You’ve probably heard about onion layers, right? They are known for being juicier and a bit sweeter. But that’s not what we’re diving into here. In the world of cybersecurity, we create security onion layers that serve as a protective barrier, keeping your data safe from cybercriminals.
Table of contents
Overview
Cybersecurity onion model
6 onion layers of cyber security
- Physical Security
- Perimeter security
- Network and data transfer security
- End point security
- Data security
- The core
Conclusion
Cybersecurity onion model
Layering of security isn’t a new concept. Back in the day, kingdoms fortified their castles with multiple defenses, all serving as different protective barriers against invaders. Today, we also use the same concept known as layered security. These layers are like an onion. While an onion looks just like a normal vegetable through security measures, many are not flashy or immediately noticeable. But once you start peeling it back, you discover layer after layer of rich flavor, often bringing a few tears along the way. In security, we create a layer of protection: an onion. The layers depend on one another for protection. When one fails, the next takes over to protect the data. According to theory, the more layers you have in your onion, the safer your system is.
There are 6 layers of cyber and network security. When all 6 are in good shape, any cyber threat actor trying to break through will get his eyes watered.
- Physical security
This will be the outermost layer of our imagined onion. Your human resources are actually the most vulnerable and visible targets. Phishing and social engineering attacks have shown up as ongoing successes, proving this point. No matter how advanced your firewall and antivirus systems may be, they can still become an ineffective exercise if an employee accidentally downloads malware, responds with sensitive information to a phishing email, or simply holds an easily inaccessible door open for a seemingly harmless stranger. We humans always tend to act upon emotion, not reason, cyber-awareness training is so important. For example, you get an email purporting to be from your company’s cloud service, notifying you that your account will be deleted unless you update your password now by clicking on a certain link. Long before the panic they try to provoke with urgency, the potential loss of your work should freak you out. So you click on the suspicious login link, enter your details, and voilà. A cybercriminal now has your information.
- Perimeter security
This is the first real technical layer, the place where your network meets the outside Internet world. You can think of it like the protective wall surrounding a medieval town, it keeps everything from getting inside that you wouldn’t want inside while keeping all the good stuff inside. To defend your network, you have to understand where it begins and where it ends. Your aim is to make your perimeter as secure and monitored as possible; then come the tools, such as firewalls, remote-access VPNs, intrusion prevention systems, network access control, and managed security services.
- Network and data transfer security
As we continue with our security setup, we are going to begin looking at the network’s moving parts; the data that flows in around, and out of your network. Here, it is trying to ensure that every activity and behavior on the network, coupled with all traffic occurring, is legit, or at least follows a set of predefined rules. It is not solely about stopping users from viewing certain websites or closing off specific ports; it also includes deals with the vetting and authentication of new users to the network so that only those devices with authorisation are allowed on the network, especially those accessed from remote servers. Strong encryption is the way to protect sensitive data during its transfer when within the network and when over the internet.
- End point security
We’re moving into the part of security that most people are familiar with; protecting endpoint devices – computers, laptops, and phones. Well, it’s nice that this is the most recognisable part of network security because it is just so important. Endpoints are pretty important, really, to getting the job done – your team’s going to rely on them every day, like an extra part of themselves. However, that close relationship with the user also makes it a pretty easy target for cybercriminals. If the user is not prudent and falls into bad cyber habits, that might open the door to all sorts of cyber activities. If someone breaks in by hacking into a connected device, it will most likely give them great advantages to execute their malicious plans. Malware and phishing stand out as the big issues in this space. This layer is about keeping your devices clean, secure, and well-protected. Having to ensure that you have antivirus software for all your devices falls under this requirement, and you can add even more to your defenses with MDR tools.
- Data security
At this point, hackers are the most interested in losing the data layer that pays attention to your storage of data. Your data is like the jackpot for these cybercriminals. Data stolen would present a big loss for both its daily uses and the heavy fines paid because of data theft and breaches. Data doesn’t sit on a single central server it spreads out on data servers, local drives, cloud storage, and email accounts with their respective servers. It’s okay to understand things easily, but the trouble arises in managing the same in the real world. To ensure compliance to data protection laws, you have to follow best practices to handle data.
- The core
This is the most sensitive and critical layer that you can reach only after cutting through all other layers. All your critical data and operations are stored in this core. You can consider it as an ultimate VIP pass from which there’s no looking back. If at this point a hacker has managed to get through all the defenses, then he is either very determined or caught onto something big about a serious security hole, which lets him target the heart of the system for sure. Never grant this level of access unless you are absolutely sure about the people inside your organisation. Over-powering one person is a major risk factor.
Conclusion
Understanding these layers can help your organisation minimise its exposure to risk. If you and your cybersecurity team have a good appreciation for the principles of network and data security, this really will make a lot of difference in how well you are going to protect your data. Raksha IT’s vast experience indicates that cybercriminals target these six layers in very different ways so knowing where each layer is vulnerable is super important.
Every business have different needs and it is always a good idea to partner with the right IT service provider, like Raksha IT, to clearly understand what the best fit for your business is. Contact us today and let’s create a powerful cyber security strategy for you.
