What Is Infrastructure Security?

While the term infrastructure security is frequently used to refer to technology assets such as computers, networking systems, and cloud resources—both software and hardware—it can also refer to permanent assets like real estate.

Protection from natural disasters and other calamities is also included in the concept of infrastructure security in addition to protection from a conventional cyberattack. Resilience, which considers how an organization recovers from an attack or other disruption, is also a topic of discussion. The ultimate objective is to enhance security measures while reducing downtime, customer loss, brand and reputation damage, and compliance costs for businesses.

In essence, infrastructure security refers to a high-level approach to the protection of the entire technology perimeter of an organization. Plans for more tactical security, like "how will we protect the data on the laptops of our employees?" may be developed within that overall strategy as subsets.

We'll talk about the various parts of infrastructure and infrastructure security, as well as the most common threats and ways to avoid them.

What Are The Different Levels Of Infrastructure Security?

There is no one-size-fits-all definition of the various levels and categories of infrastructure security, but securing the following four levels is one common approach to security in the enterprise:

Physical Level: Physical safeguards like fences, backup generators, security cameras, and locked doors are necessary for infrastructure. A physical security strategy includes failover plans that locate backup equipment in another part of the world.

Network Level:  Data is safeguarded throughout the network's entry, exit, and movement by network security. On-premises or cloud-based encryption of traffic, effective management of firewalls, and the use of authentication and authorization systems are all examples of this.

Level of Application: Security must also be taken into account at the application level. This includes safeguarding other applications against unauthorized use or malicious exploits and protecting databases from attacks like SQL injections.

Data Quality: Data security must be taken into account at the lowest level of infrastructure security, regardless of where or how it is stored. Encryption of data, backups and anonymization strategies are all examples of this.

What's The Significance Of Infrastructure Security?

Critical infrastructure security, which includes infrastructure security, is essential for protecting technology assets and data from harm during an attack or natural disaster. In the event of a successful attack or catastrophe, it is also essential for minimizing damage. Similarly, the primary objective of infrastructure security is to lower the organization's overall risk level, thereby reducing the likelihood of a significant disruption to operations and/or financial impact.

The IT infrastructure of an enterprise today is significantly more complex than it has ever been before, and it typically includes both on-premises and cloud-based systems; devices owned by the company and by employees, such as laptops and smartphones; and even the Internet of Things (IoT) devices like industrial sensors and cameras. A lot of these gadgets either never had security in mind when they were made or have had a few different security fixes added after the fact. In the end, the managing organization is responsible for safeguarding all of these systems.

Since every company's technology operations are based on infrastructure, infrastructure security is the foundation of its overall security strategy. It may be easiest to think of infrastructure security as the organization's master security plan, which serves as the foundation for both tactical strategies and everything else that follows.

What is network infrastructure security?

The majority of businesses' infrastructure security programs focus primarily on network-level security. When it comes to security risks, the enterprise's network level is typically regarded as the largest and most vulnerable, so there are more tools available to protect it than at other levels.

Because it typically consists of a large number of hardware and software components, network infrastructure is typically considered to be complex. Physical items like servers, routers, switches, wireless access points, and even cabling are included in this category. However, the software and firmware that runs the network infrastructure, such as server operating systems, network management, network communications systems, firewalls and other security application configurations, and routing software, are primarily to blame for vulnerabilities.

The enterprise must maintain the highest level of diligence in the network infrastructure. To keep the network as secure as possible, administrators must apply patches as soon as they are released, double-check configurations to make sure they are correct, and create and follow policies.

The mitigation of all of the aforementioned issues is the function of network infrastructure security. Monitoring hardware and software, protecting the network infrastructure from malicious attacks, enforcing access control rules to ensure that only authorized users have access to network resources, removing malware, and providing secure channels for remote users—such as a virtual private network (VPN)—are all components of network infrastructure security. 

What is cloud infrastructure security?

As the term suggests, cloud infrastructure security entails safeguarding cloud-based assets. Cloud infrastructure security encompasses a multitude of security levels, including the network, application, and data levels, rather than existing as one of the distinct levels of infrastructure security outlined above. By definition, only the physical security level is exempt.

Security of cloud infrastructure can be difficult because many businesses don't know where their own responsibility ends and the providers begin. Most of the time, many cloud providers are in charge of the security "of" the cloud. This means that they have to make sure that cloud infrastructure, which includes security at the storage, computing, and network layers, is always safe and reliable. Although these environments are frequently so hazy that there is often confusion regarding who is responsible for what, especially in the event that an attack is discovered, cloud providers outline these responsibilities in great detail in their terms of service.

The customer is always in charge of a number of cloud security tasks, including user management and access control, cloud data encryption, the correct configuration of security tools provided by the vendor, and compliance with applicable privacy laws, although responsibilities vary from provider to provider. 

Due, in large part, to the rise in attacks on cloud infrastructure, cloud security is critical as the cloud grows in popularity. However, there are numerous challenges associated with cloud infrastructure security: a larger attack surface, a lack of complete visibility into how cloud services operate during runtime, the dynamic and frequently fleeting nature of cloud-based workloads, and the general complexity of a cloud environment, especially when multiple cloud services are involved.

What are Common Infrastructure Security Threats?

In today's market, some of the most prevalent threats to infrastructure security include:

Phishing: Phishing continues to be one of the most widespread and damaging threats to individuals and businesses alike, increasing in both quantity and complexity while becoming increasingly difficult to identify. However, the objective of phishing attacks remains the same: to separate users from the login credentials they use to access corporate resources, steal money or intellectual property, or cause chaos in the business. During the pandemic, the number of phishing attacks skyrocketed, with scams involving COVID-19 relief, impersonating the CDC, and the lure of small business loans and tax extensions among the most common types.

Ransomware: Malware that is installed on the corporate network encrypts the targeted data and is held by the attacker for ransom. The attackers will prevent the victim from accessing their files if the ransom is not paid. There is no assurance that system functionality will be restored even if the ransom is paid. Attacks using ransomware are getting more and more common; A ransomware attack in June 2021 crippled the networks of hundreds of businesses by targeting a software vendor and using it as a conduit to spread through cloud service providers.

Botnets: Botnets have generally been utilized to send off circulated disavowal of administration (DDoS) assaults. Botnets have been used to stealthily mine cryptocurrencies and target IoT infrastructure in recent years. Companies that are the victims of this kind of attack frequently remain unaware, sometimes for years, that their resources are being exploited. Botnet attacks are particularly susceptible to cloud-based resources.

Theft of property: If your infrastructure is not effectively protected by physical barriers like locked doors, fences, alarm systems, and security guards, no matter how secure it is against cyber threats. As a result, 650,000 patients' health records and personal information were exposed by a stolen laptop from a medical facility.

What are The Benefits of Infrastructure Security?

Naturally, the most significant advantage of infrastructure security is that it safeguards all of your company's technology assets against attack. Infrastructure security is the first line of defense against cyberattacks and other types of exploits for most businesses. Infrastructure security shields the network's users, data, and software, as well as its hardware and software, from attack.

The implementation of infrastructure security has numerous advantages for the business. It reduces the financial risk associated with steep fines and prevents data theft or another compromise. Infrastructure security plays a crucial role in ensuring compliance with regulations requiring the security of consumer information as privacy legislation continues to grow.

Additionally, infrastructure security plays a crucial role in reducing the likelihood of damage caused by user carelessness. Although insider attacks like these do occur, the majority of malware does not end up on the corporate network because an internal user purposefully placed it there. Most of the time, it happens when a user clicks on a malicious link or email attachment without thinking. When mistakes like these do happen, infrastructure security protocols and systems help reduce risk.

Can You Protect Infrastructure With Cybersecurity Solutions?

The most important tools for protecting infrastructure are cybersecurity solutions, also known as IT security. It is not a matter of whether cybersecurity solutions can safeguard your infrastructure; rather, it depends on how you use them to protect your infrastructure the best.

Cybersecurity solutions can be used to make sure that only authorized users have access, prevent malware from successfully installing on infrastructure devices, evaluate the network's overall security (including by using penetration testing to simulate an attack), and encrypt data while it is in transit and at rest to protect it in the event of a successful attack.

All of these options, taken as a whole, provide the foundations for an effective program to protect infrastructure.

What is National Infrastructure Security?

Infrastructure security takes on a whole new and much more complicated form on a national scale than it does at the enterprise level. The systems, networks, data, and digital assets that support society are all part of the nation's infrastructure, which is also known as critical infrastructure. This type of infrastructure is frequently referred to as such. The internet itself, pipelines, power plants, bridges, tunnels, drinking water systems, and a variety of other physical structures make up national infrastructure as well. GPS satellites and other non-terrestrial systems are included.

The Department of Homeland Security is in charge of protecting critical infrastructure. To safeguard these sectors, officials from the government devised a comprehensive plan known as the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) in 2013. Among the stated objectives of the plan are risk management activities and threat assessment and analysis; reducing risk and protecting critical infrastructure from a variety of threats; improving the resilience of the infrastructure through advanced planning and mitigation efforts; distributing data throughout the infrastructure community; and the encouragement of learning and adaptability during and following these incidents.

One of the critical infrastructure sectors that the NIPP aims to safeguard is the safety of national technology assets. Connecting internet security to the physical protection of healthcare, transportation, energy, and industrial control systems, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Convergence Action Guide outlines a converged plan to protect both cyber and physical assets. It is easy to understand why this kind of physical cybersecurity is becoming more important in the wake of incidents like the ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline in May 2021, which shut down 45 percent of the petroleum supply to the East Coast.

What are Some of The Best Techniques To Secure Infrastructure?

An organization's infrastructure-protecting security policies should include a number of recommended best practices, including:

Firewall: By preventing malicious traffic from ever accessing your internal networks, this is the first line of defense against all threats.

Antivirus or antimalware systems: The company is infected with malware in a variety of ways. Antimalware systems look for malware in email messages, web traffic, and hardware devices.

Penetration testing and network vulnerability analysis tools: These kinds of tools are set to scan the network for potential security issues on a regular basis or constantly.

Intrusion detection system: In real time, an intrusion detection tool watches the network for unusual behavior or signs that an attacker has broken into the infrastructure.

Authentication software: Users with network access are monitored by authentication software. AI identifies unusual behavior that could indicate that a user's credentials have been compromised.

Password auditing tools: To ensure that users are not relying on insecure or hackable login credentials, password audits should be performed on a regular basis.

Encryption tools: In the event of an attack, encrypted data offers your organization an additional layer of protection because it has little or no value to attackers.

SIEM tools: SIEM (security information and event management) tools provide real-time analysis of the security alerts generated by various enterprise applications and automate much of the tedious work of monitoring infrastructure security.