Complete guide to cybersecurity monitoring

Cybersecurity monitoring is a means to protect digital information and systems from all forms of online threats. It involves the ongoing observation of IT systems for the purpose of identifying cyber threats.

What Is Cybersecurity Monitoring?

Different people may have differing cybersecurity monitoring definitions, but one definition that is universally acceptable is that cybersecurity monitoring is a means to protect digital information and systems from all forms of online threats. Simply put, cybersecurity network monitoring involves the ongoing observation of IT systems for the purpose of identifying cyber threats, data misuse or theft, and other vulnerabilities.

Cybersecurity monitoring services involve the collection and analysis of data to detect and mitigate all kinds of threats. Data is collected for monitoring with the aid of business security protocol. Cyber monitoring growth and development have been on the rise as cybersecurity has become increasingly important. With real-time monitoring of the internet space, threats and data breaches can be reduced.

It is a digital world, with issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating the world’s transition to remote work. Businesses now have more reason than ever to engage a cybersecurity monitoring and response provider. Of course, there are other interesting things to know beyond, “What is network security monitoring?” The pros and cons of monitoring tools should also be put into perspective, as well as some network security monitoring best practices.

The importance of cybersecurity monitoring cannot be overemphasized as it relates to the secure use of the internet to store and transmit information. Key benefits of cybersecurity monitoring include the following items:

• Detect and Respond to Threats Faster. There is a reason for the existence of measurements such as mean time to detect (MTTD) and mean time to respond (MTTR)—both can help curb digital crises. One thing you can expect cybersecurity monitoring to achieve is to identify a large number of threats so they can be mitigated before they cause harm.
• Enforce Compliance. In a time like this when cyber crime incidents have increased drastically, companies, governmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations have implemented several means to ensure that data threats are reduced. One example is digitization of their information systems through computing and using advanced artificial intelligence technologies to be on par with government and institutional policies.
• Know Your Enemy. Usually, it is not enough to be able to track down threats and vulnerabilities facing your digital environment. It is always better to stay ahead of cyber threats, and the best way to do that is to understand the threat actors you’re up against. Cybersecurity monitoring can help you identify the source of threats, which allows you to mount a better defense to protect your systems from breach.

Cybersecurity Monitoring Tools

There are many cybersecurity hardware tools and cybersecurity software tools that have proven useful for cybersecurity monitoring, which is no surprise. As long as systems remain functional and the internet remains a means to communicate and get things done, there will be a need for cybersecurity.

While no system can ever be 100 percent secure, it is still important for businesses to approach cybersecurity with a comprehensive risk management mindset. To do that, they will likely need to employ tools that serve in the area of securing networks and ensuring that all systems are properly protected from data threats.

A quick Google search will yield a universe of possible tools, including lists of the top 10 cybersecurity software tools. Some common and popular internet security tools include:

• Kali Linux. With about 300 tools used to audit security, including tools for scanning among other tools used in cybersecurity, Kali Linux has been instrumental in helping corporate cybersecurity departments find and eliminate cyber threats.
• Metasploit. Metasploit has a long history of carrying out penetration testing exercises. Apart from pen testing, IT personnel also use it to contribute to an open source community of professionals trying to stay a step ahead of cyber criminals.
• Wireshark. When organizations ask, “What software tools do cybersecurity professionals use?,” with the hope of gaining necessary insight into information security monitoring tools, Wireshark can be an answer. This is another typical example of tools for information security that has been designed to analyze network protocol. It is a tool that has been specifically designed to check the details of data.
• John the Ripper. Here is another example of a cybersecurity monitoring app that many have come to know as a password cracker. This is because it has been engineered for testing password strength. Knowing your password strength can help you adjust internal policies to ensure all employees are using strong passwords, which makes this application one of the necessary cyber attack tools.

As you might expect, all of these tools can provide advantages to IT departments, but they can also sometimes be difficult to manage and often require security expertise to use properly.

Pros of Cybersecurity Monitoring Tools

To be more expressive about some of the pros of these tools, it is important to first know that all of these network security monitoring tools were created with the hope of improving the effectiveness of cybersecurity programs and to protect networks from unnecessary cyber risks. Other advantages of cybersecurity monitoring tools include:

• Provide Visibility into a Third-Party Vendor’s Network. There are cybersecurity tools that give an organization the chance to view third- and fourth-party vendor risk. Having visibility into vendor security is necessary because one organization is only as strong as the other organizations in its supply chain.
• Help to Analyze Risk. Cybersecurity tools can also serve as risk analytics. Sometimes, it is not enough to detect risk—helping companies know more about their security metrics can be a good way to improve data management and overall security posture in an organization.
• Keep Record. Some of these cybersecurity tools have been engineered in such a way that their function transcends merely providing data security. One of the things these tools help organizations to achieve is record keeping. And by keeping clean, updated documentation of security programs and policies, organizations can save time and resources while strengthening their overall security.

Cyber Threat Monitoring

Before companies relied heavily on internet communications for their efficient operations, the average business owner probably did not concern himself or herself with active threat monitoring meaning. Due to more consistent use of the internet these days, combined with the appearance of real-time maps of global cyber attacks, it has become important for all business owners and operators to acquaint themselves with cyber threat monitoring meaning and its corresponding importance.

Cyber threat monitoring involves the continuous checking of networks and systems in order to recognize potential breaches and threats to data. Over time, threats have appeared in many different forms and have continued to evolve as technology has improved and cyber attackers have become more sophisticated. Some examples of threats include intrusion, data infiltration, and data exfiltration.

How to Monitor Cyber Threats

Cyber threats are a menace in this day and age, so they must be tackled with the use of some essential threat monitoring tools and threat intelligence interpreted by professionals with industry expertise. Through constant analytics and evaluation of security data, cyber threats and attacks can be detected. Active threat monitoring is enabled to ensure that information from networks is collected and patterns are identified in order to assess threats and surface them to the appropriate representatives in the company.

If you spend time learning about cyber threats, it is impossible not to recognize the importance of cyber threat monitoring to individuals and organizations that want to strengthen their security postures. Some key benefits include:

• Help to Identify Undetected Threats. Some threats go a long time without being detected and soon become a bigger issue than ever expected. With a cyber threat monitoring tool or service in place, the chances are reduced that threats will go undetected for long periods.
• Learn What Is Happening on Networks. When cyber threat monitoring is enabled, IT departments not only have the ability to detect threats, but they can also get a better view of all network activities.
• Find Weaknesses. Not only does enabling cyber threat monitoring help to find potential threats, it is also a good way to expose all forms of vulnerabilities that put the organization at risk.

Cybersecurity Monitoring Companies

Some organizations have built their brands on the ability to help people and groups navigate the internet with ease. This is a great mission, especially at a time with so many frightening data threats. While it may be difficult to pick out the best cloud cybersecurity companies, it is possible to highlight some top cybersecurity companies in the USA, or for a broader context, top cybersecurity companies 2020. Some examples include:

CrowdStrike

Top security company stock rises with reputable and useful services. Established in response to the need to protect companies against threats such as data infiltration, CrowdStrike offers a wide range of cybersecurity services. Founded in 2011, it remains a top provider because of a wide geographical reach and robust offerings.

Gigamon

Network data analytics firms are qualified to make the cybersecurity list of companies, and Gigamon fits the criteria. This company provides network visibility across physical, cloud, and virtual infrastructure.

Fortinet

Fortinet offers security-driven networking, dynamic cloud security, AI-driven security operations, and zero trust access.

How to Protect Your Business

Cybersecurity monitoring can be an important part of an integrated cyber risk management program. Key components of a complete program include risk assessment, risk mitigation (including cybersecurity monitoring), and risk transfer via cyber insurance. If your company needs to develop or implement a risk management strategy, Trava can help.