Firewalls from P J Networks to Combat Advanced Persistent Threats

The cyber threat is becoming more sophisticated in the face of today’s increasing digital landscape, challenging every organization globally with high potential risk. At the top of this list is none other than Advanced Persistent Threats APTs. Possible attackers are Advanced Persistent Threats APTs, which are stealthy cyber attacks aiming to access high-value secret information, for an extended period of time, without being detected by the traditional security strategies. Firewalls are more important than ever in the fight to protect our data as people gather greater amounts of sensitive information and seek robust, complete security solutions in return.

Over the balance of this blog post, we will share how P J Networks has configured firewall security through IPtables as part of a defense in depth strategy to detect and prevent APTs from exfiltrating or planting business-critical information.

Advanced Persistent Threats Explained

One of the most insidious and sophisticated cybersecurity threat is called Advanced Persistent Threats APTs. Unlike opportunistic incidents, APTs are part of a planned attack that can unfold over long periods, and usually involve skilled teams employed by nation states or criminal organizations. The primary objective of the APT is to maintain consistency and server system information discovery or damage slowly over time. In general, they are after expensive resources (i.e. proprietary corporate data, IP or even state secret data) which makes them one of the if not the most dangerous and tricky to deal with.

Some of the unique features which constitute APTs are:

• Stealth: Traditional security systems are unable to detect APTs because APTs use advanced techniques designed to evade detection.
• Long Duration – These threats linger on an organization’s network for months, if not years and exfiltrate targeted information slowly.
• Tailored Operations: these attacks are tailored according to the specific target, they use vulnerabilities that are already known and they utilize different kinds of social engineering to penetrate the victim.

To thwart these attacks, new prevention techniques are essential to adequately defend beyond traditional cybersecurity endeavors.

How Firewalls Detect APTs

Firewalls are a basic building block of any network security architecture, separating trusted internal networks from business partners, intermediaries, etc. Although the traditional firewalls help us to secure the network against the common threats, for APT we require a more advanced solution.

Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS): IDS and IPS is included in modern firewalls to detect malicious traffic and prevent such further attacks. IDS watches and warns about suspicious activities, IPS on the other hand: drop them.

Deep Packet Inspection (DPI): DPI allows the firewalls to inspect packets for their data and metadata as opposed to merely header information, thereby achieving detection of sophisticated threats hidden inside legitimate traffic.

Behavioral Analysis – Firewalls collect and establish baseline profiles of network behavior so as to recognize any deviant behavior representing APTs.

APT Defense Strategies by P J Networks

P J Networks offers advanced firewall solutions which protect against APTs efficiently. Our approach uses Fortinet firewall APT protection along with fresh innovative strategies for the best-in-class network security.

Advanced, Comprehensive Threat Intelligence: We use real-time threat intelligence to counteract the constantly changing tactics of APT actors. Our firewalls update huge databases of threats fast to provide the information necessary to protect you against all adversaries.

Automated Responses and Forensics

APT defenses must rely heavily on automation. Our firewalls are configured to detect threats and automatically respond by isolating affected systems to prevent them from communicating with other components within the network. They can also be used to assist in forensic analysis, to determine how the attack happened and what are its origins.

Fairytale Mastery Architecture A Scalable Firewall Sweetheart Rentals: For business size and type, P J networks offer a customized firewall, server, or router that fits your monthly rental amount! This means that organizations can adjust their defenses up or down as they need to and without making cash-heavy investments up front.

Case Studies

The deployment of firewall solutions from P J Networks to thwart APTs has led countless customers to rave about our approach with regards to the success stories.

Case Study 1: Financial Institution

An APT group attempted to gain entry to the systems of a large financial institution, specifically targeting customer data. Through behavioral and DPI analysis, an advanced FortiNet firewall APT protection system located the threat early on, which enabled counter-measures to be implemented quickly—perfectly complementing P J Networks’ cutting-edge firewall solutions. This allowed the automated response capabilities to identify and quarantine the threat before any data loss took place.

Second Case Study: Manufacturing Industry

When a major manufacturing company, often attacked by industrial espionage APT groups and targeted for its vast amounts of intellectual property, deployed our firewalls & migration services, their risk was nearly eliminated altogether. P J Networks systems identified and stopped numerous intrusions, rich with threat intelligence garnered by all aspects of its detection and monitoring.

Conclusion

At a time where cyber threats are more sophisticated than ever before, advanced network protection has never been so crucial. Given what is at stake, particularly in APT scenarios, an effective defensive strategy must be proactive and aggressive. Fortunately, P J Networks in Racine has the solution with a combination of state-of-the-art Fortinet firewall APT protection, scaling rental options, and leading-edge technology to help keep your business safe from these ongoing threats.

State-of-the-art firewall providers like that of pure risk are almost indispensable for businesses hoping to protect their data over a longer period. To take advantage of P J Networks award-winning brand of APT ‘hand to hand combat’ for your business, whether enterprise or any size small businesses too!