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Why are Cyber Security Solutions Essential for SAP Systems?

By Sojy SN posted Wed November 11, 2020 05:39 AM

  


Over the last three years, the number of exploits of SAP  systems has been outgrown to around 100%. This is due to its overarching benefits that SAP systems offer to businesses of all sizes. As a result and as the market leader in the enterprise application and business process management software sector, SAP systems are more prone to cyber-attacks.

Reportedly, 65% of SAP environments have been victimized by potential cyber breaches. Further, the number and mode of attacks are growing exponentially.

Surprisingly, the rate of cyber attacks has been increasing these days spontaneously in different forms and shapes. The new-age zero-day attacks and the novice style of phishing and spoofing are posing severe threats for businesses. Heather Ricciuto of IBM Security said, "Honestly, we're all at risk, whether you're talking about a large enterprise or an individual."

In such a delicate period of time, SAP systems necessarily require a stringent security strategy such as IBM SAP Security and GRC Strategy service.

In fact, few factors drive hackers to exploit the SAP system in particular. In this blog, let's check the factors and why a cybersecurity solution is essential for SAP systems.

Why SAP Systems Need Cyber Security Solution?

The topography of SAP is vast and broad, to say, it spreads across increasingly a 200 million user geographies and home to billions of data files and critical business information. SAP systems handle such a cohort of mission-critical commercial and financial data files every day. The databases and the server clusters that accommodate and preserve such decisive data has to preserve with any loops. 

This lures hackers in multiple and quadrupled cybercriminals' return to seek a loop in the system. Also, as the system is broad and challenging to monitor, hackers find it a fertile land to find their gem. The outdated patches and broken scripts make it more vulnerable to threats as users promptly update it.

Besides, the ignorance and lack of adequate investment in building a secure SAP infrastructure also account for the growing cyber threats against this platform. Above that, the unawareness of employees and skill-shortage to handle SAP systems in time also been making this platform exposed to risks.

How to Protect SAP Systems from Cyber Threats?

It is recommended that rather than rely on the inbuilt and store-brought threat detection techniques, it is better to prevent it. Unfortunately, ERP systems have more been neglected in terms of updates and patches. Since it is primarily handled by business operation teams and runs continuously, these systems often lack timely patches.

Seemingly, SAP releases around 30 vulnerability patches every month for their multiple platforms and cloud-based solutions. This a whooping challenge for large enterprises with multiple business applications in place.

Hence there are certain key points that businesses can try out to prevent cyber threats across SAP landscapes such as

  • Keeping an Inventory of authorized devices in place
  • Keeping an inventory of authorized software/applications in place
  • Deploy and manage security configuration across every device
  • Employ stringent vulnerability assessment and patch management practice
  • Regular monitoring and analysis of audit logs with event details
  • Prevent cyber attacks through emails and browser with proper measures
  • Implement SAP configuration and change process for network devices
  • Establish boundary defense and data protection measures
  • Put forward wireless access control and proper account management
  • Cyber-security skill assessment and updated It security training for employees
  • Develop as full-fledged incident report environment across the infrastructure
  • Implement need-based access control and carry out real-time test excesses.

Bottom Line:

The rate of cyberattacks doesn't seem to end any soon. Ransomware, phishing, scripting, scooping, and all these sorts of nasty are going to be skyrocket and pose a weighty threat for SAP users. So, there no magic or short-cuts to bypass them. All we can do is to secure our SAP systems and prevent the attack with effective measures.

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Mon June 14, 2021 06:36 AM

DevOps approach can help to improve data security