Top 3 Sources of System Vulnerabilities in Automation

Network or system vulnerabilities is defined as the weak points of the hardware or the software in a given client or server which can be capitalized by a hacker or intruder by gaining access or shutting down the entire network. Other professionals described network vulnerabilities as the state or weakness of the procedures on security related to a system. It is also known as the physical, technical and other forms of controls that could be threatened by external intruders. System vulnerabilities are present not only in the hardware and software components of a system but also on the procedures and policies on security that are deployed in a system or network of computers mostly by the employees and their main users. Since the weaknesses of a network or system are found to be present in its major areas, it can be stated that vulnerabilities are opportunities for an intruder to take advantage of the information found in a given system or network.

Sources of System Vulnerabilities

Flaws in the design is one of the source of system vulnerabilities of a given network or system. Software components of a system are known to be most vulnerable to the flaws in the design than hardware components. Since the latter are less complex that made them easier in terms of testing and verification. At the same time, hardware engineering has long existed than software engineering. As such, design flaws in software components are considered to be contributory to the vulnerabilities of a network. Significant factors could be cited as reasons to the design flaws of software components. They include the complexity of the software, human errors and the sources of the software. These 3 factors will be discussed by looking at various points that aids to the complexity of software development, support human errors while in the programming stages and the non-reliability of sources of software products.

Professionals and non-professionals in the area of software recognized the diversities between hardware engineering and software engineering. As a result of these differences, failures and poor performance among these professionals were recorded that highly contribute to the vulnerability of a network. The following aspects are considered to be related to the complexity of software and are reasons for the system vulnerability:

(1) Complicated testing – The presence of a full set of programs that would test or examine software is always inadequate that allows the presence of bugs on every input sequence

(2) Misinterpretation of the specifications of basic design - Misinterpreting the principles of design affects a number of phases like documentation, coding and testing; this also leads to indefinite and improper description of the main elements of a software and poor definition of the structures of the internal program

(3) Easiness of the programming work – It is a fact that the programming work is learned easily which results to more people being enticed to study the profession with little education and formal training. As a result, the development of programs is plagued with errors due to the unrecognized importance of excellent practices in programming and

(4) Software Complexity – As compared to hardware programming; software programming provides billions of likely outcomes in a similar sequence of an input. Therefore, it is difficult to know the outcomes or results of a specified set of sequences of input resulting to the uncertainty of the possibilities.

            In the factor of errors made by professionals and non-professionals in the development of software, poor performance in the area of software development are attributed to the following and contributes to the vulnerabilities of a network:

(1) Lapses in memory and attention problem – This is showcased by the instance of adding a line of code instead of removing and vice versa or the practice of testing and verifying the codes but were not performed due to absentmindedness

(2) Tight deadlines – The pressure coming from the management especially in the phase of quickly introducing the product to the market or meeting the deadline set by the client could result to difficulties in generating a quality software

(3) Employment of untested or substandard algorithms – Before the testing and verification of algorithms, they are placed in a line of products due to the fact that they are only applicable on a small number of test runs and  

(4) Complacency among the software programmers – The level of experience of a person in software development mostly affects the way he or she performs the phases of software development. As such, some of the processes of testing and other measures of control are being overlooked that results to software products that do not meet specified requirements.

            Organizations which consistently purchase software products without knowing their sources are at risk of the low quality of the products and their reliability. Even if an organization will have an effort to find the source of the software, it would be impracticable since most software companies ceased operations after months of programming and introducing their products to the market. As a consequence, the credibility of software products are endangered that aids to the failure to deliver quality services of a business enterprise and the possible threats associated with external intruders. And this unfortunately, result to system vulnerabilities.

Protecting the System from Vulnerabilities

A number of technologies can be employed by a company in dealing with the vulnerabilities of a system or a network. They could be applied by a company or an organization in order to avoid the monetary and non-monetary damages associated with an attack to a network. They are the following:

(1) Implementing Transport Layer Security which guarantees the integrity and confidentiality of exchanging data applications,

(2) Applying IPSec or Internet Protocol Security – IPSec which provides customary and extensible mechanism which provide the mandatory implementation of algorithms that defined layer protocols relatively to assure an unabridged interoperability,

(3) Applying Intrusion Detection Systems or IDS which is a software or hardware that functions to detect any attempts of unwanted elements in network or systems that could hinder the process or any attempts in the access, application and employment of computers to be d in fast and quick access to the system for it could detect the potential hackers and attackers, and

(4) Using Integromat, a semantic integration platform that allows you to automate and orchestrate business processes in your systems. Enroll in their Integromasters course - Basic Error Handling and learn how to use tools, functions, techniques and integrations with popular cloud applications (e.g. Salesforce, Zendesk, Google Apps etc.) to make your workflow more efficient and less time-consuming.

Summary

The idea of securing systems or networks has just recently become popular due to various threats that could endanger the data owned by a company. As such, the vulnerability of data to threats and attacks from internal and external forces becomes evident. By now, you should have a good understanding of what a vulnerability is, how it can affect your system, and what you can do to protect it. We are confident that after reading this post you will be able to select the right software and strategy to protect your system from vulnerabilities.

Speaking of software, we highly recommend Integromat to connect apps and automate workflows using a beautiful, no-code visual builder. It enables one to connect to any API and create complex integrations using built-in apps and tools, no coding needed. Keep exploring automation with Integromasters and enroll in a free workshop with an automation expert!