Page 72 - Cyber Defense eMagazine Special RSA Conference Annual Edition for 2022

Firewalls Aren’t Enough to Protect Against

Evolving Cyber Threats

By Pat McGarry, CTO, ThreatBlockr

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently added 66 vulnerabilities to its list
of known exploited security holes, including a WatchGuard firewall vulnerability exploited in attacks linked
to a Russian state-sponsored threat actor. CISA’s call to patch this vulnerability follows on the heels of
last year’s Colonial Pipeline attack, as well as other cybersecurity incidents where firewalls were
breached. Whether the threat came in through the front door or not, every successful cyberattack has
breached a firewall at some point.

There’s no denying that cybercriminals are growing increasingly sophisticated – just look at the headlines
from recent years. Unfortunately, despite industry innovation and government guidance, what
organizations are doing to protect themselves has largely remained the same. We’re seeing it more and
more: Firewalls are becoming antiquated when compared to the sophisticated technologies used by
cybercriminals. It’s high time for organizations to acknowledge the firewall gaps and take steps to build
more robust cybersecurity defenses.

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