Ten key points to tackle cyber attacks strategically

Ten key points to tackle cyber attacks strategically

Ten key points to tackle cyber attacks strategically

 

To avoid damages caused by malicious software, such as ransomware, – established as one of the Chile’s most recurring incidents – companies must implement several initiatives to strengthen their structure.

Santiago, June 06, 2023 – Ransomware has been positioned as the type of cyber attack with the greatest increase in Chile and Latin America.  This is stated by an Entel Ocean study which compared this type of incident in the first semester of 2023 with the same period in 2022 and identified an attack increase of 27% in Chile.  This data is included in Chile’s third position, behind Brazil and Mexico, regarding the amount of ransomware received to date.

Ransomware is a type of malicious software often sent via unsolicited phishing emails, which trick users by hijacking and blocking files or systems to prevent access. The “hijacker” uses encryption to turn files into hostages.  And when the victim pays the ransom, they supposedly receive a decryption key to release the locked systems.

With this scenario in mind, Ricardo Pulgarín, Cirion Technologies’ Security Solutions Architect, explains that “companies and institutions should focus on strengthening their cybersecurity framework”.  To this end, the expert provides 10 recommendations for strategically addressing potential threats:

  1. Protect recovery systems and backup data: In the event of incidents caused by individuals, ransomware or natural disasters, adopting measures that enable a quick recovery of data and systems is critical. To allow this, data must be backed up, recovery tests must be performed, and a contingency plan must be implemented to define recovery point objective (RPO) and backup frequency, as well as the recovery time objective (RTO).
  2. Run recovery test runs: This ensures that data is available, that every resource can be recovered, and that everything is working as expected. Furthermore, the determined chain of command should be communicating appropriately and there should be group and individual accountabilities.
  3. Cybersecurity training and awareness: Establishing data security must be a priority for the company. Therefore, appropriate training is key for employees to understand the risks the company may be subject to and the importance of being accountable when facing potential threats.
  4. Define the surface of attack: Organizations should know which systems, devices, and services in their environments are necessary to maintain their business online and inventory active. This will help them identify their most vulnerable areas and lay out the baseline for system recovery.
  5. Audit and manage the most vulnerable devices: For a comprehensive security strategy, it is essential to count on controls throughout all of the network’s critical points. There’s no doubt that perimeter security is important, but for it to be effective – given users’ high mobility – it  must also be complemented by security in final users’ devices.
  6. Sectorize the network: Sectorization can help contain malware. If a threat reaches the network, it should be “blocked” and prevented from moving around unchecked, therefore interrupting the collection of information.  This requires “splitting” the network into smaller segments to enhance the flow of traffic and prevent threats from moving laterally.
  7. Safeguard e-mails to avoid ransomware access: In addition to safeguarding network devices, it is also imperative to ensure that email solutions are executed with their latest updates and that firewalls are in place.
  8. Expand the focus on identity: Organizations should implement double-factor authentication mechanisms for its remote users and customers, thus providing double validation access to the most critical information. Also, they must monitor usage of gateways, protocols, and network services to prevent malicious applications from finding a security breach that can be explored by the attacker.
  9. Strengthen security along entire Cyber Kill Chain: The Cyber Kill Chain model examines how cybercriminals act to achieve their goals. Potential human failure underscores the need for a robust security technology and a cyber security strategy which integrates multiple controls and allows visualization of the different stages an attacker needs to cut through before being successful.
  10. Implement an incident response plan: A clearly defined and proven incident response plan will strongly contribute to a better outcome in case cyber attacks occur.

Cirion Technologies has a complete integrated security portfolio, with mitigation and network protection services, among others, customizable to any industry’s requirements.

For additional information, visit https://www.ciriontechnologies.com/es-cl/seguridad-integrada/

About Cirion

Cirion is a leading digital infrastructure and technology provider, offering a comprehensive suite of fiber networks, connectivity, colocation, cloud infrastructure, and communications and collaboration solutions with the purpose of furthering Latin America’s progress through technology. Cirion serves over 5,500 Latin America-based and multinational customers, including enterprises, government agencies, cloud service providers, wireline and wireless carriers, ISPs, and other leading businesses.  Cirion owns and operates a portfolio of networks and data centers, with extensive coverage throughout the Latin American region.  Learn more about Cirion at www.ciriontechnologies.com

Follow us on our Social Networks:

LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Blog

Media Contact:

Carolina Díaz
Impronta
Tel: + 56 9 42523795
cdiaz@impronta.cl

Paulette Cartes
Impronta
Tel: + 56 9 34114971
pcartes@impronta.cl

Cybersecurity: five critical areas companies must safeguard

Cybersecurity: five critical areas companies must safeguard

Cybersecurity: five critical areas companies must safeguard

 

In today’s reality, where international cybercriminals use malware and ransomware to carry out attacks, companies must adopt organizational strategies centered on creating protection ecosystems which include IT security, focused on information security.

Santiago, July 04th, 2023 – Although IT security has always been a relevant aspect of companies’ operations, never has this topic been so critical. With companies and institutions rapidly advancing in their digital transformation processes, and employees working in remote or hybrid systems, security has become increasingly vulnerable.

However, the notion that “this won’t happen to me” is still too frequent among companies of all sizes and segments. Without going too far, according to a 2022 Gartner report, by 2025 45% of organizations worldwide will have suffered attacks on their supply chain software, thus providing hackers and malicious actors a fertile soil where they can leverage weaknesses to drive malware and ransomware attacks, to destroy infrastructures and obtain economic gain.

So, what must companies do regarding cybersecurity?

Ricardo Pulgarín, Cirion Technologies’ Security Solutions Architect, explains: “Regardless of their size and business, companies must have an organizational security strategy encompassing two aspects: IT security – the set of technologies, processes and practices designed for network, devices, programs and data protection – and information security, such as the measures and techniques employed to control and safeguard all data handled inside the organization, ensuring that they are exposed only to the appropriate recipients; this is the area of greatest risk.

Beginning with IT security, companies must possess different protection tools to create an ecosystem which can predict and deflect attacks, detect, and contain incidents, and obtain responses to foster research and resolve the problems detected.

In Pulgarín’s opinion, in a scenario where vulnerabilities can cause severe damages to a company’s operation, this ecosystem must focus on 5 key areas to prevent and address potential cyberattacks:

  1. Development: Everything a company publishes in the web; for instance, source codes, applications, commercial web pages, corporate sites, and other developments.
  2. Data Centers: All services except web pages, such as GPS management, biometry software, virtual machines, user authentication systems, and file repository, among others.
  3. Connectivity: Every access channel, such as Internet, MPLS, and broadband channels, among others.
  4. Endpoints: User devices, such as business computers and tablets, as well as corporate smartphones.
  5. Users: They are the ones who consume the information and need to know what should be done to prevent them from being victims of hacker scams, through awareness and training on cybersecurity.

About Cirion

Cirion is a leading digital infrastructure and technology provider, offering a comprehensive suite of fiber networks, connectivity, colocation, cloud infrastructure, and communications and collaboration solutions with the purpose of furthering Latin America’s progress through technology. Cirion serves over 5,500 Latin America-based and multinational customers, including enterprises, government agencies, cloud service providers, wireline and wireless carriers, ISPs, and other leading businesses.  Cirion owns and operates a portfolio of networks and data centers, with extensive coverage throughout the Latin American region.  Learn more about Cirion at www.ciriontechnologies.com

Follow us on our Social Networks:

LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Blog

Media Contact:

Carolina Díaz
Impronta
Tel: + 56 9 42523795
cdiaz@impronta.cl

Paulette Cartes
Impronta
Tel: + 56 9 34114971
pcartes@impronta.cl

Why is a robust infrastructure so important in hosting enterprise applications and data?

Why is a robust infrastructure so important in hosting enterprise applications and data?

Why is a robust infrastructure so important in hosting enterprise applications and data?

 

Bogotá, April 2023. In addition to implementing digital technology in each area, companies need to prioritize where to host their data. Hence the interest in data centers, which are infrastructures that store, serve and process all data.

Given the importance of hosting critical applications and extremely sensitive data, the trend in large companies is to rely on outsourced data centers, i.e., implemented and managed by other companies.  The reason: due to the investment required, it is practically unfeasible to have a privately owned data center.

“These are robust, million-dollar investment infrastructures, which must be extremely reliable.  Their environment is designed to concentrate all the computing, processing, and data storage equipment, as well as network asset systems. Data centers are the central nervous system of organizations,” explained Felipe Gómez, Regional Business Director for Data Center, Security and Cloud at Cirion Technologies.

Security offered by data centers includes, among other things, the racks, – metal cabinets where the cooling systems for temperature control are located – the mechanisms that supply extra power, and the fire protection devices.  In addition, being surrounded by qualified personnel diminishes threat gaps.

“We have multiple rings or multiple layers to filter out any risks that may arise. The state-of-the-art technology also ensures that these issues are managed in the best way possible; the processes and specialized personnel lending credibility to these security issues are just as important,” commented the Cirion Technologies expert.

However, the data center service provided by these companies is not only about setting up a robust structure, but also about how it is managed.

Besides providing the customer with a secure data center, it also provides 24/7 service that responds to their needs faster than ever before and uses state-of-the-art technology.

“The pandemic has transformed companies’ ability to define priorities to address digital transformation. One of them is how to support organizations’ business continuity, which is why a data center with high storage capacity, providing nearly one hundred percent of information resources is critical,” he added.

About Cirion

Cirion is a leading digital infrastructure and technology provider, offering a comprehensive suite of fiber network, connectivity, colocation, cloud infrastructure, and communication and collaboration solutions with the purpose of furthering Latin America´s progress through technology.  Cirion serves more than 6,400 Latin American and multinational customers, including enterprises, government agencies, cloud service providers, carriers, ISPs, and other leading companies. Cirion owns and operates a facilities-based network and data center portfolio, with extensive coverage spanning across the Latin America region. Learn more about Cirion at www.ciriontechnologies.com 

Follow us on our Social Networks:

LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Blog

Cirion Technologies and Universidad Anáhuac Mexico partner to improve connectivity and networks of remote education system

Cirion Technologies and Universidad Anáhuac Mexico partner to improve connectivity and networks of remote education system

Cirion Technologies and Universidad Anáhuac Mexico partner to improve connectivity and networks of remote education system

 

The 5GB links in each campus allowed Universidad Anáhuac México to continue operating constantly and consistently throughout the pandemic .

Mexico City, February 14, 2023 – Universidad Anáhuac was able to implement the remote education modality during the COVID-19 pandemic, connecting more than 15,000 students, faculty, and staff in several areas of its two campuses in Mexico City.

Currently, the institution counts on a 5 gigabytes per second broadband link, supported by Cirion Technologies’ fiber optic infrastructure. Internet access and availability of IT resources, such as bandwidth for remote equipment and devices, became a requirement for online classes. In 2020, the pandemic highlighted the need for technology capable of operating a remote education system.

“Faced with the challenges brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, the dynamics of university work have changed, requiring a very robust connectivity base to keep all services in optimal condition. The pandemic required us to have the best IT infrastructure to operate, and we found in Cirion Technologies’ team a great partner to enable the correct functioning of our areas and continue providing quality education remotely.   With a bit more than 86,000 km of fiber routes and presence in Mexico City, Cirion was the obvious choice to achieve the connectivity objectives demanded by the university”, commented Eugenio Valle Landa, Director of Technological Operation in Universidad Anáhuac México.

Cirion Technologies has contributed to the interconnection of all areas, ensuring secure bandwidth with a flexible network architecture that smartly adjusts to the system’s needs in real time and in an automated manner. Following the hybrid education system trend, it can guarantee connection availability on the same network for both face-to-face and remote users.

“At Cirion, we are proud to become strategic partners by putting our connectivity and cutting-edge technology solutions within reach of leading organizations such as Universidad Anáhuac México”, stated Jaime Durán, Director of Connectivity, Media and IP for the Northern Cluster at Cirion Technologies.   “Currently, connectivity and network services have become an indispensable tool for education and this is why we are certain that this joint effort will be a milestone for the institution”.

The 5GB in each campus allowed Universidad Anáhuac México to continue operating constantly and consistently during the pandemic – constantly because it didn’t experience any outage and consistently because communications maintainted stability with a very high performance.

Cirion Technologies’ solutions boost the agility of processes and the operation of educational institutions, through dynamically scalable connections which enable the implementation of last-generation technologies.   Through these services, the company contributes to strengthening the education sector amid digitalization challenges.

About Cirion:

Cirion is a leading digital infrastructure and technology provider, offering a comprehensive suite of fiber networks, connectivity, colocation, cloud infrastructure, and communications and collaboration solutions with the purpose of furthering Latin America’s progress through technology. Cirion serves over 6,400 Latin America-based and multinational customers, including enterprises, government agencies, cloud service providers, wireline and wireless carriers, ISPs, and other leading businesses.  Cirion owns and operates a portfolio of networks and data centers, with extensive coverage throughout the Latin American region.

Learn more about Cirion at www.ciriontechnologies.com

Follow us in Social Media: 

LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Blog

The content consumption revolution – 4 reasons to use content delivery networks

The content consumption revolution – 4 reasons to use content delivery networks

The content consumption revolution – 4 reasons to use content delivery networks

From sporting events, concerts, gala parties, award presentations, and premieres of seasons to online gaming, video is everywhere.

Mexico, February 2023. During the COVID-1 pandemic, video streaming received a major boost, largely because people adopted a work-at-home strategy. As a result, video streaming has become the primary source of entertainment, and even though the vast majority have returned to their offices, the streaming industry continues to thrive and expand.

According to Digital TV Research, the streaming industry’s revenue in Latin America will reach $8.54 billion by 2027.

As a result, the live streaming of events has revolutionized the way content is consumed, as stated by Jaime Durán, product director of Connectivity & Content at Cirion Technologies.  With the large number of users accessing, uploading, and exploring unlimited amounts of content, streaming servers can become overloaded; hence the enormous importance of Content Delivery Network (CDN).

What is CDN, or Content Delivery Network, after all?

Durán assures that “in layman’s terms, CDN is a network of perimeter servers optimally located around the world to respond to any server request and deliver the desired content.”

This network allows a more agile transfer of the assets needed to load online content, which includes videos, images, HTML pages or JavaScript files.

When speed and low latency are the name of the game

Thanks to new technological advances like CDN, the avenues for delivering high-quality content to users has been simplified to ensure a fast and stable connection for on-demand streaming.

A CDN has servers at strategic points for the exchange of Internet traffic (IXP) between networks – key locations where different providers connect to provide mutual access to the stream originating on their networks.

CDNs are located in strategic data centers around the world, improve security, and are designed to survive various types of Internet outages and congestion, reducing costs and data delivery transit time.

Cirion Technologies has a complete portfolio of CDN solutions that, through software-defined networks and optimized network routing, help reduce the reliance on third-party infrastructure to obtain high performance and low latency.

Why is CDN technology used in live event broadcasting?

Content Distribution Networks help improve the quality of live streaming by distributing content to the streaming servers closest to the end user, which makes it possible to:

  1. Ensure sufficient bandwidth for periods of high traffic,

    preventing origin servers from becoming overloaded if requests exceed their bandwidth limit. If a live streaming suddenly experiences a rapid increase in viewers and all content requests are made to a single origin server, a bottleneck could occur, causing server downtime.  With CDN technology, the server can be protected from these scenarios and the responsibility of delivering content can be dispersed across the network of streaming servers.

  2. Reduce latency and turnaround time

    by caching content from CDN servers closer to end users, reducing the need to send live streaming requests to the origin server and then returning content. This reduces round-trip time and, more importantly, minimizes latency and buffering to ensure real-time streaming.

  3. Support live streaming to a global audience.
    Given that distribution occurs through perimeter servers located around the world in a content distribution network, CDNs offer global live streaming scalability. Furthermore, regardless of location, the viewing experience is the same and latency and buffering are minimized through the CDN servers closest to the end user.
  4. Reduce workload on origin servers.

    CDNs help lower much of the workload on the network’s origin servers.  Because it takes a lot of computing power for a single server to respond to requests – even more so in live video streaming – CDNs essentially protect the origin servers from overload and keep them running.

Live streaming events offer a unique opportunity for broadcasters to differentiate themselves from the competition and offer viewers a lasting and memorable experience. Scaling delivery to increasingly larger live audiences is one of the key challenges facing online content companies today, but it shouldn’t be an obstacle to making the most of the revenue, engagement and branding possibilities that live events offer.

Siga-nos em nossas Redes Sociais:

LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Blog

Contato para a Imprensa:

Henyi Gutiérrez
Sr. Communications & Marketing
Andean & Northern Cluster
henyi.gutierrez@ciriontechnologies.com
+57 601 619000

 

This site is registered on wpml.org as a development site. Switch to a production site key to remove this banner.