Integration is key to effective security for connected threat

By: Rajat Mohanty, CEO & Co-Founder, Paladion Networks

In simpler times, information security that ensured that business technologies and information assets were protected was enough to mitigate your organization's operational risk. However, just over the past 5 years or so, there has been a shift in responsibility. You're now required to establish and implement policies related to security, oversee compliance of regulations, ensure privacy of data, supervise identification and access to management and conduct electronic discovery of threats, amongst other duties.

The Problem

Your budget seems to be scaling down while the traditional threats have matured and are unleashed via sophisticated attacks. There's no sign of relief as your organization's chances of being a victim are directly proportional to the introduction of new technology, for instance cloud services and mobile devices. To keep up with the growing difficulties, you've obviously covered all your bases. Your organization would have in place a range of top-of-the-line, vital solutions for security purposes. Nevertheless, a simple flaw such as lack of integration can be extremely damaging.

Modules of Defense

Essentially, when dealing with security threats, your defense should consolidate the following factors:

Avoidance: Exposure to potential threats should be keenly assessed and proactive protection of servers, applications and endpoints should be established.

Discovery: Advance malware that is neither detected nor blocked with the help of avoidance should be immediately spotted.

Analysis: Risks should be determined and the threat's impact should be surveyed.

Response: Updates should be delivered, thereby preventing any attacks in the future.

Regrettably, most organization's security platforms lack integration amongst these four areas. Thereby providing security threats a means to slip through the cracks to potentially: crash hard drives, lose client data and render destruction within the corporate network.

Defense in Action

Consider a situation where one of your employees receives a harmless email. The email has an attachment which contains some type of unconventional spyware. It should be cut off by your defense at "avoidance" on account of: vulnerability shielding, signature-based detection or app whitelisting. Let's assume the malware was able to bypass traditional prevention techniques. Your "discovery" module should be able to identify any advanced form of malware that has been designed to remain undetected while extracting your organization's sensitive data.

Detection shouldn't be the end to this issue. The threat should be assessed through endpoint sensors which will help you determine if the malware has spread anywhere else, so you can rein it in. If you were to neglect "analysis", the spyware could be left somewhere hidden within your system. Determining a correlation through the intelligence you have collected should be your next step. You should identify a list of actionable intelligence items to be shared with all modules of your defense to improve upon your fortification against future hazards.

Once analysis has been done and dusted, your “response” module should take center stage. Create an update or a signature to be distributed. When your gateway security will encounter this thread again, it should be automatically blocked; putting an end to any multiplication of the risk. It is best to couple your response with an automated scan and removal of malware to clear any damage done and additionally help with productivity amongst users.

Tying It Together

It is important to understand that with the current landscape of security threats, the stakes are increasingly high for an organization's safety. It is best to have a defense covering all four modules while integrating their functionality. Furthermore, an optimum situation is one where you are able to control your measures from a centralized location. This provides support for making daily security tasks and threat investigations clear cut and simple. It is crucial because anything new that has been learned is shared with the system - helpful in blocking out the threat if it makes a return. If you're looking to effectively secure your business from connected threats, an integrated approach is your way to go.