Cyberattack’s Origin: Rapid Detection Steps

Cybercrime—a “worm attack” has evolved into a sophisticated criminal enterprise that threatens any company and has a substantial economic impact worldwide. The 1988 Morris worm attack infected approximately 6,000 of the approximately 60,000 computers connected to the Internet. Estimates put the financial damage between 100,000 and millions of dollars. What was meant as a harmless experiment by an MIT student has grown more sophisticated, with threats from geopolitical tensions and hackers rising to superstar status.

Superstar cybercrimes include the 2021 Colonial Pipeline in the U.S. The pipeline fell victim to a ransomware attack that cost the company $4.4 million via Bitcoin. And who can forget the Clop in 2023 — a cybercriminal organization that used malware and phishing campaigns to extort money from major organizations worldwide. The Clop exploited a zero-day vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer software that affected 2,000 organizations and an estimated 62 million people.

The Tally Keeps Mounting

In 2021, cybercrime caused global damages of $6 trillion. Evolve Security expects cybercrime to grow by 15 percent annually over the next five years. Estimates from Statista’s Cybersecurity Outlook see the annual global cost of cybercrime rising to nearly 24 trillion USD by 2027, compared to $8.4 trillion in 2022.

According to an IBM study, the average time to identify a cyberattack or breach is 204 days, and only 33 percent of breaches are determined by the organization’s internal security teams and tools. However, a cyberattack can be identified before it reaches its target. The earlier the attack is discovered, the more likely damage can be prevented or minimized.

Discovering a cyberattack requires combining people, processes, and technology. A proper detection system is needed to sound the alarm, but people with the right skills must react to the emergency. That said, it is critical to have technology and products in place for at least the core components, like critical network infrastructure, key applications, and devices. This technology should have continuous real-time monitoring capabilities, threat intelligence, and automated alerting.

SAP Security Needs To Be A Top Concern

Unfortunately, SAP security is often overlooked or assumed to be sufficient with inadequate tools. Applications like SAP require tailor-made protection to safeguard data assets.

SAP security encompasses a range of strategies, tools, and best practices designed to safeguard SAP application systems. It protects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of processed and stored data within its environment. The comprehensive approach — people, process, and technology — prevents unauthorized access, ensures compliance with regulatory requirements, detects and mitigates security vulnerabilities, and maintains the overall health of the SAP infrastructure. Accenture Research reported that: “Organizations that closely align their cybersecurity programs to business objectives are 18 percent more likely to increase their ability to drive revenue growth, increase market share, and improve customer satisfaction, trust, and employee productivity.”

Key Components of SAP Security

The driving imperative for SAP security is that tiered, authorized users access specific data and functionalities within the SAP system. This requires robust authentication and authorization mechanisms to verify user identities and control access rights. Secure communication protocols are also essential to protect data in transit. Finally, routine system audits are critical for identifying potential security gaps and ensuring that security measures are up-to-date and effective.

This holistic, proactive stance requires continuous monitoring, real-time threat detection, and swift mitigation of risks. A holistic approach to SAP security considers the entire ecosystem, addressing security at every level:

1. Secure Configuration: Ensuring the SAP system and its components are configured securely to prevent unauthorized access and vulnerabilities. This includes setting up secure communication channels, enforcing password policies, and applying best practices for system configuration.
2. Patch Management: Regularly updating SAP systems with the latest security patches to address known vulnerabilities. This involves staying informed about SAP security updates and applying patches promptly to minimize the risk of exploitation.
3. ABAP/4 Code Vulnerability Management: Conduct regular reviews and security assessments of custom ABAP/4 code to identify and remediate potential vulnerabilities. This includes following secure coding practices and using automated tools to scan for common security issues.
4. Detection of Threats and Malicious Activities: Implementing real-time monitoring and threat detection systems to identify and respond to potential security incidents. This involves using advanced analytics and machine learning to detect anomalies and unusual activities within the SAP environment.

CONCLUSION

Cybercrime, from worm attacks to state-sponsored threats, has made security measures a business imperative. A holistic approach to SAP security has become essential with the increase in SAP systems. Secure configuration, patch management, code vulnerability management, and threat detection provide a framework for protecting SAP environments against the growing sophistication and frequency of cyber attacks.

Organizations cannot afford to ignore the threat, with cybercrime damages expected to reach $24 trillion globally by 2027. Security measures that address both technical vulnerabilities and business processes are needed. Protection is not just about securing valuable assets; it’s also about maintaining a competitive advantage. Proper cybersecurity comes with improved operational efficiency and customer trust. “Vigilance” and “proactivity” are the call words because, unfortunately, it does not matter if you will be attacked but when.