Tip of the Week: How to Catch Potential Hacks

“Hackers are a serious threat to modern businesses” isn’t exactly a novel statement, is it? However, if a hacker was to be lurking on your network, would you know the signs to help you catch them? Just in case, we wanted to share a few strategies that can help highlight these warnings so you can more effectively catch any threats present on your network—particularly when your workforce is accessing it remotely.

Monitor Failed Password Attempts

Nobody likes dealing with passwords, this much is beyond doubt, but it also must be said that they are an essential element in your business’ security protections. This is because they not only help to prevent unwelcome access to your resources, they can also help you to identify if you are actively being targeted… particularly while you have remote employees accessing your network.

Here’s the crux of the issue: devices that have remote desktop protocols enabled on them (like the ones your remote users would have) are very easy for attackers to find, and then target. Such devices are commonly targeted by brute force attacks. In such an attack, a hacker will basically spam a password requirement with every possible option until the correct password is found.

When your remote protocols are properly configured, too many failed password attempts would lock down the device and send you a notification to let you know that so many failed attempts were just made. At that point, you could reach out to the user and confirm that they were simply having a problem typing in their password correctly, and that it’s okay to let them wait until the device allows them to log in again. However, if the user wasn’t having any such problems, you would know that their credentials may have been breached.

Without this kind of oversight, however, a brute force attack could potentially go on and on with no warning to you that you were under attack.

Keep an Eye on Your Traffic

While experienced hackers are able to hide their location to avoid raising suspicion, there are many times that they neglect to do so. Maybe a hacker lacks the technical skill necessary, or the attack is so broadly waged that they just don’t bother covering their tracks. This is precisely why it is so crucial that you keep a close watch over your system and its logs so that you can spot and investigate any out-of-place activity.

For instance, if your technology has never interfaced with a server in a given country, but now regularly contacts a domain that is sourced there, you should see it as a warning of a serious potential security issue.

Actively Make Things More Challenging for Cybercriminals

Here’s the thing: the more difficult you make it for a cybercriminal to gain access to your network, the less likely it is that one will manage to do so. There are various ways to accomplish this. For example, in terms of your remote desktop protocols, you should customize the configuration you use rather than relying on the default. Password timeouts and two-factor authentication are wise to enforce, as are access controls on your internal resources. Cumulatively, these kinds of protections will help keep your business much more secure than it would be otherwise.

Looking for more assistance with your business’ security?

Reach out to us. We have experience in implementing the kind of protections that modern businesses need to survive. Find out what we can do for you by calling (217) 428-6449 today.