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  • Partner solution brief Enforcing micro-segmentation with Akamai and AlgoSec - AlgoSec

    Partner solution brief Enforcing micro-segmentation with Akamai and AlgoSec Download PDF Schedule time with one of our experts Schedule time with one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Continue

  • Top 11 FireMon competitors & alternatives (ranked & rated) | AlgoSec

    Explore top-rated FireMon alternatives for firewall security management. Find the best solutions for your needs based on our ranked and rated comparison. Top 11 FireMon competitors & alternatives (ranked & rated) FireMon: Is it the right choice for your business? The cyber security world has evolved in recent years in tandem with the constantly changing threat environment, and many service providers with sensitive data to protect are leveraging elaborate risk management deterrents and avant garde zero trust systems. Cybersecurity platforms with a high level of network visibility are currently being deployed by many of these companies to reduce attack surfaces. One of those solutions is FireMon. The enterprise security manager provides a series of comprehensive SaaS security management options that include: The Firemon Security Manager – This is a security policy management tool that offers real-time surveillance with an aim to manage and implement policies, and reduce firewall and cloud security policy-related risks. Firemon DisruptOps – This is a distributed cloud security operations solution that’s designed to monitor and secure data that’s kept in cloud infrastructure. Firemon Asset Manager (formerly ‘Lumeta’) – This is a real-time network visibility and asset management solution that scans hybrid cloud environments to identify threats. The product is able to secure a wide range of resources, including operational technology (OT) and internet of things (IoT) devices. Collectively, they form a formidable defense system against cybersecurity attacks. That said, there are numerous FireMon alternatives in the market today. The following is a breakdown of 10 FireMon competitors, along with their pros and cons. Schedule a Demo Who are the top competitors and alternatives to FireMon? AlgoSec Tufin Skybox Palo Alto Networks Redseal Cisco ManageEngine FortiGate AlienVault SolarWinds Avast Schedule a Demo 1. AlgoSec Algosec is a turnkey security software that is designed to automate application connectivity and endpoint security policy implementation across entire networks. The cybersecurity platform aims to uphold network security using the following products within its suite: Key Features: Firewall Analyzer: This module detects and deters intrusion attacks by mapping out business applications and security policy authentication across networks. Algosec Fireflow: The solution allows businesses to improve their security networks by automating the creation and enforcement of security policies, as well as providing visibility into network traffic and identifying potential security risks. FireFlow supports a wide range of firewalls and security devices from numerous vendors, including Cisco, Check Point, and Fortinet. AlgoSec Cloud: This is a security management solution that provides automated provisioning, configuration, and policy management for cloud infrastructure. The solution allows businesses to protect their cloud-based applications and data by automating the creation and enforcement of security policies. Pros Installation: Initial setup and configuration of the platform is fairly easy as well as integration with other compatible products. Ease of use: The dashboard is user-friendly and intuitive, and the graphical user interface is compatible with most web browsers. Robustness: The solution offers multiple features including firewall policy auditing and reporting in compliance with information security management standards such as ISO27001. Simulated queries: The software provides various configuration options to define service groups utilizing similar services and allows network administrators to run traffic simulation queries. Cons Customization: The lack of customization options for dashboards could be problematic for some users. The software also lacks nested groups to allow the inheritance of access permissions from one main group to its sub-groups. Late hotfixes: Users have reported slow rollout times for patches and hotfixes, and in some cases, the hotfixes contain bugs, which can slow down performance. Schedule a Demo 2. Tufin orchestration suite Tufin Orchestration Suite is a network security management solution that automates the management of compliance processes for multi-vendor and multi-device networks. Key Features: Tufin offers a variety of tools for managing firewall, router, VPN policies, and performing compliance checks and reporting through API. Pros Pricing: For larger organizations, the pricing is reasonable. Robustness: Tufin offers a very comprehensive range of security capabilities and works well with many vendors and third-party cybersecurity applications. Scalability: The product is easy to scale and can be adjusted according to customer needs. Cons Ease of use: The product is not as user-friendly as other products in the market. The GUI is a bit clunky and not very intuitive. Speed: Performance can be affected when many processes are running simultaneously. Customization: Customization options are a bit limited for customers that need more elaborate network management features. Schedule a Demo 3. Skybox security suite Skybox Security Suite is a cybersecurity management platform that contains a suite of solutions for vulnerability and threat detection. It also provides security policy management options. The suite contains two main solutions: Network security policy management Vulnerability and threat management Key Features: Firewall Assurance: This security management solution provides automated provisioning, configuration, and policy management for firewalls and other network security devices. The solution allows businesses to buttress their network security by automating the enforcement of security policies. Network Assurance: This module is designed to achieve complete network visibility and supports a wide range of network security devices. They include routers, switches, and load balancers. Change Manager: The product was designed to automate change management workflows for comprehensive risk assessments. Vulnerability Control: This product is used to detect vulnerabilities and prioritize them based on exposure-based risk scores while providing prescriptive remediation options to the end user. Threat Intelligence Service: The cybersecurity management system detects vulnerabilities and protects a network against potential exploits. Pros Integrated threat intelligence: The solution integrates with threat intelligence feeds to detect and block known and unknown threats in real-time. Scalability: The solution can be used to manage a small number of devices or a large number of devices, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes. Integration: The solution can integrate with other security tools, such as intrusion detection systems and vulnerability management platforms, to provide a comprehensive view of security across the network. Automated remediation: Skybox Security Suite allows businesses to fix security vulnerabilities and misconfigurations automatically. Cons Complexity: The solution may be complex to implement and use, especially for users who are not well-versed in network security. High cost: The solution may be expensive for some businesses, especially for those with limited IT budgets. Dependency on accurate inventory: The solution relies on an accurate inventory of devices and networks in order to work effectively. As such, inaccurate data feeds can lead to a less effective performance. Limited Customization: It provides few customization options, making it difficult for users to modify the software to their specific needs. Schedule a Demo 4. Palo Alto networks panorama Palo Alto Networks Panorama is a network security management tool that provides centralized control of Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls within a network infrastructure. It aims to simplify the configuration, deployment and management of security policies, using a model that provides both oversight and control. Pros Ease of use: The Palo Alto Networks Panorama GUI is easy to use due to its built-in help features. It shares the same user interface as Palo Alto Next-Generation Firewalls. Reliability: The product is stable and has few performance issues, which makes it highly reliable. Ease of upgrade: Compared to other vendors, the upgrade of the Panorama tool is smooth because it is automated. Cons Vendor Specific: The product only supports Palo Alto Networks firewalls which can be limiting if an organization is relying on firewalls from other vendors. Pricing: Palo Alto Networks Panorama is expensive and the product would be available to more organizations if it were cheaper. Schedule a Demo 5. Redseal Redseal offers a cloud security product that supports security compliance, detection, and prevention of network vulnerabilities while providing secure access to data and insight into processes used in incident response. The platform unifies public cloud, private cloud, and physical network environments through a comprehensive and interactive model that relies on dynamic visualization. Redseal also recently launched RedSeal Stratus whose features draw from the CIS industry standard to detect exposure of critical resources to vector attacks. Pros Installation: The product is quite easy to install and straightforward to integrate. Customer support: The technical support team is quite responsive and effective at communicating solutions. Change management: Redseal recently rolled out the change management integration solution developed in conjunction with ServiceNow. The new feature allows network administrators to identify assets that have been removed from service but are still registered on the network. The new system also helps to identify new unknown areas in the network. Cons Limited: While it is great at providing a great visualization of network resources, it is not robust enough when compared to top competitors in the same category. Ease of use: The user interface is not intuitive enough for new users. It takes time to understand the interface and the various configuration setups. Schedule a Demo 6. Cisco defense orchestrator Cisco Defense Orchestrator (CDO) is a cloud-based management platform that allows security teams to centrally manage and configure Cisco security devices, including Cisco Firepower and Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE). CDO is compatible with various Cisco security products and can be used to manage devices running Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) software, Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) software, and Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) software. It also supports Cisco Meraki devices. Pros Centralized Management: The product allows administrators to manage and configure multiple Cisco security devices from a single platform, reducing the time and effort required to manage multiple devices. Automated Policy Deployment: The system can automatically deploy security policies to Cisco security devices, reducing the risk of human error and ensuring that policies are consistently applied across all devices. Compliance Management: The tool includes built-in compliance templates that can be used to ensure that security policies meet industry standards and regulations. Scalability: The solution can be used to manage a large number of Cisco security devices, making it suitable for organizations of all sizes. Integration: The program can integrate with other Cisco security products, such as Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Cisco Meraki devices, to provide a comprehensive security solution. Cloud-based deployment: The system can be deployed in the cloud and provides easy scalability, accessibility and deployment. Cons Limited Device Support: The cybersecurity program is designed to work specifically with Cisco security devices, so it may not be compatible with some devices from other vendors. High Cost: The software suite can be expensive to implement and maintain, especially for organizations with a large number of connected security devices. Schedule a Demo 7. ManageEngine firewall analyzer ManageEngine Firewall Analyzer is a network security policy management tool that helps organizations monitor, analyze, and manage their network firewall security. It provides real-time visibility into network traffic, and firewall rule configurations. The program additionally allows administrators to generate detailed reports and alerts to help identify and mitigate potential security threats. Pros Real-time visibility: Allows administrators to quickly identify and address potential security threats, as well as visibility into network traffic and firewall rule usage. Detailed reporting and alerts: Helps administrators stay informed of security events and potential vulnerabilities. Compliance reporting: It supports various firewall vendors such as Checkpoint, Cisco, Juniper, and Fortinet. It also provides compliance reporting for regulatory standards like PCI-DSS. Multi-vendor support: Compatible with a variety of firewall vendors, including Checkpoint, Cisco, Juniper, and Fortinet. Intuitive user interface: Easy to navigate and understand, making it accessible to administrators of all skill levels. Cons High cost: It may be expensive for some organizations, particularly smaller ones. Limited support for certain firewall vendors: It may not be compatible with all firewall vendors, so organizations should check compatibility before purchasing. Complex setup and configuration: It may require a high level of technical expertise to set up and configure the software. Resource-intensive: It may require a significant amount of system resources to run effectively. Learning curve: It may take some time for administrators to become proficient in using all of the software’s features. Schedule a Demo 8. FortiGate cloud FortiGate Cloud is a cloud-based security management platform offered by Fortinet, a provider of network security solutions. It is designed to help organizations manage and secure their network traffic by providing real-time visibility, security automation, and compliance reporting for their FortiGate devices. With FortiGate Cloud, administrators can deploy, configure, and monitor FortiGate security devices from a single, centralized platform. It provides real-time visibility and control over network traffic and allows administrators to quickly identify and address potential security threats. FortiGate Cloud also includes features such as automated threat detection and incident management, as well as advanced analytics and reporting. It can be used as a central management platform for multiple FortiGate devices, and it can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. Furthermore, it provides the ability to deploy and manage FortiGate firewall in multi-cloud environments. Pros Easy deployment and management: FortiGate Cloud allows for easy deployment and management of security features in a cloud-based environment, eliminating the need for on-premises hardware. Scalability: The platform can easily be scaled making it a good option for businesses of any size. Automatic updates: FortiGate Cloud automatically receives updates and new features, ensuring that network security is always up-to-date. Cost-effective: Using a cloud-based security solution can be more cost-effective than maintaining on-premises hardware, as it eliminates the need for physical space and ongoing maintenance costs. Cons Dependence on internet connectivity: FortiGate Cloud is a cloud-based solution, so it requires a reliable internet connection to function properly. A slow internet connection is likely to impact performance. Additional costs: While cloud-based solutions can be cost-effective, there may be additional costs associated with using FortiGate Cloud, such as data transfer costs. Limited control over infrastructure: As a cloud-based solution, FortiGate Cloud may not offer the same level of control over the underlying infrastructure as on-premises solutions. Schedule a Demo 9. AlienVault USM AlienVault USM (Unified Security Management) is a security management platform that provides organizations with a comprehensive view of their security situation. It includes a variety of security tools, such as intrusion detection and prevention, vulnerability management, and security event management, as well as threat intelligence feeds. AlienVault USM is designed to make it easier for organizations to detect and respond to security threats. Pros Integrated security tools: AlienVault USM includes a variety of security tools, such as intrusion detection and prevention, vulnerability management, and security event management, which can help organizations detect and respond to security threats more effectively. Threat intelligence: AlienVault USM includes threat intelligence feeds that provide organizations with up-to-date information on the latest security threats and vulnerabilities. Easy to use: AlienVault USM is designed to be user-friendly and easy to use, which can make it easier for organizations to implement and manage their security systems. Scalability: AlienVault USM is designed to be scalable, which means that it can be used by organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises. Automated and Correlated Event Management: AlienVault USM can automate and correlate event management which helps to identify and respond to threats more quickly and effectively. Cons Cost: AlienVault USM can be relatively expensive, especially for small businesses and organizations with limited budgets. Complexity: AlienVault USM is a comprehensive security platform that includes a variety of security tools, which can make it complex to use and manage. Integration: AlienVault USM may not be able to integrate with all existing security systems or tools that an organization already has in place. Limited third-party integrations: AlienVault USM may have limited integration with third-party solutions, which can be a limitation. Schedule a Demo 10. SolarWinds network configuration manager SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) is a software product offered by SolarWinds. It is used to manage and maintain network device configurations, such as routers, switches, and firewalls. NCM helps to ensure that device configurations are consistent and comply with organizational policies and industry best practices. It also allows for automated configuration backups, change management, and configuration comparison and auditing. Pros Ability to detect and alert on configuration changes: The software has the ability to detect changes made to network devices and send alerts to network administrators, allowing them to quickly identify and address any issues. Rollback capabilities to revert unwanted changes: The software includes rollback capabilities, which allow network administrators to revert unwanted changes made to network devices. This can prevent downtime and other negative consequences caused by accidental or unintended changes. Multi-vendor support for various network devices: The software supports multiple vendors and types of network devices, including routers, switches, and firewalls, which can help manage a diverse network environment. Efficient troubleshooting and problem resolution: The software can help resolve network issues more quickly and efficiently by providing network administrators with detailed information about network device configurations and alerting them to changes. This can help reduce network downtime and improve overall network performance. Cons High cost: SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager can be expensive, especially for large organizations with many network devices. Complex installation and setup: The software can be complex to install and set up, which may require specialized skills and expertise. Requires ongoing maintenance: The software requires ongoing maintenance to ensure that it continues to function properly, which can add to the overall cost. Limited integration with other tools: The software may not integrate well with other tools and systems, which can make it difficult to manage and monitor the network as a whole. Schedule a Demo 11. Avast business hub Avast Business Hub is a cloud-based platform that allows businesses to manage their security and IT needs remotely. The platform provides a centralized dashboard that allows IT teams to manage and monitor multiple devices and services, such as antivirus software, firewalls, and patch management. It also allows IT teams to remotely troubleshoot and resolve issues with devices. Additionally, Avast Business Hub provides businesses with the ability to set and enforce security policies, such as device encryption and password management, to protect sensitive data. Pros Centralized management: The platform allows IT teams to manage and monitor multiple devices and services from a single dashboard. This makes it easier to keep track of security and IT needs. Security policy enforcement: Businesses can use Avast Business Hub to set and enforce security policies, such as device encryption and password management, to protect sensitive data. Real-time monitoring: The platform provides real-time monitoring of devices and services, allowing IT teams to quickly identify and respond to potential security threats. Scalability: Avast Business Hub can be used to manage a small number of devices or a large number of devices, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes. Cloud-based service: The platform is cloud-based, which means that businesses don’t have to invest in additional hardware or software to use it. Cons Internet connection dependency: The platform requires a stable internet connection to function properly, which can be an issue for businesses in areas with poor connectivity. Limited customization: The platform doesn’t offer a lot of customization options, which can make it difficult for users to tailor the system to their specific needs. Learning curve: There is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to using the platform, which can be time-consuming for IT teams. Limited integrations: The platform may not integrate well with all third-party tools a business may use. Schedule a Demo Select a size FireMon: Is it the right choice for your business? Who are the top competitors and alternatives to FireMon? 1. AlgoSec 2. Tufin orchestration suite 3. Skybox security suite 4. Palo Alto networks panorama 5. Redseal 6. Cisco defense orchestrator 7. ManageEngine firewall analyzer 8. FortiGate cloud 9. AlienVault USM 10. SolarWinds network configuration manager 11. Avast business hub Get the latest insights from the experts Use these six best practices to simplify compliance and risk mitigation with the AlgoSec platform White paper Learn how AlgoSec can help you pass PCI-DSS Audits and ensure continuous compliance Solution overview See how this customer improved compliance readiness and risk Case study Choose a better way to manage your network

  • AlgoSec | Sunburst Backdoor, Part III: DGA & Security Software

    In the previous parts of our blog ( part I and part II ), we have described the most important parts of the Sunburst backdoor... Cloud Security Sunburst Backdoor, Part III: DGA & Security Software Rony Moshkovich 2 min read Rony Moshkovich Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 12/22/20 Published In the previous parts of our blog ( part I and part II ), we have described the most important parts of the Sunburst backdoor functionality and its Domain Generation Algorithm (DGA). This time, let’s have a deeper look into the passive DNS requests reported by Open-Source Context and Zetalytics . The valid DNS requests generated by the malware fall into 2 groups: DNS requests that encode a local domain name DNS requests that encode data The first type of DNS requests allows splitting long domain names into separate requests. These requests are generated by the malware’s functions GetPreviousString() and GetCurrentString() . In general, the format of a DNS request that encodes a domain name may look like: USER_ID.NUM.COMPUTER_DOMAIN[.]appsync-api.us-west-2[.]avsvmcloud[.]com where: USER_ID is an 8-byte user ID that uniquely identifies a compromised host, encoded as a 15-character string NUM is a number of a domain name – either 0 or 1, encoded as a character COMPUTER_DOMAIN is an encoded local computer domain Let’s try decoding the following 3 DNS requests: olc62cocacn7u2q22v02eu.appsync-api.us-west-2.avsvmcloud.com r1qshoj05ji05ac6eoip02jovt6i2v0c.appsync-api.us-west-2.avsvmcloud.com lt5ai41qh5d53qoti3mkmc0.appsync-api.us-west-2.avsvmcloud.com String 1 Let’s start from the 1st string in the list: olc62cocacn7u2q22v02eu.appsync-api.us-west-2.avsvmcloud.com. In this string, the first 15-character string is an encoded USER_ID : “olc62cocacn7u2q” . Once it is base-64 decoded, as explained in the previous post, it becomes a 9-byte byte array: 86 7f 2f be f9 fb a3 ae c4 The first byte in this byte array is a XOR key: 0x86 . Once applied to the 8 bytes that follow it, we get the 8-byte user ID – let’s take a note and write it down, we will need it later: f9 a9 38 7f 7d 25 28 42 Next, let’s take the NUM part of the encoded domain: it’s a character “2” located at the position #15 (starting from 0) of the encrypted domain. In order to decode the NUM number, we have to take the first character of the encrypted domain, take the reminder of its division by 36 , and subtract the NUM ‘s position in the string “0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz” : num = domain[0] % 36 – “0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz”.IndexOf(domain.Substring(15, 1)); The result is 1 . That means the decrypted domain will be the 2nd part of a full domain name. The first part must have its NUM decoded as 0. The COMPUTER_DOMAIN part of the encrypted domain is “2v02eu” . Once decoded, using the previously explained method, the decoded computer domain name becomes “on.ca” . String 2 Let’s decode the second passive DNS request from our list: r1qshoj05ji05ac6eoip02jovt6i2v0c.appsync-api.us-west-2.avsvmcloud.com Just as before, the decoded 8-byte user ID becomes: f9 a9 38 7f 7d 25 28 42 The NUM part of the encoded domain, located at the position #15 (starting from 0), is a character “6” . Let’s decode it, by taking the first character ( “r” = 114 ), take the reminder of its division by 36 ( 114 % 36 = 6 ), and subtracting the position of the character “6” in the “0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz” , which is 6 . The result is 0 . That means the decrypted domain will be the 1st part of the full domain name. The COMPUTER_DOMAIN part of the encrypted domain is “eoip02jovt6i2v0c” . Once decoded, it becomes “city.kingston.” Next, we need to match 2 decrypted domains by the user ID, which is f9 a9 38 7f 7d 25 28 42 in both cases, and concatenate the first and the second parts of the domain. The result will be “city.kingston.on.ca” . String 3 Here comes the most interesting part. Lets try to decrypt the string #3 from our list of passive DNS requests: lt5ai41qh5d53qoti3mkmc0.appsync-api.us-west-2.avsvmcloud.com The decoded user ID is not relevant, as the decoded NUM part is a number -29 . It’s neither 0 nor 1 , so what kind of domain name that is? If we ignore the NUM part and decode the domain name, using the old method, we will get “thx8xb” , which does not look like a valid domain name. Cases like that are not the noise, and are not some artificially encrypted artifacts that showed up among the DNS requests. This is a different type of DNS requests. Instead of encoding local domain names, these types of requests contain data. They are generated by the malware’s function GetNextStringEx() . The encryption method is different as well. Let’s decrypt this request. First, we can decode the encrypted domain, using the same base-64 method, as before . The string will be decoded into 14 bytes: 7c a5 4d 64 9b 21 c1 74 a6 59 e4 5c 7c 7f Let’s decode these bytes, starting from the 2nd byte, and using the first byte as a XOR key. We will get: 7c d9 31 18 e7 5d bd 08 da 25 98 20 00 03 In this array, the bytes marked in yellow are an 8-byte User ID, encoded with a XOR key that is selected from 2 bytes marked in red. Let’s decode User ID: for ( int i = 0 ; i < 8 ; i++) { bytes[i + 1 ] ^= bytes[ 11 - i % 2 ]; } The decoded byte array becomes: 7c f9 a9 38 7f 7d 25 28 42 25 98 20 00 03 The User ID part in marked in yellow. Does it look familiar? Indeed, it’s the same User ID we’ve seen before, when we decoded “city.kingston.on.ca” . The next 3 bytes marked in red are: 25 98 20 . 2 0x59820 The first number 2 stands for the size of data that follows – this data is 00 03 (selected in green). The number 0x59820 , or 366,624 in decimal, is a timestamp. It’s a number of 4-second periods of time since 1 January 2010. To obtain the real time stamp, we need to multiple it by 15 to get minutes, then add those minutes to 1 January 2010: var date = ( new DateTime( 2010 , 1 , 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , DateTimeKind.Utc)).AddMinutes(timestamp * 15 ); For the number 0x59820 , the time stamp becomes 16 July 2020 12:00:00 AM – that’s the day when the DNS request was made. The remaining 2 bytes, 00 03 , encrypt the state of 8 security products, to indicate whether each one of them is running or whether it is stopped. The 8 security products are: Windows Live OneCare / Windows Defender Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection Microsoft Defender for Identity Carbon Black CrowdStrike FireEye ESET F-Secure 2 states for 8 products require 2 * 8 = 16 bits = 2 bytes. The 2 bytes 00 03 in binary form are: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 11 Here, the least-significant bits 11 identify that the first product in the list, Windows Live OneCare / Windows Defender, is reported as ‘running’ ( 1 ) and as ‘stopped’ ( 1 ). Now we know that apart from the local domain, the trojanised SolarWinds software running on the same compromised host on “city.kingston.on.ca” domain has also reported the status of the Windows Defender software. What Does it Mean? As explained in the first part of our description, the malware is capable of stopping the services of security products, be manipulating registry service keys under Administrator account. It’s likely that the attackers are using DNS queries as a C2 channel to first understand what security products are present. Next, the same channel is used to instruct the malware to stop/deactivate these services, before the 2nd stage payload, TearDrop Backdoor, is deployed. Armed with this knowledge, let’s decode other passive DNS requests, printing the cases when the compromised host reports a running security software. NOTES: As a private case, if the data size field is 0 or 1 , the timestamp field is not followed with any data. Such type of DNS request is generated by the malware’s function GetNextString() . It is called ‘a ping’ in the listing below. If the first part of the domain name is missing, the recovered domain name is pre-pended with ‘*’ . The malware takes the time difference in minutes, then divides it by 30 and then converts the result from double type to int type; as a result of such conversion, the time stamps are truncated to the earliest half hour. 2D82B037C060515C SFBALLET Data: Windows Live OneCare / Windows Defender [running] 11/07/2020 12:00:00 AM Pings: 12/07/2020 12:30:00 AM 70DEE5C062CFEE53 ccscurriculum.c Data: ESET [running] 17/04/2020 4:00:00 PM Pings: 20/04/2020 5:00:00 PM AB902A323B541775 mountsinai.hospital Pings: 4/07/2020 12:30:00 AM 9ACC3A3067DC7FD5 *ripta.com Data: ESET [running] 12/09/2020 6:30:00 AM Pings: 13/09/2020 7:30:00 AM 14/09/2020 9:00:00 AM CB34C4EBCB12AF88 DPCITY.I7a Data: ESET [running] 26/06/2020 5:00:00 PM Pings: 27/06/2020 6:30:00 PM 28/06/2020 7:30:00 PM 29/06/2020 8:30:00 PM 29/06/2020 8:30:00 PM E5FAFE265E86088E *scroot.com Data: CrowdStrike [running] 25/07/2020 2:00:00 PM Pings: 26/07/2020 2:30:00 PM 26/07/2020 2:30:00 PM 27/07/2020 3:00:00 PM 27/07/2020 3:00:00 PM 426030B2ED480DED *kcpl.com Data: Windows Live OneCare / Windows Defender [running] 8/07/2020 12:00:00 AM Carbon Black [running] 8/07/2020 12:00:00 AM Full list of decoded pDNS requests can be found here . An example of a working implementation is available at this repo. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

  • AlgoSec AppViz Application visibility for AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer - AlgoSec

    AlgoSec AppViz Application visibility for AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer Download PDF Schedule time with one of our experts Schedule time with one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Continue

  • Media center | AlgoSec

    Visit Algosec's Media Center for the latest news, press releases, and media resources on network security and policy management solutions Media Center Press Releases AlgoSec Security Management Solution A33.20 removes network security change friction across hybrid and multi-cloud networks 1/22/26 Add paragraph text. Click “Edit Text” to update the font, size and more. To change and reuse text themes, go to Site Styles. AlgoSec’s Horizon Platform Fuels Company Growth and Global Application-Centric Security 9/9/25 Add paragraph text. Click “Edit Text” to update the font, size and more. To change and reuse text themes, go to Site Styles. AlgoSec Security Management solution A33.10 delivers new compliance reporting and precise discovery of application connectivity 5/20/25 Add paragraph text. Click “Edit Text” to update the font, size and more. To change and reuse text themes, go to Site Styles. Show all press releases In the News Minimize security risks with micro-segmentation December 20, 2023 The importance of IT compliance in the digital landscape December 20, 2023 Efficiently contain cyber risks December 20, 2023 Show all news Company Overview AlgoSec enables the world’s most complex organizations to gain visibility, reduce risk and process changes at zero-touch across the hybrid network. AlgoSec’s patented application-centric view of the hybrid network enables business owners, application owners, and information security professionals to talk the same language, so organizations can deliver business applications faster while achieving a heightened security posture. Read more Choose a better way to manage your network Customer Reviews We proudly enable business-driven network security policy management for the world's largest and most complex organizations. Learn why over 1,800 customers in 80 countries and across every industry vertical rely on AlgoSec to help them become more agile, more secure, and continuously compliant. Read more Media Contacts AlgoSec Tsippi Dach [email protected] Public Relations USA Megan Davis [email protected] +1 706-527-9536 Public Relations UK Jenni Livesly / Patrick Giffney [email protected] +44(0) 300 124 6100 Public Relations DACH Florian Stark / Carmen Ritter [email protected] +49(0) 89 211 871 66 AlgoSec Logo Download kit Choose a better way to manage your network Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Continue

  • Achieving application-driven security across your hybrid network

    Learn how to unify, consolidate, and automate your entire network security policy management across your Cisco and multi vendor estate Webinars Cisco & AlgoSec Achieving application-driven security across your hybrid network Your network extends into hybrid environments and may include private clouds running Cisco ACI, and on-premises devices. Managing network security policies in your multi-vendor estate is complex. Because your network is made up of multiple vendors and each part of your network estate is managed in its own silo, it is tough to get centralized management of your entire network. Making changes is a chore and validating security is difficult. Learn how to unify, consolidate, and automate your entire network security policy management across your Cisco and multi-vendor estate. In this session Roxana Diaz, Worldwide Technical Solutions Architect at Cisco, and Yonatan Klein, AlgoSec’s Director of Product, will discuss how to manage the Cisco and multi-cloud estate and how to: Capitalize on your Cisco ACI investment to take advantage of its full capabilities Bring centralized visibility, automation, and compliance monitoring into your Cisco and multi-vendor network ecosystem Get full visibility of your entire hybrid network estate, including items within the Cisco ACI security environment, as well as outside it, including Cisco firewalls and routers, as well as multi-vendor devices. Take advantage of Cisco Tetration Analytics and AlgoSec’s intelligent discovery to get a full picture of your network and application traffic and to design and provision a micro-segmentation network policy design. Unify, consolidate, and automate your network security policy management Proactively assess risk throughout your entire network, including Cisco ACI contracts, and recommend the necessary changes to eliminate misconfigurations and compliance violations June 10, 2020 Yonatan Klein irector of Product Management Roxana Diaz Worldwide Technical Solutions Architect at Cisco Relevant resources AlgoSec Joins Cisco’s Global Price List Keep Reading Migrating and Managing Security Policies in a Segmented Data Center Keep Reading AlgoSec Cisco ACI App Center Demo Watch Video Choose a better way to manage your network Choose a better way to manage your network Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Continue

  • Application Segmentation with Cisco Secure Workload and AlgoSec - AlgoSec

    Application Segmentation with Cisco Secure Workload and AlgoSec Download PDF Schedule time with one of our experts Schedule time with one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Continue

  • AlgoSec | Are VLANs secure? VLAN security best practices

    Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) Security Issues You’re in no doubt familiar with Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) technology and its... Information Security Are VLANs secure? VLAN security best practices Kevin Beaver 2 min read Kevin Beaver Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 9/23/14 Published Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) Security Issues You’re in no doubt familiar with Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) technology and its ability to segment traffic within your network. It’s one of those decades-old technologies that businesses have come to rely on to reduce costs, minimize network broadcast domains, and protect certain systems from others. It sounds good on paper but it’s rare to see a VLAN environment that’s truly configured in the right way in order to realize its intended benefits. For example, I’ve seen some networks segmented by physical switches rather than using logical VLANs configured within each managed switch. This means that anyone on the same physical switch/broadcast domain can see every host on that segment. And if they want to see all traffic, it’s often just a matter of using Cain & Abel’s ARP Poison Routing feature . This is not an effective way to manage network devices and there’s no way to prevent inadvertent connections to the wrong segment during network upgrades, troubleshooting, and the like. It becomes a jumbled mess that negates any perceived switching or VLAN benefits. Furthermore, many “virtual” networks allow anyone to hop between segments if they know the IP addressing scheme. For example, say a user is on the 10.10.10.x network and he wants to get onto the production network of 10.0.0.x. No problem… he just points his Web browser, his vulnerability scanner, or whatever to 10.0.0.x and he’s good to go. Worst case, he might have to configure his system with a static IP address on that network, but that’s simple enough to do. This configuration may be considered a “VLAN” that’s managing broadcast traffic but there are no real ACLs, firewall rules, or packet tagging to prevent unauthorized access by internal attackers, malware, and the like. The network is basically flat with no policies and little to no security between any of the network segments and systems. Another thing to remember is that many VLANs are used to partition networks into distinctive segments to separate business units and their unique data sets. Even if the technical aspects of the VLAN configuration are spot on, these environments are often defined at a very high level without involving the actual business unit managers or information owners, therefore there are often security gaps in the segmentation. This means that information specific to a business unit and believed to be isolated is often anything but – it may well be scattered across numerous other VLANs and network hosts within those segments. How does this happen? Convenience and mobility and general carelessness. Users copy information to places where they can work on it and end up copying it to systems outside of the intended VLAN domain or to different hosts on other VLANs. IT may even copy information for backup or test purposes. Either way, confidential information often ends up on unprotected “islands” that no one knows about until it’s too late. Network security based on VLAN technology can work if it’s done properly. And while it’s not perfect, it can add another layer of security to your environment, one that can make the difference between breach and no breach. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

  • Industry’s First Dynamic Analysis of 4 million Publicly Available Docker Hub Container Images - AlgoSec

    Industry’s First Dynamic Analysis of 4 million Publicly Available Docker Hub Container Images Download PDF Schedule time with one of our experts Schedule time with one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Continue

  • AlgoSec | Deploying NSPM to Implement a Gartner Analyst’s Work from Home Network Security Advice

    Recommendations from Rajpreet Kaur, Senior Principal Analyst at Gartner, in her recent blog on remote working, and a perspective on how... Security Policy Management Deploying NSPM to Implement a Gartner Analyst’s Work from Home Network Security Advice Jeffrey Starr 2 min read Jeffrey Starr Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 4/27/20 Published Recommendations from Rajpreet Kaur, Senior Principal Analyst at Gartner, in her recent blog on remote working, and a perspective on how Network Security Policy Management systems can help enterprises act upon this guidance The COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst for a global migration to remote home working. Managing and mitigating the network security risks this presents, on such an unprecedented scale and for a long period of time, poses a significant challenge even for companies that had remote access working plans in place before the pandemic. Not only are cybercriminals taking advantage of network insecurities to leverage attacks, they are also exploiting human anxiety around the crisis to break through security barriers. In fact, a recent survey found that 40 percent of companies reported seeing increased cyberattacks as they enable remote working. So how should organizations manage their security during these massive changes in network usage? In a recent blog , Rajpreet Kaur , Gartner Senior Principal Analyst, and a specialized expert on both hybrid environment network security and NSPM tools, offered recommendations to organizations on how to handle remote infrastructure security challenges, many of which closely align with a focus on network policy automation and application security. Here’s how network security policy management systems can support and enable Rajpreet Kaur’s key recommendations. 1. Don’t panic and start moving things to the cloud without a proper architectural design in place. Panicking and starting a large-scale move to the cloud without a proper plan in place can lead to poor security controls and ill-prepared migration. Before moving to the cloud, organizations must consider their network’s architectural design, which should always start with analysis. The analytical and discovery capabilities of NSPM systems automate this process by discovering and mapping network connectivity and providing a network map, which helps you to understand your network components, making migrations easier, faster and glitch-free. 2. Design a proper network security architecture and plan considering limited disruption and supporting work from home. Implementing these immediate and urgent network changes can only be done effectively and securely with robust change management processes. As with network analysis, NSPM automation capabilities are also vital in rapid change management. Security automation dramatically accelerates change processes, with request generation to implementation time drastically shortened and enables better enforcement and auditing for regulatory compliance. It also helps organizations overcome skill gaps and staffing limitations, which may have already been impacted by the current crisis. NSPM solutions enable full end-to-end change analysis and automation, including what if security checks, automation design, push of changes, and full documentation and audit trail. This ensures that changes can be implemented rapidly, and applied consistently and efficiently, with a full audit trail of every change. 3. Plan for what you need now, don’t try to implement a long-term strategic solution to fix your immediate needs. The current widespread move to home working is adding an extra layer of complexity to remote network security, since organizations are finding themselves having to implement new security policies and roll out adoption in a very short timeframe. Considering this, it’s important for organizations to focus on short-term needs, rather than attempting to develop a long-term strategic solution. Trying to develop a long-term solution in such a short window can be overwhelming and increase the risk of opening security vulnerabilities. Using NSPM speeds up the configuration and implementation process, allowing you to get your remote network security firewall policies up and running as soon as possible, with minimum disruption to your remote workforce. Once you have dealt with the critical immediate needs, you can then focus on developing a more long-term strategy. 4. Try to support your existing work from home employees by doing minimal changes to the existing architecture, like meeting throughput requirements and upgrading the equipment or restricting the access to a group of employees at times. Managing application connectivity and accessibility is key to ensuring minimal work disruption as employees move to remote working. An effective NSPM solution allows you to discover, identify and map business applications to ensure that they are safe and have the necessary connectivity flows. Having such a view of all the applications that are accessing the network allows security teams to map the workflow and provides visibility of the application’s required connectivity in order to minimise outages. 5. For any new network changes and upgrades, or new deployments, consider developing a work from home first strategy. Developing a work from home (WFH) strategy has never been more essential. The challenge is that WFH is a more vulnerable environment; employees are accessing sensitive data from a range of home devices, via outside networks, that may not have the same security controls. On top of this, cyber threats have already seen a sharp increase as cybercriminals exploit the widespread anxiety and vulnerabilities caused by the global crisis. IT security and networking staff are therefore having to do more, with the same staffing levels, whilst also navigating the challenges of doing this remotely from home. NSPM capabilities can help in overcoming these WFH issues. Security teams may, for example, need to change many Firewall rules to allow secure access to sensitive data. An effective NSPM solution can facilitate this and enable fast deployment by providing the ability to make changes to applications’ firewall openings from a single management interface. 6. Enhance security around public facing applications to protect against COVID-19 related cyber-attacks. With the move to remote working, organizations are increasingly relying on applications to carry out their work from home. Ensuring that business-critical applications stay available and secure while shifting to remote work is key to avoiding workflow disruption. It’s essential to take an application centric approach to application security, and an effective NSPM solution can help you to better manage and secure your business-critical applications . As discussed above, application visibility is key here. NSPM systems provides comprehensive application visibility, security operation teams can monitor critical applications for risks and vulnerabilities to ensure that they are safe. Gartner’s Rajpreet Kaur has delivered a good combination of practical and timely guidance along with the logical insights underlying the useful recommendations. These tips bring helpful guidance on the Work from Home security challenge that stands out for its clear relevance when there is now so much other noise out there. A robust NSPM can help you rapidly implement these invaluable recommendations. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

  • AlgoSec | How to Create a Zero Trust Network

    Organizations no longer keep their data in one centralized location. Users and assets responsible for processing data may be located... Zero Trust How to Create a Zero Trust Network Tsippi Dach 2 min read Tsippi Dach Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 2/12/24 Published Organizations no longer keep their data in one centralized location. Users and assets responsible for processing data may be located outside the network, and may share information with third-party vendors who are themselves removed from those external networks. The Zero Trust approach addresses this situation by treating every user, asset, and application as a potential attack vector whether it is authenticated or not. This means that everyone trying to access network resources will have to verify their identity, whether they are coming from inside the network or outside. What are the Zero Trust Principles and Concepts? The Zero Trust approach is made up of six core concepts that work together to mitigate network security risks and reduce the organization’s attack surface. 1. The principle of least privilege Under the Zero Trust model, network administrators do not provide users and assets with more network access than strictly necessary. Access to data is also revoked when it is no longer needed. This requires security teams to carefully manage user permissions , and to be able to manage permissions based on users’ identities or roles. The principle of least privilege secures the enterprise network ecosystem by limiting the amount of damage that can result from a single security failure. If an attacker compromises a user’s account, it won’t automatically gain access to a wide range of systems, tools, and workloads beyond what that account is provisioned for. This can also dramatically simplify the process of responding to security events, because no user or asset has access to assets beyond the scope of their work. 2. Continuous data monitoring and validation Zero trust policy assumes that there are attackers both inside and outside the network. To guarantee the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of network assets, it must continuously evaluate users and assets on the network. User identity and privileges must be checked periodically along with device identity and security. Organizations accomplish this in a variety of ways. Connection and login time-outs are one way to ensure periodic monitoring and validation since it requires users to re-authenticate even if they haven’t done anything suspicious. This helps protect against the risk of threat actors using credential-based attacks to impersonate authenticated users, as well as a variety of other attacks. 3. Device access control Organizations undergoing the Zero Trust journey must carefully manage and control the way users interact with endpoint devices. Zero Trust relies on verifying and authenticating user identities separately from the devices they use. For example, Zero Trust security tools must be able to distinguish between two different individuals using the same endpoint device. This approach requires fundamental changes to the way certain security tools work. For example, firewalls that allow or deny access to network assets based purely on IP address and port information aren’t sufficient. Most end users have more than one device at their disposal, and it’s common for mobile devices to change IP addresses. As a result, the cybersecurity tech stack needs to be able to grant and revoke permissions based on the user’s actual identity or role. 4. Network micro segmentation Network segmentation is a good security practice even outside the Zero Trust framework, but it takes on special significance when threats can come from inside and outside the network. Microsegmentation takes this one step further by breaking regular network segments down into small zones with their own sets of permissions and authorizations. These microsegments can be as small as a single asset, and an enterprise data center may have dozens of separately secured zones like these. Any user or asset with permission to access one zone will not necessarily have access to any of the others. Microsegmentation improves security resilience by making it harder for attackers to move between zones. 5. Detecting lateral movement Lateral movement is when threat actors move from one zone to another in the network. One of the benefits of micro segmentation is that threat actors must interact with security tools in order to move between different zones on the network. Even if the attackers are successful, their activities generate logs and audit trails that analysts can follow when investigating security incidents. Zero Trust architecture is designed to contain attackers and make it harder for them to move laterally through networks. When an attack is detected, the compromised asset can be quarantined from the rest of the network. Assets can be as small as individual devices or user accounts, or as large as entire network segments. The more granular your security architecture is, the more choices you have for detecting and preventing lateral movement on the network. 6. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) Passwords are a major problem for traditional security models, because most security tools automatically extend trust to anyone who knows the password. Once a malicious actor learns a privileged user’s login credentials, they can bypass most security checks by impersonating that user. Multi-factor authentication solves that problem by requiring users to provide more information. Knowing a password isn’t enough – users must authenticate by proving their identity in another way. These additional authentication factors can come in the form of biometrics, challenge/response protocols, or hardware-based verifications. How To Implement a Zero Trust Network 1. Map Out Your Attack Surface There is no one-size-fits-all solution for designing and implementing Zero Trust architecture. You must carefully define your organization’s attack surface and implement solutions that protect your most valuable assets. This will require a variety of tools, including firewalls, user access controls, permissions, and encryption. You will need to segment your network into individual zones and use microsegmentation to secure high-value and high-volume zones separately. Pay close attention to how your organization secures its most important assets and connections: Sensitive data . This might include customer and employee data, proprietary information, and intellectual property that you can’t allow threat actors to gain access to. It should benefit from the highest degree of security. Critical applications. These applications play a central role in your organization’s business processes, and must be protected against the risk of disruption. Many of them process sensitive data and must benefit from the same degree of security. Physical assets. This includes everything from customer-facing kiosks to hardware servers located in a data center. Access control is vital for preventing malicious actors from interacting with physical assets. Third-party services. Your organization relies on a network of partners and service providers, many of whom need privileged access to your data. Your Zero Trust policy must include safeguards against attacks that compromise third-party partners in your supply chain. 2. Implement Zero Trust Controls using Network Security Tools The next step in your Zero Trust journey is the implementation of security tools that allow you collect, analyze, and respond to user behaviors on your network. This may require the adjustment of your existing security tech stack, and the addition of new tools designed for Zero Trust use cases. Firewalls must be able to capture connection data beyond the traditional IP, port, and protocol data that most simple solutions rely on. The Zero Trust approach requires inspecting the identities of users and assets that connect with network assets, which requires more advanced firewall technology. This is possible with next generation firewall (NGFW) technology. VPNs may need to be reconfigured or replaced because they do not typically enforce the principle of least privilege. Usually, VPNs grant users access to the entire connected network – not just one small portion of it. In most cases, organizations pursuing Zero Trust stop using VPNs altogether because they no longer provide meaningful security benefits. Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) provides secure access to network resources while concealing network infrastructure and services. It is similar to a software-defined perimeter that dynamically responds to network changes and grants flexibility to security policies. ZTNA works by establishing one-to-one encrypted connections between network assets, making imprecise VPNs largely redundant. 3. Configure for Identity and Access Management Identity-based monitoring is one of the cornerstones of the Zero Trust approach. In order to accurately grant and revoke permissions to users and assets on the network, you must have some visibility into the identities behind the devices being used. Zero Trust networks verify user identities in a variety of ways. Some next-generation firewalls can distinguish between user traffic, device traffic, application traffic, and content. This allows the firewall to assign application sessions to individual users and devices, and inspect the data being transmitted between individuals on networks. In practice, this might mean configuring a firewall to compare outgoing content traffic with an encrypted list of login credentials. If a user accidentally logs onto a spoofed phishing website and enters their login credentials, the firewall can catch the data before it is transferred off the network. This would not be possible without the ability to distinguish between different types of traffic using next-generation firewall technology. Multi-factor authentication is also vital to identity and access management. A Zero Trust network should not automatically authenticate a user who presents the correct username and password combination to access a secure account. This does not prove the identity of the individual who owns the account – it only proves that the individual knows the username and password. Additional verification factors make it more likely that this person is, in fact, the owner of the account. 4. Create a Zero Trust Policy for Your IT Environment The process of implementing Zero Trust policies in cloud-native environments can be complex. Every third-party vendor and service provider has a role to play in establishing and maintaining Zero Trust. This often puts significant technical demands on third-party partners, which may require organizations to change their existing agreements. If a third-party partner cannot support Zero Trust, they can’t be allowed onto the network. The same is true for on-premises and data center environments, but with added emphasis on physical security and access control. Security leaders need to know who has physical access to servers and similar assets so they can conduct investigations into security incidents properly. Data centers need to implement strict controls on who interacts with protected equipment and how their access is supervised. How to Operationalize Zero Trust Your Zero Trust implementation will not automatically translate to an operational security context that you can immediately use. You will need to adopt security operations that reflect the Zero Trust strategy and launch adaptive security measures that address vulnerabilities in real-time. Gain visibility into your network. Your network perimeter is no longer strictly defined by its hardware. It consists of cloud resources, automated workflows, operating systems, and more. You won’t be able to enforce Zero Trust without gaining visibility into every aspect of your network environment. Monitor network infrastructure and traffic. Your security team will need to monitor and respond to access requests coming from inside and outside your network. This can lead to significant bottlenecks if your team is not equipped with solutions for automatically managing network traffic and access. Streamline detection and response. Zero Trust networks mitigate the risks of cyberattacks, malware, ransomware, and other potential threats, but it’s still up to individual security analysts to detect and investigate security incidents. The volume of data analysts must inspect may increase significantly, so you should be prepared to mitigate the issue of alert fatigue. Automate Endpoint Security. Consider implementing an automated Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solution that can identify malicious behaviors on network devices and address them in real-time. Implement Zero Trust With AlgoSec AlgoSec is a global cybersecurity leader that provides secure application connectivity and policy management through a unified platform. It aligns with Zero Trust principles to provide comprehensive traffic flow analysis and optimization while automated policy changes and eliminating the risk of compliance violations. Security leaders rely on AlgoSec to implement and operationalize Zero Trust deployments while proactively managing complex security policies . AlgoSec can help you establish a Zero Trust network quickly and efficiently, providing visibility and change management capabilities to your entire security tech stack and enabling security personnel to address misconfiguration risks in real-time. Book a demo now to find out how AlgoSec can help you adopt Zero Trust security and prevent attackers from infiltrating your organization. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

  • AlgoSec | Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture (CSMA) Explained

    Technology is advancing rapidly – which is good – but it also exposes your organization to new security threats that can jeopardize... Cloud Security Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture (CSMA) Explained Rony Moshkovich 2 min read Rony Moshkovich Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 8/14/23 Published Technology is advancing rapidly – which is good – but it also exposes your organization to new security threats that can jeopardize sensitive information. For instance, there’s a good chance your organization has moved to multi-cloud computing environments and you’re also considering (or have adopted) the Internet of Things (IoT). In addition, remote work and bring your own device (BYOD) policies have become quite popular. All these changes mean one thing – attackers are constantly finding new ways of exploiting your defenses. To adapt, your organization must respond with equally innovative ways to strengthen your security posture. This is where Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture (CSMA) comes in. Implementing CSMA allows organizations to fortify their security infrastructure and create resilient defense mechanisms against modern threats. That’s why we’ll discuss everything about Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture. We’ll also cover actionable tips to implement CSMA. What is Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture? Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture (CSMA) is a security concept proposed by Gartner. It is described by Garner as “a composable and scalable approach to extending security controls, even to widely distributed assets.” What this means is that CSMA solves the problem of security silos. For example, many organizations use a security system of multiple integrated security solutions. This increases overhead costs, makes the entire security architecture complex to manage, and then it becomes difficult to monitor cybersecurity risks. This is why CSMA is a “composable” approach that provides a flexible and collaborative security ecosystem to secure a modern, distributed enterprise. So, instead of having security tools and controls running independently, a cybersecurity mesh allows them to interoperate through multiple supportive layers like consolidated policy management, centralized security intelligence & governance, analytics & enforcement, and a common identity fabric. As such, a centralized, decentralized security approach is a suitable name for cybersecurity mesh. How Does CSMA Work? The traditional approach to security deployments is complex. For example, every large organization has an average of 47 different cybersecurity tools within its environments. That means more resources and more effort from security teams managing integrations. On the other hand, CSMA makes security more cohesive and collaborative. This means your organization no longer needs as many resources to fortify its security. But to achieve this, CSMA has four foundational layers: Security Analytics & Intelligence This layer collects and analyzes data from security tools to provide threat analysis and trigger incident responses in your organization. Since CSMA offers centralized administration, vast data sets can be collected, aggregated, and analyzed from a central place. This is particularly possible with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) software that offers real-time threat analytics and automated event alerts. Distributed Identity Fabric This layer includes identity capabilities like identity proofing, user entitlement management, and adaptive access. It provides the security framework with decentralized directory services crucial to implementing a zero-trust model. Consolidated Policy & Posture Management This layer translates a central policy into configurations and rules for each environment or tool. Alternatively, it can provide dynamic runtime authorization services. Hence, IT teams can quickly identify compliance risks and any misconfiguration concerns. Consolidated Dashboards When disconnected security tools are integrated, your security teams would often need to switch between multiple dashboards, which can slow down operations. However, with this layer, they can have a single-pane dashboard that provides a comprehensive ecosystem view. This makes it easier to respond quicker and more effectively to security events. Benefits of Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture (CSMA) – Why Should You Implement it? Cybersecurity mesh architecture promises many beneficial outcomes for your security architecture. This includes improved threat detection, more efficient incident response, a consistent security policy, and adaptive access control systems. Let’s discuss the benefits of cybersecurity mesh. These benefits also highlight why you should consider implementing it. More Flexibility and Scalability Cybersecurity mesh architecture solutions are designed to offer a more flexible and scalable security response to increased digitization. This enables your organization’s security team to keep pace with the evolving distributed IT infrastructure. Improved Collaboration Part of CSMA’s goals is to improve collaboration and interoperability between your organization’s security solutions. This improves your organization’s threat detection, incident response, and prevention. Consistent Security Architecture With CSMA, your organization has more consistent security through tool connections. This is because the approach allows for security to be extended as needed. So, you’ll have consistent and uniform protection of constantly evolving and growing infrastructure. Increased Effectiveness and Efficiency Cybersecurity mesh seamlessly integrates your organization’s security architecture, removing the need for security personnel to always switch between multiple tools. As you’d expect, this improves the configuration, utilization, and deployment. Your security teams will become more efficient and can redirect time and resources to other essential security tasks. Supports Identity and Access Management (IAM) CSMA supports the deployment and efficacy of identity and access management controls. This is particularly important if your organization has distributed assets that must be properly protected and seek a more robust and reliable method of securing your access points beyond the conventional security perimeters. CSMA empowers your organization to address these challenges, providing advanced capabilities to ensure the integrity and reliability of your security infrastructure. Simplified Implementation Cybersecurity mesh presents a well-suited approach to simplifying security measures’ design, deployment, and maintenance. CSMA establishes a foundational framework for the efficient deployment and configuration of new security solutions. Plus, this architecture’s inherent flexibility and adaptability allow it to evolve and align with evolving business and security requirements dynamically. How to Implement Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture: Best Practices and Considerations Gartner’s cybersecurity mesh architecture concept is an emerging approach to organization security. This means specifications, requirements, and standards for implementation are still evolving. Nonetheless, there are a few considerations and best practices that your organizations can take on board. Organizations that start now are bound to reap the benefits as technology evolves and more threats continue to emerge. Here are some best practices for implementing cybersecurity mesh: 1. Evaluate vendor tools and their compatibility with CSMA Thinking of CSMA implementation? Then it’s essential first to thoroughly evaluate the available vendor tools. You must assess their features, capabilities, and, most importantly, their compatibility with the unique requirements of your CSMA deployment. Carefully selecting tools that work as part of a larger security framework rather than an independent silo will help. This is why it’s recommended to select vendors with an excellent track record of updating their systems to the latest security standards. 2. Security team readiness and training for CSMA adoption Like it or not, the success of your CSMA implementation depends heavily on how prepared your security team is. Are they ready for the change? It’s important to provide the necessary training that allows each member and the entire team to understand the intricacies of CSMA, including how it will work in your organization. 3. Conduct an Asset Protection Inventory Part of the considerations for your CSMA implementation should include conducting a comprehensive inventory of your organization’s assets. Here, you’ll identify and categorize the critical systems, data, and resources that require protection. Doing this will help you understand the areas where CSMA must be prioritized. It further allows you to allocate resources effectively and maximize security coverage across the organization. 4. Consider Costs Every digital transformation has its costs, especially when you must redesign your organization’s entire architecture or infrastructure. So, it’s important to consider the immediate costs and temporary downtime you may encounter. However, if you like looking at the long term, then implementing cybersecurity mesh outweighs the initial costs. 5. Evaluate Organization Appetite for the Transformation Before embarking on the journey of implementing CSMA, it is imperative to evaluate your organization’s appetite for transformation. What does this mean? Assess the level of commitment, resources, and support available to drive the implementation process effectively. Understanding the organizational readiness and obtaining buy-in from key stakeholders will significantly contribute to the success of your CSMA deployment. 6. Leverage Access Control Measures Use access control measures, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and Zero Trust Network Access, with appropriate audit procedures for each access request. This allows you to control access to data, ensuring only authorized users have access to your organization’s assets. It also helps you monitor each access request independently to dig out malicious activity. 7. Set KPIs and Track Them Just like any endeavor, it’s important to establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) from the onset. It is the only way to know the CSMA you’ve implemented actually works and delivers the intended results. Your organization must identify and track the metrics essential to your overall business objectives. However, keep in mind that KPIs might have different levels. The KPIs your security teams will track typically differ from what the CISO reports at the board level. While security teams evaluate your overall cybersecurity resiliency, the CISO examines how the CSMA strategy impacts business outcomes. Conclusion According to Gartner, organizations that have successfully implemented a cybersecurity mesh architecture by 2024 will reduce the financial impact of individual security incidents by 90 percent ! So, what are you waiting for? As technology continues to evolve, so will new threats. And malicious actors are constantly finding loopholes around the traditional approach to security. Ready to make the change? Prevasio is your trusted partner for consolidated security across your cloud environments. Speak to us now to learn how we can help you. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

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