The network is the backbone of today’s cloud-first, anywhere operations business, enabling seamless communication within and outside an organisation. However, most cyberattacks exploit the network at some point as a conduit. Networks face escalating attacks—global corporate networks saw tedious increase in attack attempts, according to a recent report.

While cybersecurity and data breaches dominate headlines, network security often gets overlooked. Still, hackers typically gain initial access via the network. A comprehensive network security design not only helps prevent cyberattacks but enables rapid detection and response to security incidents. Crucially, this reassures customers, partners and stakeholders that their valuable data is protected.

Given the pivotal role of network security, here are 5 critical concerns that CISOs need to evaluate and address:

1. Remote Access Vulnerabilities
With remote and hybrid work environments now common, vulnerabilities in remote access pathways like VPNs, RDP, and cloud apps have increased tremendously. Flawed configurations, unpatched software, weak passwords, and outdated encryption protocols frequently compromise these access channels. Attackers exploit these defects to sneak into corporate networks undetected. Once in, they can exfiltrate sensitive data, infect systems with malware, or hold you ransom for large payouts. It's critical to implement strong authentication mechanisms like MFA, constantly update software versions, enforce complex password policies, and segregate networks to restrict lateral movement after breaches to safeguard remote access pathways. According to a 2022 survey, over two-thirds of organisations faced a breach due to remote access vulnerabilities, highlighting why securing these gateways should be a priority for CISOs.

2. Cloud Security Risks
As adoption of cloud-based services surges, cloud attacks have become prime targets for hackers. From compromising weak API keys to hijacking cloud accounts to targeting misconfigured IaaS instances, the cloud threat landscape continues expanding dramatically. CISOs need to implement robust cloud security frameworks addressing risks like data leaks, denial-of-service attacks, malicious insiders, and account hijacking. Measures like data encryption, access controls, system hardening, activity monitoring, and patching help thwart most cloud attacks. Research reveals that over 70% of enterprises suffered a cloud security breach last year. The average cost of these attacks was almost $5 million, underscoring the need for CISOs to make cloud security a top priority.

3. Unmanaged Assets
Unmanaged network assets refer to devices, systems, or resources connected to a network lacking visibility or proper security controls. These include unidentified IoT devices, shadow IT resources, outdated servers, and unauthorized employee endpoints. With no inventory records or monitoring in place, these assets serve as easy infiltration points for targeted attacks against networks. Attackers can stealthily run reconnaissance activities, download data, or launch denial-of-service attacks using these unmanaged assets. It is imperative to implement comprehensive asset management procedures for achieving complete network visibility. Annual cyber asset audits, regular vulnerability assessments, and enforcing BYOD policies are some ways CISOs can address risks from unmanaged assets. According to industry reports, over one-third of data breaches originate from unmanaged and poorly secured assets inside an organisation's trusted network perimeter.

4. Inadequate Network Monitoring
Network monitoring tools provide visibility into all devices, connections, and activities occurring on corporate networks. Without adequate network monitoring capabilities, security teams will be unaware of emerging threats, active attacks, or existing compromises inside their infrastructure. CISOs need to implement robust network monitoring systems like IDS/IPS, firewalls, SIEM solutions, and web proxies to get total network visibility. Continuous packet capture analysis and machine learning-based anomaly detection allow promptly identifying and responding to threats. Per recent surveys, 60% of organisations took over 3 months to detect network intrusions that could have been discovered much earlier with proper network monitoring practices. Don't let your organisation be one of them.

5. Improper Access Governance
Having too many user accounts with excessive access privileges is a prevalent problem in most enterprises. When employees across departments can access data or systems beyond their role's need, it invariably heightens insider threat risks. CISOs have to enforce least privilege and zero trust access models enterprise-wide. Mandating that users only get access to the bare minimum resources needed to perform their jobs ensures tight access governance. Regular user access reviews and prompt deprovisioning also help tackle this issue. Industry reports reveal that over 25% of all cybersecurity incidents involve insider threats from valid but unauthorized access misuse. Strengthening access controls and rights management has never been more critical.

How Gramax Cybersec Can Strengthen Your Network Security Defenses
Gramax Cybersec provides enterprise-grade network security services designed precisely for common CISO pain points:

• Secure Private Access - Identity and network access controls following NIST zero trust guidance to secure access to business applications and resources.
• Managed Firewall - 24/7 network traffic monitoring, next-gen firewall management and intrusion prevention protecting on-prem and cloud networks.
• Email Security - Multi-layered protection against phishing, BEC attacks, malware and spam threat vectors affecting corporate inboxes.
• Security Services Edge (SSE) – Secure web gateway capabilities to inspect web traffic and protect remote users across devices.
• DDoS Protection Service – Real-time prevention of large and sophisticated distributed denial-of-service attacks on infrastructure and applications.

With network perimeter dissolving and cyber threats growing exponentially, partnering with competent network security services specialists can help CISOs secure modern enterprise networks comprehensively. With Gramax experts handling your layered network security, CISOs and teams focus more strategic efforts on user awareness, threat intelligence, governance and data-centric protections. Our flexible solutions seamlessly align with existing security stacks while enhancing defenses across edges and clouds.

Contact Gramax Cybersec for more information.