MPLS private networks provide excellent benefits for businesses, including increased cybersecurity. What threats do they stop, and which ones get through?

For Australian organisations operating from multiple sites, and retailers in particular, a MPLS private network provides key benefits – including cybersecurity. Secure internet between the head office and multiple sites ensures the secure and rapid flow of crucial business information day to day, enabled by MPLS (multiprotocol label switching).

Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of MPLS for Australian businesses – as well as which cybersecurity threats they do and do not guard against.

What cybersecurity threats are stopped by MPLS?

Essentially, MPLS is a method for directing traffic through a network – resulting in high-speed private connections between business sites and key cloud-based systems and data storage. A MPLS private network can also be combined with SIP business voice solutions for cost-effective communication within an organisation.

In ideal circumstances, a MPLS private network is completely inaccessible from the public internet – leaving hackers with no means of accessing it to carry out an attack. This blocks a number of common intrusion methods – including toll fraud, distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks and cyber espionage.

How is MPLS vulnerable?

While a MPLS private network is hidden away from the public internet, it is not completely safe from all attacks. Internal actors – whether working alone or colluding with a company outsider – already have a degree of access to the network. In 2016, there were 10,489 incidents of insider abuse, 172 of which led to data exfiltration, according to Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report. Guarding against these intrusions falls to access governance within the company itself.

A MPLS private network also does not guard against attack methods that use stolen login credentials – such as those gained through malware and phishing attempts. Given these vulnerabilities, a MPLS private network should not be considered a cybersecurity catch-all, but rather a crucial component to a comprehensive set of practices.

The effectiveness of any private network utilising MPLS depends on the skill that goes into establishing and maintaining it. This can be out of reach for businesses with limited IT resources. The country is seeing a shortage of ICT professionals, yet there was a 57 per cent increase in demand for cybersecurity professionals from 2015 to 2016, according to the Australian Computer Society.

Fortunately, Telarus can help. For years, we’ve been one of the most trusted providers of cloud, network and security solutions in Australia and New Zealand. Contact us today to learn more about how we can secure your business.