MDM - Solution Providers
There are various solutions that industry leaders provide.
Microsoft Intune: A cloud-based MDM and mobile application management solution that integrates with Microsoft's ecosystem, allowing organizations to manage devices, applications, and data across various platforms.
VMware Workspace ONE: Offers unified endpoint management and integrates with VMware's virtualization technologies, providing a comprehensive solution for managing devices, apps, and data.
Jamf Pro: Primarily designed for Apple devices, Jamf Pro is a leading MDM solution for macOS, iOS, and tvOS devices, providing extensive device management and security capabilities.
MobileIron: Provides MDM, mobile application management, and mobile threat defense to ensure secure mobile device usage within organizations.
IBM MaaS360: Offers comprehensive MDM and enterprise mobility management features, supporting a wide range of device platforms and focusing on security and compliance.
Cisco Meraki Systems Manager: A cloud-based MDM solution that offers centralized management for a variety of devices, with a focus on ease of use and security.
AirWatch by VMware: Part of the VMware Workspace ONE platform, AirWatch provides MDM and mobile application management, supporting a wide range of device types.
BlackBerry Unified Endpoint Manager (formerly BES12): Known for its security features, BlackBerry UEM offers MDM and secure communication for a variety of devices.
Sophos Mobile: Offers MDM and mobile security features, integrating with Sophos' broader cybersecurity solutions.
Citrix Endpoint Management: Provides MDM, mobile application management, and secure file sharing for a wide range of devices.
It's important to evaluate these solutions based on your organization's specific needs, including the types of devices you need to manage, security requirements, scalability, integration with existing systems, user experience, and overall cost. Each solution has its strengths and may be better suited for different use cases and environments.
MDM - Mobile Device Management
MDM Refer to solutions, tools and process that organizations can use to manage and control mobile devices such workstations, laptop, smartphones and tablets.
The most critical function of MDM is to ensure security and compliance of these devices while being used for business purposes.
Key Aspects
Device Configuration and Settings: MDM allows administrators to remotely configure device settings, such as email accounts, Wi-Fi settings, security policies, and more. This ensures consistent configurations across all managed devices and helps maintain security standards.
Security and Compliance: MDM solutions enable administrators to enforce security policies on mobile devices. This might include requiring strong passcodes, enabling encryption, enforcing app whitelisting or blacklisting, and remotely wiping devices in case of loss or theft. This helps protect sensitive company data and ensures compliance with industry regulations.
App Management: MDM allows administrators to distribute, update, and manage applications on devices. This can involve pushing specific apps to devices, controlling app permissions, and ensuring that apps are up to date.
Remote Monitoring and Support: MDM tools often provide administrators with real-time visibility into device health, usage, and performance. This helps identify potential issues early and allows IT teams to provide remote support when users encounter problems.
Inventory Management: MDM systems keep track of the devices connected to the organization's network, including information like device models, operating systems, and hardware specifications. This information aids in managing device lifecycles.
Remote Wiping and Locking: In case a device is lost, stolen, or compromised, MDM allows administrators to remotely wipe the device's data or lock it to prevent unauthorized access.
Geolocation Tracking: Some MDM solutions offer geolocation tracking, which can help locate lost or stolen devices and aid in recovery efforts.
BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Management: Many organizations allow employees to use their personal devices for work purposes. MDM solutions help manage these devices while maintaining a separation between personal and corporate data.
Cost Management: MDM can help manage data usage and control costs associated with mobile plans, especially for organizations with a large number of devices.
Updates and Patches: MDM systems can help ensure that devices are kept up to date with the latest software patches and updates, minimizing vulnerabilities.
MDM solutions are particularly important in today's workplace, where the use of mobile devices is ubiquitous, and organizations need to balance the benefits of mobility with the need to secure sensitive information.
The CIS Benchmark, developed by the Center for Internet Security (CIS), is a set of best practices and guidelines designed to help organizations secure their systems, networks, and software applications. CIS is a nonprofit organization that focuses on improving cybersecurity readiness and response across various industries and sectors. (You have to pay to become a member :))
CIS Benchmarks provide specific configuration recommendations for various technology products, such as operating systems, databases, web servers, network devices and more. These recommendations are derived from a consensus of cybersecurity experts and are intended to enhance the security posture of an organization's IT environment.
The benchmarks outline security controls and settings that should be implemented to mitigate common security vulnerabilities and threats. These controls are often based on industry standards and regulatory requirements. The guidelines are typically organized into different sections, each addressing specific security areas, such as authentication, access control, logging, and encryption.
CIS Benchmarks are valuable resources for organizations looking to harden their IT systems against cyberattacks and unauthorized access. By following the recommendations in the benchmarks, organizations can reduce the risk of security breaches and data leaks. It's important to note that while the benchmarks provide a strong starting point for security configuration, they may need to be adapted to fit an organization's specific needs and use cases.
CIS releases benchmarks for a wide range of technologies and platforms, and they are regularly updated to stay current with emerging threats and evolving technology landscapes. These benchmarks are widely used across industries as a foundation for implementing strong cybersecurity practices and are considered a valuable resource for both IT professionals and security practitioners.
Link: https://www.cisecurity.org/cis-benchmarks
Organization also provides CIS Hardened images that are pre-configured to meet the robust recommendations of the CIS Benchmark.
https://www.cisecurity.org/cis-hardened-image-list
Also please register at https://workbench.cisecurity.org/ to get more details on the benchmark guides.
CIS also publishes standards on how we can evaluate organizations security controls and at the time of writing version 8 has been published.
Main evaluation of the controls revolve around the below list.
1. Asset Management
2. Data Management
3. Secure Configurations
4. Account and Access Control Management
5. Vulnerability Management
6. Log Management
7. Malware Defense
8. Data Recovery
9. Security Training
10. Incident Response
Security landscape keeps changing and so are the organization needs, so please verify and use as per the needs.
LockBit is a type of ransomware that emerged in 2nd half of 2019. In January 2020, the BitWise Spider ransomware group believed to behind the LockBit development adopted the name LockBit and began operations as a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS).
Background, Ransomware is a form of malicious software that encrypts a victim's files, rendering them inaccessible, and demands a ransom payment from the victim in exchange for the decryption key. LockBit is part of the broader ransomware landscape and has gained notoriety for its sophisticated techniques and tactics.
LockBit had been involved in several high-profile attacks targeting various organizations. The ransomware operators often employ tactics such as double extortion tactic to encourage victims to pay, first, to regain access to their encrypted files and then to pay again to prevent their stolen data from being posted publicly. The threat to leak the stolen data if the ransom isn't paid, which adds an extra layer of pressure on the victims.
LockBit encrypts files with the “.lockbit” extension, restricting access to data.
LockBit is a supposed to be developed by Russia-linked ransomware group BitWise Spider. LockBit was one of the most prolific ransomware groups of 2022. The group also developed StealBit - Information stealer.
Modern EDR / XDR Solutions do prevent threats related to ransomware but constant up-keep is needed to stay ahead of the curve.
SSO stands for "Single Sign-On" It's a centralized authentication and authorization mechanism that allows users to access multiple applications or systems with a single set of credentials. Instead of requiring users to remember and enter separate usernames and passwords for each application, SSO enables them to log in once and then access various services without needing to re-enter their credentials.
Here's how SSO typically works:
1. User Authentication: The user provides their credentials (username and password) to a central identity provider (IDP).
2. Token Issuance: Upon successful authentication, the IDP issues a digital token, often a security token like a JSON Web Token (JWT) or a Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) token. This token contains information about the user's identity and the permissions they have.
3. Token Usage: When the user attempts to access another application or service that is part of the SSO ecosystem, the application redirects the user to the IDP's authentication server along with a request for authentication.
4. Token Verification: The IDP verifies the user's session and permissions based on the token. If everything checks out, the IDP generates a new token for the application the user is trying to access.
5. Access Granted: The application receives the new token from the IDP and validates it. If the token is valid, the application grants the user access without requiring them to log in again.
Benefits of SSO include:
1. Convenience: Users only need to remember one set of credentials, reducing the burden of managing multiple passwords.
2. Security: Centralized authentication and authorization can improve security by enforcing strong authentication practices and providing better control over user access.
3. User Experience: SSO simplifies the user experience, as users can seamlessly switch between different applications without constant login prompts.
4. Centralized Management: IT administrators can manage user access, permissions, and security policies from a central location, making it easier to enforce security protocols.
5. Reduced Password Fatigue: Users often reuse passwords across different platforms, increasing the risk of security breaches. SSO reduces this risk by minimizing the number of passwords users need to create and manage.
SSO can be implemented using various protocols and technologies, including SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language), OAuth (Open Authorization), OpenID Connect, and more. Organizations and service providers often implement SSO to enhance security, streamline user access, and improve overall user experience.
Sample Vendors:
1. Okta: Okta provides a cloud-based identity management platform that includes SSO, multi-factor authentication, and other identity-related services.
2. OneLogin: OneLogin offers a comprehensive identity management solution with features like SSO, adaptive authentication, and user provisioning.
3. Ping Identity: Ping Identity offers a range of identity and access management solutions, including SSO, API security, and multi-factor authentication.
4. Microsoft Azure Active Directory: Microsoft's Azure AD offers SSO and identity management capabilities, especially for organizations using Microsoft's suite of products and services.
5. Google Workspace (formerly G Suite): Google Workspace provides SSO as part of its suite of collaboration and productivity tools, allowing users to access various Google services with a single set of credentials.
6. Salesforce Identity: Salesforce offers SSO and identity management services as part of its broader customer relationship management (CRM) platform.
7. Auth0: Auth0 is a popular identity platform that offers SSO, social login integration, and identity verification services.
8. ForgeRock: ForgeRock provides identity and access management solutions, including SSO, customer identity and access management (CIAM), and more.
9. IBM Security Access Manager: IBM offers a range of security solutions, including SSO and identity management, through its Security Access Manager product.
10. AWS Single Sign-On (AWS SSO): Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides SSO capabilities for accessing various AWS services and applications.
These are just a few examples, and the landscape of SSO providers is constantly evolving. When considering an SSO solution, it's important to evaluate factors such as ease of integration, security features, scalability, and compatibility with your existing technology stack.
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) is a security framework and approach that shifts traditional network security paradigms by assuming that no user or device, whether inside or outside the organization's network perimeter, can be inherently trusted. In a ZTNA model, trust is never granted based solely on network location, and access is granted on a need-to-know basis, following strict authentication, authorization, and continuous monitoring principles.
The key principles of Zero Trust Network Access include:
Verification Before Access: Instead of assuming trust based on network location, ZTNA requires strong user and device verification before granting access to resources. This often involves multi-factor authentication (MFA) and device health checks.
Least Privilege: Users and devices are granted only the minimum level of access necessary to perform their required tasks. This minimizes the potential impact of a security breach.
Micro-Segmentation: The network is segmented into smaller zones to limit lateral movement. Each zone contains specific resources, and access is strictly controlled based on user roles and needs.
Continuous Monitoring: Access and user behavior are continuously monitored, and any deviations from normal behavior are flagged for investigation. This helps detect and respond to potential security threats in real time.
Application-Centric: ZTNA focuses on securing access to individual applications rather than granting broad network access. Users only have access to the specific applications they need to use.
Encryption and Isolation: Data in transit and at rest is encrypted to ensure confidentiality. Network segments are isolated to contain potential breaches and limit their impact.
Dynamic Policy Enforcement: Policies for access are enforced dynamically based on user context, device posture, and other relevant factors. Access is granted or denied in real time based on these factors.
User-Centric: The user's identity is a central component of ZTNA. Authentication and authorization are tied to the user's identity regardless of their location or device.
ZTNA is particularly relevant in today's decentralized and cloud-centric IT environments, where users and applications can be spread across various locations and environments. Traditional perimeter-based security models have become less effective in protecting against sophisticated cyber threats that can bypass perimeter defenses. ZTNA addresses these challenges by focusing on securing access to resources, regardless of where those resources are located.
ZTNA solutions often leverage technologies such as secure access service edge (SASE), software-defined perimeters (SDP), and identity and access management (IAM) to implement the Zero Trust principles effectively. The goal is to enhance security posture, reduce attack surface, and improve overall cybersecurity in a world of increasing digital complexity
Penetration testing (pen testing) and vulnerability management are both critical components of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, but they serve different purposes in identifying and addressing security risks within an organization's IT environment.
Penetration Testing (Pen Testing):
Penetration testing, often referred to as "pen testing," is a proactive security assessment conducted by skilled professionals to simulate real-world cyberattacks on an organization's systems, applications, and network infrastructure. The main goal of a pen test is to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in a controlled manner to determine the extent to which an attacker could compromise the organization's assets.
Key points about penetration testing:
Purpose: To evaluate the security posture by identifying vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers and to assess the organization's ability to detect and respond to such attacks.
Methodology: Pen testers simulate various attack scenarios to exploit vulnerabilities, gaining access to systems and data in ways that malicious actors might use.
Scope: Pen tests can be focused on specific systems, applications, or network segments, or they can be broader, comprehensive assessments.
Actionable Insights: Penetration testing provides real-world insights into how vulnerabilities could be exploited and highlights potential impact and risk.
Manual Expertise: While automated tools are used, pen testing often requires manual expertise to uncover complex vulnerabilities that automated tools might miss.
Penetration Testing Tools:
Metasploit: An open-source penetration testing framework that provides tools for developing, testing, and executing exploit code against a remote target.
Burp Suite: A web vulnerability scanner and proxy tool used for web application security testing, including manual and automated scanning.
Nessus: A widely used vulnerability scanner that identifies vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and other security issues in networks and web applications.
OWASP Zap: An open-source web application security scanner used for detecting vulnerabilities in web applications.
Core Impact: A commercial penetration testing tool that provides advanced attack simulation capabilities and vulnerability assessment.
Cobalt Strike: A commercial penetration testing tool that offers post-exploitation capabilities and helps simulate advanced attacks.
Wireshark: A network protocol analyzer that is used for capturing and analyzing network traffic to identify potential security issues.
Vulnerability Management:
Vulnerability management is an ongoing process that focuses on identifying, prioritizing, mitigating, and monitoring vulnerabilities across an organization's IT environment. It involves a systematic approach to finding vulnerabilities, assessing their risk, and taking appropriate actions to remediate them.
Key points about vulnerability management:
Purpose: To identify vulnerabilities in systems, software, and applications, assess their severity and potential impact, and prioritize them for remediation.
Methodology: Vulnerability management involves scanning systems and applications using automated tools to identify known vulnerabilities based on vulnerability databases.
Scope: Vulnerability management covers the entire IT environment, including servers, endpoints, networking devices, and applications.
Actionable Insights: It provides a comprehensive view of the organization's vulnerability landscape and allows prioritization based on risk assessment.
Automation and Reporting: Automated tools are used for vulnerability scanning, and the process includes generating reports, risk scores, and recommendations for remediation.
Vulnerability Management Tools:
Rapid7 InsightVM: A vulnerability management solution that combines vulnerability assessment with asset management and remediation prioritization. InsightVM offers vulnerability management and assessment capabilities for networks and endpoints. (Personal favorite)
Qualys Vulnerability Management: A cloud-based vulnerability management solution that scans systems and applications for vulnerabilities and provides risk assessment and prioritization.
Tenable.io: A cloud-based vulnerability management platform that provides continuous monitoring, vulnerability scanning, and risk assessment.
OpenVAS: An open-source vulnerability scanner that provides vulnerability assessment, reporting, and management features.
Greenbone Security Manager: A commercial appliance-based solution built around the OpenVAS vulnerability scanning engine.
In summary, while penetration testing involves simulating real-world attacks to identify vulnerabilities and assess potential risks, vulnerability management is an ongoing process of identifying, tracking, and addressing vulnerabilities across the organization's IT landscape. Both practices are essential for maintaining a robust cybersecurity posture, and they often work in tandem to identify and address security weaknesses before malicious actors can exploit them.
It's important to note that the field of cybersecurity tools is rapidly evolving, and new tools are regularly developed to address emerging threats and challenges. When selecting tools for penetration testing and vulnerability management, consider factors such as the specific needs of your organization, integration capabilities, reporting features, and the level of technical expertise required to use them effectively.
Popular Web Application Firewall (WAF) solution providers include the below list
ModSecurity: An open-source WAF module that can be integrated with web servers like Apache and Nginx. It provides customizable rule sets to detect and prevent various types of web application attacks.
Imperva WAF: A commercial WAF solution that offers advanced threat protection, application security, and bot mitigation. It provides real-time attack detection and automatic updates to stay up-to-date with emerging threats. They provide both solutions in the cloud and on-prem setup.
Akamai Web Application Protector: This cloud-based WAF by Akamai offers scalable protection for web applications against various types of attacks, including DDoS attacks, SQL injection, and more.
Cloudflare WAF: Cloudflare's WAF is part of its broader security suite and offers protection against OWASP top 10 threats, DDoS attacks, and other malicious activities. It is available both for individual websites and enterprise-level applications.
Radware: Radware WAF delivers solutions for physical, cloud and software defined data centers. It also include BOT and DDOS mitigations. They also protection solutions for client-side to mitigate supply-chain events.
F5 BIG-IP Application Security Manager (ASM): F5's ASM is a comprehensive application security solution that includes a powerful WAF to protect against various application-layer attacks and vulnerabilities.
Barracuda Web Application Firewall: A hardware or virtual appliance WAF that provides protection against threats like SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and more. It also offers bot mitigation and secure application delivery.
Wallarm: Wallarm's WAF combines security automation with machine learning to provide real-time application protection against attacks. It's designed to work in modern application environments, including microservices and APIs.
AWS WAF: Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers a cloud-based WAF that can be integrated with AWS services or deployed on-premises. It helps protect web applications from common web exploits and vulnerabilities.
These are just a few examples, and there are many other WAF solutions available with varying features, deployment options, and levels of customization. When selecting a WAF, organizations should consider factors such as the specific threats they want to defend against, the ease of integration, performance impact, scalability, and management capabilities.
The above list is just an example and it's possible that things have changed since. Also every organization has different needs, so please evaluate based on your requirement and level of risk that needs to be protected.
A WAF, or Web Application Firewall, is a security solution designed to protect web applications from various types of cyber threats and attacks. It sits between a web application and the client (usually a web browser) and helps filter, monitor, and block malicious traffic and potentially harmful requests before they reach the application server. WAFs are specifically tailored to protect web applications and the underlying servers from a range of attacks that exploit vulnerabilities in the application code or protocols.
Key features and functions of a WAF include:
Traffic Filtering: WAFs analyze incoming web traffic and filter out malicious or suspicious requests, helping to prevent attacks like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and cross-site request forgery (CSRF).
Attack Detection: WAFs use various techniques, such as signature-based detection, anomaly detection, and behavioral analysis, to identify patterns associated with known and unknown attacks.
Blocking and Mitigation: When a WAF detects malicious or unauthorized traffic, it can block or mitigate the threat by preventing the malicious requests from reaching the application server.
Logging and Reporting: WAFs maintain logs of web traffic and security events, providing valuable information for analysis, incident response, and compliance purposes.
Virtual Patching: WAFs can provide virtual patches to vulnerabilities in web applications while developers work on permanent fixes. This helps protect against attacks targeting known vulnerabilities.
Bot Detection and Management: WAFs can identify and mitigate bot traffic, including malicious bots attempting to carry out automated attacks.
Security Policies: WAFs allow administrators to define security policies and rules to determine which traffic is allowed and which is blocked based on predefined criteria.
WAFs are particularly useful in defending against attacks that specifically target web applications, as these attacks can exploit vulnerabilities in the application's code, user input fields, or interactions with the server. By placing a protective layer between the application and the client, a WAF helps to minimize the risk of data breaches, unauthorized access, and other types of cyberattacks.
It's important to note that while WAFs are a valuable part of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, they should be used in conjunction with other security measures, such as regular code reviews, secure development practices, and network security solutions, to provide a holistic defense against web application threats.
AV (Antivirus), EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response), and XDR (Extended Detection and Response) are all cybersecurity solutions, but they serve different purposes and offer varying levels of protection and visibility within an organization's IT environment.
AV (Antivirus):
Antivirus software is a foundational cybersecurity tool that focuses on identifying and blocking known malicious software, such as viruses, worms, trojans, and other types of malware. Traditional antivirus solutions use signature-based detection methods to compare files and programs against a database of known malware signatures. When a match is found, the antivirus software takes action to quarantine or remove the malicious files.
Key features of AV:
However, AV solutions are limited in their ability to detect more sophisticated and emerging threats that may not yet have known signatures. This is where EDR and XDR solutions come into play.
Popular AV's:
EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response):
EDR solutions provide advanced threat detection and response capabilities at the endpoint level. They focus on monitoring and responding to suspicious activities and potential threats on individual endpoints (devices) within a network. EDR solutions use behavioral analysis, machine learning, and advanced heuristics to detect anomalies, unknown threats, and suspicious activities that might indicate a breach.
Key features of EDR:
Popular EDR's:
XDR (Extended Detection and Response):
XDR solutions take threat detection and response to the next level by integrating data from multiple sources beyond just endpoints. XDR aggregates and correlates security data from various parts of an organization's network, including endpoints, network traffic, cloud environments, email, and more. This broader approach provides a more comprehensive view of the threat landscape and helps detect complex attacks that involve multiple vectors.
Key features of XDR:
In summary:
The choice between these solutions depends on an organization's security requirements, risk profile, and IT infrastructure complexity. Many modern security strategies involve a combination of these solutions to provide layered defense against a wide range of cyber threats.
It's important to note that the cybersecurity landscape is dynamic, and new products and solutions are constantly being developed. When evaluating products, organizations should consider factors such as their specific security needs, budget, integration capabilities, and the overall effectiveness of the solution in addressing their unique threat landscape.
Popular list could change anytime, so please review the solutions based on the needs.