How to Implement Continuous Security Monitoring in 2025?

Recent statistics show that 60% of corporate data is stored in the cloud worldwide. In the past year, 39% of businesses faced data breaches related to the cloud. These statistics show that despite the advantages of cloud storage, vulnerabilities such as misconfigured services, insecure APIs, and shared environments pose significant risks.

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As a result, organizations are seeking ways to improve their security and ensure compliance to protect their data from cyber threats.

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The impact of non-compliance extends beyond just financial penalties. It can harm a brand's reputation, lead to economic losses, and result in legal issues. Therefore, compliance is not only about fulfilling regulatory requirements but also about protecting the integrity of an organization's data.

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This understanding has led to the development of new processes like Continuous Security Monitoring (CSM). This method improves visibility into information security systems and controls, strengthens security, and ensures that best practices are followed.

What is Continuous Security Monitoring?

Continuous Security Monitoring (CSM) is a security management process that addresses vulnerabilities, tracks security controls, and regularly evaluates the risk environment to strengthen an organization’s cyber defenses. It also helps the Security Operations Center develop and execute strategies to reduce risks.

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Continuous Security Monitoring (CSM) improves visibility of your IT infrastructure and information security systems. It helps you detect breaches in real-time and sends alerts to the Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM) system when incidents occur.

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Continuous Security Monitoring vs SIEM

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Continuous Security Monitoring (CSM) and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) improve cybersecurity but serve different purposes. CSM is an ongoing process that monitors systems, networks, and assets in real time to identify vulnerabilities, detect threats, and ensure continuous compliance.

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SIEM gathers, studies, and connects log information from various places to find and address security problems. It usually responds to events after they happen. On the other hand, CSM identifies and lessens risks in advance to prevent incidents. When used together, SIEM and CSM work hand in hand to enhance an organization's security measures.

Example

An organization’s IT infrastructure includes a mix of on-premises servers and cloud-hosted applications. Late one evening, the organization's Continuous Security Monitoring (CSM) system detected unusual activity on a server hosting critical financial data.

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The monitoring system flagged an unauthorized login attempt from an IP address in a foreign country, inconsistent with the company’s standard geographic access patterns.

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Upon further inspection, the CSM system identified that the account used in the login attempt belonged to a senior finance manager who was not actively working. Additionally, the system's anomaly detection feature noticed that shortly after the login attempt, a script was being executed to encrypt files on the server—a ransomware behavior.

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The CSM solution immediately triggered an alert and integrated with the organization’s Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system to provide detailed logs of suspicious activity. The security team was notified in real time and was able to:

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1. Block the unauthorized IP address at the firewall level.
2. Deactivate the compromised user account to prevent further access.
3. Terminate the suspicious encryption process before it can encrypt more than a few files.
4. Use forensic data provided by the CSM system to determine that the attacker exploited a vulnerable Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) port that had been left open.

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After the incident, the team fixed the security issue and made sure to improve access controls by adding extra verification steps for important accounts. Thanks to the quick response from the security monitoring team, potential data loss and costly ransom demands were avoided.

Common Risks Mitigated by CSM

If you need to monitor these security risks, a continuous security monitoring solution is the right choice for you:

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• Unnecessary ports can pose a risk. Especially if the service using the port is not set up correctly, has weak network and security rules, or is vulnerable to attacks. Wormable ports are particularly concerning because they are often default open on specific operating systems. The wormable port is one of the most risky open ports, as cyberattacks can easily target it. Specific operating systems have this port open by default. The SMB protocol was previously vulnerable to exploits, such as the EternalBlue zero-day exploit used in the WannaCry ransomware attack.
• Not having a SPF, DKIM, and DMARC can leave your system exposed to email security risks.
• Domain hijacking happens when someone changes the registration of a domain name without permission from the original owner. This is a significant concern, especially if you do not follow IETF guidelines, such as the DNSSEC, essential for protecting DNS information on IP networks.
• Typosquatted domains are created when attackers purchase domain names that closely resemble genuine ones. This tactic targets users who accidentally mistype the website address of a company or brand they intend to visit.
• Data leaks and security weaknesses, including the risk of XSS (cross-site scripting) attacks, are significant concerns.
• Man-in-the-middle attacks (MITM) can interfere with and disrupt business communication.

Main Types of Continuous Security Monitoring

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Infrastructure Monitoring

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Infrastructure monitoring observes the physical elements of a security system, such as servers, storage devices, and network equipment. It helps detect the fundamental issues related to hardware malfunction or the performance of other physical parts in your organization's security setup.

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If your security team notices a problem with hardware or a motherboard because of visible signs like overheating, this is possible through infrastructure monitoring.

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Application Monitoring

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Compared to infrastructure monitoring, application monitoring focuses on overseeing the software aspects of your security system, such as application codes, online servers, and a digital database.

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This tool allows your security team to identify issues like slow performance, memory leaks, or unauthorized changes in the application code that could be harmful.

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Network Monitoring

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Network monitoring tracks your network traffic and equipment, such as routers and switches, so you can quickly identify issues like packet loss or high latency. Depending on your organization's requirements, you can choose to implement one, all, or a mix of security monitoring methods to achieve optimal results. 

Steps to Implement Continuous Security Monitoring in 2025

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Identify and Define Digital Assets

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To use CSM in your operations, identify the processes that handle important data or assets. These processes might deal with sensitive information like HR onboarding, IT onboarding, or access management. Categorize and prioritize these processes according to their importance to effectively improve your security approach with a focus on risk management.

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Choose Process and Tools

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The following important task is to select the appropriate tools and procedures for your customer success management strategy. Various tools are accessible for CSM. Opting for a tool that safeguards against multiple threats and provides features such as vulnerability scanning, malware detection, and real-time threat analysis is advisable.

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Enable Processes for Continuous Evaluation

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Regularly monitor all your devices to safeguard your data from cyber-attacks. Equally important is the establishment of security measures to deal with internal threats in CSM, such as user behavior analytics (UBA), role-based access controls, and least privilege principles.

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One way to achieve this is by creating guidelines on how your staff should interact with the information. This helps you to detect unusual behaviors and possible threats systematically.

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Schedule Regular Updates and Monitor Third-Parties

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Update your organization's policies to keep up with changing cyber threats and compliance requirements. Make sure your policies align with security standards and are reviewed and updated as needed. Software updates help maintain the system's up-to-dateness, while security patches within these updates enhance security and prevent vulnerabilities. Another key element is establishing policies and protocols for third parties accessing your network.

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Employee Training

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Just having advanced tools and technologies is not sufficient. Involve people at the front line, such as employees, and provide regular training to keep them informed about threats, policies, and their responsibilities as guardians of organizational security.

Conclusion

Cyber attacks and data breaches can harm an organization's reputation, with new incidents reported frequently. Regular security monitoring is necessary to combat these threats effectively.

ioSENTRIX works easily with your technology setup to enhance your online security. We monitor security constantly and give you instant updates on the status of all internal controls and processes through a user-friendly dashboard.

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We serve as more than just a CSM solution - we also help improve overall security and compliance. Let us demonstrate how ioSENTRIX achieves this. Contact us now for more information.

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