Types Of Attacks AND How They Can Be Prevented

Written by Ejueyitchie T. Godswill








Today hacking has become one of the "get money quick" methods for people without jobs or people with little or no experience in hacking. Information is easily acquired this days if you know the right source.   Anyone can easily go online and learn one or two things that can help them in hacking after all.
This is causing a lot of challenges for system administrators and security experts.   Securing a network infrastructure can be sometimes tedious and our focus shouldn't just lie in fighting attackers on the cloud alone. Hackers have various means of getting to your networks, so in order for you to be safe you have to make sure you are secured in all fronts. i am going to be listing the basic ways hackers can use to get access to your company's network(s).

PHYSICAL ATTACK

As the name connotes this is a form of attack where attackers  get acces to your physical network infrastructures and perform whatever is it they want to achieve. this ranges from Data theft from a specific host or from your internal server to a Malware implant either to cause a system breakdown or for remote access that the hackers can use to gain access to your system anytime they want to.
In the series Quantico Season 2, Alex Parish and Nathalie Vasquez broke into the FBI server room by triggering bomb scare alert after using social engineering to get both Ryan Boot's Access card and FBI's head  fingerprint. This a perfect example of a physical attack.

       How to prevent physical attack?

Access Control List

in order to be safe from intrusion, an organisation must implement access list for employees working in such organisation or business location. this aid the control of who enters and the time of access to a given facility. in doing this a record is kept of people entering and going out. This also help to prevent unauthorized access to the given facility or organization. In a computerized environment, biometrics solutions like fingerprint, iris or eye scanner can be used for access. Adding multi-factor level of authentication is a more robust way of implementing security. In addition to biometrics, access cards can be given to employees for easy access. But a security personnel must always be available to monitor the validity of users with cards to prevent a stolen access card from  being used.





Fencing

Perimeter security, whether physical or technological, is the first line of defense in your security model. In the case of a physical security issue, the intent is to prevent unauthorized access to resources inside a building or facility. this can be achieved with proper fencing of company's perimeter. In addition, motion detectors & electric fencing also beef up security and prevent intruders from accessing your perimeter.

Few security systems can be implemented that don’t have weaknesses or vulnerabilities.
A determined intruder can, with patience, overcome most security systems. The task may not be easy, and it may require careful planning and study; however, a determined adversary can usually figure out a way. This is why deterrence is so important.
If you want to deter intruders from breaking into your building, you can install
improved door locks, coded alarm systems, and magnetic contacts on doors and windows (Sybex, Security + study guide. 2014).

Remember that you can’t always keep an intruder out of your building; however, you can
make an intrusion riskier and more likely to be discovered if it happens.





Mantraps

As seen in most banks today in Nigeria and other parts of the world, Mantraps is another addition to physical security where access to a facility are controlled and limits are set to one or two persons at a time. A properly developed mantrap includes bulletproof glass, high-strength doors, and locks. After a person is inside the facility, additional security and authentication may be required for further entrance.

Video Surveillance

In high-security and military environments, an armed guard as well as video surveillance
would be placed at the mantrap. Beyond mantraps, you can combine guards with cameras (or even the threat of cameras) to create a potent deterrent. The cameras can send signals to a room where they are monitored by a guard capable of responding to a situation when the need arises.





CCTV is an effective system for video surveillance in an organization. Apart from using it around the perimeter, In-office usage is also important for activities to be monitored around the organisation.  CCTV can be used in supermarkets, stores, warehouses,at homes etc.



 To be continued.........