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By Sean Michael Kerner • July 6, 2015

10 Tips to Tighten Network Security

 Just because your business is small, doesn't mean that hackers won't target you. The reality is that automated scanning techniques and botnets don't care whether your company is big or small, they're only looking for holes in your network security to exploit.

The good news is that there are a lot of things that small businesses can do to lock down networks without spending a small fortune. Through a combination of hardware, software and best practices, you can minimize your risks and reduce the attack surface that your small business presents to the world.

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1. Get a Firewall



If you're running a Web or mail server on your network, the proper ports for those services need to be open. If you're not running those services directly on your own network, say for example you're hosting your website and email with a service provider, you shouldn't have your Web server and email ports open.


To check to see if you already have firewall capabilities at the router level in your network, log into your router and see if there are any settings for Firewall or Security. If you don't know how to log into your router on a Windows PC, find your Network Connection information. The item identified as Default Gateway is likely the IP address for your router.

There are many desktop firewall applications available today as well, but don't mistake those for a substitute for firewall that sits at the primary entry point to your small business network. You should have a firewall sitting right behind where your network connectivity comes into your business to filter out bad traffic before it can reach any desktop or any other network assets.

2. Password Protect your Firewall

Great you've got a firewall, but it's never enough to simply drop it into your network and turn it on. One of the most common mistakes in configuring network equipment is keeping the default password.

It's a trivial matter in many cases for an attacker to identify the brand and model number of a device on a network. It's equally trivial to simply use Google to obtain the user manual to find the default username and password.

Take the time to make this easy fix. Log into your router/firewall, and you'll get the option to set a password; typically you'll find it under the Administration menu item.

3. Update Router Firmware


Some router vendors have a simple dialogue box that lets you check for new firmware versions from within the router's administration menu. For routers that don't have automated firmware version checking, find the version number in your router admin screen, and then go to the vendor's support site to see if you have the latest version.

4. Block Pings


You can make it harder for attackers by simply setting your network router or firewall so that it won't respond to network pings. Typically the option to block network pings can be found on the administration menu for a firewall and/or router as a configuration option.

5. Scan Yourself

One of the best ways to see if you have open ports or visible network vulnerabilities is to do the same thing that an attacker would do -- scan your network.

By scanning your network with the same tools that security researchers (and attackers) use, you'll see what they see. Among the most popular network scanning tools is the open source map tool). For Windows users, the Nmap download now includes a graphical user interface, so it's now easier than ever to scan your network with industry standard tools, for free.

Scan your network to see what ports are open (that shouldn't be), and then go back to your firewall to make the necessary changes.

6. Lock Down IP Addresses


DHCP makes it easy for you to let users connect to you network, but if your network is exploited it also makes it easy for attackers to connect to your network. If your small business only has a set number of users, and you don't routinely have guest users plugging into your network, you might want to consider locking down IP addresses.

On your router/firewall admin page, there is likely a menu item under network administration that will let you specify IP addresses for DHCP users. You'll need to identify the MAC address to which you can then assign an IP (to find your MAC address read What's a MAC Address, and How Do You Find It?).

The benefit of assigning an IP is that when you check your router logs, you'll know which IP is associated with a specific PC and/or user. With DHCP, the same PC could potentially have different IPs over a period of time as machines are turned on or off. By knowing what's on your network, you'll know where problems are coming from when they do arise.

7. Use VLANs




8. Get an IPS

A firewall isn't always enough to protect a small business network. Today's reality is that the bulk of all network traffic goes over Port 80 for HTTP or Web traffic. So if you leave that port open, you're still at risk from attacks that target port 80.




9. Get a WAF

A Web Application Firewall (WAF) is specifically tasked with helping to protect against attacks that are specifically targeted against applications. If you're not hosting applications within your small business network, the risks that a WAF helps to mitigate are not as pronounced.


10. Use VPN




You Can Secure Your Network

You may be a small business, but you can use these 10 tips to help secure your network. Though hackers don't discriminate against small business, they also tend to target the low-hanging fruit and the easier targets.

Lock down your network with a properly configured firewall, understand your own internal network with locked down IPs, VLANs and VPN, and you'll be ten steps ahead of the low-hanging fruit.

Interested in learning more about how your business can implement world-class network security and stay up-to-date on changing technology? Click here to contact the Prosource team to learn more!

Click here to read the article on Small Business Computing.Com.

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