As businesses find ways to defend against specific attacks, adversaries craft new assault techniques that are harder to detect and stop. This cycle repeats over and over in a constant struggle to see which side can pull ahead, and unfortunately, the cybercriminals are winning. Today, organisations must switch to using proactive cybersecurity policies instead of relying on reactive measures.
What is Proactive Cybersecurity?
A proactive cybersecurity strategy seeks to stop attacks before they happen. It is an offensive approach that focuses on implementing controls to harden an environment before an attacker can attempt to exploit any vulnerabilities.
Reactive vs Proactive Security
Reactive security tools are defensive. Once a threat is detected, reactive tools defend your organisation against the present danger. Security tools like traditional EDR and antivirus operate on a reactive basis, monitoring the environment. A threat must enter the system and be detected before a reactive security tool responds.
Proactive security measures are offensive. They put up resistance before a threat occurs, preventing threats from executing. Strategies such as providing security training to employees, investing in ethical hacking, and implementing least privilege policies and controls are considered proactive, as they seek to reduce risk, preventing the possibility of an attack before it can happen.
Why is Proactive Cybersecurity Important?
A proactive cybersecurity toolset is beneficial to preventing zero-day exploits. Zero-day exploits are attacks that have never been seen before, so they can slip by tools that react to known bad behavior or files. Cybercriminals are constantly creating new vulnerability exploits, so implementing a proactive security strategy can protect your organisation better than using reactive security alone.
How to Implement a Proactive Zero Trust Approach with ThreatLocker®
The ThreatLocker® Endpoint Protection Platform contains proactive cybersecurity tools that can keep your organisation ahead of attackers. ThreatLocker® Allowlisting is based on a deny by default philosophy – no unapproved software can run in an environment protected by ThreatLocker®. Allowlisting prevents all unapproved software, scripts, and other executables before they have a chance to initiate.
ThreatLocker® Ringfencing™ creates boundaries that limit what applications can access once permitted by Allowlisting. Ringfencing™ prevents needed business applications from being weaponised by blocking their access to other applications, the registry, your files, or the internet.
ThreatLocker® Network Control is a centrally managed endpoint firewall. Configure Network Control to block all inbound network traffic from the LAN or WAN and then permit access to permitted devices only. Additionally, with the ability to use dynamic ACLs, it won’t matter where the authorized device is connecting from, the specified port will open for that device. Any unpermitted devices will be unable to see the open port and will be unable to connect. Network Control prevents bad actors from connecting to your assets, stopping threats before they can enter your network.
Add proactive security tools to existing reactive strategies to combat unknown threats and malware. Learn more about what the ThreatLocker® Endpoint Protect Platform can do for your organisation at www.threatlocker.com
[Partner Content]