Category: Palo Alto Networks

Here are my 2014 predictions on what I think will be the trendsetters in cyber security.

1. Securing the mobile device will be inextricably linked to securing the network

With freedom of choice comes risk.  Megatrends like BYOD and the rise of the mobile workforce are providing fertile ground for cyber criminals and nation states looking to capitalize on devices operating over unprotected networks.  The scales have historically been tipped against us, leaving enterprises vulnerable to a new breed of advanced threats targeting mobile devices.  In 2014, threat intelligence gained within the enterprise network will offer new defense capabilities for mobile devices operating outside protected networks.  And intelligence gained by mobile devices will offer new signature capabilities to further strengthen enterprise networks.

2. Cloud will get a security makeover

Innovations in network virtualization are enabling automation and transparent network insertion of next-generation security services into the cloud, and this is an area where Palo Alto Networks leads.  Security has remained one of the greatest barriers preventing cloud computing from reaching its full potential, and in our recent Cloud Computing & Security survey, about 60 percent of respondents told us that delays in applying security have a negative impact on their operational efficiency. In 2014 next-generation network security and network virtualization will come together to form a new paradigm for cloud security.

3. Detection times will decrease in 2014

This may be a controversial prediction amongst those who prefer to prey on fear, but expect breach detection times to decrease in 2014.  Enterprise security has undergone a massive transformation since the introduction of the Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW).  This has long since moved from an emerging technology to one that’s universally deployed.  Newer, advanced security services are enabling enterprises to gain new advantages in detecting unknown threats, and gather that information into a  threat intelligence cloud that’s developing an impressively high IQ.  In other words…the vision is working.  The net result will be a measurable reduction in the time it takes to detect a breach.

Scott Gainey

The tail end of 2013, and right into the New Year, has kept enterprise security teams working around the clock. Stealthy, persistent attacks have compromised tens of millions of customer records, often lurking in networks for extended periods of time to accomplish their mission. When it comes to these advanced attacks, one thing is clear: security teams require visibility into all traffic flowing over their network, irrespective of common evasions like port-hopping or hiding in SSL encryption.

With the new features in PAN-OS 6.0, Palo Alto Networks is delivering a breakthrough release for WildFire, extending our malware detection capabilities to more file types, discovering zero-day exploits, and simplifying the job of security and IR teams with granular malware intelligence.

WildFire now provides:

• Extended threat detection across all common file types, including: Adobe PDF, Microsoft Office documents, Java, Zip files, and Android APKs. WildFire goes a step further across all these files, deeply analyzing them for high-risk embedded content such as Adobe Flash files, images, and Javascript.
• Discovery of zero-day exploits across common applications and operating systems (OSs). This signature-less capability takes threat detection earlier in the cyber-kill chain, often identifying and preventing exploits from delivering malware.
• New OSs in the WildFire cloud-based virtual analysis environment, to identify malware and exploits for both Windows XP and Windows 7. Unlike other solutions, threats are detected across both OSs in parallel, ensuring environment-aware threats are found and blocked.
• Simplified identification and remediation of infected systems with new Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) such as detailing out changes to system files, registry modifications, and the actual behavior of malware across different operating systems.
• Providing the original malicious file and full packet captures (PCAPs) of malware as it executes, for further analysis or development of custom protections.

These new features build on the native classification of all traffic within our Enterprise Security Platform, which includes visibility into nearly 400 applications that can transfer files, regardless of ports or encryption. Unlike other APT solutions, WildFire is built to understand threats based on how they truly operate, with the context of the applications used to deliver them, using a single integrated platform.

You can learn more about our new capabilities in the WildFire datasheet or PAN-OS 6.0 release notes. And take a minute to watch this short video covering new WildFire features.

[Source: Scott Simkin]

Today Palo Alto Networks announced the availability of PAN-OS 6.0, and with it another major milestone in our commitment to defend enterprises, service providers and governments from the most advanced cyber threats.  At the center of our enterprise security strategy is an innovative platform, powered by PAN-OS, that provides breakthrough protection from the data center to the network perimeter, as well as the distributed enterprise. With over 60 new features now available in this release there is quite literally something for everyone.

As you read through the feature overview you’ll see two dominant themes emerge.  First, we continue to invest heavily in exposing new evasion tactics used by attackers to avoid detection. A clear example can be seen with the enhancements made to WildFire, which protects our customers from unknown malware, and zero-day exploits across nearly 400 different applications. Detecting these threats requires that you inspect all traffic – regardless of the port it’s transmitting through, the protocol used, or whether it’s encrypted, which we estimate constitutes as much as 20-30% of enterprise traffic today.

Second, it should go without saying that the intelligence gathered during detection must be closely integrated with your defenses and shared globally, such that previously unknown attack patterns can never be repeated.

Here are some of the highlights:

• PAN-OS 6.0 expands WildFire’s dynamic analysis to include all major file types including Android APK, Java, PDF, PE and Microsoft Office.  Inspection can be performed against fully emulated Windows XP and Windows 7 environments with granular reporting and analysis tools to help expedite incident response.
• PAN-OS 6.0 adds new DNS analysis and monitoring techniques to identify previously unknown command-and-control (C&C) servers, as well as infected hosts operating within your enterprise.  C&C intelligence is routed back to our Threat Prevention and URL Filtering subscription service to block any future communication and quickly remediate existing infections.

Be sure to check out the full breadth of this release at our What’s New in PAN-OS 6.0 feature page.  We’ll detail all of the enhancements made across the platform including VM-Series, GlobalProtect, and Panorama.

[Source: Scott Gainey]

UPDATE:  The ICS-ISAC panel session has been moved to January 22, 2014, 1:00PM EST, due to an unforeseen urgent matter. You can use the same link to register.

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Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system security is a hot topic, and Palo Alto Networks will be participating in an ICS-ISAC online panel on situational awareness this Wednesday, January 15, January 22. Please join us and register here if you are interested to learn more.

The ICS-ISAC is a non-profit Knowledge Sharing Center established to help facilities develop situational awareness in support of local, national and international security. The ICS-ISAC is developing and piloting the Situational Awareness Reference Architecture (SARA). SARA is a practical compilation of standard practices, processes and technologies that can be used by asset owners, knowledge centers and their public and private partners to guide the implementation of local and shared situational awareness.

Palo Alto Networks is a new member of the ICS-ISAC, and we believe our next-generation security platform is a perfect fit for this architecture with its ability to provide highly granular visibility into network traffic and potential risks. We look forward to showcasing our solution in the ICS-ISAC’s SARA test bed in various situational awareness use cases across the control center and remote station environments.

Hope you can join us!

[Source: Del Rodillas]

Morta Team Expertise and Technologies Contribute to Palo Alto Networks’ Proven WildFire Threat Detection and Prevention Capabilities

Palo Alto Networks Santa Clara, CA

Palo Alto Networks® (NYSE: PANW), today announced it has acquired Morta Security, a Silicon Valley-based cybersecurity company operating in stealth mode since 2012.  Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.The acquisition of Morta Security further cements Palo Alto Networks as the leading provider of next-generation enterprise security.  Palo Alto Networks offerings uniquely provide enterprises the ability to safely enable applications and rapidly detect and prevent threats, especially those that use an increasingly sophisticated array of tactics to compromise networks and gain access to valuable intellectual property.Morta Security brings to Palo Alto Networks a team experienced at protecting national infrastructure as well as technologies that enhance the proven detection and prevention capabilities of the Palo Alto Networks WildFire™ offering, which is already used by more than 2,400 customers.

QUOTES

·         “The Morta team brings additional valuable threat intelligence experience and capabilities to Palo Alto Networks” said Mark McLaughlin, President and CEO of Palo Alto Networks.  “The company’s technology developments align well with our highly integrated, automated and scalable platform approach and their contributions will translate into additive threat detection and prevention benefits for our customers.”

·         “Palo Alto Networks has a successful history of disrupting the network security landscape with its unique offerings” said Raj Shah, CEO of Morta Security.  “The Morta team is excited to work with the clear leaders in this space and we look forward to joining the company and contributing to future highly innovative technology leadership.”

Advanced Threats Demand Automated and Scalable Approach

Today’s sophisticated attacks increasingly rely on a combination of tactics and threat vectors to penetrate an organization and often remain undetected for extended periods of time while inflicting long-term damage.  Most organizations still rely on legacy point technologies that address only specific types of attacks, or phases of the attack.  Because of the singular nature of these technologies, they are ill-equipped to detect and prevent today’s advanced cyber attacks.  And, when they are finally discovered, they typically require significant human incident response efforts.  As the volume and sophistication of these attacks continues to grow, throwing more point products and human capital at the challenge is too costly and cumbersome for most organizations.

To address these challenges, a new approach is required:  One that begins with positive security controls to reduce the attack surface; inspects all traffic, ports, and protocols to block all known threats; rapidly detects unknown threats through analysis and correlation of abnormal behavior; then automatically employs new signatures and policies back to the front line to ensure previously unknown threats are known to all and blocked.  This approach can reduce the number of threats that penetrate an organization and greatly reduce the need for costly human remediation.

Palo Alto Networks is pioneering the development of this kind of automated approach; it starts with the firewall as the core enforcement vehicle within the network and is complemented by advanced detection services to increase overall efficacy.  With its security platform, Palo Alto Networks builds greater visibility upstream combined with strong prevention mechanisms of both known and unknown threats.  The Morta team’s cybersecurity expertise and technologies will fit seamlessly into this approach by adding capabilities that can expedite the detection of new attack variations.

To learn more about the Palo Alto Networks security platform and WildFire offering: visit:https://paloaltonetworks.com/products/features/apt-prevention.html.

ABOUT PALO ALTO NETWORKS

Palo Alto Networks is leading a new era in cybersecurity by protecting thousands of enterprise, government, and service provider networks from cyber threats.  Unlike fragmented legacy products, our security platform safely enables business operations and delivers protection based on what matters most in today’s dynamic computing environments: applications, users, and content.  Find out more atwww.paloaltonetworks.com.

Palo Alto Networks, The Network Security Company, WildFire, and the Palo Alto Networks Logo are trademarks of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other trademarks, trade names or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.

[Source: Palo Alto Networks]