Cybersecurity is everywhere in the headlines this week. News stories about the latest hacks and software flaws that affect businesses and government agencies are abound. In the last 10 years the business world has heard the warning and the sales of security tools that protect everything from endpoints to networks as well as software to managing identity have increased. The trend isn’t likely to slow down anytime soon.

Defense, however is only one aspect of the puzzle.

As any skilled sports or military strategist will attest, the most effective defense is an effective offense. Cybersecurity isn’t an exception to this rule. Let’s take a deeper examine the definition of Offensive Security, and how it can benefit any business.

Definitions

In essence, Offensive Security exists to detect issues before they can be discovered and used by malicious and external actors. It is a broad term. It  is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of areas of security. Let’s take a look at some of them, arranged by order from the most basic to the most advanced.

Why Does It Matter?

As the market shifts towards more sophisticated and effective defense tools, it is important to think about the reasons Offensive Security is even relevant. Here are some ideas to think about.

●      People

Even the safest door has a weak point that is an opening that is key. Without it, it’s the equivalent of a wall. Also, even the most secure cybersecurity program does not have a flaw that allows it to function and it is found as a result of the permissions granted to user. 75% of all successful cyberattacks use the use of social engineering in that allows a user to be exposed towards the attacker. By stealing from the right of the the attacker can evade security measures to gain a access to the network.

After being inside, how is an attacker take place?

●      Network Encryption

Network monitoring has always been among the most efficient tools for the offensive security. However, the effectiveness that these instruments provide is declining quickly. At the time of 2014, just 50 percent of Internet traffic was encrypted. This number has increased to 95%..

To be examined, the traffic needs to first be captured and decrypted before being encrypted once more before sending. The computational cost of this task without affecting performance is numerous orders of magnitudes which can translate into substantial cost rises.

Furthermore 70 percent of malware and related transmissions are encrypted. It is not decrypted by a business solution since it is not in accordance with established standards and isn’t produced by an internal source.

The latest and more secure encryption protocols are being created to counter the ever-growing processing power of high-end. This means that one of the most effective methods of detecting malicious activity in the wire is mostly disabled and is getting more difficult.

●      Limited Resources

In a perfect world the budget for cybersecurity is infinite. However, in the actual world, companies must take risk-based decisions about the best way to allocate budget dollars. In the section on Network Encryption section it is also necessary to be aware of the cost of computation when calculating protection.

An example is that an enterprise could decide to shift away from costly, huge software that monitors traffic on networks rather than installing software onto each computer to monitor the traffic at each endpoint. This can save money in the beginning however, the impact on performance across all computers can be a significant hit to the effectiveness of the company and its performance.

What Can Be Done?

Don’t have enough money? Are you confused about where to spend your budget? Not sure where the money are best spent? Offensive Security can assist. Keep in mind that at its heart, Offensive Security exists to detect issues before they can be discovered and used by malicious and external actors. With a small budget, a business has to decide how and where to invest their funds in security.

Do you know of any easy-to-pick fruit that a beginner attacker could exploit? A vulnerability scanner can pinpoint this vulnerability and the whereabouts. After these issues are discovered patching, hardening and decommissioning efforts can be initiated.

What could attackers do to the business? What are they looking for to do, and what could be prevented? Red Team can stand in for the attacker, and identify what the crown jewels’ exposure is and suggest actions to protect against the most realistic scenarios. The solutions uncovered by Red Team engagement are tailored to the specific environment, so the money and time invested in implementing these solutions will be among the most efficient and profitable feasible, whether that’s making adjustments to a tool, training the defense team, or buying an instrument that is specifically designed for the job.

Conclusion

The Cybersecurity Program must have many elements to be efficient. The most reliable will include an experienced Offensive Security team to identify problems before anyone else and devise efficient solutions to tackle issues. Remember that the most effective defense is a solid offense.