Cybersecurity Compliance: Keys to Staying Up to Date
Cybersecurity is a constant challenge for companies. New threats appear daily, and all organizations, from the smallest to multinationals, must be prepared to face them.
However, it is not only a matter of defending oneself from possible attacks from abroad but also of doing so within the legal framework regulated in countries and the European Union. That's where cybersecurity compliance comes in. At Enthec, we help you comply with all cybersecurity regulations.
What is regulatory compliance in cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity compliance refers to the laws, regulations, and standards companies must follow to protect their systems, data, and communications.
It is not only a legal obligation but a fundamental strategy to minimize risks and increase the trust of customers and partners.
Goal of Cybersecurity Compliance
Cybersecurity compliance aims to protect sensitive information and ensure that organizations act responsibly in the face of digital risks. Compliance helps:
- Avoid economic and legal sanctions
- Protect customer and employee data.
- Maintain the reputation and trust of the company.
- Prevent cyberattacks and reduce their impact.
- Establish effective and up-to-date security processes.
- Facilitate the adoption of new technologies in a secure way.
- Ensure business continuity in the face of emerging threats.
Main regulations in cybersecurity
Depending on the industry and location of the company, cybersecurity regulations may vary. However, some of the most relevant in the European area are:
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
It is one of the most well-known regulations and affects any organization that processes the personal data of EU citizens. It requires adequate security measures, notification of data breaches, and transparency in the use of information.
Spanish National Security Scheme (ENS)
The ENS, which applies to public administrations and companies that work with them in Spain, establishes the minimum principles and requirements to guarantee the security of information systems. Its objective is to strengthen data protection and digital services in the governmental sphere.
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
This security standard is mandatory for all businesses that process, store, or transmit payment card data. It establishes strict measures to protect financial information and reduce the risk of fraud in electronic transactions.
NIS 2 Directive
The evolution of the NIS Directive seeks to strengthen safety in essential sectors such as energy, transport, and health. It requires risk management measures and security incident reporting.
ISO 27001
This international standard sets out best practices for information security management. Obtaining the certification demonstrates the company's commitment to data protection.
ISO 22301
ISO 22301 focuses on business continuity management. It helps organizations prepare for disruptions and ensure they can continue to operate in the event of serious incidents, including cyberattacks.
Digital Services Act (DSA)
For online platforms and digital providers, this law introduces security and transparency obligations in managing data and content.
Cybersecurity Compliance Challenges
Ensuring regulatory compliance in cybersecurity is not easy. Companies face several scenarios that make absolute cybersecurity difficult:
- Constantly evolving threats. Regulations change to adapt to new risks, which forces them to be updated continuously.
- Lack of resources. Not all companies have specialized cybersecurity and compliance teams.
- Supplier management. Organizations rely on third parties for many digital operations, complicating security control.
- Difficulty in implementation. Implementing security measures that comply with regulations without affecting operability is a challenge.
- Lack of regulatory knowledge. Many companies are not current with the legal requirements, and the penalties can be high.
Strategies to ensure regulatory compliance in cybersecurity
The main strategies for ensuring regulatory compliance in cybersecurity are the following:
Continuous audits and evaluations
It is key to periodically review systems and procedures to detect vulnerabilities and ensure regulatory compliance.
Training and awareness
Employees are the first line of defense. Providing cybersecurity training helps reduce human error and improve security.
Deploying Threat Management Tools
Having cybersecurity solutions that continuously analyze threat exposure allows you to react before incidents occur.
Constant updating
Laws and standards evolve, so staying informed and updating security measures when necessary is critical.
Security outsourcing
Sometimes, specialized cybersecurity providers may be the best option to ensure regulatory compliance.
Integration with other security strategies
Compliance should be part of an overall security strategy that includes monitoring, incident response, and disaster recovery.
Kartos: Your Ally in Threat Management and Compliance
Ensuring cybersecurity compliance may seem complicated, but some tools make the process easier. Kartos, Enthec's solution, is designed to help companies manage their threat exposure continuously.
Kartos allows:
- Monitor and analyze threats in real-time.
- Assess risks and vulnerabilities in systems.
- Generate detailed reports to comply with regulations such as ENS or ISO27001.
- Improve security without affecting business operations.
- Adapt quickly to changes in legislation and safety standards.
- Automate regulatory compliance processes to optimize resources.
It's not just about avoiding penalties, it's about building a safer and more resilient digital environment. With tools like Kartos, businesses can stay ahead of risks and maintain control over their security.
If you'd like to learn how Kartos can help you protect your organization and stay compliant, contact us and learn how to manage your threat exposure efficiently.
DrDoS: main features and operation
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are a constant threat in the digital world. The Distributed Reflection DDoS (DrDoS) attack is an exceptionally sophisticated variant.
In this article, we will explain in detail a DrDoS attack, its main characteristics, and how it works since there are many occasions when an attacker exploits a system's vulnerabilities and compromises some services. In addition, we will tell you how to protect yourself against these attacks through Enthec.
What is a DrDoS attack?
A DrDoS attack is a form of DDoS attack that relies on mirroring and amplification. Instead of directly attacking the victim, the attacker sends requests to intermediary (mirror) servers, which, in turn, respond to the victim with amplified responses
In this way, it is possible to overload the victim's resources, causing interruptions in their services.
Main characteristics of DrDoS attacks
Among the main characteristics of DrDos attacks, we highlight the following:
- Reflection. The attacker sends requests to legitimate servers but spoofs the source IP address to make it look like they're coming from the victim. Upon receiving the request, these servers send the response directly to the victim, unaware that they are participating in an attack.
- Amplification. Attackers leverage protocols that generate more significant responses than the original requests. This means that a small request can trigger a much larger response, thus amplifying the volume of traffic directed at the victim.
- Difficulty of tracing. Because the responses come from legitimate servers, it is more difficult for the victim to identify and block the actual source of the attack.
How a DrDoS attack works
The process of a DrDoS attack can be broken down into the following steps:
- Selection of mirror servers. The attacker identifies servers that respond to requests from specific protocols that allow amplification. These servers act as unwitting intermediaries in the attack.
- Spoofing the IP address. The attacker sends requests to these servers but spoofs the source IP address to make it look like they are coming from the victim. Servers used in DrDoS attacks can have their IP reputation compromised, which can lead to blacklisted blocks, affecting their legitimate communication on the internet.
- Amplified request submission. Requests are designed to take advantage of the protocol's amplification feature so that the server's response is much larger than the original request
- Saturation of the victim. Mirror servers send the amplified responses to the spoofed IP address (the victim), flooding their bandwidth and resources, which can lead to disruption of their services
Protocols commonly used in DrDoS attacks
Attackers often leverage protocols that allow for high amplification. Some of the most common include:
- DNS (Domain Name System). Through specific queries, a small request can generate a much larger response. Not only are misconfigured DNS servers vulnerable to DrDoS attacks, but they can also facilitate phishing campaigns and malicious redirects.
- NTP (Network Time Protocol). By sending a "monlist" request, a list of the last IP addresses connected to the server can be received, resulting in an amplified response.
- Memcached. Although not a network protocol, exposed Memcached servers can amplify traffic, as a small request can generate a massive response.
- SSDP (Simple Service Discovery Protocol). Used by IoT devices and routers, it allows attackers to send minimal requests and receive huge responses.
- SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). Often misconfigured, this protocol allows queries that return large volumes of information, amplifying traffic.
Impact of DrDoS attacks
The impact of a DrDoS attack can be devastating, both for the direct victim and for the unwitting mirroring servers:
- Service disruption: Businesses, online services, and platforms may be inaccessible during the attack.
- Economic losses: A prolonged attack can affect sales, advertising, and online transactions.
- Reputational damage: customers and users can lose trust in an affected company or service.
- Use of third-party resources: Mirror servers can suffer from performance issues and even be held liable for their vulnerable configuration.
Protective measures against DrDoS attacks
Protecting against DrDoS attacks requires a combination of best practices and technological solutions:
- Secure server configuration. Ensure that servers do not respond to requests from untrusted sources and limit responses to legitimate requests. In addition, it is essential to apply correct security patch management and update vulnerable protocols regularly, since attackers can use outdated versions to perform amplification attacks.
- Traffic filtering. Implement systems that detect and filter malicious traffic, especially from spoofed IP addresses.
- Continuous monitoring. Constantly monitor network traffic for unusual patterns that may indicate an attack in progress.
- Use of threat exposure management solutions. Specialized tools can help identify and mitigate threats before they cause harm.
Enthec Solutions for Continuous Threat Exposure Management
Tools that allow for constant and proactive vigilance are essential in today's cybersecurity landscape. Digital threats can be classified into categories based on their impact on the network, data, and business systems. From attacks on infrastructure, such as DrDoS, to data breaches and IP reputation threats, each type of risk requires a specific security approach.
To address this challenge, Enthec offers Kartos, an advanced monitoring solution that classifies threats into distinct categories and enables companies to identify and mitigate risks proactively.
Designed for enterprises, it is an automated, non-intrusive, and continuous monitoring tool that provides data and alerts on open and exposed vulnerabilities in real-time by simply adding the company's domain to be monitored.
This solution falls under Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM), providing an additional layer of security by identifying and mitigating risks before they become real problems.
DrDoS attacks pose a significant threat in today's digital environment. Understanding how they work and feature is the first step to implementing effective protection measures.
In addition, having specialized solutions such as the one offered by Enthec can make all the difference in proactively defending against these and other cyber threats.