5 Critical IT Security Failures That Signal Poor Service From Your Managed IT Provider

We’re all hearing about security breaches more often than ever before in today’s digital landscape. Managed IT service providers and play a critical role in protecting company networks and data.

Read this blog post and uncover common security risks and vulnerabilities that are seen by businesses today and how they can be eliminated through reliable IT management practices by reputable MSPs. By tackling these problems and vulnerabilities, businesses can continue to protect their business assets and improve their business continuity posture.

Lets go over the 5 critical IT security areas where we can see some unreliable managed IT service providers drop the ball—leading to their clients looking for other options.

What We Will Cover:

1.  Open Firewall Policies Allowing Unrestricted Access to the Internal Network
2. Active Employee Credentials Post-Termination
3. No Ransomware Protection for Onsite Backup Servers
4. Passwords Stored in Clear Text on Excel Sheets
5. Microsoft SharePoint Permissions Open to the Public

Lets dive right in!

Open Firewall Policies Allowing Unrestricted Access to the Internal Network

Having a securely configured firewall is a fundamental and vital component for network security. Although it is a basic component of network security, many businesses seem to overlook the importance of implementing and managing firewall policies. As a result, these businesses face leave open some vulnerabilities that can easily be taken advantage of by cyber criminals.

A improperly managed firewall can serious hurt your security posture and your managed IT service provider should  ensure that it is properly configured  and set up to block intruders from unauthorized access.

• Unrestricted Access: Your firewalls should not let unmonitored, open access to your internal network resources. Doing so is similar to leaving your doors and windows open on a busy street. Although it may be easy and convenient to always leave the door open, its an invitation to intruders.  An open firewall is exactly that. It leaves an open entry for cybercriminals trying to access your business network.
• Inadequate network segmentation: Your organization is at greater risk of unauthorized access if the network is not segmented. By effectively segmenting your network into zones with different layers of securities and permissions, you can  ensure that your network is secure even if 1 zone is compromised.  Your IT service provider should ensure that various environments such as your development team and HR team do not interact with each other without security checks in place.
• No monitoring or logging: Your IT provider must implement logging and monitoring of network activity to detect and mitigate and threats as soon as it occurs. If you do not log or monitor your network activity, it will be extremely difficult to detect unauthorized access and malicious activities. Ensure your IT provider offers real-time threat detection and response support to help protect your network efficiently.

READ MORE: What To Look For When Your MSP Provider Is Failing To Manage Your Network Effectively

Active Employee Credentials Post-Termination

Its also important to manage your employee credentials. Managing employee credentials is an important component of your organization’s security and it often gets overlooked, especially during offboarding.

When employee credentials remain active, it leaves open a vulnerability and risks that can easily be mitigated through deactivation protocols.

• Deactivation Delays: Employee credentials should be disabled immediately after the employee leaves the company. A former employee could in theory access sensitive company data which could lead  to data theft or data leaks, especially if the employee is disgruntled.
• Access to Sensitive Data: Your ex-employees could have access to private or confidential data, leaving your organization exposed to data theft or leaks. Easily address this risk by revoking access to those that leave the company.
• User Access Audits:  Your user accesses should be audited on a regular basis to ensure that only those authorized can access critical systems relevant to them. By conducting regular audits, you can identify and rectify any outdated or unnecessary permissions and prevent any oversights. You can also work with your IT service provider to find an identity threat detection and response solution for your business.

No Ransomware Protection for Onsite Backup Servers

With the rise in ransomware attacks, protecting backup servers has become more critical than ever for business resilience. Backup servers without ransomware protection are vulnerable to attacks, rendering backups useless. Your managed IT providers should implement multi-leveled protection.

• Inadequate backup security: Your backup server should be isolated and have ransomware protection measures in place. Buy isolaqting your backup server from your network, you reduce the risk of spreading your malware to your backup files.
• No data integrity checks:  You need to regularly verify your  backups to ensure that your data is clean and free from corruption. By ensuring the availability of this data, you are ensuring that your files are  reliable should you need to make use of it.
• Inconsistent disaster recovery plans:  Your organization should also be implementing a complete disaster recovery plan that lays out every step of your data restoration after an incident. Testing and updating this process regularly keeps your organization prepared for any crisis it may face.

READ MORE: Top Data Security practices for Businesses

Passwords Stored in Clear Text on Excel Sheets

You should never store your password in plain text files. Storing your passwords unsecurely  opens up vulnerabilities and your technology services provider should be enforcing best practices when it comes to password management.

• Password mismanagement: Clear text storage makes it easy for malicious actors to take advantage of. It is counteractive to password protection as there would be no resistance against the easiest and most basic forms of hacks.
• Use of password managers: Your IT service provider should be encouraging you to use secure and encrypted password management tools. Password managers generate random and unique passwords for all of your accounts. By implementing the use of these tools, you are significantly reducing the risk of password-related breaches.
• Multi-factor authentication: multi-factor authentication offers you an extra layer to safeguard user credentials. By implementing MFA, you are adding an extra layer of protection even if your password has been compromised.

Microsoft SharePoint Permissions Open to the Public

For most businesses, the use of collaboration and productivity tools such as Microsoft SharePoint are a must have for the success of their operations, but  permissions must be properly managed to reduce the risk of data leaks.

• Public access risks: Without the implementation of proper restrictions, sharepoint documents and files can be accessed by outside users who do not have the authorizations to do so.
• Mismanagement of permissions: By enforcing stronger access control measure,  you can easily safeguard sensitive data from unwanted users. Regularly checking access permissions will ensure that your organizational structure is reflected on your collaboration tools.
• Data loss prevention (DLP):  Implementation of data loss prevention policies helps with monitoring and controlling the flow of critical business data. DLP technologies can tack how data moves within your organization. It ensures that sensitive information is not uploaded to insecure sites or shared improperly, improving data security.

READ MORE: What Is Identity Threat Detection and Response ITDR?

As evident in this blog post, effective IT infrastructure is essential to protect organizations against potential security threats. By addressing open firewall policies, managing employee credentials, protecting backup servers, securely storing passwords, and managing collaboration platform permissions, managed IT providers can significantly reduce risks and enhance security. Implementing these best practices will not only safeguard valuable data but also bolster the overall security posture of an organization.

Adopt A Proactive Approach to Your IT Security Today

By taking a proactive approach to these vulnerabilities and staying on top of these measures, you can build a more robust and resilient security framework for your operations.

Get in touch with our IT consultants in Ottawa today to improve your vigilance and stay ahead of potential threats before they cause harm to your business.

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