user identification, and content inspection to make informed decisions about permitting or blocking data packets. Unlike conventional firewalls that primarily rely on port and protocol information, NGFWs delve deeper into the payload of the packets, enabling them to discern the nature of applications and the content being transmitted.

This means that they can distinguish between legitimate web traffic and potentially malicious data concealed within seemingly benign web traffic. This enhanced level of analysis allows NGFWs to detect and prevent various cyber threats, including malware, intrusions, and data exfiltration attempts.

This technology is essential for protecting businesses as they incorporate threat intelligence feeds and machine learning algorithms to dynamically adapt to evolving threats.

EDR and XDR

Endpoint detection and response (EDR) and extended detection and response (XDR) are forms of data analysis that help inform you about threats looming around your organisation, allowing you to respond and take action quicker than signature-based anti-malware.

While very similar, there are differences between EDR and XDR. Where EDR is solely focused on the endpoint level, XDR is the evolution of this technology — a multipoint solution that can perform detection and response actions throughout your whole organisation. 

AI-Powered Email Protection

With AI becoming increasingly intelligent, the capabilities of AI for modern cybersecurity are increasing too. 

Using AI-powered email protection is one of the ways that AI can be incredibly effective in stopping social engineering attacks — while newer attacks try to circumvent spam filters, AI-powered tools to stop malicious emails will allow organisations to truly ensure that there’s nothing that can slip through the cracks.

Zero Trust

Zero trust is a model that teaches organisations to assume that any incoming requests are from an open network, rather than from trusted sources. 

With zero trust, constant verification of identity is key — this helps assure that nobody will gain access to the system without the authorisation that they need to be able to do so.

Employee Education and Awareness Training

Education is vital to ensuring that your employees also know the threats that they can face, as phishing aims to take advantage of those who are uninformed and haven’t been educated on the threats that you can face.

With comprehensive employee training, you can ensure that every employee knows what to look out for, and teach them how to take the best steps to protect themselves.

Comprehensive Backup

In the event that something catastrophic happens, data backups and disaster recovery are vital to ensuring that the disruption caused is minimal. After all, a ransomware attack can be backbreaking without a comprehensive and regular backup system.

With a backup system in place, it becomes far easier to recover your data and get back to normal even if your company is facing infrastructure-blocking attacks. 

How We Can Secure Your Business 

Cybersecurity training and attack prevention strategies are vital in ensuring that your organisation is protected against the threats that you can face in 2023. These threats are some of the newest emerging threats — and as more threats take shape in the future, it’s important to be vigilant for those also.

If you’re looking to implement a cybersecurity strategy within your organisation, get in touch with us today. Our experts will be able to help your organisation strategise ways to stay protected from any attacks that you may face going forward.