Fortinet shares insights in to the anatomy of a cyber attack

Fortinet – the global leader in high-performance cybersecurity solutionsadvises CIOs in Asia Pacific to analyse and understand the different phases of a cyber-attack to build better cyber defences in their corporate network. In the past, it was much easier for firewalls to detect significant threats to the network. 

This was because traffic could be classified based on specific protocols and cyber-hackers were not as sophisticated. However, cyber threats are now designed to avoid detection by bypassing traditional firewalls with ease.

Businesses in the Asia-Pacific lost an estimated US$ 81.3 billion in revenue due to cyber-attacks in the 12 months to September 2015, compared with $US62.3 billion in Europe and US$ 61.3 billion in the US, according to London-based consulting company Grant Thornton.

Japan, Australia, Singapore, South Korea and New Zealand have been identified as Asia-Pacific’s most vulnerable countries for cyber-attacks compared to other Asian economies in the region, based on Deloitte’s annual Asia-Pacific Defense Outlook 2016 report. According to the global consulting firm, these countries are “nine times more vulnerable” as they are the most heavily dependent on Internet-based interactions.

“To defend against cyber-hackers, one must know how they attack. By gaining threat intelligence and understanding each difference phase of a cyber-attack, enterprises could build a better cyber defensive posture against the threats,” said Rajesh Maurya, Regional Director, India & SAARC, Fortinet“Threat intelligence, when complemented by risk analysis and best security practices, will ensure a robust cyber security environment.”
Fortinet outlines 7 phases of a cyber-attack and prescribes precautionary steps to counter each of them.