Audit, tools and good practices:
secure your site and data
Each day, thousands of websites and applications are victims of cyber attacks. However, the majority of companies do not adopt the right strategies to protect their online platforms. An audit is not enough, it takes concrete actions, efficient tools, a clear methodology and human awareness.
In this article, we go beyond the classic recommendations. We present you advanced tools, good technical practices, a psychological approach, as well as proven methods effectively secure your website, applications and data.
1. Map the risks with an offensive approach
Adopt a proactive posture
Why?
The attacks are constantly evolving.
It is not enough to install a firewall and cross your fingers. Adopting an offensive posture means identifying your faults yourself before an attacker exploits them.
Scan vulnerabilities
With what tools?
Here are some essential tools to identify the faults of your site and your applications:
Solutions open source:
- Nmap : Cartography open ports and exposed services.
- Nikto : Analysis Web configurations and detects conventional vulnerabilities.
- OWASP ZAP : Identifies XSS faults, SQL injections and configuration errors.
- WPScan (for WordPress): check the specific flaws for CMS.
Paid solutions:
- BurpSuite Pro : More complete than the free version, with advanced scans.
- Qualys Web Application Scanning : For automated and detailed analyzes.
- Invicti (formerly Netsparker): Automatic detection of guided flaws and corrections.
- F5 : Its technologies include application firewalls (WAF), anti-DDOS solutions, and identity management and access tools, thus guaranteeing robust and scalable security for businesses.
Recommended methodology
- Carry out an automatic vulnerability scan each month.
- Analyze the results and classify risks by criticality.
- Correct priority flaws by applying the recommendations of the tools.
- Perform regular audits with experts to identify complex threats.
2. Secure the human element:
Psychology and good practices
Cybersecurity is not only based on technology. 90 % of cyber attacks succeed because of a human error. This is why it is essential to work on education and behavior.
Understand
Psychological bias in cybersecurity
- The illusion of invulnerability:
Many believe that only large companies are targeted. - Paralyzing fear:
Too much risk information can lead to inaction.
- Cognitive overload:
An overly complex security policy can be bypassed by employees who seek to simplify their tasks.
Solutions
and sensitization
- Train employees:
Phishing attack simulations with KnowBe4 Cofense. - Establish accessible security alerts:
Cybersecurity watch dashboard. - Simplify good practices:
Clear rules on password management and access to sensitive data.
- Create a cybersecurity culture:
Continuous awareness and gamification of training.
3. Secure its applications and data
Protect
APIs and web applications
APIs and web applications are a target of choice for hackers. A single flaw on a poorly secure API can cause a massive data leak.
-
Limit API permissions:
Provide only strictly necessary access. - Set up authentication tokens:
OAUTH 2.0, JWT for secure control. - Monitor the activity of requests with tools like API Security Gateway.
- Establish strict security policies:
Validation of entries/outputs, limitation of requests, log monitoring.
Secure
data storage
- Mandatory encryption:
All sensitive data must be encrypted in transit and at rest (AES-256, TLS 1.3). - Strict access management:
Use a Zero Trust model with high authentication. - Monitoring and audit:
Perform regular audits to ensure that the data remains protected. - Implementation of Secure Backups:
Data Redundancy and Fast Food in the Event of An incident.
4. Why call a professional?
As you can see, and despite the fact that this article is only a synthesis, management and monitoring of cybersecurity can be complex.
It takes a minimum of expertise to understand and apply good practices.
This can also be very time -consuming, at the risk of pause these essential operations, while they are vital to protect your business.
Expertise
and continuous watch
Cybercriminals are constantly innovating. A cybersecurity professional is trained in new threats and adapts strategies according to trends.
Intrusion tests
and advanced audits
Intrusion tests are not limited to automated scans.
A professional analyzes the behavior of attackers, identifies complex flaws and provides you with a detailed action plan.
According to the IBM report, a company that achieves regular audits reduces the risk of data violation by 70 %.
5. Safety audit with F5:
An essential starting point
A safety audit allows you to have a clear vision of the weaknesses of your site and your applications and to set up targeted fixes. Thanks to our partnership with F5, we offer an advanced audit incorporating advanced technologies for more in -depth analysis and effective remediation.
What you get with our F5 audit:
- A complete evaluation of exploitable faults and threats.
- An action plan with usable recommendations immediately.
- A detailed relationship with priority classified as a priority for rapid and effective implementation.
Do not leave your site, your applications and your data be an easy target!
Cybersecurity: protect yourself!