Are you suffering from the harm caused by incorrect ideas about Secure Web browsing? You may think that your organization and users are safe, but today's Internet shows a new infected webpage every few seconds, no matter how careful you are, almost never avoid the risk of being infected.
To start your security assessment, you should ask yourself some questions:
Are you and your users conducting secure Web browsing? Do you want to avoid browsing risky websites? Do I have to limit the online time of my work hours? Do I use strong Internet access policies? Are you using a secure browser? Do you have any experience in identifying risky websites?
If you have answered any of the above questions, you need to read the content after this article.
Breaking down the top ten lies
You may be suffering from one or more lies about Web security. But don't worry. You're not alone. In the past few years, there have been some false ideas about the scope of risks and the protective measures that should be taken. Some rumors may have completely rejected Internet access, but it is not practical to disconnect yourself from the Web 2.0 world because it has become a key tool for today's enterprises.
It is not an appropriate solution to establish strict defense by strictly controlling and blocking internet access policies. Users can easily bypass this mechanism.
Please browse this article quickly. If any of these lies or misconceptions can resonate with you, you may need to review your Web security solutions. The content here may help you find a solution.
Lie 1: We control the use of the Web, and our users cannot bypass our policies.
By using anonymous proxy servers, employees can easily bypass web filtering policies to access any of their favorite websites. Anonymous proxy servers are easy to obtain. A large number of students and employees are using anonymous servers. On the Internet, a new anonymous proxy server is released every day. Its goal is to stay ahead of the pace of Web security companies. Now, even some "resourceful" users start to build their own private proxy servers at home, so that they can freely access the website without any inspection. If you think this is not a problem, you can find a lot of ways to bypass web filters by using different search engines, such as Google.
Lie 2: My users have not wasted time browsing inappropriate content.
Without any web filtering, you do not know what users are doing with their internet connection. The fact is that more than 40% of the company's Internet use is inappropriate and has not been checked, and the number can reach an average of 1 to 2 hours per person per day. Even worse, employees exposed to inappropriate content may bring potential legal consequences to the Organization. If an employee is engaged in online gambling, browsing pornographic sites, and accessing social networks unrelated to work, it will bring great security problems to the company. Moreover, internet addiction incidents are increasing. It is estimated that about 5% to 10% of Internet users have some form of web dependence.
Lie 3: We have never been infected by malware, so the Web is secure.
You may not know that you have been infected. Many Web malware are designed to steal personal information and passwords, or use their computers to publish spam, malware, or inappropriate content without your knowledge. With appropriate Web security gateway, you can identify whether your organization has suspicious network behavior.
Lie 4: Only pornographic, gambling, and other fraudulent websites are harmful
A hijacked trusted website represents the vast majority of websites controlled by malware. Infected websites are websites that we visit and trust every day, but these websites have been cracked or hacked and used to publish malware. Because these websites are very popular and have a high access traffic, they can quietly publish malware to unprotected visitors.
Lie 5: Only childish and ignorant users will be infected with malware and viruses
Malicious software such as "illegal download" can be automatically downloaded without any user intervention. Users only need to visit the website. Therefore, your professional skills have nothing to do with this. The fact is that if you are visiting a website, you are at risk. Major security vendors inside and outside China and related IT media often publish infected or malware-releasing websites. If users access such websites, they will face risks.
Lie 6: Only files downloaded will be infected
Most malware infections occur through "illegal download. Hackers inject malicious code into the actual webpage content. when viewing the webpage content in a browser, the code is automatically downloaded and executed. Malware code has basically become part of professional vulnerability exploitation tools and is sold to hackers who exploit known vulnerabilities in browsers, operating systems, or plug-ins, to infect users' computers accessing the hijacked website and download more malware.
Lie 7: Firefox is safer than IE
In the face of risks, all browsers are equal, because all browsers are actually JavaScript (this typical web programming language is often used by malicious software authors to launch attacks) runtime environments. In addition, many vulnerabilities are exploited by Adobe Acrobat and other readers running on browsers. Although more popular browsers may receive more publicity about vulnerability exploitation, but what you should pay attention to most is the exploitation of undisclosed vulnerabilities. In fact, there is no secure browser.
Lie 8: when the "Lock" icon appears in the browser, the website is secure.
The "padlock" icon indicates that there is an SSL encrypted connection between the browser and the server to protect personal sensitive information from being intercepted. However, it does not provide any security protection against malware. The opposite is true, because most Web Security Products turn a blind eye to encrypted connections: they even become a communication tool for malware infection and penetration into a computer. Moreover, some malware can exploit this vulnerability to spoof SSL certificates, making users feel safer, or impersonate bank sites with fake connections. Today, too many hackers are carefully developing phishing mechanisms that mimic banks, credit cards, or other payment sites and have fake SSL certificates. It can be said that ordinary users are extremely difficult to find their fraudulent nature, and this is becoming an increasingly important security risk.
Lie 9: Balance Between Web security and freedom
Although the Internet has become a key tool for many jobs and businesses, there is no need to balance access and security in any field. Appropriate Web security solutions provide users with a certain degree of freedom to access the website, and maintain the security of the organization. Policy settings of working groups or individuals do not need to be too complex. The key is to meet the needs of the Organization.
When evaluating Web Security Solutions, you must pay attention to the most commonly used regulatory tasks, such as creating special policies for users or user groups. How easy are these tasks? How long does it take? What steps are required? You can make your decisions more reasonable by asking similar questions.
Lie 10: the endpoint security solution cannot defend against web threats
This is usually the case. Because the web browser actually has its own running environment: whether it is downloading content, passing messages or executing scripts, it does not need to "see" the terminal security product outside the browser ". However, the situation is changing. In the end, it will open up a new way to Web security. Especially for mobile staff, their operations exceed the boundaries of the company's network in the traditional sense. The company needs a dynamic protection product that allows it to filter endpoints against malicious sites in real time to protect mobile or remote staff who leave the company's network.
Use effective Web Security Solutions
There are many measures to be taken to address Web security, including but not limited to: keeping the system up-to-date and patching in a timely manner; standardizing web software; and ensuring browser security; strengthen a set of strong password policies. Here, I will only talk about how to use effective security solutions.
An appropriate Web security solution can protect organizations from modern web threats. It can restrict users' browsing activities to website types related to their work, this reduces the chances of exposure to threats, or at least helps users avoid visiting pornographic or gambling websites that breed malware. Of course, appropriate Web security solutions should also provide protection when users access trusted websites, so that they can avoid malicious software threats caused by the hijacking of trusted websites. Finally, appropriate Web security solutions should also help users protect Internet resources and prevent them from being abused.
The key components of a Web security and control solution are as follows:
1. Work Efficiency and reputation Filtering: Establish an authorizable user policy to restrict the exposure of threats from notorious malicious websites and filter notorious websites regardless of their type.
2. Proxy Server filtering prevents users from bypassing web filtering and putting themselves and units at risk.
3. When malware is downloaded from a trusted website, real-time malware filtering can capture malware in real time.
4. HTTPS filtering can ensure the security of such important factors, because many web filtering solutions are like "blind ".
5. Content-based filtering can reduce the threats caused by file types associated with malware and control bandwidth consumption.
We have uncovered several common lies, revealed the truth about Web security risks, and provided suggestions for reliable Web security solutions. With the ever-changing Web security risks, you need effective Web security solutions to protect your organization and users.