Category: Product Review

The demand for governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) professionals is on the rise due to increasing regulatory requirements, the constantly evolving cybersecurity landscape, and the significant financial and reputational risks associated with non-compliance or security breaches. To safeguard their assets, maintain legal and regulatory compliance, and mitigate operational, financial, and reputational risks, organizations must establish robust governance, risk, and compliance strategies and employ certified professionals.

The ISC2 Certified in Governance, Risk, and Compliance (CGRC) certification is a comprehensive program specifically designed to empower IT and information security practitioners in effectively managing risk and ensuring the security of information systems. In this in-depth review, we explore the distinctive features, benefits, and the process of acquiring this valuable credential.

Which part of the compliance process is the most challenging?

The top challenge faced by organizations in maintaining compliance is the lack of staff expertise and knowledge (55%). Organizations struggle to find qualified personnel who can effectively manage and ensure compliance in cloud environments.

THE VALUE OF GOVERNANCE, RISK, AND COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATION

The CGRC is a vendor-neutral cybersecurity credential designed to certify that CGRC professionals possess the expertise to integrate governance, risk management, and regulatory compliance within an organization. By aligning IT goals with organizational objectives, CGRC professionals effectively manage cyber risks and achieve regulatory needs. They also use frameworks to integrate security and privacy with an organization’s overall objectives, enabling stakeholders to make informed decisions regarding data security and privacy risks.

“The CGRC not only helps to explain how the federal government operates but lays the foundation for how you work and what to expect in the way of security and privacy controls and countermeasures.” – Larry Wlosinski, Senior Associate at Veris Group

KEY FEATURES AND DIFFERENTIATORS OF CGRC CERTIFICATION

  • Vendor-Neutral Certification: The CGRC certification ensures that professionals have advanced technical security skills and knowledge, applicable across various technologies and methodologies, to authorize and maintain information systems.
  • Accreditation and Recognition: The CGRC certification is ANAB/ANSI and IAS for the ISO/IEC Standard 17024.
  • DoD-Approved: CGRC-certified professionals are listed in two categories under the DoD 8570.01 mandate: IAM Level I and IAM Level II. The certification is the only one under the DoD 8571 mandate that aligns with each RMF step.
  • Continuing Professional Education: CGRC-certified professionals must participate in continuing professional education to stay current on emerging threats, technologies, regulations, standards, and practices.

To qualify for the CGRC certification, participants must pass the exam and have at least two years of cumulative, paid work experience in one or more of the seven domains of the ISC2 CGRC Common Body of Knowledge (CBK®). By obtaining the CGRC certification, professionals can demonstrate their commitment to upholding the highest standards in governance, risk, and compliance, making them invaluable assets in the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.

PATH TO CERTIFICATION

Professionals are encouraged to navigate their journey towards CGRC certification in a way that best suits their unique learning styles and experiences.

BECOMING AN ISC2 CANDIDATE: Joining ISC2 as a candidate is an excellent starting point in the pursuit of the CGRC certification. Candidates can access numerous
benefits enjoyed by certified members, including a 20% discount on training and 30-50% off textbooks, to aid their progress.

OBTAINING THE REQUIRED EXPERIENCE: To qualify for the CGRC certification, participants must pass the exam and have at least two years of cumulative, paid work experience in one or more of the seven domains of the ISC2 CGRC Common Body of Knowledge (CBK®).

The domains are:
• Information Security Risk Management Program
• Scope of the Information System
• Selection and Approval of Security and Privacy Controls
• Implementation of Security and Privacy Controls
• Assessment/Audit of Security and Privacy Controls
• Authorization/Approval of Information System
• Continuous Monitoring

STUDYING FOR THE EXAM: Various self-study resources are provided by ISC2, the creator and custodian of the CGRC CBK, to help participants prepare confidently for the exam. While some candidates prefer to pass the exam through self-study, others opt to attend an Official ISC2 Training to review and reinforce their knowledge before attempting the exam.

PASSING THE EXAM: The CGRC exam consists of 125 items and must be completed within a maximum of three hours. Candidates can schedule their exams by creating an account with Pearson VUE, a leading provider of global, computerbased testing for certification and licensure exams.

GETTING ENDORSED: Once participants pass the exam, they have nine months from the exam date to complete the ISC2 endorsement process. This step is crucial in ensuring the integrity and value of the CGRC certification.

EARNING CPE CREDITS: Upon certification, professionals become ISC2 members and are required to recertify every three years. Recertification is achieved by earning
Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits and paying an Annual Maintenance Fee (AMF) to support ongoing development.

FLEXIBLE TRAINING FORMATS

ISC2 offers various training options to cater to individual learning styles. These include online instructor-led training and classroom-based training. By offering flexibility in training formats, ISC2 ensures that professionals can engage in a learning experience best suited to their needs. Once professionals pass the exam and become ISC2 members, they must recertify every three years by earning 60 CPE credits and paying a $125 AMF. Numerous opportunities exist for earning free CPEs, such as attending webinars, participating in think tanks and security briefings, and volunteering.

When you join as a candidate, you can enjoy member benefits before obtaining certification. As a candidate, there is a $50 AMF, but the first year is free.

BENEFITS OF CGRC CERTIFICATION

The CGRC certification offers numerous benefits to professionals in the cybersecurity field, ranging from career advancement to a stronger skill set. This section delves into the key advantages of obtaining the CGRC certification and the exclusive resources available to certified professionals.

Career Opportunities and Advancement: CGRC certification raises a professional’s visibility and credibility, opening doors to new career opportunities and helping them stand out in the competitive cybersecurity landscape.

Versatile Skills: The vendor-neutral nature of the CGRC certification enables professionals to apply their skills across various technologies and methodologies, making them valuable assets to organizations across industries.

Credibility: By obtaining the CGRC certification, professionals demonstrate their solid foundation in mitigating and responding to cyberthreats, thereby establishing trust and confidence in their abilities.

Solid Foundation for Protection: Certified professionals are better prepared to counter cyberattacks and contribute to a safe and secure cyber world, thanks to the comprehensive knowledge acquired through the CGRC certification process, standards, and practices.

Membership in a Strong Peer Network: Becoming an ISC2 member unlocks exclusive
resources, educational tools, and peer-to-peer networking opportunities, facilitating continuous professional development and collaboration.

Higher Compensation: CGRC-certified professionals can expect higher salaries, with Certification Magazine’s annual survey reporting an average salary of $118,980 in the U.S. and $114,150 globally in 2023.

Expanded Knowledge: The CGRC certification provides professionals with a deeper, broader understanding of the cybersecurity Common Body of Knowledge (CBK®), helping them excel in their roles and stay ahead in the ever-evolving field.

Stronger Skill Set: CGRC certification equips professionals with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively fulfill their organizational duties and tackle the diverse challenges in cybersecurity.

In the words of Brian Braxton, an Information Security Risk Management Lead from Rockville, MD, “CGRC is a great certification to earn and have on your resume. It shows you understand what is required to secure IT systems. Also, understanding the Risk Management Framework will help you during the interview process.”

After earning the CGRC certification and becoming an ISC2 member, professionals gain access to a full suite of benefits and resources for continuing education and development.

These include free online ISC2 Professional Development courses, discounts on CBK
books, Wiley publications, and ISC2 events, free access to webinars and pre-recorded webcasts, invitations to join or start local ISC2 chapters, volunteer opportunities, and professional recognition through ISC2 Global Achievement Awards.

Through these resources, CGRC-certified professionals can further develop their skills, expand their knowledge, and stay connected with the global cybersecurity community.

CONCLUSION

The ISC2 CGRC certification is a comprehensive and valuable credential for IT, information security, and cybersecurity professionals who aim to excel in the field of governance, risk, and compliance. By obtaining this certification, professionals can demonstrate their expertise in managing risk and authorizing information systems, while staying ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.

The CGRC certification provides opportunities for career advancement, skill development, and higher compensation, making it an excellent choice for professionals seeking to advance their careers in the GRC field.

ABOUT ISC2

ISC2 is an international nonprofit membership association focused on inspiring a safe and secure cyber world. Best known for the acclaimed Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP®) certification, ISC2 offers a portfolio of credentials that are part of a holistic, pragmatic approach to security. Our association of candidates, associates and members, nearly 365,000 strong, is made up of certified cyber, information, software and infrastructure security professionals who are making a difference and helping to advance the industry. Our vision is supported by our commitment to educate and reach the general public through our charitable foundation – The Center for Cyber Safety and Education™.

 

The post PRODUCT REVIEW: ISC2 CGRC Certification appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

Security Operations Centers (SOCs) are the heart of cybersecurity, but managing the endless stream of alerts, conducting in-depth investigations, and timely response to incidents are challenges that overwhelm even the most robust SOCs.

The core of this problem is the human bottleneck – it is simply impossible to hire enough cybersecurity analysts to manage all the manual work required to investigate and respond to alerts coming from a multitude of security point products. It’s an industry-wide problem that’s become increasingly clear as security products find more and more threats, but SOCs are inundated with alerts they can’t handle and respond to fast enough.

In a recent interview, Orion Cassetto, Head of Marketing at Radiant Security, outlined an innovative solution that leverages AI to break through these barriers, streamlining operations and ushering in a new era of SOC automation.

AI Co-pilot – Intelligent SOC Automation

Enter Radiant Security’s AI-powered SOC Co-pilot. This sophisticated platform integrates AI into SOC workflows, achieving three crucial outcomes: vastly increased productivity, uncovering missed threats, and significantly faster response times.

Radiant’s AI Co-pilot essentially automates the entire process of security triage and investigation. It conducts an in-depth analysis of every alert and generates a custom response plan for each incident. Analysts can then decide how to respond based on three levels of automation, depending on the organizations’ situation and preferences: (1) manual with step-by-step instructions for the analyst, (2) interactive to automate steps, or (3) fully automated.

The Secret Sauce: AI’s Role

The power of AI Co-pilot comes from the sophisticated AI engine, trained on a rich dataset including inputs like the MITRE attack framework, customer data, and the systems’ output. This enables a dynamic Q&A process that replicates and automates the inquiry and deduction sequence a security analyst would typically perform manually.

But how does it compare with human analysts?

The system’s accuracy consistently reaches the high 90% range, a level of precision that surpasses most analysts. This exceptional performance highlights its superiority to human judgment, not only in terms of accuracy but also in capacity. While human analysts are limited by time constraints and cannot always conduct in-depth investigations for every alert, the system’s automation allows for thorough and detailed analysis every single time, 24×7. In this way, the system offers not only higher accuracy but also greater depth of investigation, making it a truly advanced solution.

“We take a use case-based approach to building this and training our AI. Over time we get better and better with each use case, and we cover more and more use cases so that the analysts can delegate the groundwork to the AI Copilot and focus on working on more important things,” explains Orion. “And that makes the SOC more capable of defending itself and preventing breaches.”

Unleashing the Power of AI in SOC

The Radiant Security SOC Co-pilot boosts analyst productivity through unlimited in-depth investigation, rapid response, and intelligent automation:

  • Automated Triage & Investigation: By using AI, Radiant can manage time-consuming tasks, ensuring no attacks slip through the cracks.
  • Detecting Real Attacks: Radiant deepens investigations to uncover real incidents, understand their root cause, and track attacks wherever they go.
  • Responding Rapidly: With intelligent automation, Radiant can create a response plan, automate or manually perform corrective actions, and allow one-click remediation.
  • Empowering Junior Analysts: Radiant acts as a co-pilot to enable entry-level analysts to become valuable contributors by automating triage, investigation, and offering step-by-step guidance.

“Our AI Copilot is not just a product; it’s a commitment to transforming SOC management. By automating the triage and investigation process, we are empowering SOCs to respond more efficiently and effectively,” adds Cassetto.

Radiant Security’s AI-powered SOC Co-pilot represents a significant leap in SOC management. Through intelligent automation, it directly targets and alleviates critical challenges, offering an efficient and robust solution to the ever-increasing complexities of cybersecurity.

The post AI-Powered SOC Automation: A New Era in Security Operations appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

In an era where digital transformation accelerates and cyber threats proliferate rapidly, the role of effective threat modeling in software development is becoming more critical. Traditional methods of threat modeling often fall short, as they are often labor-intensive, inconsistent, and challenging to scale across large or dynamic application portfolios. Recognizing this gap, IriusRisk set out to redefine the threat modeling landscape, pioneering an automated threat modeling solution that enables organizations to put secure design directly in the hands of the engineers building the software.

Understanding Threat Modeling

Threat modeling, a proactive approach to identifying, managing, and mitigating potential security threats at design time, plays a crucial role in the cybersecurity lifecycle of applications. It involves predicting attacker behavior, identifying potential security vulnerabilities in a system, and defining effective countermeasures. From sophisticated cyber-attacks to simple configuration errors, threat modeling seeks to preemptively address a broad range of potential threats to applications.

The Traditional Approach to Threat Modeling

Traditionally, threat modeling has been a manual, expertise-heavy process. Techniques like STRIDE, PASTA, or Trike have been used to predict threat scenarios. However, these methods often require significant investment in skilled talent, are time-consuming, and can lead to inconsistencies in the threat model output. This manual process struggles to scale with the increasing complexity of application portfolios and the speed of modern development cycles, creating a pressing need for a more efficient solution.

Enter IriusRisk: Revolutionizing Threat Modeling

This is where IriusRisk enters the scene. IriusRisk’s platform is designed to overcome the shortcomings of manual threat modeling. It combines an inference based rules engine with a knowledge base of security design patterns and countermeasures. As IriusRisk Co-Founder and CEO, Stephen de Vries puts it, “Our engine uses rules to identify architectural patterns, and then applies the corresponding risk patterns to very quickly produce a repeatable and consistent threat model of a given diagram.”

The Mechanics of IriusRisk’s Threat Modeling Platform

The IriusRisk platform embraces a design-first approach, starting with the ingestion of an application’s design, which can be manually added or imported from various architectural design tools such as Visio, Terraform or Lucid Charts. Once the design is ingested, the platform’s rule-based engine applies a set of predefined rules corresponding to various components and data flows within the system. Based on this, a comprehensive threat model is automatically generated, detailing potential security threats and suggesting appropriate countermeasures, tailored to the system’s unique design and the organization’s requirements for security.

IriusRisk and DevSecOps: A Seamless Integration

Integration into DevSecOps practices is a critical aspect of the IriusRisk platform. The platform aligns threat modeling with the software development lifecycle (SDLC), enabling developers to identify and rectify potential threats early in the development process. Moreover, it can be seamlessly incorporated into Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines and interacts efficiently with other development and security tools, thereby reinforcing a proactive and holistic security culture.

IriusRisk’s innovation hasn’t gone unnoticed by industry experts. The platform has received high praise for its approach to automated threat modeling, its ability to scale, and its seamless integration into modern development workflows.

Six Essential Best Practices for Threat Modeling

Below are six best practices that will fortify your threat modeling process and enable a robust, resilient application security posture.

  1. Embrace Automation: Leverage automation to streamline and standardize threat modeling. It minimizes human error, saves time, and optimizes resource allocation, facilitating consistent security practices across projects.
  2. Embed Security in the Development Lifecycle: Incorporate threat modeling into the early stages of the software development lifecycle. This approach ensures potential security threats are identified and addressed from the get-go, significantly reducing the cost and effort of mitigating them later.
  3. Continuous Update and Review: Just as software development is an iterative process, so too should be threat modeling. Review and update your models regularly, particularly when significant changes are made to the system, to ensure continuous security coverage.
  4. Empower Developers with Security Knowledge: Providing developers with the tools and knowledge to identify and mitigate security threats fosters a proactive security culture and reduces the burden on security teams.
  5. Prioritize Threats Based on Real-world Impact: All threats are not created equal. Prioritize identified threats based on their potential impact and the likelihood of exploitation to allocate resources effectively.
  6. Use Standardized Frameworks and Libraries: Adopting standardized frameworks and libraries such as STRIDE, PASTA or VAST offers a structured approach to identifying, classifying, and addressing threats. These frameworks have been tested and refined by the cybersecurity community and are regularly updated to address evolving threats. Their widespread use also offers the advantage of community support and shared learning.

In conclusion, threat modeling is a fundamental cornerstone of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. In our evolving digital landscape, embracing automation, such as that offered by IriusRisk, becomes pivotal to identify, address, and mitigate potential threats proactively. As the speed of software delivery is ever more important, an automated, continuous threat modeling process is no longer a luxury but a necessity for better protection and sustainable cybersecurity resilience.

The post Ensuring Cyber Resilience: The Critical Role of Threat Modeling in Software Security appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

Adaptive Shield, a leader in SaaS security, has made headlines with the announcement of its groundbreaking Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) solution at Black Hat USA 2023. This new addition to its SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) solution marks a bold stride towards comprehensively safeguarding the SaaS ecosystem.

In a recent interview with Maor Bin, Co-Founder and CEO of Adaptive Shield, we explored the security implications of the shift to SaaS and Adaptive Shield’s ITDR capabilities for addressing identity-related risks.

The Challenges: Mapping the SaaS Shift

The rise of SaaS applications has reshaped the security landscape, adding complexity and decentralizing control. Integration with various systems expands the attack surface and creates opportunities for breaches. Compliance in the flexible SaaS framework becomes more intricate, and the rapid pace of innovation can outstrip security considerations. The interactions between systems and the shared responsibility model between providers and customers add even more layers of complexity. These evolving factors profoundly redefine SaaS security, requiring an innovative and multi-dimensional approach to anticipate and respond to the challenges.

According to Maor, the broader industry trends are clear: “As on-prem is shifting to SaaS, there’s an immediate need for robust security measures that can adapt to the new environment.”

The shift towards SaaS applications represents a transformative change in how organizations operate, offering flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency. However, this shift also introduces new security challenges that require a multifaceted approach. Understanding the factors driving these challenges is the first step in devising effective strategies to address them, ensuring that the benefits of SaaS adoption are not overshadowed by potential risks.

Adaptive Shield’s Innovative Approach to SaaS Security

“When speaking with our enterprise customers, CISOs highlight SaaS Security as a top priority, and ITDR has quickly become a critically needed capability as part of SSPM,” Maor states, aligning the company’s focus with customer needs.

Designed to tackle various SaaS-related threats, Adaptive Shield’s ITDR detects and responds to identity-related security threats based on key Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) and User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA). These threats include password-based attacks, IP behavior anomalies, unauthorized document access, and more. Adaptive Shield’s platform goes beyond mere detection and response, offering a comprehensive model for securing the SaaS Identity Fabric. This includes:

  • Misconfiguration Management: Identification of security drifts across all security controls and receive detailed remediation plans to ensure proper configuration.
  • Identity and Access Governance: Consolidated visibility and risk management of user accounts, permissions, and activities across all SaaS applications.
  • SaaS-to-SaaS Access and Discovery: Visibility into connected apps and assessment of the risk posed to the SaaS environment.
  • Device-to-SaaS Risk Management: Management of risks from SaaS users and their associated devices.

Adaptive Shield offers a complete package that includes Misconfiguration Management, SaaS-to-SaaS Access and Discovery, Identity & Access Governance, Device-to-SaaS Risk Management, and, of course, the newly announced Identity Threat Detection & Response (ITDR). This comprehensive approach ensures that organizations can effectively prevent, detect, and respond to threats, offering unparalleled protection for their SaaS platforms.

Strategic Investment by Blackstone

The ITDR launch follows Adaptive Shield’s strategic investment from Blackstone, one of its Fortune 500 customers. This investment emphasizes the industry focus on SaaS security and the critical need for innovative solutions like ITDR.

Adaptive Shield’s announcement of ITDR capabilities at Black Hat USA 2023 marks a crucial milestone in the field of SaaS security. By providing an integrated solution that understands and addresses the complexities of the SaaS environment, Adaptive Shield is setting new standards for cybersecurity.

For professionals and organizations seeking to fortify their SaaS platforms, Adaptive Shield’s ITDR capabilities present a compelling option that aligns with the evolving demands of modern cybersecurity.

For more information about ITDR or to request a demo, please visit Adaptive Shield’s official blog post on Identity Threat Detection and Response.

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The Human Factor in Cybersecurity

In cybersecurity, the user is often considered the weakest link in the security chain. This weakness stems from the myriad of potential mistakes users can make while navigating the increasingly digital and interconnected workplace. Guy Guzner, CEO of the cybersecurity company SAVVY, believes the key to robust cybersecurity lies in empowering users. In a recent interview, Guzner detailed SAVVY’s unique, user-centric approach to cybersecurity, addressing the problems it solves, and how it enhances user-level security.

The SAVVY Solution: A Paradigm Shift

SAVVY’s cybersecurity solution reframes users from being the weakest link to becoming an essential part of an organization’s security infrastructure.

SAVVY focuses on user behavior and leverages a multitude of techniques from education and automated security workflows to real-time, contextual, risk-based interventions. As Guy put it, “in cybersecurity, users are not the problem to solve, but the solution to engage with. Our aim at SAVVY is to empower them to become active participants in their own cybersecurity.”

The platform offers very broad coverage, monitoring all user actions across SaaS applications and providing deep visibility into all managed and unmanaged SaaS apps used by the workforce. SAVVY’s browser extensions, office extensions, and IDP integrations provide this visibility, helping secure the digital workspace in an unprecedented way.

SAVVY’s security guardrails alert users at critical decision points about potential risks, providing suggestive guidance that empowers users to make safer decisions. This ‘just in time’ security feature helps prevent risky user actions in real-time.

Automating Security: SAVVY’s Workforce Security Automation Platform

SAVVY’s Workforce Security Automation Platform is a key feature that aids in achieving this goal. The platform provides security automation playbooks that address common user actions and can be easily customized using the no-code automation engine. These playbooks automate responses to various events and allow for quick and easy customization, offering flexibility to adapt to unique security needs of different organizations.

Example of SAVVY alerting a user of sensitive content in ChatGPT

The automation playbooks delivered to user devices implement just-in-time security guardrails, alerting users to potential risks and suggesting secure options. This approach allows users to freely use any SaaS app they need, ensuring that the businesses aren’t at risk. As Guy explains, “we don’t just prevent negative outcomes, we build a more secure culture. That’s why we focus on real-time, context-aware interventions that educate the user as well as protect them.”

Continuous Insights and Risk Reduction

SAVVY also provides continuous insights that drive down risk. By continuously monitoring and analyzing user activities, SAVVY offers valuable insights about behaviors that could lead to security incidents. With SAVVY’s dashboards, organizations can track SaaS security posture improvements and showcase progress to stakeholders.

Use Case: Thwarting Salesforce Phishing Attempts

Guzner shared an example of how SAVVY’s proactive approach to user education and real-time interventions managed to avert a potentially disastrous phishing attack. A user had received an email that appeared to be from Salesforce, a commonly used SaaS platform. The user, not suspecting anything nefarious, clicked on the link provided in the email to update some details as requested.

As soon as the user clicked the link, SAVVY’s real-time protection kicked in. The solution recognized the user was about to enter credentials into a webpage mimicking Salesforce’s login page. SAVVY immediately flagged this as a potential phishing attempt. The user was provided with a real-time, context-aware alert, explaining why the page might be dangerous and suggesting the user close the page and report the email. This intervention prevented a potential data breach and educated the user on the signs of phishing attempts.

The ChatGPT Scenario

Another detailed example provided by Guzner involved the popular generative AI app ChatGPT. In this case, a user attempted to input their social security number into a conversation with ChatGPT, potentially training the AI with sensitive personal data. SAVVY was able to identify the risk, alert the user and suggest a safer alternative action to enable a filter for sensitive data, effectively mitigating the risk (watch a demo of a sensitive data submission use case, or a demo of privacy setting guidance here).

Unpacking Key Features and Benefits

SAVVY is designed with the following features and benefits in mind:

  • Engagement at Critical Moments: SAVVY seamlessly operates in the user’s work environment, engaging at crucial decision points to prevent incidents and enhance security awareness.
  • Empowerment-Focused Design: By explaining risks and suggesting safer alternatives, SAVVY empowers users to make secure decisions without sacrificing productivity.
  • Easy Implementation and Customization: SAVVY’s out-of-the-box security automation playbooks address common user actions, and its no-code automation engine enables swift customization.
  • Continuous Insights: SAVVY persistently monitors user activities, providing insights into behavior patterns that could lead to security incidents.
  • Broad Coverage: It’s the only solution that covers all user actions across all SaaS apps.
  • Just-In-Time Alerts: Security guardrails alert users at critical decision points about potential risks and provide guidance.
  • No Code Automation: SAVVY enables security professionals to create and implement automation workflows without requiring coding expertise.

These features and more position SAVVY as a comprehensive solution that covers all user actions across all SaaS apps. It’s not just about preventing negative outcomes, but fostering a more secure and aware digital culture within the workforce. SAVVY’s mission, as articulated by Guzner, is not just to create a product but to shape the future of cybersecurity from the user up.

Looking to the Future

As for the future, Guy Guzner emphasized that SAVVY’s mission is to continually evolve and adapt to the changing cybersecurity landscape. With a strong focus on user-centric security and real-time, contextual interventions, SAVVY is geared to pioneer a new era in cybersecurity. The future will see SAVVY expanding its range of services and improving its AI capabilities, with a view of making cybersecurity even more seamless and intuitive for users.

This bold vision, coupled with SAVVY’s innovative and effective solution, is set to redefine how organizations approach and manage cybersecurity, with users at the heart of the strategy.

The post Empowering the User: An Interview with Guy Guzner on SAVVY’s User-Centric Security Solution appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

Website impersonation is getting more rampant. A 2021 study found that on average, companies across various industries face nearly 1,100 spoofed domain threats per year. Moreover, Statista research shows that several of the world’s leading ecommerce websites, including Amazon, eBay, and Alibaba, have over 4,000 impersonating domains that simulate their website, appear legitimate, and harvest personal data from users unknowingly.

Also known as brandjacking, website impersonation is a serious issue that goes far beyond brand reputation; it directly affects customers, who can easily fall victim to fraud schemes, costing themselves, and the brands, billions of dollars. 

With the increasingly sophisticated nature of fraud and the technology being used to carry it out, it has now become a matter of “when” rather than of “if” a brand’s website will be spoofed. Brands that do not prioritize putting effective cybersecurity measures in place to protect their customers from fraud are risking their entire customer-base’s trust, and significant financial losses. This is especially true for the banking and financial industries, which are now being held responsible for reimbursing fraud victims in the UK. 

In the battle against digital fraud, Memcyco, a Tel Aviv-based company, is helping brands protect their digital properties – namely, their websites – from impersonation. Founded in 2021 by Israel Mazin, Eli Mashiah, Ori Mazin, and Gideon Hazam – all experienced startup founders in the cybersecurity space – Memcyco developed a technology called Proof of Source Authenticity (POSA)™,  which delivers real-time protection against website spoofing for brands and their customers. 

The POSA™ Multi-Layered Platform

Built on the POSA™ technology, Memcyco’s solution is a multi-layered detection, alerting, and prevention system for brandjacking that also offers a digital watermark for brands to display on their website for customers to recognize its authenticity. 

The first layer is an advanced detection system designed to identify attacks in real time before any damage is incurred. It does this by using AI and machine learning to analyze user traffic and patterns of suspicious activity associated with a specific device or user. For example, it provides multiple credential attempt detection, password brute force detection, and access to the site through an unknown work environment and reverse engineering detection. 

Source: Memcyco

The second layer of defense is complete, real-time visibility. In an attempted attack session, Memcyco sends full details of the attack to brands, including the identity of the user and attack location, enabling security teams to take immediate action. Simultaneously, customers that enter the spoofed site receive a Red Alert that warns them of fraudulent activity and to not trust the site.

The third layer is a digital watermark in the form of a randomly generated, unforgeable code that informs customers that they are visiting a genuine website (while at the same time maintaining user privacy). Customers can personalize the code and its associated image, which is displayed on the side of the website, to their preferences.

Let’s take a closer look at POSA’s™ multi-protection platform. 

How Memcyco Addresses the Window of Exposure

The advanced detection and protection system alerts brands in real time if their website has been spoofed, enabling SOC teams to act immediately to prevent damage. If a site is spoofed, Memcyco displays a Red Alert to customers when they enter the site, warning them not to proceed or enter any personal information. Users see the Red Alert until the site is taken down, which Memcyco can also assist with.

Memcyco’s real-time approach is critical because takedown processes can take weeks, with organizations filing with domain registrars and having to prove that the site is indeed fraudulent. By the time the fraudulent site is taken down, the damage has already been done. By keeping users constantly deterred by the Red Alerts, Memcyco addresses this critical time window in which customers are the most exposed to fraudulent attacks.

Non-real time solutions to website impersonation often provide lists of suspicious domains attackers are using, which can actually grant them more time to outsmart detection if they move to execute the same attack from a different domain. Memcyco takes a more proactive approach by implementing imposter profiling, which details information about attackers to identify them quickly if they decide to attack again. 

Here’s an example of a Red Alert for an impersonated website: 

Source: Memcyco

The system provides the details of all end-users exposed to the attack and the profiles of the attackers. This is critical information for security and risk teams to give both an understanding of the scope of the attack and the type of attack they are dealing with. 

A Digital Watermark to Recognize Website Authenticity

The other layer of the Memcyco solution is the digital watermark, which gives customers a positive confirmation of a brand’s authority and legitimacy of its website, promoting trust. The POSA™ watermark educates users quickly on the importance of being watchful of suspicious activity – for example, websites which do not display a watermark – without the need for any formal user education. 

While customizable by the end user, the watermarks require no installation or registration. In addition, partner sites can use the watermark, helping organizations better defend themselves against attacks from unauthorized third parties. 

Here’s an example of a watermark that communicates the authenticity of a website without any disruption to the user experience: 

Source: Memcyco 

Minimizing the Damages Associated with Digital Fraud

Memcyo’s POSA™ solution is built for brands to foster a positive, easy-to-use experience that promotes digital trust. As an agentless solution, no downloading or registration is required by the end user. Deployment begins automatically after adding a few lines of code to a brand’s website.

Along with delivering a positive user experience, POSA™ also provides risk and digital business teams contextual alerts of attacks on their brand in real time, eliminating false positives that traditionally overwhelm teams and lead to alert fatigue.

With POSA™, Memcyco addresses the needs of security and risk teams, helping them lower fraud remediation costs, reduce risk, and resolve customer-facing incidents quickly. If you’re a customer-facing brand looking to communicate to users the authenticity of your website, you might want to check it out.

The post How Memcyco Battles Brandjacking with a Multi-Layered Defense appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

Invary is advancing a new age of cybersecurity, focusing on restoring trust in existing cyberdefense tech stacks. Led by Jason Rogers and Dr. Wesley Peck, the company aims to bolster security infrastructure by addressing the crucial yet often overlooked runtime security gap.

Breaking Assumptions to Break Ground

During a recent interview, Rogers and Peck emphasized the necessity of questioning and testing long-standing assumptions within the cybersecurity sector. An alarming loophole lies in the common assumption that the operating system is always uncompromised and trustworthy. This blind spot persists even in advanced defenses like XDR, SIEM, and CNAPP solutions, creating a dangerous window of opportunity for threat actors.

To close this gap, Invary’s Runtime Integrity offering will enforce continuous validation of the operating system, forming an integral part of a “trust nothing” Zero Trust architecture. The innovative technology promises superior protection for the digital environment, efficiently detecting compromise.

Funding Fuels Expansion and Innovation

The successful completion of the pre-seed funding round, led by Flyover Capital, NetWork Kansas GROWKS Equity program, and the KU Innovation Park, is not merely a monetary boost for Invary, but a strong endorsement of their innovative approach to cybersecurity. The funding will catalyze the launch of Invary’s Runtime Integrity offering and support its broader mission to prevent data breaches and ransomware attacks.

Dr. Peck shared his enthusiasm about the funding in the interview, explaining that the investment validates their work and will help them “improve Invary’s Runtime Integrity Service while making our agent open source.”

Commitment to the Ecosystem

Apart from its proprietary services, Invary offers a free Runtime Integrity Score (RISe) service. Available now, this service lets customers assess their system’s integrity and spot hidden malware. This initiative reflects Invary’s steadfast dedication to enhancing the safety of the entire cyber community. CEO Jason Rogers stated in the interview, “We are thrilled to have secured this pre-seed funding, as it validates the need for Invary’s novel technology to shore up existing cyber defenses against high impact hidden threats.” Considering the fact that 72% of cyberattacks occur in production, according to Datadog’s latest State of Application Security report, the need for a solution is both apparent and urgent.

The Powerhouse Team

Invary’s leadership team boasts decades of operational expertise in Trusted Computing research. The company’s security credentials are further fortified by the inclusion of founder Dr. Perry Alexander, an eminent authority in Trusted Computing research, and his protégé Dr. Wesley Peck.

Unique Focus on Runtime Security

Invary’s unique approach to runtime security plugs this critical gap in the security infrastructure. Built on an exclusive intellectual property grant from the NSA, Invary’s Runtime Integrity service mandates continuous validation of the operating system, uncovering hidden threats that often go undetected by conventional threat detection systems. This strategy aligns with the principles of a Zero Trust architecture, which mandates a “trust nothing, verify everything” approach to cybersecurity.

By ensuring the integrity of the operating system and neutralizing threats at the runtime, Invary provides a critical layer of security that fortifies an organization’s defense against high-impact attacks like ransomware and data breaches. Its Runtime Integrity Score (RISe) service also allows customers to spot-check their system’s integrity and identify hidden malware, providing a vital, proactive tool in maintaining a secure digital environment.

Recognition from the Industry

Invary’s innovative approach has garnered praise from industry leaders. Jon Broek, CEO of Tenfold Security, commended Invary’s technology, stating, “Invary Runtime Integrity gives us an unfair advantage over the competition when deployed with our security solutions for cloud and virtual machines.”

With its unique approach, a proven team, and strong financial backing, Invary is closing a critical gap in Zero Trust security, setting a new standard in the industry.

The post Closing the Zero Trust Gap: Invary Leads Cybersecurity Innovation with New Approach appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

When COVID-19 disrupted our work environments and triggered a massive shift to remote work, organizations faced the daunting task of securing corporate data and apps across thousands of disparate locations and devices.

Companies, employees, and IT departments were forced to quickly adapt to this new reality of a remote-first world. The issue was further exacerbated by traditional remote desktop solutions that proved inadequate for this new landscape. The blurring of personal and professional time, the rise of gig workers, offshore employees, and the need for businesses to secure this dynamic world of remote work, strained traditional remote desktop systems like Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) to their limits.

Traditional Remote Work Solutions Fall Short

Traditional VDI systems are ill-equipped to handle this shift, offering subpar user experiences due to latency, slowness and management overhead. Enterprise Browsers, although a more innovative solution, also have limitations around application use and network integration. Before Venn’s emergence, companies often resorted to shipping secure, corporate laptops to their remote employees or relied on complex, costly VDI technology to stay compliant with regulatory requirements. These solutions not only frustrate users but also fall short in terms of security, cost effectiveness and ease of use. This situation also leads to the security workaround paradox, where users, restricted by too many security constraints, seek alternate, less secure methods to get their work done. The urgent need for a better solution to secure remote work is evident.

A New Approach to Securing Remote Work

Recognizing the mounting issues associated with securing distributed workforces, David Matalon and his team at Venn Software sought to revolutionize remote work security. Having previously helped hundreds of organizations overcome compliance and security issues for remote workers, they understood the challenge at hand. With Matalon’s vision, the team started Venn, a radical and less costly alternative to VDI, and the first MDM (Mobile Device Management) solution for laptops. This vision resonated with investors, leading NewSpring Capital to support the product development and growth, resulting in a successful $29 million Series A funding round.

Recently awarded with a key patent (U.S. Patent No. 11,687,644) for a “Secure Visual and Computational Boundary for a Subset of Resources on a Computing Machine”, Venn’s approach is innovative: Remote work activity now lives in a company-controlled Secure Enclave installed on the user’s computer where all work data is encrypted and access is managed.

Similar to MDM for mobile devices, work applications run locally within a virtual wrapper, visually indicated by a Blue Border™, which intuitively demarcates protected work apps from private user applications. This method provides control over what work data can be transferred in and out of an application. This way, businesses can restrict activities like copying and pasting corporate data outside of work applications or saving a file onto a personal desktop. Even network traffic can be protected to ensure certain applications only connect to approved servers. With this approach, business activity is isolated and protected from personal use on the same device, safeguarding company data without having to control the entire device.

With Venn, employees can now use their personal computers for work without compromising security, effectively bringing BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) to laptops. This not only enhances the user experience but also drastically reduces the costs associated with maintaining separate devices or running complex virtual environments.

Matalon explains, “Instead of having to buy, manage, and lock down every PC and device, remote work can now easily be secured on any BYOD or unmanaged computer. Venn gives organizations more control, without the need for costly backend infrastructure.” The granting of the patent further strengthens the company’s intellectual property and ability to expand investments in Secure BYO-PC (Bring Your Own Personal Computer) technology.

With its key patent granted, a successful Series A funding round, and growing customer validation, Venn is ideally positioned for the next phase of growth. More than 700 companies, including major players like Fidelity, Guardian, and Voya, already trust Venn to meet stringent standards like FINRA, SEC, NAIC, and SOC 2. The focus now is on driving further innovation, expanding the reach of their Secure BYO-PC technology, and helping more organizations securely navigate the world of remote work.

As the boundaries between personal and professional devices continue to blur, and remote work becomes the new norm, the need for efficient, secure, and user-friendly remote work solutions has never been greater. With Venn, businesses now have a radically simplified, cost-effective alternative that meets these needs while enhancing the user experience – setting a new bar for the future of secure remote work.

To learn more, please visit: https://www.venn.com/patent-technology-mdm-for-laptops

The post Venn Redefines Remote Work Security with Innovative BYO-PC Solution appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

Email is a vital communication tool for organizations across industries but also serves as a primary attack vector for cybercriminals. To put this in perspective, over 376 billion emails are sent every single day. And according to Verizon, over 90% of malware is delivered via email.

To combat this rapidly evolving threats landscape, organizations must proactively address email security challenges. This e-guide offers an in-depth understanding of the email security landscape, actionable guidance on implementing and maintaining robust email security solutions, and an overview of leading email security solutions including Abnormal Inbound Email Security, Check Point Infinity Mail Protection, Cisco Email Security, Cofense Intelligent Email Security, Forcepoint Email Security, Fortinet FortiMail, Fortra’s Advanced Email Security, Libraesva Email Security, Mimecast, OpenText Cybersecurity: Webroot Advanced Email Threat Protection, Proofpoint Threat Protection Platform, Red Sift’s Digital Resilience Platform, Sophos Email Security, Trellix Email Security, and Trend Micro Email Security.

Understanding the Email Security Landscape

A thorough understanding of the latest email security trends and challenges is essential for organizations to defend against emerging threats. This section delves deeper into the most common and emerging email security trends, explaining their nature, significance, and providing insights into each trend.

Latest email security trends

  • Phishing and spear-phishing attacks: Phishing is a type of social engineering attack where cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick recipients into divulging sensitive information or downloading malware. Spear-phishing is a more targeted form of phishing, where attackers personalize their approach to increase their chances of success. Organizations must monitor for new phishing tactics, train employees to recognize them, and implement advanced email filtering solutions.
  • Ransomware attacks via email: Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts an organization’s data, holding it hostage until a ransom is paid. Email is a primary delivery method for ransomware attacks, with attackers using malicious attachments or links to infect systems. Organizations must prioritize email security measures that block malicious attachments, educate employees about ransomware threats, and establish robust data backup and recovery processes.
  • Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks: BEC scams involve cybercriminals impersonating high-ranking executives to manipulate employees into transferring funds or revealing sensitive information. These attacks often rely on social engineering tactics and email spoofing. Recognizing the prevalence of BEC scams helps organizations prioritize executive training and secure email practices to minimize the risk of financial loss and data breaches.
  • Insider threats: Insider threats arise from employees accidentally or intentionally causing security breaches by mishandling sensitive information. These breaches can result from human error, malicious intent, or inadequate security training. Acknowledging the potential for internal security breaches highlights the importance of proper employee training and access control measures.
  • Supply chain attacks: In supply chain attacks, cybercriminals target third-party vendors to access sensitive information of their clients. These attacks can compromise email security by exploiting vulnerabilities in vendor systems or by using vendor credentials to launch phishing or BEC attacks. Understanding the risk of supply chain attacks allows organizations to assess and monitor the security of their entire supply chain.
  • Increase in remote work: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a shift in work patterns, with more employees working remotely and relying heavily on email communication. This shift has increased the attack surface and highlighted the need for robust email security measures, including secure remote access solutions and employee training on secure email practices.

Implementing and Maintaining Effective Email Security Solutions

In this section, we will explore some of the most important email security best practices, including employee training and awareness, anti-spam and anti-phishing filters, email authentication protocols, multi-factor authentication (MFA), secure email gateway (SEG), email encryption, monitoring and logging email activity, email security policies, and incident response planning. By implementing these solutions and practices effectively and keeping them up-to-date, organizations can significantly reduce the risks associated with email-based attacks and ensure that their email environments remain secure.

  • Employee training and awareness: Educating employees about email security best practices, emerging threats, and how to identify phishing emails is crucial for minimizing human error. Regular training sessions and simulated phishing exercises can help employees stay vigilant and recognize potential threats. For example, organizations can use platforms like KnowBe4 to create realistic phishing simulations and assess employee responses, allowing them to identify areas where additional training may be needed.
  • Anti-spam and anti-phishing filters: Deploying advanced anti-spam and anti-phishing filters is vital for identifying and blocking malicious emails before they reach users’ inboxes. These filters utilize machine learning algorithms to analyze email content and detect phishing attempts, reducing the risk of successful attacks. For instance, solutions like Mimecast’s Secure Email Gateway provide sophisticated filtering options, including real-time scanning, URL rewriting, and impersonation protection.
  • Email authentication protocols: Implementing email authentication protocols, such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance), helps prevent spoofing and ensures the integrity of email communications. These protocols validate the sender’s identity and verify that the email has not been tampered with during transit. For example, implementing DMARC can significantly reduce the risk of BEC attacks by allowing recipients to verify that the email originates from the purported sender’s domain.
  • Multi-factor authentication (MFA): MFA is a security measure that requires users to provide multiple forms of identification to access email accounts and other sensitive systems. By adding an extra layer of security, MFA makes it more difficult for attackers to gain unauthorized access. For example, Google Workspace offers a built-in MFA feature that allows users to authenticate using a combination of their password and a one-time code sent to their mobile device or generated by an authenticator app.
  • Secure email gateway (SEG): Implementing an SEG to inspect and filter inbound and outbound email traffic for threats, such as malware, phishing, and spam, is essential. SEGs play a crucial role in maintaining email security by blocking malicious emails before they reach users’ inboxes. For example, Barracuda Essentials is a cloud-based SEG that provides advanced threat protection, data loss prevention, and email archiving capabilities.
  • Email encryption: Encrypting sensitive emails protects the confidentiality of their contents during transit and storage. Email encryption helps prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information, reducing the risk of data breaches. For instance, ProtonMail is an email service that offers end-to-end encryption, ensuring that only the intended recipient can decrypt and read the email content.
  • Monitoring and logging email activity: Regularly monitoring and logging email activity helps detect anomalies and potential security incidents. Monitoring and logging are essential for early detection and remediation of email security breaches. For example, Splunk can be used to collect and analyze email logs, generating real-time alerts when unusual activity is detected.
  • Email security policies: Establishing and enforcing clear email security policies guide employees’ behavior and set expectations for secure email practices. Well-defined policies are critical for maintaining a strong security culture within the organization. These policies should cover topics such as password requirements, data handling, email attachments, and reporting suspicious activity.
  • Incident response planning: Developing and maintaining an incident response plan for email security incidents ensures a swift and effective response to minimize damage and prevent future attacks. A robust incident response plan is vital for managing and mitigating the impact of email security breaches. The plan should include clear roles and responsibilities, communication channels, and a process for reporting, investigating, and remediating security incidents.

Selecting the Right Email Security Solution for Your Organization

Choosing the right email security solution is crucial for safeguarding your organization’s email environment effectively. This section discusses the process and decision criteria for selecting the most suitable email security solution based on an organization’s specific needs. Additionally, typical organization profiles are outlined, along with the ideal email security solutions for each.

Process and Decision Criteria

Selecting the right email security solution is a critical decision for any organization. With so many vendors and solutions available, it can be challenging to determine which one is best suited for your organization’s needs. In this section, we will discuss the process and decision criteria for selecting an email security solution.

  • Assess your organization’s needs: Begin by evaluating your organization’s unique requirements, including the size, industry, and regulatory environment. Consider factors such as the volume of email traffic, sensitivity of the data being handled, and the potential impact of email security breaches.
  • Identify key features: Determine the key features your organization needs in an email security solution. These may include advanced threat protection, data loss prevention, email encryption, archiving, and compliance management.
  • Evaluate vendor offerings: Research and compare the offerings of various email security vendors, taking into account the features, performance, ease of use, and integration with existing systems. Consider the vendor’s reputation, customer support, and expertise in the field.
  • Prioritize usability and scalability: Look for solutions that are user-friendly and easy to deploy, manage, and maintain. Ensure that the solution can scale to meet your organization’s needs as it grows and evolves.
  • Estimate total cost of ownership (TCO): Analyze the overall cost of the solution, including initial investment, ongoing maintenance, and any potential hidden costs. Consider the potential cost savings from reduced risk and improved productivity.
  • Test and validate: Request product demonstrations or trial periods from vendors to evaluate the solution’s effectiveness and compatibility with your organization’s existing infrastructure.
  • Consult with stakeholders: Involve relevant stakeholders in the decision-making process, including IT, security, legal, and compliance teams, to ensure the chosen solution meets everyone’s requirements.

Typical Organization Profiles and Ideal Email Security Solutions

When it comes to email security solutions, one size does not fit all. Different organizations have different needs based on their size, industry, regulatory requirements. Small and medium-sized businesses, large enterprises, and organizations using cloud-based email services all have unique requirements for protecting their email environments. In this section, we’ll explore typical profiles of organizations and the ideal email security solutions that meet their specific needs.

  • Small businesses (<250 employees): Small businesses generally have limited budgets and IT resources, making it essential for them to choose affordable, easy-to-use email security solutions that provide basic threat protection features. Cloud-based email security solutions, such as Microsoft Defender for Office 365 or Sophos Email Security, are well-suited for small businesses due to their cost-effectiveness, ease of deployment, and management simplicity. These solutions offer essential features, including anti-spam, anti-phishing, and basic malware protection, to keep small businesses secure without overwhelming their IT resources.
  • Mid-sized organizations: As organizations grow, their security requirements become more complex. Mid-sized organizations need comprehensive email security solutions that provide advanced threat protection, data loss prevention, and email encryption. Solutions like Mimecast, Barracuda Essentials, or Trend Micro Email Security offer a good balance between advanced features and ease of use. These solutions are capable of handling larger email volumes and addressing more sophisticated threats like targeted phishing attacks, ransomware, and email impersonation.
  • Large enterprises: Large enterprises with extensive email traffic and complex security requirements need robust, scalable email security solutions offering a wide range of features. These include advanced threat protection, data loss prevention, email encryption, compliance management, and integration with other security solutions. Solutions like Proofpoint, Cisco Email Security, or Symantec Messaging Gateway are ideal for large organizations due to their high-performance capabilities, extensive threat intelligence, and adaptability to the organization’s existing infrastructure.
  • Highly regulated industries: Organizations operating in industries with strict regulatory requirements, such as finance, healthcare, or government, need email security solutions that provide strong compliance management and data protection features. Solutions like Forcepoint Email Security or Fortinet FortiMail offer advanced data protection and compliance management capabilities, including email encryption, archiving, and detailed reporting features. These solutions help organizations adhere to industry-specific regulations, such as HIPAA, GDPR, or SOX, by ensuring sensitive information is protected and well-managed.
  • Remote or distributed workforce: Organizations with a remote or distributed workforce need email security solutions that can be accessed and managed from anywhere, while still providing comprehensive protection. Cloud-based email security solutions like Mimecast, Barracuda Essentials, or Trend Micro Email Security are ideal for these organizations, as they offer remote management capabilities and can be deployed quickly across multiple locations.
  • Education sector: Educational institutions require email security solutions that protect against a wide range of threats while being cost-effective and easy to manage. Solutions like Cisco Email Security or Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offer essential features such as anti-spam, anti-phishing, and malware protection, as well as more advanced features like data loss prevention and integration with other security tools commonly used in educational settings.

By understanding the unique needs and challenges of different organization profiles, decision-makers can choose the ideal email security solution tailored to their specific requirements. This ensures a secure email environment and protects the organization from cyber threats while being mindful of budgetary constraints and the organization’s existing infrastructure.

Popular Email Security Vendors

Selecting the right email security solution is crucial for protecting your organization’s email environment. This section provides an overview of some of the leading email security vendors and their respective strengths:

Abnormal Inbound Email Security: Abnormal, a Gold Cybersecurity Excellence Award recipient in 2023, offers leading-edge inbound email security solutions. Known for its AI-driven detection and prevention capabilities, Abnormal stands out for providing real-time, automated response to threats. This approach allows for efficient, proactive defense against email threats, making it a prime choice for medium to large businesses seeking advanced automation. Learn more at: https://www.abnormalsecurity.com

Check Point Infinity Mail Protection: Check Point’s solution stands out with its Infinity architecture, delivering a unified, cloud-based email security solution. Notable for its advanced threat detection and prevention capabilities, Infinity Mail Protection excels at tackling phishing, ransomware, and APT attacks. The integrated approach makes it a solid choice for organizations seeking cohesive security infrastructure. Discover more at: https://www.checkpoint.com/products/email-security-software-blade/

Cisco Email Security: Cisco provides diverse email security solutions, offering both cloud-based and on-premises deployments. With advanced threat protection capabilities and seamless integration with other Cisco security products, Cisco stands out for its scalable solutions and a broad product ecosystem. Its solution is best suited for larger organizations with complex security needs. Discover more at: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/security/email-security/index.html

Cofense Intelligent Email Security: Honored with a Silver Cybersecurity Excellence Award in 2023, Cofense provides intelligent email security solutions. Its platform stands out for its focus on phishing-specific threats and its user-awareness training tools, educating users to recognize potential threats. This blend of technology and education makes Cofense a suitable choice for organizations of all sizes that prioritize employee training. Visit: https://www.cofense.com

Forcepoint Email Security: Forcepoint offers both cloud-based and on-premises email security solutions with advanced threat protection, data loss prevention, and email encryption. Its flexible deployment options and strong threat intelligence capabilities make it a reliable choice for businesses of all sizes that require adaptable security solutions. Visit: https://www.forcepoint.com/product/content-security/forcepoint-email-security

Fortinet FortiMail: Fortinet’s email security platform, FortiMail, stands out with its high-performance email filtering, data loss prevention, and protection against spam, phishing, and malware. Its tight integration with other Fortinet security products makes it an excellent choice for organizations already using Fortinet’s suite of security solutions, particularly medium to large enterprises. Learn more at: https://www.fortinet.com/products/email-security/fortimail

Fortra’s Advanced Email Security: Fortra, a 2023 Gold Cybersecurity Excellence Award winner, offers a high-performance email security solution. Its platform distinguishes itself with advanced AI-driven threat protection, making it a standout choice for organizations seeking cutting-edge security technology, particularly those in high-risk sectors like finance and healthcare. Discover more at: https://www.fortra.com

Libraesva Email Security: Libraesva, a Gold Cybersecurity Excellence Award recipient in 2023, offers comprehensive email security solutions. Known for its advanced threat protection and seamless integration capabilities, Libraesva is unique in its strong emphasis on combating email fraud. This focus makes it an ideal choice for organizations operating in sectors where email fraud is a significant concern. Visit: https://www.libraesva.com

Mimecast: Mimecast’s cloud-based email security platform stands out with its comprehensive protection against phishing, spam, and malware. In addition to this, it provides email archiving and continuity services. Known for its ease of use and seamless integration with popular email platforms, Mimecast is well-suited for medium to large organizations that prioritize ease of use and robust security features. Learn more at: https://www.mimecast.com/products/email-security/

OpenText Cybersecurity: Webroot Advanced Email Threat Protection: As a Gold Award winner in the 2023 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards, OpenText’s Webroot offers advanced email security solutions. Its unique approach to threat intelligence and comprehensive protection against phishing, spam, and advanced threats make it a reliable choice for organizations that place a premium on advanced threat intelligence, particularly mid to large-scale enterprises. Discover more at: https://www.webroot.com

Proofpoint Threat Protection Platform: A Gold Award Winner in the 2023 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards, Proofpoint’s comprehensive platform stands out for its focus on people-centric security. It offers advanced threat protection, targeted attack prevention, and integrated response capabilities. This platform is an excellent fit for larger organizations that need to protect high-risk users from advanced threats. Explore more at: https://www.proofpoint.com

Red Sift’s Digital Resilience Platform: As a Gold Award Winner in the 2023 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards, Red Sift offers an email security solution that is part of their digital resilience platform. This platform stands out with its holistic approach to security, not only securing emails but also providing insight into the broader security landscape. It’s an excellent choice for businesses of all sizes, particularly those seeking a comprehensive view of their digital security. Learn more at: https://www.redsift.com

Sophos Email Security: Sophos offers a powerful email security solution that stands out with its use of AI to detect and respond to email threats. In addition, its intuitive management dashboard provides a simplified user experience. These features make it a strong option for small to medium businesses looking for a balance of advanced technology and ease-of-use. Visit: https://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/email.aspx

Symantec Email Security: Symantec, a division of Broadcom, provides a comprehensive email security solution that offers strong threat protection capabilities, data loss prevention, and email encryption. Symantec’s strength lies in its global intelligence network, providing real-time threat information to ensure robust defense against emerging threats. This makes it an ideal choice for large enterprises and industries facing a high volume of targeted attacks. Learn more at: https://www.broadcom.com/products/cyber-security/email

Trellix Email Security: A 2023 Gold Cybersecurity Excellence Award winner, Trellix provides a powerful email security solution. Trellix’s unique offering is its focus on proactive threat hunting and response, providing an added layer of security over reactive solutions. This approach makes it a suitable choice for medium to large enterprises that require advanced, proactive email security measures. Visit: https://www.trellix.com

Trend Micro Email Security: Trend Micro offers an advanced email security solution that uses machine learning to block a wide range of threats. In addition, its focus on protecting against business email compromise (BEC) sets it apart from many competitors. Its powerful yet user-friendly platform makes it a great fit for organizations of all sizes, particularly those seeking strong defenses against BEC. Explore more at: https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/business/products/user-protection/sps/email-and-collaboration/email-security.html

By evaluating these email security vendors and their respective strengths, organizations can select the solution that best meets their specific needs and requirements, ensuring a secure email environment.

Conclusion

In today’s digital landscape, email security is more important than ever. Organizations must prioritize email security by staying up-to-date with the latest trends, understanding the nature of threats, and implementing robust email security solutions to mitigate risks. Employee training, advanced threat protection, email authentication protocols, and continuous monitoring are all critical components of an effective email security strategy.

This e-guide has provided insights into the latest email security trends and challenges, actionable guidance on implementing and maintaining email security solutions, and an overview of the top email security vendors. By utilizing this information, you can take the necessary steps to protect their email environment from cyber threats and maintain a secure communication infrastructure.

The post Email Security in 2023 – An Insiders Guide to Best Practices & Top Vendors appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.

As part of the Cybersecurity Insiders Product Review series, we are today reviewing Trend Cloud One, a comprehensive and powerful cloud security platform for developers, security teams, and businesses. Trend Micro Cloud One’s integrated platform approach considers cloud projects and objectives holistically, meeting the needs of cloud and security teams alike with cloud-native application protection platform (CNAPP) capabilities that provide connected protection throughout an organization’s entire cloud environment.

Plus, Cloud One delivers thoughtful application security from commit to runtime across all major cloud providers, integrating with the DevOps tools your organization already uses.

THE MOVE TO PLATFORM SOLUTIONS

In the past, organizations have been looking for best-of-breed point solutions to meet their specific cloud security needs in different areas. This approach has created some serious drawbacks, including insufficient protection of cloud-native apps that can be exploited by bad actors and overwhelmed security teams that receive alerts from multiple tools and dashboards – to name a couple.

In response to the challenges and shortcomings of this best-of-breed patchwork approach, organizations are increasingly prioritizing all-in-one solutions such as Trend Cloud One. These types of solutions offer an integrated platform approach to cloud security that allows security teams to save time and gain visibility, leading to operational efficiencies, tool consolidation, and streamlined compliance.

TREND CLOUD ONE PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE CLOUD SECURITY

Trend Cloud One is built with flexibility in mind, recognizing that every digital transformation journey is different, and it delivers connected protection at every stage of an application’s lifecycle. So, whether your organization needs to integrate security into a mature DevOps toolchain, get quick visibility of your production environment without sacrificing performance and reliability, or deploy runtime protection on your critical production workloads, Trend Cloud One meets the security needs for organizations of all different cloud maturities, deployment models, and tool/platform choices.

Trend Cloud One provides robust, connected protection against threats in hybrid cloud environments, including source code repositories, virtual machines, containers, serverless functions, networks, APIs, endpoints, and file storage. The platform delivers security controls at every stage of the application’s lifecycle, safeguarding business-critical systems from malware, misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, and more.

As a result, Trend Cloud One helps organizations to secure their digital transformation, including cloud migration projects and cloud-native application development.

TREND CLOUD ONE SUPPORTS ORGANIZATIONS’ EVOLVING CLOUD PRIORITIES

1 – Cloud Migration: Trend Cloud One automates the discovery and protection of public, private, and virtual cloud environments while protecting the network layer. This provides flexibility and simplicity in securing cloud environments throughout the migration and expansion process. Customers gain increased visibility and consistent security throughout their hybrid cloud environments, with the most security controls and integrations within their existing toolsets.

2 – Cloud-Native Applications: With modern development practices and technologies like CI/CD, containers, and serverless, customers demand cloud-native application security with connected protection throughout their application’s lifecycle. Customers also want the assurance that their cloud services meet security best practices. Incorporating these practices empowers developers to address application risk across development toolchains, CI/CD pipelines, and production environments.

3 – Cloud Operational Excellence: With Trend Cloud One, organizations can automatically evaluate how well cloud services align to cloud configuration best practices and industry compliance standards. This way, customers can embrace a DevOps culture by empowering teams to build better architecture and applications in the cloud while having the necessary guardrails to grow and scale business safely and securely.

TREND CLOUD ONE DELIVERS A COMPLETE CLOUD SECURITY PLATFORM

Cloud Sentry delivers visibility of the threats in cloud environments with quick, actionable insights with the context of applications.

  • Identifies threats in minutes with no performance impact, all without removing customer data from the environment.
  • Provides context-rich insights into risks, which help prioritize and implement mitigations.
  • Visibility of all resources and security findings by AWS account in Trend Cloud One Central. Customers can review results and remediate with one click. File Storage Security provides security for cloud file and object storage services like Amazon S3.
  • Fast, automated scanning for malware in cloud storage, regardless of file size or type.
  • Customer data never leaves their environment.
  • Backed by industry-leading Trend Micro Research to protect customers from the latest threats, zero-day vulnerabilities, and more.

File Storage Security provides security for cloud file and object storage services like Amazon S3.

  • Fast, automated scanning for malware in cloud storage, regardless of file size or type.
  • Customer data never leaves their environment.
  • Backed by industry-leading Trend Micro Research to protect customers from the latest threats, zero-day vulnerabilities, and more.

Conformity offers cloud security posture management (CSPM) with automated rules and checks for cloud services.

  • Automatically check your cloud environment’s configurations in real time against nearly 1,000 cloud service configuration best practices across 90+ services from AWS, Microsoft® Azure®, and Google Cloud Platform.
  • Run continuous scans against hundreds of industry best-practice checks, as well as an organization’s own custom checks.
  • Scan infrastructure-as-code templates to ensure only the most secure and compliant infrastructure gets deployed.

FAST DEPLOYMENT

Depending on your security requirements, relevant Trend Cloud One services can be deployed in as little as a few minutes. For larger deployments requiring more complex or custom implementations, it can take up to one month to deploy Cloud One in their environments.

Trend Cloud One is available for purchase via both the AWS and Azure Marketplaces with a custom annual license or pay-as-you-go model. When purchased through one of the Marketplaces, new customers enjoy a free 30-day trial and gain access to always-free tiers.

HOW TREND CLOUD ONE SIMPIFIES CLOUD SECURITY

  • Automated: Save time while gaining complete visibility and control via integrated CNAPP capabilities. Automated deployment and discovery lead to operational efficiencies and accelerated, streamlined compliance.
  • Flexible: Turnkey integrations, broad APIs, and powerful cloud-native application protection platform (CNAPP) capabilities. Customers can procure the services they want the way they want, and deploy those services the way they need.
  • All-in-one: Meet the needs of cloud and security teams alike with CNAPP capabilities that provide connected protection throughout entire cloud environments. Trend Cloud One delivers thoughtful application security from commit to runtime across all major providers, integrating with the DevOps tools organizations already use.

“Trend Micro is the largest player in the cloud workload security market. Security teams are struggling to keep up with the rapid pace of development as business-critical cloud infrastructure and applications are deployed across complex hybrid cloud environments. Not only do organizations need visibility, but they also need real ways to address threats and reduce risk. Trend Micro delivers that with Cloud Sentry.” – Forrester Research

ABOUT TREND MICRO
Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro’s cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for cloud environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world.

For more information, visit www.TrendMicro.com

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