Mainframes are a foundational system for many large enterprises, and for cybercriminals, they represent a gold mine of valuable data and applications to steal, compromise, or ransom. Cybercriminals are now using AI technologies to power sophisticated, highly targeted attacks at scale.
There are even more risks. For example, increased cloud integrations that are expanding the attack surface as well as insider threats—where individuals with legitimate access misuse their privileges—often without harmful intent.
And then there’s the rapidly evolving regulatory environment:
- The European Union put the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) into effect in January.
- The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) was updated to 4.0 in March.
- The final requirements for New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) cybersecurity regulation 23 NYCRR Part 500 will go into effect on Nov. 1.
These risks and regulations raise the standard for cybersecurity, and mainframes are not exempt. Enterprises should prioritize hardening and modernizing mainframe security to ensure compliance and to protect their digital assets.
Five steps toward modern mainframe security
There are several capabilities that, when implemented, provide a robust approach to securing the mainframe. Here are five key features.
- Deploy a terminal host access solution.
Just as the applications people use daily require multifactor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on (SSO), so should back-end access to the mainframe.
Especially in the era of AI-powered cyberattacks, traditional passwords are no longer sufficient to access the green screen. A passwordless identity and access management (IAM) system that uses SSO and MFA releases employees from having to create complex strings of characters—while also mitigating a significant vulnerability.
- Harden mainframe security with automation.
Amid today’s rapidly changing security environment, IT teams are constantly scanning the mainframe for outdated software versions, misconfigurations, and unpatched operating system components. It’s critical to automate this process, especially given the persistent threat of zero-day vulnerabilities, which must be patched as soon as possible before cybercriminals can exploit them.
Automated vulnerability management also enables organizations to use powerful open source software with confidence, knowing that outdated libraries with security flaws and even intentionally inserted backdoors won’t pose a threat.
- Use a modern penetration testing solution.
Vulnerability scanning alone isn’t sufficient for protection or compliance. New and updated regulations also require penetration testing, which goes beyond identifying vulnerabilities to identify how attackers can exploit them. A strong penetration testing system produces detailed reports that provide actionable steps toward shoring up weaknesses before bad actors can use them to wreak havoc.
- Automate monitoring and threat intelligence.
Threat detection is no longer a nice-to-have defense for the mainframe. Security teams need to rapidly detect anomalies that could signal an ongoing attack. Automated detection tools, coupled with tested plans and systems, will enable the organization to quickly address the threat.
- Implement a zero-trust architecture.
A zero-trust architecture locks down access; it requires strict verification at every point so that neither humans nor machines have unfettered access to the mainframe. Employing the principles of least-privileged access—enabling users to access what they need to complete tasks and no more—helps ensure that even if attackers compromise one system, they remain contained and cannot extend attacks to rest of the environment.
Put together a mainframe security approach with the help of Rocket Software, which has extensive experience and technical expertise, and can help you no matter where your organization is on its modernization journey. The company offers a full suite of solutions that modernize and secure the mainframe without disruption. Click here for more information.