The Peril of Badly Secured Network Edge Devices

Poorly Protected Firewalls, VPNs and Remote Access Protocol Increase Breach Risk Mathew J. Schwartz (euroinfosec) • April 25, 2024

Boundary devices offering firewall and remote access capabilities are ubiquitous. But unless such appliances are rapidly patched, well-monitored with logs and otherwise carefully locked down, they pose a clear and present enterprise cybersecurity liability.

See Also: Suddenly, AI-Powered Threats Don’t Seem So Intelligent

The specific risk posed by poorly managed devices is quantified in a new report from cyber insurer Coalition.

While firewalls and virtual private networks can reduce risk, analysis of 2023 claims data shows that "boundary devices with known vulnerabilities increased the likelihood of a business experiencing a cyber claim," including ransomware.

The biggest risks involved anyone using internet-exposed Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance devices, who were five times more likely than non-ASA ...