Majority of IT security professionals still naively rely on perimeter security to protect against APTs

The survey, which was carried out at Black Hat USA in August 2014, also revealed that 22 percent of those surveyed do not think that tools like firewalls and antivirus are able to defend against APTs. However, given the surge in organisations suffering advanced targeted cyber attacks, this number should have been much higher.
Commenting on the survey findings, Philip Lieberman, CEO of Lieberman Software, said: “Our survey reveals that while the majority of organizations are prepared for amateur hackers and low-level criminals, they are completely ill-equipped to deal with today’s advanced attacks. Traditional perimeter security products are effective at spotting and stopping known threats, but they can’t keep up with today’s rapidly increasing volume of advanced targeted attacks. The most effective methods for securing yourself from these types of attacks are the use of air-gap networks (machines not connected to the internet) that disconnect systems with sensitive data. Assume that others have already penetrated your network and institute multi-factor authentication and adaptive privilege management to assure that a compromised system is not a jumping off point for an organization wide attack.”

Cybercrime is undoubtedly at an all time high, and in recent weeks there have been stories reported in the media about Russian cybercrime gangs infecting hundreds of thousands of PCs around the globe, with malicious software used for stealing banking credentials and extorting computer owners. There have also been revelations around cybercrime gangs posting millions of passwords online. These stories should act as a warning to encourage organisations to implement proper defences which can cope with today’s advanced targeted attacks.

“The latest targeted cyber-attacks on government organizations and high-profile companies show the need for better awareness and responsiveness in cyber security. Organizations should no longer be solely dependent on perimeter security products, like firewalls and intrusion detection, to protect their systems. Today they need IT staff who are better trained to identify potential attacks, and defense-in-depth security solutions that can restrict lateral movement in the network when attacks do manage to penetrate the perimeter,” continued Lieberman.