NAS systems contain privileged information and data that hackers target for breach. Organizations should employ proven security practices to keep this data secure: change default passwords, use complex passwords, and enable two-factor authentication.
Encryption is also essential, as is ensuring that administrative sessions are encrypted. Without encryption, attackers could intercept session data to impersonate users, steal sensitive information, or introduce malware.
Encryption
A standard and effective NAS security measure is to use encryption, which renders the data on the NAS inaccessible if it is stolen or compromised. This protects the data from unauthorized access and can help companies comply with regulations and internal policies regarding information security.
Another essential on how to secure NAS security is to prevent denial of service attacks from bringing down a NAS. This is done by preventing attackers from flooding the device with network traffic so it can’t distinguish or respond to genuine network requests. This is easy to enable on many NAS devices and can significantly ensure that the device remains functional and secure.
It’s also a good idea to encrypt at-rest data. This ensures that only the NAS can access sensitive data, which can help prevent cybercriminals from intercepting it as it is transmitted between endpoints. Encrypting at-rest data can sometimes lead to slower performance, so it’s best to prioritize based on the importance of the information and its regulatory and compliance implications.
Changing the admin username and password by default is another effective NAS security solution. This dramatically reduces the possibility of unwanted access. Thus, every network-attached storage device owner should consider adopting this right now. Additionally, IT teams should include NAS devices in regular patching plans and procedures to protect them from the latest bugs and vulnerabilities as soon as possible.
Firewalls
One essential piece of NAS security equipment is a firewall. It works by registering legitimate users and denying access to others, making it a great first line of defense against attackers. Most NAS devices have an installed firewall, so enabling this is essential. Changing the default ports is also a good idea, as it will help reduce the attack surface. Finally, hackers will have difficulty accessing your network area system if you enable features like auto-block and two-step authentication.
Using strong passwords and not allowing unused admin accounts is also essential. This will also help keep data secure if you ever lose your NAS or it is stolen. Consider using a VPN to protect your NAS further, as it will encrypt all traffic to and from the device.
Data in transit is vulnerable to cybercriminals as they can easily intercept communications and steal or hijack information. NAS encryption is vital for securing sensitive data in transit and should include the encryption of all backups and replicated data.
Keeping your NAS updated with the latest software and firmware is also a great way to reduce the risk of attacks, as many vulnerabilities are patched regularly. Enabling automatic updates is a good idea, saving time and effort in the long run.
Patches
There is a whole field of security practices that can help protect NAS devices and the data they contain. This ranges from ensuring the device is not physically damaged to employing two-factor authentication for all users. It also includes keeping the firmware up to date and patching vulnerabilities as soon as they are announced. Security teams should do this as part of their regular update procedures.
It is also recommended that NAS owners use features like snapshots, allowing them to roll back to previous versions of files. This can be invaluable in the event of an attack, as it prevents attackers from having complete access to your data. This can be especially important when dealing with ransomware.
Another simple measure that NAS owners can take is to change all default passwords, as these are some of the easiest to hack. This should be combined with a strict password policy that ensures that all passwords are strong, unique, and not easily guessable. Any company employing a NAS should start with this since it will drastically lower the likelihood of a data breach—even if credentials are lost or stolen.
Additionally, NAS users must encrypt all sensitive data in transit and at rest. Because they will need to decode the data before they can use it, attackers will find it far more difficult to steal or misuse it.
Backups
As a general best practice, keeping all data backed up on a consistent schedule and testing recovery routines regularly is always good. This is even more important for NAS devices since they often contain privileged files and sensitive information.
While it’s impossible to protect your NAS completely, following these security best practices will significantly reduce the chances of a successful attack. Necessary steps to protect your NAS device include encrypting your most important data, using a VPN to secure administrative access, updating your firmware and software, keeping track of vendor alerts for active attacks, changing default passwords (and remembering to remove the admin account), turning on two-factor authentication, and developing a disaster recovery plan.
It’s also a good idea to make sure all employees are aware of the dangers of social engineering so they can be careful about clicking on untrustworthy links in email or text messages and not responding to suspicious emails or texts on work equipment. Additionally, having a robust centralized password management solution for all employee devices can help avoid password hacking incidents like those on the NAS server used in this case study.
Additionally, using a multi-factor authentication solution can add another layer of protection for NAS users by sending a PIN code to a mobile device each time an administrator logs into the system. Lastly, enabling QNAP’s IP access protection can also help reduce the chance of brute force attacks, which are often successful when an attacker can repeatedly guess or test login credentials.
