Hacked Website Recovery and WordPress Protection: Defending Against Identity-Based Threats
Security threats based on identity in Software as a Service (SaaS) applications are on the rise. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in the U.S. reports that 90% of all cyberattacks start with phishing, which is mainly an identity-based threat. When you add attacks via stolen credentials, over-provisioned accounts, and internal threats, the importance of identity protection becomes quite evident.
Targeting More Than Just Human Accounts
The troubling fact is not only human accounts are under threat. Cyberattackers are also compromising non-human identities, including service accounts and OAuth authorizations, to infiltrate deep into SaaS applications. Implementing robust Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) as part of the Identity Security is crucial to prevent colossal data breaches.
The Snowflake data breach, where 560 million customer records were exfiltrated, is a prime example of the possible magnitude of such breaches.
How Identity Threat Detection and Response Works
ITDR uses a combination of event monitoring across the SaaS stack, login data, device details, and user behavior analysis to detect threats. It marks behavioral anomalies as indicators of compromise (IOC). When these IOCs reach a particular threshold, the ITDR system triggers an alert.
To illustrate, if an admin downloads an unsettling amount of data, it becomes an IOC. The ITDR system amplifies this IOC into a threat if the download is at an unusual time or is from a strange computer. Similarly, if a user logs in from a suspicious ASN after brute-force login attempts, it will initiate an incident response. In this way, with a rich range of data from multiple applications, the ITDR system can detect threats based on data from different sources.
ITDR detected a breach where threat actors infiltrated an HR payroll system and altered several employees’ bank accounts. The bank data was corrected before any funds were transferred, preventing a potential disaster.
Steps to Reduce Identity-Based Risks
Organizations can employ measures like multi-factor authentication (MFA), single sign-on (SSO), Permission trimming, applying the principle of least privilege (POLP), and role-based access control (RBAC), to decrease identity-based threats and establish a stronger identity fabric.
Regrettably, many of these identity management tools are not being utilized to their full potential. For instance, organizations are turning off MFA, and many SaaS apps necessitate their admins to maintain local login capabilities in case the SSO encounters failure.
Proactive Identity Management Measures to Mitigate Risks
Here are some proactive measures organizations can take to mitigate the risk of identity-based breaches:
1. Classify Accounts
To establish strong identity governance and management, security teams need to start by classifying different user types such as former employees’ accounts, high-privilege accounts, dormant accounts, non-human accounts, and external accounts.
2. Deprovision Former Employees and Deactivate Dormant User Accounts
Active accounts of former employees can pose a significant risk. Dormant accounts should also be identified and deactivated whenever possible.
3. Monitor External Users
External accounts offered to agencies, partners, or freelancers must be thoroughly monitored. These accounts often remain active even after the completion of projects. The credentials can be used to compromise the application adversely.
4. Implement User Permission Trimming
By applying the principle of least privilege (POLP), each user has access only to the areas and data within the app necessary for their job.
5. Establish Checks for Privileged Accounts
Admin accounts are high risk. Unusual late-night logins, accessing a workstation from a foreign location, or downloading large volumes of data are a few examples of suspicious behaviors that, if monitored, can provide early detection of a cyberattack.
The Importance of Identity Threat Detection
As more sensitive corporate data is stored behind an identity-based perimeter, organizations must prioritize their identity fabric. For any threat actors who manage to breach the initial defenses, a robust ITDR system as part of the identity fabric is essential. It identifies active threats and triggers alerts to security teams, or takes automated preventive measures to inhibit threat actors from causing any damage.
In conclusion, hacked website recovery and WordPress protection are critical aspects of your organization’s cybersecurity protocol. With robust identity threat detection measures and proactive identity management strategies, organizations can significantly lessen the risk of identity-based breaches and strengthen their overall security framework.
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