Network Modeling: Mapping the Cyber Battlefield to Avoid Devastating Breaches

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This morning’s news rings loud – “Nearly all AT&T customers’ call and text records exposed in massive breach”. Fresh off the heels of an unrelated data leak on third-party platform Snowflake impacting 73 million current and former customers, AT&T is seeing immediate financial damage as shares fell 1% following today’s news.

In today’s fast-changing world of cybersecurity, such breaches highlight the critical importance of robust network modeling. Network modeling involves creating a detailed representation of a network’s structure, behaviors, and interactions, enabling cybersecurity professionals to predict potential vulnerabilities and devise strategies to mitigate them. As the frequency and scale of cyber threats continue to grow, adopting advanced network modeling techniques has become essential for protecting important data and maintaining the integrity of network systems.

The importance of network modeling

Network modeling offers an organized way to understand and handle the complexities of a network. As cyber threats become more advanced, it’s essential to have a clear and complete picture of how a network operates. Network modeling serves as a blueprint, allowing cybersecurity teams to:

  1. Identify vulnerabilities: By simulating various network scenarios, professionals can pinpoint weak spots and potential entry points for cyber attackers.
  2. Optimize security measures: Effective network modeling helps in deploying security resources more efficiently, ensuring robust protection against threats.
  3. Enhance incident response: In the event of a cyber attack, a well-modeled network facilitates quicker detection and response, minimizing damage and downtime.
  4. Compliance and auditing: Detailed network models assist in maintaining regulatory compliance and provide a clear audit trail for security assessments.

Knowing what’s on your network and how it’s all connected is the fundamental first step in staying secure and compliant. It can be hard to see the bigger picture, and you don’t know what you don’t know. RedSeal reveals—and makes sense of—it all.

Take for example, the 2023 Real Estate Wealth Network (REWN) data breach. Cybersecurity Researcher, Jeremiah Fowler, discovered and reported the non-password protected database, New York-based Real Estate Wealth Network, that held 1.5 billion records containing real estate ownership data of millions of people, including celebrities, politicians. The exposure of home addresses online poses potential risks such as threats to their personal safety or an invasion of their privacy.

In other password news, the infamous SolarWinds Supply Chain Attack  was facilitated by poor password practices. An intern’s weak password, “solarwinds123,” was accessible via a misconfigured GitHub repository, allowing attackers to insert malicious code into the SolarWinds software updates​.

Password protection is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to comprehensive cybersecurity. A robust security strategy must encompass multiple layers of defense, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), encryption, regular software updates, network monitoring, and incident response planning. These additional measures help mitigate risks by ensuring that even if passwords are compromised, other security controls can prevent unauthorized access and protect sensitive data. Network modeling plays a crucial role in this layered approach by identifying vulnerabilities and guiding the implementation of best practices across the entire infrastructure.

 What can you do with RedSeal?

  • Build an accurate and comprehensive model of your connected network—a network digital twin
  • Bring private cloud, public cloud, and physical resources into one consolidated view
  • Present the logical layout of assets and groupings in a clear, visual topology
  • Map the physical location of assets and their Layer 2 connectivity
  • See all available traffic paths among assets, subnets, and internet exposure points
  • Discover network inconsistencies as well as assets and connections previously unknown or unaccounted for
  • Gain visibility of IPv6 usage and connectivity

As cyber threats grow more advanced, network modeling becomes an increasingly vital tool for cybersecurity experts. Through a detailed and dynamic view of network operations, organizations are better able to identify vulnerabilities, optimize security measures, and enhance their overall cybersecurity posture. As technology continues to advance, the role of network modeling in safeguarding digital assets will only become more critical.

The RedSeal advantage

  • Maintain a single source of truth for your hybrid network that all teams can trust
  • Know the unknowns—the good, the bad, and the ugly—about your network
  • Gain the network understanding you need to be more proactive and strategic about security and compliance

Reach out to RedSeal or schedule a demo today to learn how to bolster your cybersecurity efforts and make the strategic move that promises long-term benefits and peace of mind.