What is a Network Anomaly?
Kerry Coppinger
|Cyber Risks & Threats | August 12, 2022
We are living in a world where the internet seems to be increasingly populated by bots and fake users. Because of this, leadership teams within many organizations are looking at cybersecurity as a strategic business initiative rather than a siloed department. There are many different types of behaviors someone can take on the internet that can raise red flags to businesses that are cybersecurity savvy.
For example, if a given user moves throughout a site in a seemingly haphazard way, clicks on the same module repeatedly at a rapid pace, or tries to take certain actions at a very high volume – they might be marked a potentially fraudulent user.
But what if unusual actions are coming from an entire network rather than an individual user? Let’s dive into what types of actions could fit the label of a “network anomaly,” and what organizations should do to protect themselves against these potential threats.
How is a Network Anomaly defined?
A network anomaly can be described as one or more actions or attributes that are commonly associated with malicious activity. Additionally, in order for something to be considered a network anomaly rather than a behavioral anomaly, it must come from several different devices – not just one device or one human on one device.
Is this committed by bots or malicious humans?
Network anomalies are most commonly carried out by bots because, in order for them to occur, many patterns must be identified from several different sources – which would be difficult for a human to do on their own. However, it is important to make the distinction that a network anomaly is not a type of bot – it is a type of action that is typically committed by a bot.
What damage does this cause to businesses?
Network anomalies themselves are just strange behaviors coming from networks, but they could indicate an attempt to take further fraudulent actions on a website. For example, if a site is experiencing a network anomaly it could be at risk of a data breach, account hijacking, click fraud, or other forms of digital threats. When businesses are under attack it can ultimately lead to lost revenue, skewed analytics, and loss in customer trust.
What can businesses do to protect against a Network Anomaly?
First and foremost, businesses should keep a close eye on their website activity so they can attempt to spot when anomalies of all kinds are occurring. However, the human eye can only pick up on so much, and since various types of threats are difficult to detect, some businesses are taking things one step further. To achieve holistic business security, GTMSec can be installed to identify and block harmful traffic before it impacts the organization as a whole.
To learn how GTMSec works and how it can protect your business against a network anomaly, Request a Demo here
Author
Kerry Coppinger
Senior Manager, Brand Marketing
As head of the brand marketing department at CHEQ, Kerry manages all things content and brand including: research reports, public relations, content marketing, copywriting, press, and other editorial features. Prior to her work at CHEQ, Kerry worked for several tech companies in New York.
