Written by: Jordan Sprogis
Edited by: Lillian Castro
Reviewed by: Cristian Lopez
TL; DR: Cyberattackers work smarter, not harder — yet so many businesses underestimate their susceptibility to DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attacks, phishing, data breaches, and other digital threats. Lisa Fröhlich, Corporate spokeswoman at Link11 offered HostingAdvice some invaluable insights into cybersecurity risks and trends in today’s evolving tech landscape.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” That’s what the exterminator told me when he came to survey the colony of ants that had invaded my kitchen.
No matter how much I sprayed outside or caulked my window, I still woke up every morning to find ants scurrying along the sill and onto the kitchen counter.
As it turns out, the cause of the infestation was a deep crack in the foundation of my house. The exterminator assured me that the colony would move on to somewhere else once I filled in the crevice.
The same can be said for cybersecurity.
I know — comparing internet security to a colony of ants is probably not everyone’s first choice of metaphor. But the same principle applies: Just as ants exploit any opening to invade a house, hackers exploit any vulnerability to access systems and servers.
European-based IT security provider Link11 knows this all too well, which is why it aims to safeguard infrastructures and web applications from cyberattacks with network security, web protection, and web performance.
“Every single device connected to the internet is a potential point of attack because the reality is, all hackers need is a crack in the wall,” said Lisa Fröhlich, Corporate spokeswoman at Link11. “And if they do get access to the system, they can hide out undetected for a long time and explore the entire system, looking for more vulnerabilities.”
Link11’s Three Pillars of Security
Link11 is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, in the heart of the European Union (EU).
The EU is famous for its stringent data privacy laws and ethical practices, including the Directive on Security of Network and Information Systems (NIS Directive), which aims to enhance the resilience of critical entities against cybersecurity risks.
So, you can say Link11 knows a thing or two about cybersecurity.
“The mission for Link11 is to make the internet a safer place,” Lisa said, then chuckled: “Because, as you may know, the internet wasn’t designed for security purposes. So, our goal is not just to defend against attacks but also to prepare.”
Link11 bases its solutions around three key pillars:
- Prevent attacks and data breaches with the proper network security through an autonomous system that runs scans on suspicious activity, bots, and potential threats with Zero Touch WAF protection.
- Prepare and secure web applications, which may be without proper infrastructure, allowing third-party web applications to pose a risk to networks and servers otherwise.
- Guarantee reliable web performance with a speedy content delivery network (CDN) that can deliver texts, images, videos, and scripts within milliseconds without compromising security.
If you don’t think a data breach, DDoS attack (distributed denial-of-service), or phishing scam could happen to you, know it can — and probably has. Cyberattacks come in all shapes and sizes, from viruses in spam emails you accidentally open to DDoS attacks that shut entire servers down.
Hackers often get in through weak firewalls. If a firewall is outdated or misconfigured, it’s easy for cyberattackers to find a way inside.
Or take Lisa’s metaphor, for example.
“I equate a DDoS attack to somebody knocking on your front door. While your IT resources go to the front door, the hackers will infiltrate from the back door, essentially using the front door as a smokescreen,” Lisa explained. “They do this because it’s easy to sneak inside when your website is overwhelmed with traffic.”
Link11 also notes the average peak of an attack is reached after an average of 14 seconds — and in most cases, the hackers are looking for money, whether by tapping credit card information or selling customer data.
Why SMBs Should Care
It’s not uncommon for hackers to target startups and small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) since they’re the ones who don’t usually prioritize security right from the start.
Lisa says that’s why people need to understand that a DDoS protection measure is the foundation of their business. Even small attacks can have significant impacts on newer companies.
“I think startups should consider their risks and manage risk from the beginning. Because if I implement the right risk and security measures, they can grow with the company,” she said.
Attacks can damage your reputation, even if it’s as simple as leaking email addresses from your eCommerce shop. Per several US laws, businesses must notify their users of a data breach. Even the mega-giant Target lost the trust of loyal customers after its 2013 data breach.
It can cost a lot to get your site cleared up, too. In a way, you can think of proper cybersecurity as you would car insurance: It may cost some upfront, but given the odds, you could save yourself thousands in the long run.
“Security seems to be something people aren’t viewing as a necessity yet in today’s day and age,” Lisa noted. “But there are so many growing infrastructures worldwide, and they need to understand that attackers know which establishments are most vulnerable.”
Best of all, Link11 also has an emergency line if your site is currently experiencing an attack. All you have to do is fill out this form; its expert team will help with immediate mitigation.
The Future is AI
Everybody knows artificial intelligence (AI) is the hottest topic in tech right now, and the odds are good that will be the case for a while. But as with most good things, there’s also a downside to AI. (And no, I’m not talking about robot girlfriends.)
“Hackers will use AI to improve the skills and methods needed for their attacks,” said Lisa. “And when you’re using AI to detect automatically, it will be like a cat and mouse game.”
Among these attacks are DDoS attacks, which are incredibly common, with nearly 3,000 occurring daily.
DDoS attacks are when multiple computers attack a webpage or network infrastructure via bot networks. Bot networks, or botnets, are a group of thousands of machines, computers, or IoT devices that are directed to perform large-scale attacks.
So Link11 has its own patented DDoS prevention solution.
With Link11, you get two 360-degree protection with its proprietary security solutions: infrastructure DDoS protection and web DDoS protection, which protects against cyberattacks from the network and web applications, including AI-driven bots.
“Artificial intelligence is capable of efficiently collecting, comparing, and aggregating data. Once the data is aggregated and compared, it forms a comprehensive portfolio, perhaps of a company’s data,” said Lisa. “Then, hackers can easily identify vulnerabilities within the system, such as an open SSL server.”
In addition to its DDoS protection, Link11 provides a bot management solution. This feature meticulously tracks good and bad bots interacting with your website. It also allows you to customize which bot types are permitted while accurately distinguishing between bot and human traffic.
We’ve only scratched the service, so learn more about what Link11 offers your growing business.
