{"id":15449,"date":"2021-06-07T22:14:16","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T16:44:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cigniti.com\/blog\/?p=15449"},"modified":"2024-01-17T15:37:39","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T10:07:39","slug":"blueprint-cyber-threats-security-telecom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cigniti.com\/blog\/blueprint-cyber-threats-security-telecom\/","title":{"rendered":"Blueprint for Managing Cyber Threats and Security in Telecom Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Telecommunications have become the linchpin of our times\u00a0as\u00a0everything associated with the internet\u00a0is\u00a0being driven by technology.<\/p>\n

Virtually running the globe, the telecom industry has become an intrinsic part of our lives.<\/p>\n

Telecommunications play a critical role in sending emails, making video calls, hosting websites and applications on servers, interacting on social media, or carrying out myriad transactions through applications.<\/p>\n

The importance of this industry has become\u00a0more\u00a0evident during the pandemic-induced lockdowns, where internet-based services driven by telecommunications have become people’s lifeline.<\/p>\n

So, when so many rides on this tech-driven industry, it has become a favorite hunting ground for threat actors.<\/p>\n

No wonder the role of telecom network testing has assumed significance.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0Kaspersky\u00a0Labs<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0\u201cCybercriminals are using the \u2018weakest link in the telecom chain\u2019 \u2013 the employees \u2013 to commit crimes.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

This is because the telecom sector operates complex networks and stores sensitive personal and corporate data.<\/p>\n

Also, since telecom is often the gateway to the core infrastructure of various businesses, cybercriminals can carry out a range of criminal activities.<\/p>\n

These may include intercepting calls, accessing data, and impersonating and controlling subscribers.<\/p>\n

The scope and sophistication of the emerging threat scenario associated with the telecom industry result from legacy technology, the increased role of cloud-based technologies, a growing volume of data and voice transmissions, and outdated signaling protocols.<\/p>\n

Per\u00a0Gartner<\/em><\/strong>, \u201cCybersecurity is the combination of people, policies, processes, and technologies employed by an enterprise to protect its cyber assets. Cybersecurity is optimized to levels that business leaders define, balancing the resources required with usability\/manageability and the amount of risk offset. Subsets of cybersecurity include IT security, IoT security, information security and OT security.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

Importantly, with 5G technology in the offing where communications and data transmission are going to be redefined and recalibrated, testing 5G networks has assumed increased salience.<\/p>\n

Several tenacious and evolving threats continue to upsurge cybersecurity risks inside the telecommunications industry<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The most archetypal threats influence time-tested attack trajectories to target telecom operators.<\/p>\n

Top cyber threats and solutions for telecom cyber security<\/h2>\n

Cybercriminals are targeting the telecom network security infrastructures to cause data breaches and damage the network using various tools, techniques, and measures.<\/p>\n

The top 5 cyber threats and the ways to mitigate them are mentioned below:<\/p>\n

DNS Attacks<\/h3>\n

In this attack, threat actors take advantage of the existing vulnerabilities in the Domain Name System or DNS, which is a protocol that translates a \u2018user-friendly\u2019 domain name into a \u2018computer-friendly\u2019 IP address.<\/p>\n

Since DNS is primarily designed for usability rather than security, cybercriminals use back-and-forth communication between clients and servers.<\/p>\n

Here, malevolent actors try to divert traffic coming from a legitimate source to a malicious destination. Unfortunately, DNS attacks are the most common cyber threats that telecom companies face.<\/p>\n

The solutions involve a series of best practices for\u00a0telecom network testing<\/a>.<\/p>\n