The Importance of Web Security
Web security protects websites, web applications and a company’s overall online presence by detecting and identifying cyber security threats, as well as preventing them from spreading. It’s increasingly important because companies are shifting more of their business processes and data online, giving hackers and attackers more opportunities to compromise web-facing systems.
A successful attack on a website or web application can have serious consequences for an organization, including the loss of confidential information, financial penalties, loss of customer trust, damage to reputation, and compliance violations. That’s why it’s so crucial for businesses to invest in web security solutions that are designed to protect against a broad range of attacks, from malware to DDoS.
Essentially, web security is the set of protocols and technologies that protect a company’s web-facing systems from malware, hacking, data theft, denial of service (DDoS) attacks, and other online threats. These threats can all cause severe harm to a company’s online presence, lead to the inability to function and to lose business.
As the amount of business activity moves online, the threat landscape continues to evolve, with new and unexpected vulnerabilities appearing frequently. These vulnerabilities allow attackers to gain access to sensitive and valuable information, manipulate software and systems, steal money or funds, and even hijack entire computer networks.
Because web applications are a critical point of entry for most organizations, web security must be a top priority. The vast majority of cyberattacks use the web channel as their primary vector. In fact, cyber criminals use the web and email together in 91% of all breaches.
A web security solution should have a number of features, including the ability to inspect traffic at the application layer, which allows for granular visibility into both the type of traffic and what it contains. This enables an organization to block access to malicious content and data, as well as encrypt sensitive traffic to prevent eavesdropping and tampering.
Other critical web security components include firewall inspection, IPS scanning, sandboxing, URL filtering, and more. Additionally, many businesses implement data loss prevention (DLP) solutions that monitor for the exfiltration of proprietary and sensitive information.
With all of these protections in place, a company can spend more time leveraging the benefits that the web offers and less time worrying about potential vulnerabilities and threats. As the Internet and web-based business continue to expand, it’s more important than ever for organizations to invest in robust, holistic and comprehensive web security solutions. By doing so, they’ll be able to better protect their employees, customers, and partners from the growing number of attacks on the web.