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V O L . X X I I I N O. X V I I I A U G U S T 7 , 2 0 1 7 34 C O R P O R AT E S E C U R I T Y F O C U S these inevitable bad things do happen, the organization can quickly identify and resolve the problem." ere's no all-in-one solution for detecting and fi xing every breach, says Noel. Instead, companies like Plixer provide network traffi c monitor- ing and security analytics that allow analysts to monitor every conversation and understand how users and appli- cations normally behave. is allows them to detect deviations in behavior caused by zero-day attacks. "Every company in the world has networks that connect computer sys- tems, people and applications," says Noel. "Every piece of information the business cares about runs across that network. at network infrastructure is the best place to compile and ana- lyze data about what's happening on the network." In that analysis, he says, "We provide a rich database that gathers and correlates information such as source and destination IP address, username, application details, web domain, Secure Socket Layer [encryption technology] certifi cate information and domain name ser- vice details, along with thousands of other data elements for every conver- sation on the network. en we look for anomalous behavior — things that are out of the ordinary." Plixer's software identifi es whether a device has communicated with a malicious domain such as a "command-and-control" server, which hackers use to communicate with infected computing devices or members of a "botnet," a network of computers controlled without the owner's knowledge. Delivering the context around the suspicious activity, Noel says, makes it easier to pinpoint what happened, and to stitch forensic data together in order to identify aff ected devices quickly. " en I can take the machine offl ine, wipe the machine clean and reset it," he says. Small businesses are at risk Attacks can be opportunistic or tar- geted, says Noel. Either way, compa- nies should not be complacent. "Many organizations say, 'Oh, I'm not that important. No one cares about me enough to target me,'" he says. "Sometimes that's true. However, often it's not. Your data is everything. If you lose it and it's irretrievable, it can put you out of business, which means you will likely be willing to pay to get it back." Opportunistic botnets are even scarier, he says. " ey're scanning the internet, and they're launching attacks on devices, not because a human said, 'I'm going to go after this business,' but simply because they're looking for devices that are not patched appropriately," he says. "You have to worry about that, no matter how small your business is. And it's happening millions and billions of times on a daily basis. It doesn't matter who you are: ey're looking for ways to get in, to lock up your data, because they want your money. And they don't care where the money comes from." Mark Benton, director of product management at Systems Engineering in Portland, agrees that small busi- nesses are at risk. " ey think the bad guys are after the bank because that's where all the money is," Benton says. "Not really. ere's plenty of evidence that a lot of attacks are on organi- zations of less than 100 seats. And spam phishing is very opportunistic. ey only have to have one hit to be making money." e tools to address the issue start with a written cybersecurity policy, he says. "It's not ideal to deploy technol- ogy solutions if you don't know what policies you're trying to implement," he says. "It varies — whether you're a bank or a health care organiza- tion or a manufacturer of high-end devices. You'll have diff erent data you'll want to protect." » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Ensure your clients' trust by keeping your document shredding on-site. Protect Your Clients, Protect Yourself. withoutatrace.biz | (207) 883-4700 | info@withoutatrace.biz Visit Patrons.com to find an independent Maine agent near you. Everyone is a target. Patrons Oxford Insurance Company For all the things you value. To learn more, contact your Underwriter or Marke ng Rep today! Did you know? 63% of small businesses have been a vic m of a cyber a ack in the past 12 months. Cyber Liability Coverage for Small Business! Available in our BOP program Limits of $50,000 up to $1,000,000 Comprehensive claims handling Organizations must begin to understand that Organizations must begin to understand that Organizations must begin to understand that Organizations must begin to understand that Organizations must begin to understand that Organizations must begin to understand that Organizations must begin to understand that Organizations must begin to understand that Organizations must begin to understand that Organizations must begin to understand that Organizations must begin to understand that Organizations must begin to understand that Organizations must begin to understand that Organizations must begin to understand that breaches are inevitable. Instead of focusing breaches are inevitable. Instead of focusing breaches are inevitable. Instead of focusing breaches are inevitable. Instead of focusing breaches are inevitable. Instead of focusing breaches are inevitable. Instead of focusing breaches are inevitable. Instead of focusing breaches are inevitable. Instead of focusing breaches are inevitable. Instead of focusing breaches are inevitable. Instead of focusing breaches are inevitable. Instead of focusing breaches are inevitable. Instead of focusing breaches are inevitable. Instead of focusing efforts only on preventative measures, they need to invest in technology and processes that focus on incident response. — Bob Noel Director of marketing and strategic partnerships, Plixer

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