Unauthorised access to information systems is one of the biggest threats to the cyber security of companies and individuals. Such incidents not only compromise the integrity of systems, but can also lead to leaks of sensitive information. Interestingly, one of the least known but significant sources of such leaks is metadata.
What is unauthorised access to information systems?
Unauthorised access to information systems is when unauthorised individuals gain access to computer systems and networks, often by exploiting security weaknesses. These attacks can be conducted by ethical hackers in a penetration testing context or by cyber criminals with malicious intent.
In the field of cyber-security, unauthorised access to information systems is defined as any unauthorised logical or physical entry to a network, system, application, data or other resource that violates the security policy established by the owner or operator of the system
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Consequences of unauthorised access to information systems
Once unauthorised access to information systems occurs, the consequences can be devastating: from the loss of confidential information, to affecting the reputation of the company, to costly operational disruptions. Depending on the type of access, the consequences can be diverse and far-reaching, including:
Sensitive Information Leaks: Exposure of confidential data to unauthorised parties can lead to the loss of intellectual property, personal customer information or strategic company data.
Financial Damage: From costs associated with incident response and data recovery to potential penalties for regulatory non-compliance.
Reputational Loss: Customer and partner confidence can be negatively affected, which could translate into loss of business and damage to corporate reputation.
Operational Disruptions: Unauthorised access can cause damage to systems resulting in downtime and loss of productivity.
Legal Liability: Companies may face litigation or legal penalties if it is determined that they have not adequately protected their customers’ information.
Common methods of unauthorised access to information systems
There are several common methods that facilitate unauthorised access to information systems, these include:
- Phishing: Tricking users into handing over login credentials via forged emails or websites.
- Brute Force Attacks: Repeated attempts to guess passwords or access keys to gain access to the system.
- Exploitation of Vulnerabilities: Using weaknesses in software or hardware to gain access to systems or networks.
- Social engineering: Manipulating people into revealing confidential information or performing actions that compromise security.
- Web scraping and online metadata mining: The metadata in public online documents, often overlooked, can contain details such as usernames, network structures and configuration information that are of great value to an attacker.
Strategies to prevent unauthorised access
To prevent unauthorised access to information systems, it is crucial to implement robust security strategies. Strategies may include:
- Strong authentication: Implement multi-factor authentication methods to verify the identity of users.
- Information leakage prevention: Using technology to detect data leakage and mitigate the associated risks is one of the best ways to prevent unauthorised access to information systems. You can audit your website’s metadata here.
- Security awareness education and training: Ensure that all users are informed about security best practices and common security risks.
- Rigorous security policies: Develop and enforce policies that limit access to information and systems to only those who need to know.
- Patch and Update Management: Keep all systems and applications up to date to protect against known vulnerabilities.
- Incident Monitoring and Response: Use intrusion detection systems and have an incident response plan ready when a security breach is detected.
Intrusion detection tools
Intrusion Management Tools, known as Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS), combine the capabilities of Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), which identify and record malicious activity, with Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), which act by blocking malicious traffic and preventing attacks based on pre-defined criteria.
There are two main types of IDPS:
- Host-Based IDPS (HIDS): Software deployed on a specific host to monitor traffic and protect a single endpoint, and can also scan system files for unauthorised changes.
- Network-Based IDPS (NIDS): Devices placed on the network to monitor traffic on an entire network segment or subnetwork, analysing traffic for malicious behaviour based on common attack profiles.
Modern IDPS are an integral part of advanced solutions such as next-generation firewalls (NGFWs), SIEM and XDR, offering combined capabilities that are fundamental to a proper security infrastructure. These tools can detect malware, social engineering attacks and other web-based threats, such as DDoS attacks, and also provide proactive intrusion prevention capabilities for insider threats and potentially compromised systems.
The role of security awareness and training
Security awareness training is essential to prevent unauthorised access to information systems. Employees should be especially educated about the risks associated with metadata and how its mismanagement can lead to information leaks.
Security Incident Response Plan
A robust incident response plan should include strategies for handling unauthorised access to information systems and metadata leaks. It should define how to respond effectively to these incidents to minimise damage and recover quickly.