Firewalls Fail: You Need Defense in Depth

Simple Plan IT

February 26, 2025

Cybersecurity Insights

In the last four months, we’ve seen all of the major firewall companies—Fortinet, Cisco, Palo Alto, and SonicWall—hit with major vulnerabilities that were actively exploited. These incidents underscore a critical issue: the tools designed to protect us are also accessible to cybercriminals.

These products, developed by for-profit companies, are available to anyone with the means to purchase them. This open market allows malicious actors to acquire the same security devices, dissect them in their own labs, and relentlessly probe for weaknesses. As a result, they continue to stay one step ahead, turning our defenses into potential entry points.

If this doesn’t serve as a wake-up call for business leaders, nothing will.

The Harsh Reality: Evolving Threats Outpacing Traditional Defenses

Firewalls are a fundamental layer of security, but they were never meant to be your entire defense. The reality is that cyberattacks are not only increasing in frequency but also in speed and sophistication. What once took cybercriminals months to execute can now unfold in a matter of hours. Recent reports show that the average time from initial intrusion to ransomware deployment has drastically decreased:

2019: Over two months (approximately 1,600 hours)
2020: Reduced to 9.5 days
2021: Further shortened to just 3.85 days
2024: Some ransomware groups can now encrypt and exfiltrate data within 17 hours of gaining access. (Source)

When you factor in that the average network breach goes undetected for roughly six months, it’s no wonder why these attacks are having a greater impact on businesses. By the time you realize something has happened, you’ve already gone through two season changes—and the criminals have taken everything they came for.

When your primary line of defense is compromised, what’s your backup plan?

The Solution: Defense in Depth

The only way to truly protect your business is with a multi-layered security strategy that doesn’t rely on any single tool to keep you safe. Here’s what that looks like:

24/7 Threat Monitoring & Response – A dedicated team that’s actively looking for suspicious behavior in real time, not waiting for an alert to go off.
Behavior-Based Analytics – Instead of relying on static rules, modern security uses AI and machine learning to detect anomalies and stop threats before they escalate.
Penetration Testing & Continuous Risk Assessments – Cybercriminals are always testing your defenses—why aren’t you? Regular testing helps you identify weaknesses before an attacker does.
Zero Trust Architecture – Just because a system is inside your network doesn’t mean it should be trusted. Least privilege access and strong authentication protocols are critical.
Incident Response & Business Continuity Planning – Assume a breach will happen. Have a plan in place to detect, respond, and recover with minimal impact.

The Game Has Changed—It’s Time to Adapt

With the rise of robotics, industrial control systems (ICS), and operational technology (OT) converging on IT networks, attackers have more entry points and blind spots to hide in than ever before. The complexity of securing these environments is beyond what a traditional IT team can handle alone.

Cybersecurity is not an IT task—it’s an ongoing battle against adversaries who are always evolving. Your IT team’s job is to keep your systems running smoothly; a cybersecurity team’s job is to actively hunt, detect, and eliminate threats before they become a crisis.

If you’re not actively hunting for threats, then you’re already losing the fight—you just don’t know it yet.

Take Action Now—Put Your Security to the Test

The worst time to realize your security strategy isn’t enough is after you’ve been breached. Don’t just assume your defenses are working—prove it.

We’re offering a completely risk-free penetration test. If we find vulnerabilities, you’ll get a detailed report outlining exactly where your risks are—and a roadmap to fix them. But if we don’t find anything? You don’t pay a dime.

No risk. No guesswork. Just real answers.

Schedule your risk-free penetration test today and finally know for sure.

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