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How To Address Cybersecurity Threats In The Telecom Industry

Telecommunication companies help connect the world, regardless of their distance and location. Modern telecommunications also pave the way for business infrastructures and economies to streamline operations and increase efficiency. People use video calls, phone calls, email messaging, and others to stay connected daily. Undoubtedly, people consider telecommunications services a fundamental need in this digital age. Cybersecurity Threats

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Because of such demand, the telecom industry has been a target for cybersecurity threats. When attacked, companies may have to halt operations for more than three days if they are unprepared for such risks. To prevent such, here are some ways to combat cyber threats in the telecom industry: 

1. Work With Cybersecurity Teams

One of the best ways to reduce your risk of cyber-attacks is to work with cybersecurity teams or the IT department. You must regularly conduct cyber security consulting with them or outside IT services to identify possible risks that you may have missed or may be outdated. It could also help in creating a disaster recovery plan as well as how you can handle a Dedicated Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. Although a DDoS attack can happen to anyone, the solution to such a problem may vary depending on your company’s data and complexity.

A DDoS attack can result in financial losses because it disrupts your business operations by flooding your internet server. When this happens, your employees can’t access online sites and services. It means they may not perform their tasks, impeding your business operations.

Cybersecurity Threats - data security

2. Secure Your DNS Cybersecurity Threats

Another widespread cybersecurity threat in the telecom industry is the domain name system (DNS) Attack. It is when a cybercriminal attacks your DNS vulnerabilities, which come in many forms. It includes subdomain attacks, malware, cache poisoning, domain hijacking, software vulnerabilities, and the like.

The effects of such types vary. For instance, cache poisoning diverts the traffic to the attacker’s computer by letting the server go to an incorrect IP address. However, the general effect includes damaging your reputation and losing you money. And each year, the cost of DNS attacks increases.

With such, here are some best practices to prevent a DNS attack:   

  • Implement logging and query monitoring for all suspicious endpoints.  
  • Boost your response policies and firewalls on suspicious hostnames, creating traffic. 
  • Must have a behavioral threat detection suite and real-time analytics for DNS transactions. These can protect against data leaks or theft and detect emerging and known cyber threats. 
  • Apply adaptive countermeasures, which is essential to having a proactive approach to cybersecurity instead of being reactive.  

 

3. Monitor Third-Party Networks

You must also have managed security services to ensure that elements of third-party networks are monitored. It is essential because cybercriminals can infiltrate your infrastructure via these third parties. Some of them are subcontractors, data management companies, law firms, web hosting, service providers, partners, and vendors.   

When you don’t ensure that you’re doing business with a secure service provider, you may also be at risk of being attacked.   

4. Limit Sensitive Data Transfers

Your data should only remain inside the workplace to avoid leaking it to malicious people. Often, data leaks are caused by employees, whether intentional or accidental. By implementing Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions, you can limit the damage your employees can do with such.   

With DLP technology, you can also limit sensitive data transfers. You can use predefined profiles for such data as credit card information. Depending on your company’s needs, you can customize it by organizing the data type.  

DLP solutions will then implement content inspection and contextual scanning to search through hundreds of file types after setting predefined data. After which, the movement of such data will be blocked or limited because they’re being monitored in real-time. You can prevent your employees from spreading sensitive information via personal emails, file-sharing services, and messaging apps.   

5. Establish The Right Team

Most importantly, you should hire the right people, besides having the right tools and technology. It means your cybercrime teams should be reliable enough in protecting your data and providing cyber security.   

It means they should have arranged the technical side of things, training for other employees, and following best practices. Through this, you can also raise awareness among your company’s employees.

Conclusion Cybersecurity Threats

Cybersecurity threats are ever-present in this digital era because almost all use the internet, especially in the telecom industry. Although cybercriminals are crafty, you can combat them by being wiser. It means applying all measures suitable for your business, such as those mentioned above. Never solely rely on anti-malware software because it isn’t enough. Strengthen your cybersecurity countermeasures by considering this article.

 

 

Driven by wanderlust and a passion for tech, Sandra is the creative force behind Alertify. Love for exploration and discovery is what sparked the idea for Alertify, a product that likely combines Sandra’s technological expertise with the desire to simplify or enhance travel experiences in some way.