In the field of cybersecurity, reconnaissance is frequently the first easy step in the most successful assaults. Before they are exploited, hackers invest a great deal of time and energy in locating such weaknesses. But what if there was a way to make attackers' first phase practically impossible? Presenting network stealth, a strategy that flips the script on hackers by concealing your digital assets before they have a chance to consider attacking.

We will delve into the psychology of cybercriminals in this blog, investigate how network stealth, which includes technology like IP masking, interferes with their plans, and look at actual attack instances where damage may have been avoided through the use of stealthy solutions.

Understanding how hackers think is crucial to comprehending network stealth. Information collection is the first step in the most common multi-layered infiltration strategy used by cybercriminals. Attackers can find vulnerabilities like exposed IP addresses, unpatched software, or incorrectly configured systems by using reconnaissance, which is frequently done by scanning and probing.

The psychology of a malicious actor: Why visibility is desired

Usually, attackers look for weak systems using publicly accessible tools (such as Nmap or Shodan). With the use of these technologies, they are able to map out your network and identify potential points of entry. Your company's systems become easy targets if they are accessible online. Hackers also favor easy-to-spot prey, just like any predator.

How do we stop this process, then?

Stealth's power: Hiding in plain sight

Being invisible isn't the goal of stealth; rather, it's about making it harder for potential assailants to find you. In terms of cybersecurity, this includes tactics that make it difficult for the attacker to identify a target in the first place and hide your network resources from reconnaissance scans.

IP masking is one of the best stealth strategies, and this is how it operates:

1. By concealing your network's public IP address, IP masking prevents external scanning from tracing it. Because of this, it is very difficult for hackers to find your systems, much less compromise them.

2. The entire reconnaissance stage of an attack is pointless if the attacker cannot locate the resources they are looking for. Hackers are left in the dark when there are no IP addresses to exploit.

You eliminate the first stage in the hacker's playbook when you conceal your network. To be clear, no system is impenetrable, but you can significantly lower the risk of being targeted by making your network difficult to locate.

Real-world attack situations vs how network stealth could have averted the catastrophe

Let's examine a few real-world instances when IP visibility was crucial to cyberattacks in order to fully understand the potential of network stealth. We will show how network stealth solutions, which remove the visibility that hackers depend on, could have stopped these incidents.

1. Capital One Data Breach (CNN, 2019)

A former employee of Amazon Web Services (AWS) gained access to the private information of more than 100 million Capital One customers in 2019 by taking advantage of a firewall that was improperly configured. The attacker targeted an AWS server that was visible to the public by exploiting a particular vulnerability.

How Stealth Could Have Helped: Capital One could have greatly decreased the likelihood of this attack by hiding the IP addresses and hiding assets that were visible to the public. The attack would have been more difficult from the start and sensitive data would not have been accessed by unauthorized parties if the firewall and secret IP scheme had been set up correctly.

2. SolarWinds Supply Chain Incident (BBC, 2020)

Hackers gained access to the SolarWinds software update system in one of the biggest cyberattacks in recent memory, which enabled them to introduce harmful code into updates that were distributed to thousands of businesses, including government organizations. Although a software flaw gave the attackers access in the first place, their ability to keep their targets accessible and stay hidden was crucial to their success.

How Stealth Could Have Helped: The attackers might have had a harder time retaining access to the systems they had compromised if network resources had been appropriately concealed using IP masking or other stealth techniques. SolarWinds might have made it far more difficult for the malicious actors to locate important resources for additional exploitation by hiding the public-facing IP addresses of such sites.

How stealth is employed by NVIS AI to stop attacks

Peer-to-peer connections and zero logs are used by solutions such as NVIS AI to make network resources nearly undetectable to attackers. Let's examine how NVIS AI can help safeguard your systems and stop reconnaissance in more detail:

1. NVIS AI's Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Architecture does away with the necessity for centralized servers, which are frequently the first things that hackers target. P2P technology reduces the risk of visibility and exposure by enabling direct communication between devices.

2. As previously stated, NVIS AI hides the IP addresses of your network that are visible to the public, making it nearly impossible for outside attackers to recognize your systems in the first place.

3. NVIS AI encrypts all data transported at Layer 2 (data link layer), so even if an attacker manages to access your network, they will only discover data that is jumbled and unintelligible.

4. In order to guarantee that no person or device is trusted by default, NVIS AI employs Zero Trust security principles. Every access request is authenticated to make sure that an attacker cannot move laterally and escalate privileges even if they are able to get into your network.

Why hackers detest network stealth: The greatest disruption

The most important lesson here is that malicious actors want attention. It is simpler for them to infiltrate and take advantage of systems when they have greater visibility. The likelihood of being targeted in the first place is significantly decreased by implementing stealth strategies like IP masking, network segmentation, and encryption.

Hackers would prefer you to be unaware of this fact: the more difficult it is for them to locate your network, the less likely it is that they will waste their time attempting to compromise it. An attacker cannot attack a target if they are unable to see it.

Conclusion

In summary, network stealth is crucial for lowering risk and guaranteeing that your systems are safe in the current threat environment. It is not only a "nice-to-have" security feature. Organizations of all sizes can conceal their online presence, thanks to technologies like NVIS AI's solution, which practically eliminates the possibility of attackers obtaining useful reconnaissance information.

Visibility has turned into a liability in the cyber world. You are safer the more you hide. Adopting network stealth will not only interfere with the reconnaissance stage but also make it much more difficult for attackers to access your systems.

Take action:

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