New ransomware blueprint service from ForeNova offers a free initial scan of the IT network with the network detection and response solution NovaCommand for small and medium-sized companies.
With its new blueprint service, ForeNova is now offering small and medium-sized companies a free initial scan and an analysis of the vulnerabilities that an IT network offers and that attackers could exploit for ransomware attacks. ForeNova uses the technology and functions of its network detection and response solution NovaCommand for this analysis.
2-week scan gives a clear picture of security
After a two-week scan of their network traffic, companies get a picture of their attack surface and vulnerabilities, which they offer hackers for a ransomware attack. In addition to the scan, the service also uses threat intelligence information to create the blueprints.
The ForeNova experts will then be available to explain the results and suggest further measures. The experts can immediately create a defense plan, or the company's IT security teams can use the blueprints to close existing security gaps themselves.
Know what the hackers are seeing: Blueprint vulnerability analysis
The ForeNova Ransomware Blueprints are designed to forestall extortionate attacks and ultimately deter ransomware gangs searching for weak targets. The blueprints are created quickly and non-invasively. The service provides a complete overview of the network environment including incoming and outgoing traffic. It includes the following points:
- Placing a NovaSensor in the network
- NovaCommand non-invasively examines corporate network traffic
- Transfer of the metadata of the data traffic to Forenova NovaCommand. The content itself is not examined. NovaCommand thus supports compliance with the GDPR requirements.
- Overview of the attack surface of the individual company: Which assets and applications communicate with each other in the network? Analysis of the logs. Inbound and outbound traffic destinations. Open ports, plants and systems with older software versions. Possible references to communication with command and control servers.
- Correlative analysis to identify abnormal traffic
- Summary presentation of the results in a blueprint of the attack surface.
Scheme of a blueprint for retail companies (Image: ForeNova).
Based on industry-specific threat intelligence data from tens of thousands of companies, as well as information on ransomware attacks and threats, ForeNova has identified three general risk factors.
Three areas as risk factors
- Internet of Things: Devices connected via IoT, PCs, BYOD hardware are a preferred target. Weak passwords, vulnerabilities due to devices not being updated, open ports and poor management represent a high risk. Ransomware attacks on IoT devices therefore increased enormously in 2020. According to the SonicWall experts, more than 2021 million attacks were counted in the USA alone in the first half of 32.
- Supply chain: The increasingly better and more professionally organized ransomware gangs are increasingly attacking the supply chains on which companies, industry and the general public are increasingly dependent. Because they see them as an easy way to penetrate otherwise highly secure networks. In 2020, according to the Sonatype research, the number of such attacks rose by 430 percent compared to the previous year. Experts expect another increase by a factor of four for the current year.
- Employees: They are actually a company's greatest asset. But the risk posed by your own workforce plays a major role due to remote work. In addition, company members can make it easier for the ransomware gangs to get involved in the network if they are not trained and no one is monitoring their IT behavior. According to research by itwatchdog, the often overlooked risk they pose is responsible for 60 percent of all unauthorized data access.
“A zero trust policy is a good start for more ransomware security. But that's not enough to prevent a company from becoming the next victim of a blackmail attack, ”said Paul Smit, director of professional services at ForeNova. “The future of cybersecurity does not just lie in having an overview of the entire company network and its supply chain. It's about seeing what cybercriminals see. Our blueprints show that. "
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About ForeNova ForeNova is a US cybersecurity specialist who offers medium-sized companies inexpensive and comprehensive Network Detection and Response (NDR) to efficiently mitigate damage from cyber threats and minimize business risks. ForeNova operates the data center for European customers in Frankfurt a. M. and designs all solutions GDPR-compliant. The European headquarters are in Amsterdam.