Improving Network, Data and Application Security for SMEs

The evolution of Information and Communications Technology and Cloud Computing, combined with the advent of novel telecommunication frameworks such as 5G, have introduced the notion of ubiquitous connectivity combined with a seemingly vast pool of resources, storage and services. This immense transformation introduced new types of security threats mostly due to the significant increase of the attack surface, which can now be compromised by malicious users. Despite the fact that malicious attacks constantly become more and more sophisticated, SMEs and public administrations remain reluctant to invest in cybersecurity since they operate on a limited budget and are mostly focused in time to market and cost minimization. The purpose of this book chapter is to provide an overview on how the most common network-related cybersecurity attacks are orchestrated, which are the systems and services they affect the most as well as present specific design principles and guidelines for crafting platforms and frameworks capable of mitigating such attacks and ensure a certain level of secure operation.