How secure is your web gateway? This guide provides an overview of the top Secure Web Gateway best practices.
Your web gateway is the front door to your company’s network. So, let’s see what these practices are for you to be secured.
What Is a Secure Web Gateway?
The purpose of a secure web gateway is to protect the perimeter of your corporate network.
It is placed between your users and the Internet. This is to allow only authorized users and data while blocking all others.
A web gateway is a combination of hardware and software. It inspects all traffic entering or leaving your network, looking for malicious data.
Web gateways are usually placed on the Internet, but they can also be placed on an intranet. It depends on your company’s security policy.
Top Five Secure Web Gateway Best Practices
1. Always stay current
The first and foremost thing to do is to stay updated. This way, you can be sure that you have the latest security patches for all your software. This includes your firewall and web gateway.
Someone might hack into your network and take advantage of some loophole in your software. So, always be on the lookout for patches and updates.
2. Use a Security Device that Supports SSL Inspection
SSL helps secure communications by using encryption algorithms to scramble data sent over the Internet.
SSL prevents hackers from reading your traffic as it travels across the Internet.
However, it’s important not to disable or bypass SSL inspection. Especially since this is one-way that hackers can get at your data while in transit.
Rather, you should use a device that supports SSL inspection. This way, it is easy for your web gateway to decrypt the traffic and look at the data. It can then scan for viruses, spyware, and other malicious content.
This is all so you can be sure that your data is safe from hackers.
3. Use a Device that Can Adapt to Mobile Devices
A web gateway can be used to inspect traffic coming from wireless and mobile devices.
This is because they provide a unified security log. So, you can see who’s responsible for the network activity.
When it comes to wireless devices, it’s important to ensure that they are encrypted. This way, your Wi-Fi traffic is protected from unauthorized access.
The best way to protect your mobile devices is to use a device that supports them.
You also need to install sensitive apps on these devices as well. This ensures that you have control over where your data goes, and how it gets accessed.
4. Use a Device that Can Block Sites and Applications that are Unsafe or Unwanted
A web gateway will be able to block websites and applications that are not safe or wanted by your company.
It uses the policies set by your company’s security team. These policies block sites containing offensive content or data that contains viruses and other harmful items.
They also block sites that are not related to work or productivity at all. This includes sites with games and videos and so on.
If you have a mobile device, you may want to install applications that help you secure it as well.
For example, you can download an application like Lookout and Norton App Lock. These can help secure your mobile device better as well.
5. Keep Your Devices Up-To-Date
You should always keep your devices up-to-date. This includes your firewall and web gateway devices.
There are security patches and updates that help you protect your network from attacks. By keeping your devices up to date, you can reduce the risk of getting hacked.
You can also install antivirus software on your devices to further protect them. This helps you scan and identify any viruses or malicious items on your devices.