Securicom introduces aggressive network watchdog

Securicom, a specialist in managed IT security services, has introduced a standalone, unobtrusive intrusion detection and prevention system that proactively detects and blocks external attempts to enter corporate networks.

Like a vigilant watchdog, Securicom Managed Intrusion Detection Service (IDS), aggressively monitors the perimeter of the network for suspicious activity, sending proactive warnings on potentially malicious attempts to gain entry, and blocking attacks before IT security can be compromised.

The solution complements existing network firewalls, detecting and stopping attacks that evade conventional perimeter protection defences by inspecting the packets within the gateway.

“Securicom IDS was developed in response to a growing need among companies for a simple, standalone intrusion detection and prevention system that fills the gaps in traditional firewall defences to ensure effective perimeter protection without the cost and complexity of a complete Security Operation Centre (SOC) environment.

“Our service gives companies a no-strings-attached option. They can deploy our IDS solution on their network, regardless what security technologies they already have in play on the inside. Securicom IDS bolsters existing firewall protection, inspecting all incoming packets for suspicious patterns, exploits or malicious content and identifying emerging threats for which no threat signatures have yet been developed,” says Dries Morris, Operations Director at Securicom.

Securicom IDS is a network-based system that uses industry-leading IDS devices that are innovatively packaged with other necessary security technologies and delivered as a managed service by Securicom. Companies simply subscribe to the service.

According to Morris, the IDS sensors can be deployed invisibly on the network to work with current configurations, with no major changes to the current routing/switching infrastructure. They can also be deployed in a high availability configuration to ensure a single hardware failure doesn't bring down the whole network. The system is configured according to the organisation's security requirements.

One of the big plusses of the system is that it features an online dashboard that gives the business full visibility of the system and any suspicious activity or events.

“From the dashboard, companies can get a breakdown of activity on the system for the past seven days and see which IDS events were detected and blocked. The dashboard also gives details regarding the top 10 attackers, the attack distribution and the top attack signatures. This information empowers companies in protecting assets and valuable business information,” says Morris.

No alarm system can be considered particularly effective without a response team on call. With Securicom IDS, subscribing companies have access to IT security experts who will investigate incidents and consult on remediation.

“This is valuable to any company that finds its network exposed to security threats and doesn't know how to deal with them,” says Morris.

He concludes, saying that every company with an Internet presence runs the risk of sensitive business information being hacked by parties with malicious intentions. Any compromise in the security of that information could impact negatively on the business, its customers and other stakeholders.

Unfortunately, because criminals are so enterprising in their ways of “breaking in”, companies are increasingly finding that their IT security is just not cutting it anymore.

“A robust firewall provides excellent protection at the network perimeter, but it is not effective against attacks that have been designed to evade conventional firewall defences, or threats for which no threat signatures have been developed.

“It's important for companies, particularly those that deal with proprietary, confidential or private information, to know exactly where their vulnerabilities lie. Often these vulnerabilities begin at the perimeter, where robust security is the most necessary,” he says.