Posted in Cyber Security

Securing user authentication protocols effectively

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By AMSAT Dec 17, 2021

Securing user authentication protocols effectively

In March this year, a cybersecurity expert found a security bug—ProxyToken—in Microsoft Exchange Server. The vulnerability allows cybercriminals to circumvent the authentication process to access victims’ emails and configure their mailboxes.

 

Typically, Exchange employs two sites, a front and back end, to verify users. Nevertheless, its Delegated Authentication feature squarely blames the back-end for authentication. ProxyToken sends an authentication request with a non-empty SecurityToken cookie to activate this feature. Since the back-end isn’t configured to deal with authentication under default settings, the threat actor’s requests circumvent authentication completely.

 

To make it work, cybercriminals must already have an account on that Exchange server, assuaging its threat. Insider threats are always possible, however. Criminals could then use this technique to acquire information to carry out phishing attacks, which inflicted a loss of more than $1.7 billion in 2019.

 

Given this threat and others of this kind, here’s how businesses can better protect their user authentication protocols.

Keep track of user behavior

User authentication is not merely about a simple username and password. Conventional methods like this are susceptible and can’t make up attacks like ProxyToken that circumvent authentication breaks. One useful solution is to keep track of user behavior.

 

Constant supervision will set up a baseline for each user’s typical behavior. With this information, businesses can implement behavioral biometrics, which validates people based on their use patterns. This monitoring is also a vital part of contextual approvals, a vital rule of zero-trust security. These methods go beyond conventional verification to find and address attacks like ProxyToken.

Use multifactor authentication

Enabling multifactor authentication is another major step. Single authentication techniques are prone to attacks like ProxyToken, so it’s safe to use more than one method to ensure that if a cybercriminal gets past one obstacle, they still can’t penetrate the system.

 

Microsoft itself underlines that MFA can stop 99.9% of account compromise attacks. As well as being vastly effective, MFA is also free of charge and easy to enforce, making it a perfect security measure.

Limit authorization

Authentication and authorization bear no similarities, and recalling that is important to avoid threats like ProxyToken. A threat actor may use ProxyToken or a similar technique to circumvent authentication, but better controls can still lessen damage.

As a refresher, authentication ascertains if users are authentic while authorizing handles permissions. Controlled authorization protocols like least-privilege access controls restrict the authorization any one user has. Consequently, an attacker that circumvents the authentication stage will still have limited access, reducing their potential for destruction.

Keep software updated

Although it may appear obvious, companies should also remember to keep their software as up-to-date as possible. Experts found ProxyToken in March, and Microsoft managed to fix the flaw by July. A simple software update will keep Exchange servers secure from these attacks.

While software updates may not appear like a serious issue, many businesses fall behind in this area, leaving them exposed. Nearly one-third of world companies have undergone a data breach owing to an unpatched vulnerability, which implies that enabling automatic updates and monitoring for flaws will prevent a substantial number of cyberattacks.

Protected authentication protocols are critical

Threat actors always find ingenious means like ProxyToken to bypass organizations’ security systems. Given a spike in these threats, businesses must take a more hands-on approach to security, including stronger authentication protocols.

User authentication is not just restricted to a simple username and password in this day and age. Cybercriminals today are more ingenious, requiring multistage approaches like MFA and constant supervision to halt them. Organizations can eradicate most of the threats the face if they tighten their authentication and authorization controls.

About AMSAT

AMSAT’s state-of-the-art infrastructure and effective systems help organizations defend against present and future threats, which can be tailored to specific needs of our clients. The AMSAT team includes some of the leading security practitioners in a broad set of cybersecurity capabilities. This covers areas of application and network security, analysis, pro-active, legal, reactive and forensic services. AMSAT also provides the largest and most efficient Security Operations Center in multiple countries where cybersecurity experts are monitoring events on 24/7, helping organizations implement robust, consistent and stable cybersecurity practices.

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    Why-your-business-needs-endpoint-security
    Posted in Endpoint Security

    Why Your Business Needs Endpoint Security

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    Why-your-business-needs-endpoint-security

    By AMSAT Dec 01, 2021

    Why Your Business Needs Endpoint Security

    Cyberattacks are on the increase and the years ahead are likely to be worse. If you are a business owner of a company of any size, you should not take your cybersecurity for granted.

    On the whole, business leaders barely think much about securing their networks from virtual attacks until the situation spirals out of hand. Some organizations may take several months to identify data breaches study, which implies that, following a breach, threat actors have more time to distribute sensitive information before consumers, businesses and others begin to assuage the damage.


    Endpoint devices are one of the most susceptible components of a business network, something even IT specialists tend to ignore. In view of the rise in date breaches over the last few years, organizations should focus on endpoint security for complete protection of their vital business assets.


    Endpoint protection of enterprise systems is a useful way of managing software deployment and executing IT security operations procedures. Endpoint security, however, does much more than safeguard a network from malware, and IT managers can use it for many operation supervising positions and data backup policies.

    Management Features

    The unified management feature of endpoint security software makes deployment easy. Delivery of security capabilities across the principal infrastructure within an enterprise system network is automatic, providing an IT manager with centralized control over remote workstations. Endpoint solutions bring into line security updates across endpoints so that new security applications are sourced automatically. Identification of security threats is done with client-side SaaS response.

    Data Loss Protection (DLP)

    Given that most companies now depend on data-centric approaches for management operations, data loss protection (DLP) is a priority for IT security strategies. Endpoint security solutions prevent deliberate or inadvertent data loss owing to systems breach or fiasco. The most effective endpoint solutions will regulate access breaches that are triggered by 

    credentialed users such as employees, implying organizations can block files transmitted through email, instant chat, or Internet upload. Endpoint encryption is a further assurance that conceals data on a laptop so that access by third parties cannot be achieved.


    Internet security that’s offered with endpoint security SaaS is crucial to a company looking to lessen the risk of systems threats by viruses and malware. As the best security technology for preventing emergent threats, endpoint security identifies and removes threats immediately. Endpoint security also examines server-based client email, chat, and IM communications applications used in ordinary work processes for risks to IT infrastructure.

    Resource Usage

    Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is often part of an endpoint security plan. The efficacy of ERP in security when compared to other IT security solutions specifies that endpoint solutions save expenses in terms of regulating data losses, installation across networks, and with updates. Recovery time to restarting operations is nearly nil, making endpoint security SaaS a foremost choice for ERP plans.

    User Ease

    When gaging adoption rates by managers and client users, endpoint security solutions outdo other IT security choices. Ease-of-use features cut IT resource demands, as well as technical requirements such as automated updates, deployment, and Active Directory incorporation. However, endpoint security software has some restrictions. Based on the hardware system, installation of the Web-based management console onto a server rather than a PC usually means a rapider time to operations. Custom endpoint security solution SaaS packages are created to highlight the exclusive operational needs of a company, yet may need extra backup or data loss prevention tools to meet file requirements.

    Endpoint Security as Solution

    Vindicating the return on investment to integrate an endpoint security solution into a current enterprise system needs measuring its efficacy in vulnerability management, and the calculation of the actual financial value of assets.


    Abuses of designated user access credentials, intellectual property theft, and employee misappropriation of internal communications with personal devices can lead to expensive litigation and recovery situations. Endpoint security software is the best possible system of implementing IT policy. With endpoint security SaaS, businesses can now secure assets and block malware from damaging operations and eventually profits.

     

    About AMSAT

     

    AMSAT’s state-of-the-art infrastructure and effective systems help organizations defend against present and future threats, which can be tailored to specific needs of our clients. The AMSAT team includes some of the leading security practitioners in a broad set of cybersecurity capabilities. This covers areas of application and network security, analysis, pro-active, legal, reactive and forensic services. AMSAT also provides the largest and most efficient Security Operations Center in Pakistan where cybersecurity experts are monitoring events on 24/7, helping organizations implement robust, consistent and stable cybersecurity practices.

    TAGS

    • Endpoint Security
    • Security Updates

    Recent Blogs

    Share this article

    Ready to Get Started?

    Our specialists are ready to tailor our security service solutions to fit the needs of your organization.

      By submitting the form, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy