Network Security Products That are Vital and Visible
The digital network security products that could make the biggest difference in any cybersecurity plan are not the esoteric programs and software that merely respond to incursions and contamination. The protection that most data networks are noticeably lacking – protection that completes the cybersecurity perimeter guarding your vital information systems – are physical network security products; the seemingly simple, yet ingenious devices that guard visible points of entry.
As long as USB data ports are unguarded, as long as cable connectors can be plugged and unplugged at will, the data networks and information systems on which life today depends will be wide open to viruses, malware, Trojan horses, ransomware, and any bug that floats through the cloud and comes to live on USB flash drives, cell phones, external hard drives, and other connected devices. The fact that physical network security products are so often the last measures to be considered has been described as the open front door of cybersecurity. This missing piece is even more remarkable when we consider that an estimated $170 billion is spent annually on cybersecurity, with physical network security products being barely a blip in that massive investment.
The Saga of Network Security
The early stages of developing network security products and techniques seemed rational and strategic. Access control was basic, and it occupied the opening chapters of cybersecurity, with solutions that seem, well, expedient if not brilliant. (Critics speculate that today’s steep trends and near-universal use of e-commerce would have gone even farther and even faster if not for the difficulty most non-professionals have in keeping their proliferating passwords straight.)
Application security came soon after, because not only the operation of apps, but also the integrity of their intellectual property depended on secure boundaries. Whether purchased or developed from within your organization, the software you use to run your business is likely to have holes and vulnerabilities built in. Attackers, and even casual contamination, can infiltrate your network through these soft spots. Here is where things got a little crazy in cybersecurity. The urgency of developing software, processes, and programs to close those holes brought with it a cluttered landscape of ever-evolving solutions. It remains difficult to stay current with this class of network security products, and most of them have one sad fact in common: They are built to react to incursions, not prevent them.
Antivirus and antimalware software, at its best, not only scans your systems for malware on entry, but also tracks files continuously, so that it can find anomalies, remove malware, and fix damage. The lasting components of these software sets are particularly important now that threats include malware designed to lie dormant for weeks, awaiting activation. There’s no doubt this sector of cybersecurity calls for brilliant answers and ongoing attention, because the world of malware runs like an arms race, with every solution provoking another advance from the threat.
Behavioral analytics is a particularly interesting foundation for network security products. We have to know what normal behavior on the network looks like in order to detect abnormal behavior or threats. Behavioral analytics provide not only that baseline, but also the measures that identify anomalies, potential threats, and incursions. Email security and data loss prevention (DLP) depend in part on a baseline of behavioral analytics.
And here is where the world of physical network security products shares common ground with those measures based on programs and software. The behavior of even trusted associates has proven to play a large part in cybersecurity threats, and this behavior is not always online. In fact, the most historic cyber-attacks – at least the ones that have come to light thus far – were perpetrated by introducing malware from anonymous data storage devices.
According to U.S. intelligence sources, an Iranian double agent working for Israel used a standard thumb drive to infect Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility with the highly destructive Stuxnet computer worm. All it took for the virus to be triggered was a user clicking on the Windows icon. Once that happened, Stuxnet quickly propagated throughout Natanz – knocking that facility offline and at least temporarily crippling Iran’s nuclear program – all because Natanz didn’t foresee the need for USB port blockers.
Subsequent research confirms clearly that even qualified, security-cleared personnel don’t hesitate to plug in a found flash drive when they find one on the way to work. Some are inserted within minutes. One study reported greater than 100% usage of found flash drives. So the anomaly of human behavior is a key factor for success or failure when you assess your requirements for network security products.
Where to Find the Network Security Products You Need
The Connectivity Center offers an expertly curated collection of devices designed expressly to close off unauthorized access to your vital data networks, preventing incursions – intentional or not – from occurring in the first place.
You can count on The Connectivity Center to provide the physical devices that complete your cybersecurity perimeter. Our mission is to guard the points of entry that turn laptops and workstations into vital information systems. We protect the ports and connectors where the most damaging and historically impactful cyber-attacks were perpetrated. The perspective we acquired through all the exponential expansions of access to computing power is at your service.
Our Smart Keeper collection of network security products protect the vital data network connections that empower your information systems, secure your laptops themselves, and enable your operation to benefit from the balance between access and security, to move your enterprise forward day after day.
Our Link Lock connectors, the Link Lock Hub secure your USB ports and network connections, and also lock your devices so that they cannot be removed without authorized access. You’ll find network security solutions by the hundreds from The Connectivity Center, including a variety of locking 4K high-speed cables. For unlocking them, we offer two kinds of keys, the Enterprise and Professional series of the Smart Keeper USB Port Lock Key.
As a convenient and efficient option, the Professional Series key offers you an ergonomic, retractable housing with anti-static rubber grip, LED light for low visibility work areas, and dual-retractors – main and peripheral – for access to any angle of installation. The Professional Series provides effective control to reach port locks in confined spaces. Key patterns are strictly controlled, yet you can order duplicate keys to suit your own security authorization structure.
