Is your business internet service protecting you from cyberthreats?

For many of us, the digital world has become a central part of our lives. We use it for work, fun, and communication. But the more we rely on it, the greater our risk of falling victim to cyberattacks.

We gathered some interesting statistics:

• Last year, Allot blocked nearly 3 billion attacks from reaching our CSP customers’ end users, which was an increase of more than 50% compared to the previous year as mentioned in our latest Cyber Threat Report.
• Already, more than 50% of all internet users around the world have been a victim of some kind of cybercrime in the last few years[1]. For businesses, the situation is even worse.
• As reported earlier, 61% of all small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have reported at least one cyberattack during the previous year.

Businesses throughout the world are under attack

From what we see in the field, there are 3 main cybersecurity threat vectors (external attacks from vicious sites, internal attacks from within the SMB network, and attacks on the SMB router), all of which pose significant threats to SMBs.

All over the world, businesses are facing an onslaught of attacks targeting them from a variety of directions. Malware, phishing, adware, botnets, and ransomware can attack via domains, URLs, IPs, and DNS requests from anybody using the business network.

In their 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report, Verizon called out that small and mid-size businesses are most at risk from external actors (94% of all breaches), with the most common attacks being system intrusions, social engineering, and basic web application attacks (92% of all breaches).

Furthermore, weak device passwords, unauthorized devices connecting to the business network, brute force attacks, port scanning, and unprotected devices are contributing to the security problems threatening businesses of all types.

Internet routers and other on-premise equipment are also contributing to the security vulnerabilities threatening businesses. Many of us are already familiar with the malicious techniques used — DNS spoofing by tampering with DNS settings, Wi-Fi password exploitation that provides access to the business network, and Man-in-the-Middle attacks intercepting traffic and rerouting it to C&C servers of malicious actors.

Even though cyberattacks can be especially devastating for SMBs, with many closing down after being victimized, business internet service providers could deliver a simple and effective solution…  Network-based security.

Why are certain types of cybersecurity not offered?

Well, it appears that the reason that certain types of cybersecurity are not offered by all CSPs is related to business considerations, sometimes promoting 3rd party solutions that are easy to market but not very effective (e.g., DNS-based security and endpoint security solutions).

One major company’s endpoint approach leaves a lot to be desired. According to their own promotional material, their solution guards again known threats only, which might be problematic in relation to zero-day threats. Furthermore, their protection isn’t necessarily automatic because their security features must be enabled by the customer. Customers can upgrade for an additional charge to protect up to 5 devices at a time, which probably is not enough protection for most businesses.

Another major company’s business internet customers get built-in security features on routers, such as integrated firewall and intrusion detection/protection. However, overall, the combined solution doesn’t really seem to be doing as much to protect its business internet users from the wide variety of cyberthreats currently being generated by malicious actors.

Doing nothing is the biggest cyberthreat to businesses

So, what’s the biggest cyberthreat to businesses today? Well, according to leading CSPs like Verizon, doing nothing is the biggest cyberthreat to businesses.

Verizon recently launched a best-in-class security and data protection solution for their Business Internet customers: Verizon Business Internet Security. According to their team, this is a first of its kind, network-based solution that provides cybersecurity protection on the router with no installation or IT support required.

Verizon Business Internet Security is designed to provide ransomware protection, phishing prevention, anti-malware and a security dashboard to customers, and the protection automatically applies to any devices connected to the router.

Network-based security solutions are the answer

People expect public utilities to provide safe water, electricity and gas to our homes and businesses. So, why should business internet service providers be any different? The safety should be built-in, automatically delivered along with the connectivity!

Network-based security is the answer to safe internet for businesses of all types:

• The solution’s zero-touch requires no action or IT expertise from the SMB.
• It allows the CSP for greater “stickiness” with the SMB, for example by providing reporting.
• It’s a very efficient method of monetizing your network assets and materializing the promise of 5G.

We recently produced a webinar about this very topic that provides additional information, including the fact that SMBs would gladly pay for such a service. Be sure to check it out. As a communications service provider (CSP), you ‎have a unique opportunity to strengthen ‎your own business by addressing this critical cybersecurity need for your business customers.

[1] Statista. Crime worldwide dossier. 2022