Why Servers Are Particularly Attractive Targets

The thing is — if your servers are exposed, they will be attacked sooner or later. It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when.

I know a thing or two about threats on the server side because I’ve been in this game long enough to stagnate. From Slammer ripping through SQL servers in 2003 to today’s ransomware-as-a-service syndicates, attackers never cease their hunt for new approaches to penetrate enterprise networks.

Servers store the keys to the kingdom — be it monetary transactions, customer information or application services. And cybercriminals know this. They search for unpatched vulnerabilities, weak authentication and misconfigured firewalls. They love default passwords (I can’t believe I still have to say this as of 2024).

And once they get in?

• Data exfiltration — Your business’s sensitive data is stolen and resold.
• Ransomware — Hackers lock everything up and ask for cash, crypto or worse.
• Lateral movement — Attackers use that single compromised server to rotate around your infrastructure.

So, how do we stop them?

Key Security Threats

There are common cybersecurity threats every server is prone to be victim to. Some of the biggest:

1. Zero-Day Exploits

• Attackers find flaws before vendors can issue fixes.
• One of the best means to detect and block these attacks before they land is Fortinet’s intrusion prevention system (IPS).

2. DDoS Attacks

• Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks bombard your server—leaving it offline.
• The DDoS protection built into FortiGate firewalls filters, blocks, and rate-limits malicious traffic toward the network before it can bring you down.

3. Malware & Ransomware

• Attackers install malware that locks up, destroys or steals your data.
• Fortinet firewalls leverage AI-based threat intelligence to spot and block malware right at the door.

4. Lateral Movement

• Inside, attackers “lateral” between servers, escalating privileges.
• Fortinet firewalls enforce segmentation rules that compartmentalize critical systems, preventing attackers from roaming freely.

Protection Features of Fortinet Firewall

Theories revolving around deploying a lot of firewall solutions over the years. And Fortinet? They get it right.

Here’s why Fortinet firewalls are critical for your servers’ security:

1. Deep Packet Inspection (DPI)

• All packets are audited. Not just blindly forwarded.
• This intercepts malware and exploits, even encrypted threats others miss.

2. Application Control & Web Filtering

• Prevents any untrusted applications that are typically not trustable on your network.
• Web filtering blocks accidental or malicious access to high-risk sites.

3. Zero-Trust Segmentation

• Do not trust internal traffic.
• Fortinet supports zero-trust enforcements—isolating servers and microsegmentation of traffic to limit lateral movement.

4. Advanced Threat Intelligence (FortiGuard Labs)

• Real-time updates on emerging cyberthreats.
• Fortinet’s threat intelligence engine analyzes global trends in cyberattacks and automatically refreshes firewall protection.

5. Integrated Security Fabric

• Lets your firewall speak with endpoint security, email security and SIEMs—yielding more intelligent, quicker incident response.

Fortinet Firewall Experts — PJ Networks

We do not merely deploy firewalls at PJ Networks, we create security-first omnimetries.

In just the last year, we’ve served:

• Three financial institutions strengthen their zero-trust architectures to resist insider and external threats.
• Organizations displace legacy firewalls, adopting FortiGate NGFWs as their primary security posture.
• Data centers secure servers with Fortinet’s high-performance inspection technologies.

Not too long ago, I was working with a financial institution that kept coming under fire from brute-force SSH attacks. Because the old firewall didn’t recognize the behavior as suspicious, it let the bad traffic through.

We deployed Fortinet and created adaptive authentication policies, which shut down the attacks before they even got inside.

That’s the difference between a basic firewall and true security.

Quick Take: Why Fortinet?

• Threat intelligence is important. Fortinet real-time security policy updates.
• Visibility is key. FortiGate firewalls provide granular visibility into all server traffic.
• Zero-trust stops breaches. Fortinet’s segmentation prevents lateral movement by attackers.
• Performance is crucial. Fortifications firewalls use low-latency performance with security.

Conclusion

Firewalls are no longer simply a way of blocking incoming connections. They’re about threat comprehension, dynamic custom-tailoring and preventive security enforcement — meaning before an attack occurs.

Could Fortinet Firewalls be a one-stop shop? No. But, they are one of the most complete, rapid and scalable protection layers for server security you can find today.

So, if your business depends on vital infrastructure like banking, healthcare, or enterprise systems — are you doing enough to protect it?

Because the attackers aren’t waiting. And neither should you.