- July 8, 2019
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Matthew F. Fox
- 3 min
Toyota experienced a data breach in February 2019 and up to 3.1 million pieces of customer information were likely leaked outside of the company. While it appears as though no customer billing information leaked, that’s up to 3.1 million customers that may consider another brand when it’s time for a new car.
The damages incurred by Toyota aren’t limited to its reputation. Parts supply operations were impacted and delayed servicing dealerships – along with the ability to generate revenue.
While no reported monetary damages have been applied to the Toyota breach, other incidents demonstrate the potential price tag that comes with similar events, including the record $229m penalty British Airways will pay for a cybersecurity incident in 2018.
Business of all sizes are at just as much risk as Toyota and British Airways. Three in five attacks target small businesses and it’s important to have a firewall to provide a strong layer of perimeter security, along with established security best practices, to protect your business from threats.
Firewall Filtering Methods
Firewalls have become more sophisticated over the past several years, largely in response to increasingly complex cyberattacks. While virtually all firewalls offer packet-filtering to accept or reject incoming traffic, many new firewalls now include circuit and application-level filtering.
Circuit-level filtering goes one step beyond packet-filtering, using a defined set of rules that only allow traffic to flow when specific conditions are met. This type of filtering enables firewalls to ensure that accepted traffic only comes from expected sources, greatly reducing your network’s attack surface.
Application-level filtering adds the ability to allow or block traffic based on rules based on applications used by a business. Combined with packet and circuit-level filtering, packet and circuit-level filtering form a strong perimeter between your business and threats lurking on Internet.
Most modern firewalls utilize a combination of 2 or more methods of filtering, and each can be tailored to meet the needs of your business.
Even a firewall that is perfectly configured for your needs requires regular maintenance to be an effective defense. It’s important to ensure firewalls are kept up-to-date in order to maintain security.
Managed Firewalls
New threats are released in to the wild every day, and an outdated firewall can be a hacker’s best friend instead of yours. Regularly reviewing firewall performance and activity logs, along with regular updates, is a critical part of maintaining security. If you don’t have dedicated IT staff (and even if you do,) it’s worth considering a managed firewall.
Firewalls managed by an experienced team include many benefits beyond the level of protection they offer. Certified technicians not only ensure firewalls operate nominally but are keenly aware of new attacks, forming strategies to protect you today and tomorrow. Managed firewalls are often sold as a service with a fixed monthly fee, eliminating any unexpected capital expenditures that come along with the need to purchase a replacement when the need arises
Are you looking for a technology partner to provide 24/7 perimeter protection for your business? Our team of certified technicians are here to help – contact our sales team today to keep your business secure.
