The traditional vulnerability detection systems were for a long time a useful resource for the security teams of companies. Unfortunately, the emergence of increasingly sophisticated threats made it necessary to search for more efficient resources to identify unauthorized intrusions more quickly. This is where Behavioral Analysis came to the rescue.
Behavioral Analysis is a discipline originally conceived to help Marketing departments achieve a more complete understanding of user preferences.
However, over time, Behavioral Analysis proved to be extremely effective in the field of digital security, so some companies providing security solutions began to integrate it into the functionalities of their products.
If you still don’t know the advantages that this strategy can offer you, we invite you to have a look at the article we have prepared for you today. Read on and discover what Behavioral Analysis can do for the security of your corporate environment.
The Problem
APT‘s attacks are proof that hackers are always one step ahead of security tools.
The main problem is that traditional security tools are too often designed to protect against known external threats, which decreases the likelihood of detecting new or internally-sourced threats. As a result, internal users with malicious targets get a considerable advantage over security teams.
Thanks to this, there is a need for solutions that allow the early detection of any abnormal behavior, that is, solutions that integrate Behavioral Analysis functionalities.
How exactly does Behavioral Analysis work?
Behavioral Analysis uses specialized analytical capabilities that focus on the behavior of systems and their users. For this it focuses on two main functions. First, it determines normal behaviors for specific activities of the organization and its users.
This allows you to quickly detect deviations that require the attention of IT security teams. When they identify abnormal behavior, they send an alert. Determining whether the anomaly is dangerous or not is then up to the security teams.
Although the Behavioral Analysis methodology is not entirely new, this discipline uses two state-of-the-art technologies to carry out its mission: Big Data and Machine Learning.
What can Behavioral Analysis do?
The BA among other things can:
- Detect elements that should not access the system as exploitation tools, rescue software, cryptographic intrusions and more.
- Monitor for suspicious activity, including unusual access to confidential data, abnormal user behavior, and unusual file activity.
- Monitor attack to system infrastructure.
- Analyze policy changes, membership changes, and account changes to protect against potential exploitation.
3 Ways Behavioral Analysis Can Help You Improve Your Security Strategies
#1 Detect false positives better
These alerts attract the attention of security teams whenever they appear, so they tend to waste a lot of valuable time trying to classify these harmless events. Through Behavioral Analysis, combined with Machine Learning and Big Data, the tool itself can achieve greater accuracy in identifying unauthorized intrusions to the system. This translates into greater effectiveness and productivity for the IT team.
#2 Get a more dynamic approach to security strategy
One of the main mistakes that companies usually make when it comes to their security strategies is not taking into account the dynamism of the business. In other words, employees bring their own devices, connect from different devices and systems, work remotely, and so on.
The available algorithms that track these movements are intended to analyze scientific data, not that of a constantly changing business. For its part, Behavioral Analysis can learn the differences in behavior between legitimate business uses and the behavior of attackers, thus eliminating a sea of alerts that analysts have to review.
#3 Know who has access to what on your network
Guessing whether a user is a friend or enemy of your business is a dangerous strategy when the security of the entire company is at stake. By monitoring how VPN users, supply chain partners, and service providers access your network, and comparing those usage patterns with credential behavior monitoring, security teams can be able to easily identify risks and stop data breaches before they become a threat.
Now you know, Behavioral Analysis can help you create a more robust security strategy so don’t hesitate to apply it to your systems. If you want better results the ideal is to use a tool that in addition to having this functionality, gives you a comprehensive protection 24 / 7. An excellent option in this case is AlienVault (AT&T Cybersecurity).
If you want more information about this or any other high-tech tool, do not hesitate to contact us. In GB Advisors we have a team of professionals always ready to provide the best advice on IT solutions.
