Today, the vast majority of internet traffic is encrypted, with about 95% of web traffic using encryption protocols such as HTTPS, reflecting a global drive towards privacy and data protection. Encryption is essential for privacy, but at the same time, it complicates visibility.
Many network security tools rely on inspecting data within encrypted streams to detect malware or suspicious behaviour. However, this approach introduces its own security concerns because these inspection points become new targets if they hold decryption keys.
Cyber defenders are facing their own challenge: not all data packets can be decrypted and inspected – which attackers are aware of. They take advantage of this reality by hiding their activity with encrypted data streams, thereby shielding their behaviour.
Snode, an award-winning South African cyber defence firm, has been granted a new US patent that addresses this problem directly. It enables the detection and prevention of malicious activity within encrypted network traffic without requiring access to the decrypted content itself. Rather than inspecting payloads, the approach focuses on identifying patterns and indicators in the metadata that signal risk, allowing defenders to act without compromising confidentiality.
“Security vendors shouldn’t need to see private communications in order to protect systems,” says Nithen Naidoo, CEO and founder of Snode Technologies. “In most cases, it is a suboptimal approach as you only control a small fraction of encrypted traffic. For example, while a bank may control its applications, it cannot freely inspect outbound encrypted traffic to external systems.”
The patent enhances visibility and prioritisation without decryption, allowing companies to apply predictive analytics and operational intelligence with confidence. It also introduces a governance and ethical advantage and gives companies a way to secure communications without compromising privacy or secrecy.
This could be particularly useful in critical infrastructure, especially where the line between digital and physical systems is dissolving. In fact, security research shows that industrial control systems now face threats similar to corporate networks but without equivalent protection, partly because legacy components do not support modern security tools.[1] This convergence and the increased sophistication of threats, which include those that leverage encryption, has driven the need for innovation.
“In physical systems such as industrial control networks, the stakes are even higher,” says Naidoo. “These systems historically operate in isolation, controlled by proprietary protocols and hardware that prioritise uptime over security. As IT and OT merge, this legacy is becoming a risk.
“Now, you don’t have to compromise privacy to secure critical infrastructure,” concludes Naidoo. “For industries built on connected machines and predictive systems, our patent provides visibility across encrypted networks while preserving the integrity of the operational data those systems depend on.”
Balancing privacy with protection is becoming increasingly important, not only in critical infrastructure but across all industries. Snode’s patent supports robust security practices without intrusive oversight through privacy-preserving technology. It is a model that safeguards digital (and physical) environments while protecting data integrity and respecting confidentiality.
[1] https://www.cisa.gov/topics/industrial-control-systems?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Share