Microsoft addressed an ASCII smuggling issue in 365 Copilot, and Google and Fortra issued critical security patches for actively exploited vulnerabilities in Chrome and FileCatalyst Workflow, respectively. To reduce the potential risks, update all impacted software to the most recent version and evaluate your system processes for potential modifications and security enhancements.

August 26, 2024

SonicWall Identifies Access Control Vulnerability

Type of vulnerability: Improper access control.

The problem: CVE-2024-40766, a critical access control vulnerability with a 9.3 severity level, was discovered in SonicOS on SonicWall systems. This flaw has the potential to bring down the firewall or grant unauthorized access to resources. Devices running SonicWall Firewall Gen5, Gen6, and Gen 7 are vulnerable to network-based threats that require no user interaction or authentication.

The fix: Upgrade to SonicWall’s firmware updates for Gen 5 (to version 5.9.2.14-13o), Gen 6 (to version 6.5.4.15.116n), and Gen 7 (to any version above 7.0.1-5035). Disable WAN management access or limit firewall management access to reliable sources if instant updates aren’t possible.

Traccar Fixes Path Traversal Vulnerabilities

Type of vulnerability: Path traversal.

The problem: Two major vulnerabilities, CVE-2024-24809 (CVSS score: 8.5) and CVE-2024-31214 (CVSS score: 9.7), were discovered in the Traccar GPS tracking system and affect versions 5.1 to 5.12. These path traversal weaknesses may allow unauthenticated attackers to drop malicious files. This can result in remote code execution under particular conditions, especially when you’ve permitted guest registration.

The fix: Traccar resolved these vulnerabilities in version 6, released in April 2024. It blocks self-registration by default, reducing the attack surface. Users should upgrade to Traccar 6 or higher to reduce the hazards. If you can’t update immediately, disable guest registration and unnecessary write access to prevent exploitation.

Versa Networks Patches File Upload Vulnerability

Type of vulnerability: Unrestricted file upload.

The problem: Versa Networks recently fixed a zero-day vulnerability, CVE-2024-39717, in Versa Director, a platform for controlling SD-WAN. This vulnerability, which existed in the “Change Favicon” feature, enabled threat actors with administrative capabilities to deliver malicious files disguised as PNG images. An APT attacker exploited this vulnerability which affected clients who failed to comply with system hardening and firewall standards.

The fix: This zero-day has been added to CISA’s Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities. Versa Networks advises clients to update their Versa Director installations to the most recent version to mitigate CVE-2024-39717. Furthermore, users should evaluate and follow the suggested system hardening and firewall rules. To check for exploitation, look for suspicious files in the /var/versa/vnms/web/custom_logo/ folder.

Explore how to prepare for zero-day threats. See how it works and the best practices for organizations to mitigate these attacks.

August 27, 2024

Apache Encounters Incorrect Authorization Vulnerability in OFBiz ERP

Type of vulnerability: Incorrect authorization.

The problem: Apache OFBiz, an open-source enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, contains a critical security weakness (CVE-2024-38856) with a CVSS score of 9.8, which allows unauthenticated attackers to execute remote code via a Groovy payload. This vulnerability, now actively exploited in the wild, affects systems used by big corporations worldwide, possibly compromising their sensitive operations.

The fix: To mitigate CVE-2024-38856, update Apache OFBiz to version 18.12.15. Federal agencies must roll out the revisions by September 17, 2024.

In his expert commentary regarding the issue, Greg Fitzgerald, co-founder of Sevco Security, warns that “even when patches are applied, a more insidious threat exists if companies have lost track of vulnerable instances.” Fitzgerald emphasizes an accurate IT asset inventory, citing that many assets remain uncovered by enterprise patch management and vulnerability management systems.

Microsoft Resolves ASCII Smuggling Vulnerability in 365 Copilot

Type of vulnerability: ASCII smuggling.

The problem: A recently patched vulnerability in Microsoft 365 Copilot allowed attackers to obtain sensitive user information via ASCII smuggling. Attackers could employ invisible Unicode characters to conceal harmful material in hyperlinks and exfiltrate data such as MFA codes. The exploit chain featured prompt injection and automatic tool invocation to find sensitive documents.

The fix: Microsoft rectified the vulnerability after disclosure in January 2024. Enterprises should activate data loss prevention and other security controls to limit hazards in AI technologies such as Copilot. Assess your risk tolerance to avoid data breaches from Copilots and safeguard bots with authentication measures.

Google Reveals Actively Exploited Chrome Flaw in V8 Engine

Type of vulnerability: Inappropriate implementation bug.

The problem: Google addressed an actively exploited security flaw in its Chrome browser, known as CVE-2024-7965. The vulnerability occurs from an incorrect implementation error in the V8 JavaScript and WebAssembly engines, which allows remote attackers to exploit heap corruption using crafted HTML pages. 

The bug was found by a security researcher named TheDog. Google hasn’t provided precise data about the assaults, but it has confirmed that the vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild.

The fix: Google recommends updating Chrome to versions 128.0.6613.84/.85 for Windows and macOS, and 128.0.6613.84 for Linux. This update handles the actively exploited CVE-2024-7965 vulnerability in the V8 engine, preventing heap corruption attacks using manipulated HTML pages.

August 28, 2024

Fortra Patches Critical Access Flaw in FileCatalyst Workflow

Type of vulnerability: Credential exposure.

The problem: Fortra fixed a major vulnerability in FileCatalyst Workflow (CVE-2024-6633) with a CVSS score of 9.8. The vulnerability stems from a static password used for the HSQL database, which allows remote attackers to acquire administrative privileges. This default credential vulnerability jeopardizes program security, integrity, and availability. The issue was made public on July 2, 2024.

The fix: Fortra has published a patch for FileCatalyst Workflow 5.1.7 and later, which addresses the static password issue. Update to this version to mitigate CVE-2024-6633 and fix the high-severity SQL injection bug (CVE-2024-6632) in the setup process.

Cookie theft is another method attackers use to expose your credentials. Reduce this risk, learn how to prevent unauthorized access to your browser, and discover some ways to identify and recover from stolen credential attacks.

August 29, 2024

AVTECH IP Cameras Exploited via Old Command Injection Flaw

Type of vulnerability: Command injection.

The problem: CVE-2024-7029 (CVSS score: 8.7) is a command injection vulnerability in AVTECH IP cameras that permits remote code execution (RCE) using the brightness feature. Threat actors exploited this weakness to incorporate devices into botnets, affecting devices running firmware versions up to FullImg-1023-1007-1011-1009. It was publicly published in August 2024.

The fix: Currently, no patch is available for this issue. Users must examine their camera firmware and seek alternative or extra security steps to reduce risk.

August 30, 2024

Threat Actors Leverage Atlassian Confluence Flaw for Crypto Mining

Type of vulnerability: Remote code execution.

The problem: CVE-2023-22527, a severe RCE vulnerability in Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server, enables unauthenticated remote code execution. Threat actors use this vulnerability to deploy XMRig miners, target SSH endpoints, and sustain persistence via cron jobs. Exploitation attempts increased significantly between June and July 2024.

The fix: To fix CVE-2023-22527, immediately update the Atlassian Confluence Data Center and Server to the newest versions. This patch addresses the major vulnerability and prevents future exploitation, protecting you against unauthorized remote code execution and illegal cryptocurrency mining.

Exploited Chrome Flaw Triggers Rootkit Deployment

Type of vulnerability: Type confusion.

The problem: CVE-2024-7971 is a high-severity type confusion vulnerability in Chrome’s V8 engine that North Korean actors exploited to execute code remotely. This resulted in the deployment of the FudModule rootkit. Victims of social engineering risked compromised systems and probable data theft.

The fix: Google addressed this flaw, eliminating the risk of remote code execution. To respond to CVE-2024-7971, update Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers to the latest version. Update Windows to solve associated vulnerabilities such as CVE-2024-38106 to avoid further exploitation and rootkit installation.

Read next:

• Vulnerability Recap 8/27/24: SolarWinds, Chrome, AWS
• Vulnerability Management: Definition, Process & Tools

The post Vulnerability Recap 9/2/24 – Big Companies Upgrade vs Risks appeared first on eSecurity Planet.

What Is the State of Cybersecurity Startups in 2024?

According to Crunchbase, cybersecurity firms have seen a significant jump in investment in 2024, with $4.4 billion spent in the second quarter alone, marking a 144% increase year over year. This funding surge demonstrates investor confidence in both established and emerging enterprises. This represents a shift from 2022 and 2023 when investments in cybersecurity startups dropped.

As organizations and individuals increasingly rely on complex cyberinfrastructure, the demand for robust cybersecurity solutions is growing. Despite the relative newness of the IT industry, cybersecurity remains a dynamic and expanding field with ample opportunities for emerging vendors. While many established technology giants continue to lead in cybersecurity, new startups are capturing attention by offering innovative solutions.

Most Popular Cybersecurity Startup Solutions

Based on our examination of data from platforms such as Crunchbase and Growjo, we’ve identified some of the top cybersecurity startups currently advancing in the industry:

• Application security: Secures software programs against threats and vulnerabilities.
• Cloud security: Safeguards cloud-based assets and data.
• Attack surface management: Detects and minimizes potential security vulnerabilities.
• Cyber asset management: Refers to the management and security of digital assets.
• Identity and access management: Manages user access and identity.
• Governance, risk, and compliance (GRC): Maintains regulatory compliance and risk management.
• Threat detection (EDR, XDR): Tracks and responds to threats via advanced tools.
• Digital forensics and incident response: Looks into and manages security incidents.
• Risk evaluation and assessment: Determines and assesses cybersecurity risks.
• Software development lifecycle (SDLC): Ensures the security of software development operations.
• Endpoint security and ransomware protection: Protects devices from ransomware threats.

Top Cybersecurity Startups Across Key Markets

Our list features companies formed within the last five years and those with high valuations, indicating that these are substantial, growing businesses. Many cybersecurity solutions overlap multiple categories; for example, extended detection and response (XDR) consolidates alerts from endpoints, networks, and applications into a single management console to provide complete security.

This table covers eleven of the top startups across different cybersecurity markets:

Apiiro

Apiiro is a five-year-old startup that offers a cloud application security platform (CASP) that helps organizations secure their applications from design to production. The platform combines cloud security posture management (CSPM), application security posture management (ASPM), and application orchestration and correlation (ASOC) capabilities to provide a comprehensive view of application security risks.

Cado Security

Cado Security, founded in 2020, provides Varc, or volatile artificial collector, a forensic cloud investigation tool. Varc improves threat hunting by enabling detailed data searches and speedy rogue IP detection. Cado Security’s software offers incident response in cloud, container, and serverless settings, providing forensic-level details and allowing for quick threat response.

Cowbell

Cowbell is a dedicated cyber insurance company for SMEs that relies on continuous risk assessment, AI data analytics, and real-time underwriting to give clients pre- and post-breach services. The risk management startup offers visibility into exposures dubbed Cowbell Factors, giving clients opportunities for potential remediation and better coverage.

Cycode

Cycode helps businesses secure their software from the inside out by analyzing software code for security vulnerabilities, providing developers with the information they need to fix them early on in the development process. Their application security posture management (ASPM) platform features comprehensiveness and ease of use and goes beyond static analysis tools to include dynamic analysis and machine learning capabilities.

Cyera

Cyera is an AI-powered data security technology providing organizations rich data context to ensure cyber resilience and compliance. It offers a data-centric security platform to protect organizations’ sensitive data from unauthorized access, use, and disclosure. The platform uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to identify and classify data, creating and enforcing security policies.

Havoc Shield

Designed for small businesses, Havoc Shield offers clients a suite of cybersecurity tools to manage cybersecurity programs with confidence. Havoc Shield’s stack covers asset inventory, vulnerability management, endpoint protection, patch management, email security, cyber awareness training, and vendor risk management in a single bundle.

Hook Security

The eponymous Hook Security specializes in phishing testing and security awareness training to transform the workforce culture surrounding cybersecurity. Available as a managed service or self-managed solution, Hook Security’s solutions include a customizable phishing simulator, a learning management system, reporting, and a catalog of available awareness training content.

NordSecurity

Nord Security provides various products and services, such as NordLayer, NordVPN, NordPass, and NordLocker. The Netherlands-based company has carved out a niche for itself by offering a simplified VPN service that prioritizes customer privacy and security. NordSecurity was a well-known name before landing its first funding round in 2022, a $100 million investment that rocketed the company’s valuation past the $1 billion “unicorn” status. 

Open Raven

Open Raven is a cloud-native data discovery and classification platform that helps organizations discover all data and resources in their cloud environment, classify data assets by identifying personal, sensitive, and regulated data, and monitor and protect data using policies and alerts. It utilizes techniques like pattern matching, machine learning, and data fingerprinting. The platform is designed to work at scale and can be used across multiple cloud providers.

Shift5

In the vendor’s own words: “We protect planes, trains, and tanks from cyber attacks.” Specializing in cybersecurity solutions for operational technology (OT), Shift5 offers protection for the world’s transportation infrastructure and weapons systems. Shift5 continuously monitors data intake from hardware and software to visualize critical insights, detect anomalies, and prevent intrusions.

Torq

Torq is a no-code security automation platform for building and integrating workflows between cybersecurity systems. With a long and impressive list of potential use cases, teams can utilize Torq to automate security workflows related to cloud security posture management, email phishing response, application security, data security, and more. For example, companies with existing EDR, XDR, and SIEM systems can automate threat-hunting workflows with Torq.

If you want to explore more established cybersecurity solutions, check out our guide of the top cybersecurity companies to see what these companies offer.

Top Cloud Security Startups

There’s a rising demand for new cloud security solutions that secure cloud environments and artificial intelligence. Our list below highlights startups that offer innovative key features and solutions for improving cloud security to meet the shifting customer needs.

Grip Security

Grip Security features a solution that beats traditional cloud access security brokers (CASB), providing clients with a complete SaaS inventory upon deployment for visibility, governance, and data security. Grip’s solution helps enhance and automate security policy enforcement across an organization’s cloud infrastructure, regardless of device or location. 

Mitiga

To accelerate investigation, response, and time to recovery, Mitiga is the cloud incident response company offering emergency IR, ransomware readiness, and incident readiness and response. Mitiga’s IR experts can help clients proactively manage vulnerabilities and breaches from a central crisis management dashboard by capturing and processing cloud forensic data.

Privafy

Privafy aims to serve a valuable market corner — securing data in motion. As up to 80 percent of data breaches occur while data moves between cloud networks, Privafy offers security for cloud infrastructure and a list of edge computing solutions to securely deploy IoT devices and edge networks in the years to come.

Strata Identity

Strata Identity offers an identity orchestration solution, the Maverics Platform, which aims to solve enterprise organizations’ complex identity and access management (IAM) problems. Organizations can easily create and replicate app orchestrations by integrating identity systems across the modern infrastructure.

Valence Security

Valence Security focuses on the third-party integration risks presented by a universe of cloud applications for business workflows. With the rise of the SaaS to SaaS supply chain, as Valence calls it, organizations need visibility into application interactions. Through its platform, Valence brings workflows, permission scopes, API keys, and OAuth access tokens to light.

See how these companies compare with the top cloud security companies. Read our review to evaluate their features and offerings.

Top Threat Detection & Protection Startups

Startups focused on threat detection are thriving, thanks to new solutions that use AI and machine learning to boost accuracy and speed. Despite a competitive environment, these startups are gaining traction due to the rising need for advanced and adaptable threat detection capabilities. Here are five of the top threat detection and protection startups:

Anvilogic

Anvilogic’s platform offers continuous assessment, detection automation, and hunt, triage, and response capabilities for security teams. Designed to automate SOC operations and reduce alert noise, Anvilogic is a no-code, user-friendly solution with out-of-the-box policies aligned to the MITRE ATT&CK framework.

Cyble

Powered by machine learning and human analytics, Cyble is a threat intelligence startup offering solutions for attack surface management, third-party risk scoring, and monitoring for brand reputation and dark web exposure. Cyble Vision can integrate with an existing SIEM or SOAR and provide incident response, threat analysis, and vulnerability management.

DoControl

DoControl specializes in SaaS data access control with a platform offering cloud asset management, automated security workflows, and continuous cloud infrastructure monitoring. As organizations increasingly rely on SaaS applications for data storage and transfer, DoControl helps guard against unauthorized access to sensitive data.

SnapAttack

SnapAttack is a threat-hunting and detection startup recently spun out from Booz Allen’s DarkLabs incubator. SnapAttack seeks to empower clients with proactive threat intelligence, behavioral analytics, and attack emulation through a collaborative platform. Enterprise and service providers are currently available, and a free community subscription is coming soon.

Stairwell

Stairwell is an advanced threat detection startup presenting its Inception platform for threat intelligence, SOC functionality, and incident response capabilities. Inception helps collect files across environments, analyze historical and real-time data, investigate abnormal behavior, and connect security systems through the Inception API.

Top Compliance & Governance Startups

Compliance and governance startups make it easier to comply with regulations and manage risks. They specialize in automating regulatory processes, incorporating machine learning for insights, and ensuring seamless data integration across several platforms. They also handle the increasing demand for efficient, scalable compliance management. The following are some of the leading compliance and governance startups:

Dasera

Dasera is the data governance platform offering continuous policy enforcement, automated audits, and access to more data to inform decision-making. Monitoring for misconfigurations, cloud data stores, and change management across hybrid infrastructure, Dasera reduces manual workloads and ensures security while sharing data with necessary stakeholders.

Drata

Drata is a security and compliance automation platform that aids businesses in achieving and maintaining compliance with industry standards like SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR. It automates manual tasks like risk assessments, control testing, and evidence collection. The comprehensive platform covers a wide range of compliance standards, is easy to use, and can be scaled to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes.

Hyperproof

Hyperproof is a SaaS platform that automates compliance processes by removing human activities and incorporating machine learning. Founded by Craig Unger, it automates compliance processes, identifies redundant requirements across frameworks, and provides risk analytics. Hyperproof helps businesses manage compliance more efficiently through extensive integrations with cloud providers.

Strike Graph

Strike Graph is a cybersecurity compliance startup helping companies meet many security frameworks, including SOC 2, ISO 27001 and 27701, HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA, and PCI DSS. From certification readiness to dedicated Audit Success Managers, Strike Graph can help companies automate evidence collection, streamline security questionnaires, and challenge vulnerabilities through penetration testing.

Thoropass

Thoropass, formerly known as Laika, is an emerging compliance technology company based in New York City. The company’s platform offers a range of tools and resources to help organizations identify and assess their compliance obligations, develop and implement compliance programs, automate compliance tasks, and monitor their compliance posture. Thoropass also provides expert guidance, gap assessments, and audit preparation.

Top Cyber Asset & Attack Surface Management Startups

Cyber asset and attack surface management startups identify, monitor, and secure an organization’s digital assets and potential vulnerabilities. They offer solutions that assist businesses in managing the security posture of their assets, assessing and mitigating risks across all attack surfaces. These companies provide solutions for asset inventory, vulnerability scanning, risk assessment, and proactive threat management. Here are some notable startups:

Horizon3.ai

Horizon3.ai presents its solution, the NodeZero, as autonomous penetration testing-as-a-service (APTaaS) to identify an organization’s potential attack vectors. Whether on-premises, cloud, IoT, internal, or external attack surfaces, NodeZero can identify vulnerable controls, maximize security infrastructure, and leverage the latest threat intelligence.

JupiterOne

JupiterOne is a cyber asset management startup providing clients with a cloud-native solution for insights into relationships, governance and compliance, and empowering security engineering. JupiterOne helps aggregate cyber assets for central visibility and faster investigations with increasing complexity in security operations and assurance.

Noetic Cyber

Noetic Cyber offers a continuous cyber asset management and controls platform to give clients a comprehensive view of systems, policies, and the relationship between entities. Real-time visibility means organizations can identify and act on misconfigurations and coverage gaps and maximize existing infrastructure with a proactive remediation strategy.

Sevco Security

Sevco Security is a cloud-native cyber asset and attack surface management platform offering a real-time inventory of assets, multi-source correlation, and asset telemetry to support incident response workflows. With robust visualizations of network devices and traffic, Sevco’s agentless asset intelligence platform gives network administrators the visibility to identify and remediate coverage gaps.

spiderSilk

SpiderSilk offers an internet scanner that maps out a company’s assets and network attack surface to detect vulnerabilities. Over the years, SpiderSilk’s research has informed several high-profile breaches, and for clients, the vendor can simulate cyberattacks to ensure organizations take preventive measures before the real thing.

Top Remote Access Security Startups

Remote access security startups offer solutions for authenticating and securing users that utilize apps and IT systems remotely. They frequently integrate multi-factor authentication (MFA) for identity verification and single sign-on (SSO) for simplified access, which improves security and user experience. Below are the leading remote access security startups:

BastionZero

BastionZero is the infrastructure access-as-a-service company helping organizations configure, manage, and secure access controls to hybrid infrastructure targets. Engineers can authenticate and access all servers, containers, clusters, and databases through a central cloud console. Designed to remove the hassle of VPNs, BastionZero offers passwordless access, identity-aware logging, SSO, and MFA.

Tailscale

Building off the open-source WireGuard protocol, Tailscale is a VPN service that utilizes a peer-to-peer mesh network, or “tailnet,” and removes the central gateway server for network traffic. Tailscale allows companies to integrate existing SSO and MFA solutions, define role-based access controls for sensitive targets, and ensure network traffic meets compliance policies through log audits.

Twingate

Aiming to replace traditional VPNs, Twingate offers secure zero-trust network access (ZTNA) for computers, servers, and cloud instances. Twingate allows network administrators to map resources, approve users for resources, and connect to any device from anywhere. Easy to integrate into existing infrastructure, Twingate includes identity-indexed analytics, universal MFA, and built-in split tunneling.

Top DevOps & Application Security Startups

DevOps and AppSec startups combine development and security methods throughout the software development lifecycle. They prioritize application deployment efficiency while maintaining strong security measures to safeguard critical data and code from theft or modification. These startups aim to improve efficiency in operations and app security.

Evervault

Evervault is on a mission to make encrypting sensitive data seamless with its security toolkit for developers. The developer-friendly startup offers Relay to encrypt field-level data and codes to isolate and process code as needed. With robust encryption policies, Evervault can help reduce insurance premiums and offers PCI-DSS and HIPAA compliance automation.

GitGuardian

GitGuardian is a developer favorite offering a secrets detection solution that scans source code to detect certificates, passwords, API keys, encryption keys, and more. Ranked as the top-downloaded security app on GitHub, GitGuardian’s products include solutions for internal repository monitoring and public repository monitoring for prompt remediation.

Satori

Satori is a data access startup for monitoring, classifying, and controlling access to sensitive data. Satori’s platform creates a layer of protection and visibility between data users and data stores to guard against vulnerabilities in transferring sensitive data. Ultimately, Satori aims to provide data access control, visibility into usage and traffic, and compliance fulfillment.

Ubiq Security

Ubiq Security offers an API-based platform that integrates data encryption directly into application development. Without the need for experienced developers, encryption expertise, or excessive manual hours, Ubiq Security makes securing applications during the development process seamless, allowing personnel to focus on what’s most important.

Wabbi

Wabbi offers a continuous security platform for managing vulnerabilities, application security policies, and release infrastructure. As rapid software development is now the new standard, Wabbi aims to help organizations securely deliver software to clients and achieve continuous authority-to-operate (ATO).

Top Identity & Access Management Startups

Identity and access management (IAM) startups offer solutions to manage and protect access to applications, networks, and systems, both on-premises and in the cloud. They automate user identification and access control, lowering support inquiries and password resets while ensuring strong security and efficient user management. These are some of the fastest-growing IAM startups today:

Authomize

Authomize is the cloud identity and access security platform that maps all identities and assets across XaaS environments. Authomize continuously monitors security policies to identify exposed assets, entitlement escalation paths, and hidden and unmonitored permissions. It utilizes an AI-based engine to manage and automate remediation for clients’ authorization security lifecycle. Delinea acquired Authomize in early 2024.

Cerby

Cerby is on a mission to wrangle unmanageable applications, otherwise known as shadow IT — or the universe of apps employees use without permission from the IT department. Through application APIs and robotic process automation (RPA), Cerby helps automate access corresponding to managed identity platforms like Okta and Azure AD while monitoring for application misconfigurations that violate security policies.

Deduce

Deduce is an identity-focused cybersecurity startup with two core solutions: Customer Alerts for protecting users and their data from account takeover and compromise, and Identity Insights for validating legitimate users and stopping fraud. Deduce offers actionable identity intelligence through event-level telemetry to act against abnormal user activity.

SafeBase

SafeBase is a trust-focused security platform streamlining the third-party risk management process between companies. Through the Smart Trust Center, companies can quickly share their private documents, compliance policies, risk profiles, and product security details. SafeBase’s features cover enterprise authentication, role-based access, security questionnaires, and auto-populated NDA templates.

Securden

Securden is a privileged access governance upstart offering companies password management, privilege management for endpoints and servers, secure remote access, and endpoint application control. Designed for least privilege and zero trust security architectures, Securden specializes in privilege management for Windows-centric organizations and data centers.

Investor Considerations for Cybersecurity Startups

Before investing in a startup, investors evaluate the growth of its product and business plan. Key considerations include the ability to scale, lean R&D techniques, a good business plan, a compliance mindset, and expertise in remote work. The quality of employees and leadership is also critical to a startup’s success and development potential.

Potential To Scale & Lean R&D

Scalability will always be one of the most critical factors for investing in a successful startup. When there are growth opportunities, startups should and usually do capitalize on them. Investors are also looking for startups that can continue improving their products without requiring substantial capital investment. Lean research and development (R&D) shows efficiency, even with limited resources.

A Solid Business Plan

Another factor investors have always looked for is an air-tight business plan. They want assurance that there is a marketable problem that the product solves. Investors also want to see financial reports and revenue growth projections backed up by market analysis.

Compliance Mindset

Regulatory compliance, such as HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA, is essential for organizations collecting and protecting user information, including virtually all enterprise-level companies. Investors will be looking for startups that can ensure customers will maintain compliance.

Remote Work Experts

Remote work is and will continue to be, for the foreseeable future, a top-of-mind factor for venture capitalists. Startups that can immediately impact the remote worker ecosystem will garner much attention. Specifically, startups with SaaS (software-as-a-service), those that provide automation, and products that include endpoint protection will fall into this category.

Methodology

Our list of top cybersecurity startups focused on companies that were founded five years ago and are in the early stages of funding. We value independent startups that provide innovative cybersecurity solutions and have credible, scalable business models. Our selection approach includes market observations and data from platforms like Growjo and Crunchbase.

Here are our important considerations in building our overall list:

• Company age: Focuses on firms that are five years old or younger, occasionally in the early stages of fundraising for new innovation.
• Investor interest: Includes older firms that have rekindled investor interest, demonstrating their continued relevance and potential in the cybersecurity market.
• Innovation: Prioritizes startups that provide new cybersecurity solutions to existing and emerging security concerns.
• Scalability: Highlights companies with credible business models that show clear potential for growth and market expansion.
• Growth and traction: Features key markers of success include substantial growth, market traction, and high investor confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Are the Funding Series A, B & C?

Series A, B, and C funding refers to the stages which present investment opportunities in exchange for equity. To create scalable business models, Series A raises between $2 and $15 million. The main objective of Series B is to expand market reach. Series C facilitates growth by means of new goods or acquisitions. Every round shows how the company has matured. Corporate rounds entail firms making strategic investments, typically to form partnerships.

Which Type of Cybersecurity Is In-Demand?

Given the rise in remote work, endpoint security — including both classic endpoint detection and response (EDR) and its more advanced version, XDR — remains in high demand. Products that safeguard devices across a remote ecosystem, such as EPP and EDR, also remain indispensable. There’s also a great demand right now for the following solutions:

• Application security
• Cloud security
• Attack surface management
• Cyber asset management
• Identity and access management
• Governance, risk, and compliance
• Threat detection (EDR, XDR)
• Digital forensics and incident response
• Risk scoring and assessments
• Software development lifecycle (SDLC)
• Endpoint security and protection against ransomware

Is Cybersecurity Going to be Replaced by AI?

Instead of replacing current cybersecurity solutions, AI tools aim to enhance them. AI is being incorporated into cybersecurity systems progressively to improve automation and administration. It assists by increasing the effectiveness of threat identification and response. Nonetheless, responsible AI use should supplement, not replace, human judgment and traditional cybersecurity approaches.

Bottom Line: Explore Today’s Leading Cybersecurity Startups

Despite economic headwinds and a decline in venture capital between 2020 and 2023, funding for firms offering cybersecurity solutions is now on the rise. This shift is indicative of a growing trust in startups to take on critical cybersecurity challenges. Cybersecurity companies play a pivotal role in creating cutting-edge tools and solutions to mitigate network threats, thereby augmenting your defenses and resilience.

Discover the common network security threats to see how they can be mitigated by the emerging cybersecurity startups and their tools.

Kaye Timonera and Paul Shread contributed to this article.

The post Top Cybersecurity Startups You Need to Know in 2024 appeared first on eSecurity Planet.

• AI-charged cybersecurity and cyberthreats: Artificial intelligence (AI) will boost both attackers and defenders while causing governance issues and learning pains. Read more.
• Next-level cybercrime: Cyberattackers will implement improved skills, “shift left” attacks, and shifting strategies to adjust to evolving cyberdefense. Read more.
• Exploding attack surfaces: Cyberdefense complexity will compound as API, cloud, edge, and OT resources add to the list of assets to defend. Read more.
• Increased action from governments: Expect more government regulations, state-sponsored cyberattacks, and increased documentation required to protect CISOs. Read more.
• Last year’s security issues continue: Weak IT fundamentals, poor cybersecurity awareness, and ransomware will still cause problems and make headlines. Read more.
• Bottom line: Prepare now so you’re ready to manage your team’s risk. Read more.

AI-Charged Cybersecurity & Cyberthreats

For better or worse, the development of artificial intelligence (AI) has continued to accelerate. Various forms of AI, such as machine learning (ML) and large language models (LLM), already dominated headlines throughout 2023 and continue to present both overhyped possibilities and realized potential in 2024. Industry experts recognize that AI will require governance action, cause learning pains, and will be used to both improve and weaken cybersecurity.

AI Governance

Regardless of any positive, negative, or neutral attitudes towards AI, all organizations will need to develop an official stance, develop policies, and apply those policies consistently. Without guidelines, organizations risk unfettered use of AI, risks of data leaks, and no recourse for unethical AI use within the organization.

Sharad Varshney, CEO of OvalEdge, put AI use in a familiar framework. ”The same issue that faces generative AI-based innovations is the same for everything else: all roads in anything IT-related start and end with data — the most critical component of every system,” he said.

“Organizations faced similar security visibility and control challenges with SaaS apps like Box or Dropbox,” added Kunal Agarwal, founder and CEO of dope.security. “Organizations will look to understand what apps employees are using, evaluate whether they should be paid for by the company (to control), accept the risk, or block the app… the company can choose to educate (through a warning page) or block the app entirely.”

“AI-related innovations will create new possibilities we’re not even considering at the moment,” cautioned Manny Rivelo, CEO of Forcepoint. “Moving forward, organizations of all sizes will need to create and expand corporate AI policies that govern how employees can interact safely with AI. And AI security policies will need to extend beyond commercial AI tools to also cover internally-developed GPTs and LLMs.”

For more on governance and policies, check out our article on IT security policies, including their importance and benefits, plus tips to create or improve your own policy. Also consider learning about the top governance, risk, and compliance tools to identify the best one for you.

Dangers of Using AI

As with any emerging technology, many organizations should expect errors and growing pains as teams learn the nuances of applying the technology. Yet these dangers can be offset through training to minimize issues.

Phil Nash, developer advocate at Sonar, cautioned that “successes from using AI tools to write code will lead to overconfidence in the results, and ultimately a breach will be blamed on the AI itself.”

“Before companies can effectively and safely use generative AI tools, employees must be educated on utilizing best practices: writing prompts that achieve desired outcomes, keeping data security and privacy in mind when inputting data, identifying the quality and security of AI, verifying AI output, and more,” said Arti Raman, CEO of Portal26.

AI-Improved Security

Many vendors began marketing AI-enhanced products years ago, and experts see continuing development of AI as an advantage for improved cybersecurity.

Aiden Technologies CEO Josh Aaron predicted that AI will “enhance the effectiveness of software patch management among security professionals [by] leveraging AI for risk assessment and prioritization in patch management [and] a move towards systems that not only detect vulnerabilities but also autonomously determine the best ways to remediate them [by] employing machine learning algorithms.”

Similarly, Mike Anderson, CIO and CDO of Netskope, saw more general benefits. “In the coming year, I think we will see generative AI be used to analyze a company’s existing policies, regulatory requirements, and threat landscape to generate tailored security policies. I also think we will also see generative AI used to continuously monitor a company’s network and systems for policy violations and automatically respond to issues.”

AI-Powered Cybercrime

Despite the advancements in using AI to improve security, cybercriminals also have access to AI and language learning models. Expect cybercriminals to embrace the power of AI to enhance their threat capabilities.

Melissa Bishoping, director and endpoint security research specialist at Tanium, emphasized the importance of personal contact to avoid falling for deepfake scams. “If someone contacts you to perform a personal or professional transaction, it is always better to seek additional verification when you are unable to physically verify the individual over the phone,” she said.

“Often, just hanging up and calling a known, trusted contact number for the ‘caller’ who reached out to you can expose the scam. In business, establishing workflows that rely on more robust forms of authentication that cannot be spoofed by an AI – FIDO2 security tokens, multiple-person approvals and verifications are a good place to start.”

In addition to enabling cyberattacks, AI will also be used to create more believable disinformation to attack both governments and businesses. Andy Patel, researcher at WithSecure, said that “AI will be used to create disinformation and influence operations in the runup to the high-profile elections of 2024. This will include synthetic written, spoken, and potentially even image or video content.

“Disinformation is going to be incredibly effective now that social networks have scaled back or completely removed their moderation and verification efforts,” he added. “Social media will become even more of a cesspool of AI and human-created garbage.”

Next-Level Cybercrime

While cybercriminals have always shown strong adaptability and opportunism, experts expect attackers to further develop their capabilities and strategies throughout 2024. Some attacks will be aided by technology, while others will be more strategic in nature as companies strengthen cyberdefense against older attacks. Threat actor strategies include using the dark web, exploiting development environments, and capitalizing on both old and new vulnerabilities.

Improved Attacker Skills

In addition to the use of AI, we should expect cybercriminals to incorporate their access to dark web information to make attacks much more believable and widespread.

“While AI is still in the early stages of precisely answering questions, it has reached a sophisticated level in generating text in multiple languages, surpassing the well-known limitations of existing translators,” explained Alessandro Di Pinto, Director of Security Research, for Nozomi Networks. “The emergence of AI as a tool for crafting convincing text circumvents [grammar errors], significantly enhancing the likelihood of success in such attacks.”

Deepfakes will likely play a part in this AI-assisted approach to scams, too. “The use of deepfake techniques in fraudulent activities… will elevate the sophistication of phishing fraud, making it increasingly challenging for users to distinguish between legitimate services and scams,” said Ricardo Villadiego, founder and CEO of Lumu.

If AI models have access to dark web data, they’re much more prepared to be convincing. “By training such models with PII data that is readily available on dark web marketplaces, attack lures that are much more personal and enterprise specific can be created at scale,” concluded Eric George, the director of solution engineering for digital risk and email protection at Fortra.

“In addition to being more believable, detection evasion tactics ensure that the attacks only present themselves to the intended target and otherwise “play dead” for detection processes. This combined increase in plausibility and deliverability increases the attacker ROI as well as the damages incurred.”

The ability to detect AI-based attacks, particularly ones that use evasion tactics, will become a critical requirement for security services like EDR.

Cybercrime Shifts Left

As development and operations (DevOps) uses automation to transition to development, security and operations (DevSecOps) attackers find themselves with less human error to exploit. Recent successes with poisoned open-source libraries and other development channels to deliver malware will continue to influence attacks deeper into the development supply chain for both traditional and new technologies.

Mario Duarte, VP of Security at Snowflake, saw that “attackers are now looking for ways in through developer environments, because that’s where human mistakes can still be discovered and exploited, and we’ll unfortunately see this escalate as suspicious actors become increasingly mature in the coming year.

“Because the threats originate in the code, they’re that much more challenging to uproot. “It’s harder for security teams to defend against such attacks, and it’s even more challenging to create baselines for acceptable development activity than for an automated, well-managed production environment,” Duarte said.

Javed Hasan, CEO and co-founder of Lineaje, offered a blunt warning: “The best time to compromise AI is when it is being built.” He claimed it’s most vulnerable during the development phase.

“Like today’s software, AI is largely built using open-source components,” Hasan said. “Identifying who created the initial AI models, what biases are embedded, and which developers were involved with what intentions are crucial for closing gaps in an organization’s security posture.” Least privilege access is critical here — only a few people should be in charge of model development, and they should carefully document their work and be closely supervised.

Dmitry Sotnikov, CPO at Cayosoft, emphasized the effect of attacks on the software supply chain. “In the first half of 2024, we’ve witnessed how consequential software and service supplier downtime can be to businesses and lives dependent on their uptime,” he said.

“The most glaring example is Synnovis, a pathology service whose downtime in June has exposed 400GB of patient information and postponed thousands of London-based outpatient appointments and cancer treatments. The compromise of dealership management system provider CDK effectively crippled 15,000 car dealership operations across the US.”

Sotnikov also addressed the importance of secure identity systems in protecting supply chains. Identity systems are one of the biggest targets for attackers because they provide so much useful data to navigate and access company resources.

“If you are forced to do one thing to improve your resiliency here, the most impactful would be implementing a modern recovery system with a daily tested process to create and test a safe isolated standby replica of your Active Directory,” Sotnikov said about protecting identity systems from attacks. “This would allow you to instantly switch back to the standby, unaffected version of your Active Directory in the event of a successful attack.”

Shifting Strategies in Response to Shifting Security

As cybersecurity teams eliminate vulnerabilities and add security to block current attacks, cybercriminals will adjust to attack easier targets or change tactics. This includes exploiting older vulnerabilities as well as capitalizing on newer strategies. Recently, security researchers have found flaws almost two decades old that threat actors could still exploit if they chose to; they may aim for this low-hanging fruit as well as attacking newer systems.

Ricardo Villadiego, founder and CEO of Lumu, expects passwordless architecture adoption to increase as organizations work to fight phishing campaigns. “However, this disruptive change from traditional models will prompt a change in the focus of phishing campaigns to bypass these new architectures,” Villadiego said.

“In response, adversaries will increasingly target obtaining complex variables from the device’s environment, which they will use to bypass new authentication methods.”

Joe Payne, president and CEO at Code42, believes biometrics will trigger a shift to insider threats. “As organizations quickly adopt technologies like Okta Fastpass, which uses biometrics for authentication instead of passwords… we expect an increase in two areas: breaches caused by social engineering (already on the rise), and breaches caused by Insiders (already over 40% of all breaches).

“Insiders who have legitimate access to source code, sales forecasts and contacts, and HR data continue to take data from organizations when they depart for competitors or start their own companies,” Payne said. “As we reduce the ability of hackers to access our data using weak passwords, the focus on solving the insider problem will become more pronounced.”

Authentication continues to gain importance and technology continues to develop new MFA options and passwordless-options such as passkeys.

Exploding Attack Surfaces

Even as AI turbocharges attack and defense and cybercriminals expand their capabilities, the attack surfaces that security teams need to defend will grow at a rapid pace – well beyond standard network security. New and formerly overlooked technologies and connections will become targeted by specialized cybercriminals seeking poorly defended API, cloud, edge, and OT resources.

API Attacks

Application programming interfaces (APIs) provide automated and regularly trusted connections between applications and resources. Andy Grolnick, CEO of Graylog, cautioned teams about increasing attacks against them.

“In 2023, ransomware is still the dominant threat in the minds of security teams,” he said. “However, 2024 will be the year that API security preparedness and threats gain momentum. Security APIs are a challenge because they are:

• Simple to navigate and an easy attack
• Dark, hidden and hard to track unlike movements on the Web
• Internal responsibility is not always clear and CISOs haven’t largely set strategies and ownership.”

Cloud Risks

The continuing rise in cloud adoption will also expand the attack surface and increase interest for cybercriminals to attack cloud resources. Organizations will need to consider specialized cloud security tools and implement cloud security best practices.

Neeraj Singh, senior security researcher at WithSecure, saw “an increase in activities that introduce new technologies and processes that haven’t been thoroughly secured. Cloud services, with their new interfaces, APIs, and communication channels, offer additional targets for attackers, thereby expanding the potential attack surface.”

“Third-party risk will evolve as a big data-security-related challenge in the coming year as organizations of all sizes continue their transition to the cloud,” said Mike Scott, CISO at Immuta.

“It’s clear teams can’t accomplish the same amount of work at scale with on-prem solutions as they can in the cloud, but with this transition comes a pressing need to understand the risks of integrating with a third party [cloud provider] and [to] monitor that third party on an ongoing basis.

Cloud security has been a hot topic for years, but as more workloads shift to the cloud, the opportunities for threat actors increase. Before migrating data and applications to a third-party provider, teams will need to make sure their business is taking any necessary protective measures before moving the data. This includes asking probing questions about the cloud provider’s security processes.

Chen Burshan, CEO of Skyhawk Security, envisioned a “rise in cloud-native security incidents that have no perimeter and multiple attack vectors. This is going to shift the market perception because enterprises will realize that no matter how thoroughly they secure the perimeter, threat actors will get in,” Burshan said.

“Cloud security posture management and cloud native application protection will not prevent a breach, and it will not detect a threat in real time. This will increase the maturity of current security practices and accelerate the adoption of solutions like cloud investigation and response automation and cloud-native threat detection and response.”

Edge Exposure

Even as attackers pursue API and cloud attacks, more organizations push out computing to edge resources beyond any network controls. While many envision attacks on smart cars and surveillance cameras, servers exposed to the demilitarized zone (DMZ), such as MoveIT servers, also provide tantalizing edge targets.

Stephen Robinson, senior threat intelligence analyst at WithSecure, noted “the recent MoveIT compromise by the ransomware group Cl0p will begin to inspire more mass exploitation campaigns targeting edge data transfer servers in a similar vein. MoveIT was typically used for reliable transfer of large volumes of important files between organizations.

“Cl0p exploited MoveIT servers to gain access to and exfiltrate these important, valuable files,” Robinson said. “For a ransomware group, access to large volumes of valuable data is the end goal; they had no need to go further into the network than the exposed, vulnerable MoveIT servers. I expect to see more copycat attacks where the value is the exploited server itself, not the access it provides to the rest of the network.”

OT Exposure

Operational technology (OT) used to be unconnected and safely ignored by cybersecurity teams. However, the rise of connected industrial motors, sensors, and industrial control systems (ICS) now provides a tempting target with less mature security.

Edgard Capdevielle, CEO of Nozomi Networks, declared, “We’re at risk of the next Colonial Pipeline. Cyber attacks against critical infrastructure are too easy – we’re still vulnerable and unprotected. If this isn’t more widely spoken about or prioritized, there will be another attack on critical operational technology systems within the country, targeting an industry such as oil, energy, hospitals, or airports.”

The ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline exposed overlooked OT security and the potential disruption to US infrastructure from a single failure. This event subsequently led to an executive order and guidance on ransomware in 2021.

Increased Action From Governments

As technology progresses at a rapid pace and cybercrime strikes out at an ever-expanding landscape of opportunities, governments will attempt to regulate, influence, and exert control over the cyber sphere.

Increasing Regulation

Decades of use and abuse of computer systems led to early regulation, such as Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) adopted in 2016 and California’s Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) passed in 2018. This year sees the first enforcement of two new laws in the European Union: the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and The Network and Information Systems Directive (NIS2).

While the EU leads in regulation, the US will also exert regulatory influence. “In the next year, we expect a regulatory surge that CISOs must prepare for – which could include continued AI regulation, new post-quantum guidance, and, in late 2024, new legislation is expected around Know Your Customer (KYC) guidelines,” cautioned Jordan Avnaim, CISO at Entrust.

“Businesses should consider each of these a call to action to improve not only their own cybersecurity strategies, but also to consider the impact of new technologies, like AI, on their organization and their customers… CISOs and leaders will need trusted advisors, sound support, and secure solutions to successfully and safely forge ahead.”

Matthew Corwin, Managing Director of Guidepost Solutions, added that “security teams must navigate new breach reporting landscapes shaped by the SEC’s four business day rule for material cybersecurity incidents, state PII breach notification laws, and other regulatory requirements.

“These regulations underscore a shift towards rapid, transparent incident disclosure, emphasizing the need for advanced detection, streamlined reporting processes, and comprehensive incident response strategies.”

Incoming regulations have yet to be tested and well understood, but the well-established GDPR and similar regulations can provide a basic understanding of the methods needed for basic compliance requirements.

State-Sponsored Cyber Attacks

Even as administrations launch regulations designed to influence corporate behavior, other governments will sponsor cyberattacks to push their influence. Stephen Helm, product marketing director at Nisos, warned teams about what state-sponsored attacks will look like.

“As geopolitical waters become more turbulent, and with the US election season fast approaching, China, Russia, and Iran promise to redouble their efforts to sow confusion and discord across the globe as they further their own goals of expanded influence,” he said. “The use of sockpuppets, comment spamming, and bots to amplify narratives will continue to evolve to be more difficult to detect, thanks to AI and other tools.”

“Influence operations in Latin America in 2022-2023 demonstrate this evolution. The China News Service used to hijack permissions to invasively access and potentially take over subscribers’ Twitter, Sina Weibo, and Weixin accounts to push pro-Beijing content… Companies offering election manipulation services that leverage fake social media accounts, AI, and other digital assets now operate as legitimate businesses in some parts of the world.”

Over the past two years, attacks by Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea exploited vulnerabilities and created enormous challenges for public and private organizations of all sizes. Reading up on past attacks can provide hints for tactics and the speed at which nation-sponsored attacks can occur.

Increased Need for Regulatory Documentation

In addition to regulations and direct government actions, experts expect more enforcement from the US Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other agencies on recently passed legislation or rules. Cybersecurity teams need to improve documentation to defend themselves and their teams.

Nicole Sundin, CPO of Axio, predicted that “CISOs will need a system of record to protect themselves from the fallout of breaches. It’s no secret that the SEC now holds CISOs accountable for the risks organizations take. Currently, CISOs … make difficult choices, and act as they see necessary—but these may or may not be documented.”

Matt Wiseman, Senior Product Manager of Opswat, extended the warning to documenting third parties and the software bill of materials (SBOM). “Greater requests for SBOMs and more demand to understand tools at a deeper level will lead to increased requirements from regulatory organizations or government agencies,” Wiseman said.

“Given the growing concern for threats from vendors, third-parties, or nation-states, all software will be more thoroughly vetted before being deployed in critical areas.”

Last Year’s Cybersecurity Issues Continue

Some 2024 predictions simply acknowledge the continuing trends that started well before this year. The trends of weak security foundations, poor cybersecurity awareness, and ongoing ransomware attacks remain a major focus until these trends can be mitigated.

Weak Security Foundations

Even as vendors and technologies race ahead to tackle next year’s threats, many organizations lag in basic cybersecurity fundamentals such as asset management, identity, access management, defense in depth, and cybersecurity awareness and training.

“Some of the foundational requirements for securing an organization will continue to challenge InfoSec leaders – primarily, establishing comprehensive visibility into all assets and tight control over who can access them and with what level of privileges,” said Vinay Anand, Chief Product Officer of NetSPI.

Yaron Kassner, co-founder and CTO of Silverfort, added that “compromised identities will remain a favored weapon for cybercriminals. Countless organizations struggle to modernize their access systems amidst legacy constraints and a tangled web of identity providers.” It’s challenging to streamline access security when different teams have been using different strategies over decades. 

“We are beginning to see a shift in cybersecurity investment strategies that better reflect the current threat landscape,” said Roman Arutyunov, co-Founder and SVP of products at Xage Security. 

“Companies are recognizing that threat hunting and responding to endless detections and false positives uses too much of their precious security resources and they’re growing tired of chasing needles in a haystack. They are now turning their attention to reducing the attack surface by proactively protecting their assets.”

Poor Cybersecurity Awareness

Just as sexual harassment and anti-bias training continue to be a human resources priority, basic cybersecurity training must also become a regular fixture in the professional landscape.

Frank Gartland, chief product and technology officer from Skillable, reminded security teams that “eight-in-ten cyber-attacks occur due to human error, so providing people with regular cybersecurity training can make a significant difference to your cyber resilience.”

Nick Carroll, cyber incident response manager at Raytheon, noted an even broader need for a security culture. “Without a solid security culture at the foundation, security tools, such as expensive firewalls or endpoint detection and response (EDR), will ultimately become ineffective down the line,” he explained.

“If organizations haven’t already, they must begin to build cybersecurity awareness among employees and third-party partners, while also determining the best path for how to integrate security into the organization’s culture and operations.”

Continued Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware began dominating headlines during the pandemic and has only continued to be a problem. Desperate organizations, against the advice of law enforcement, continue to pay ransoms and fuel interest for cybercriminals.

Raffaele Mautone, CEO and founder of Judy Security, anticipated trouble for even small and medium-sized businesses. “Ransomware attacks will continue to diversify their targets, expanding beyond large enterprises to encompass small and medium-sized businesses, municipalities, and healthcare institutions. This trend will lead to a surge in attacks on SMBs, who may be more vulnerable due to limited cybersecurity resources.”

Kev Breen, director of cyber threat research at Immersive Labs, recommends preparing for the worst. “We should expect to see ransomware groups leveraging new techniques in endpoint detection and response (EDR) evasion, quickly weaponizing zero days and as well as new patched vulnerabilities, making it easy for them to bypass common defense strategies.

“As a result, security teams can’t rely on an old security playbook. Companies should not worry about how they can detect everything, and instead just assume at some point it will go badly [and] have plans in place to best respond.”

Ransomware requires access to endpoints to strike. While advanced attackers will seek novel evasion tactics, we can’t make their job easy by deploying sloppy cyberdefense. Consider implementing strong endpoint protection (antivirus, EDR, or XDR) as one of many layers of defense against ransomware and other attacks.

Ransomware has become a popular topic for media and podcasts. If you’re interested in hearing more about major security trends, check out our guide to the best cybersecurity podcasts for both amateurs and experts.

Bottom Line: Prepare Now Based on Risk

Predictions by experts deliver value only if acted upon. While none of these major trends for 2024 can be guaranteed, all of them are possible, and the continuing headaches already plague many organizations today.

Each organization must analyze each trend’s specific risk to the organization and its most valuable assets. The completed analysis will naturally define the trends most likely to cause issues and the ones most urgent to address.

For resources to help manage the risks your organization has identified, read our article on the best tools for risk management.

The post 5 Key Cybersecurity Trends to Know in 2024 appeared first on eSecurity Planet.

• Bitdefender: Better overall for AV and endpoint security solution ($4+ per month per 5 devices for Total Security)
• McAfee: Better choice for lighter system performance impact ($3+ per month per 5 devices for Essential plan)

Bitdefender vs McAfee at a Glance

Monthly Introductory Pricing (Billed Annually)	• Antivirus Plus: $2.50 for 3 PCs • Total Security: $4+ for 5 devices • GravityZone Business Security: $10.8 for 5 devices	• Basic: $2.50 per device • Essential: $3+ for 5 devices • Advanced: Starts at $7.50 (unlimited device)
Free Trial	30 days	30 days
Free Tools	Bitdefender Antivirus Free	Free Antivirus & Threat Protection
Supported OS	Android, Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux	Android, Windows, macOS, iOS
	Visit Bitdefender	Visit McAfee

Bitdefender and McAfee earned excellent scores for simplicity of use, antivirus protection and detection, and customer service. Bitdefender outperforms in terms of overall capabilities, particularly business pricing, but McAfee ranked better in terms of lighter impact on system performance. Explore my full comparison of these endpoint security vendors, or skip down to see my evaluation process.

Bitdefender Overview

Better Overall for AV & Endpoint Security Solutions

Overall Rating: 4.1/5

• Core features: 4.5/5
• Pricing and transparency: 4.8/5
• Ease of use and implementation: 3.9/5
• Advanced Features: 4.2/5
• Customer support: 3.5/5
• External security assessments: 3/5

Bitdefender delivers complete cybersecurity solutions, including endpoint protection, cloud security, and antivirus software. GravityZone provides multilayered protection through system hardening, threat prevention, machine learning, and behavioral analysis. Internet Security features firewall and spam filtering, while Total Security offers cross-platform security on different OS. Bitdefender Central manages these plans to ensure scalability and visibility.

Pros & Cons

Key Features

• Advanced anti-exploit: Uses machine learning to prevent zero-day attacks in popular applications by proactively blocking evasive exploits that target memory corruption.
• Firewall: Controls network access for apps, prevents port scanning, limits ICS functionality, and notifies of new Wi-Fi nodes.
• Blocklist: Restricts access to potentially dangerous files and connections by blocking threats discovered during incident investigations to avoid malware proliferation.
• Integrity monitoring: Assesses and validates changes on Windows and Linux endpoints to ensure the integrity of files, directories, and system components.
• Security for storage: Upgrades system and threat detection algorithms automatically and transparently to protect networks’ storage and file-sharing systems.

McAfee Overview

Better Choice for Lighter System Performance Impact

Overall Rating: 3.7/5

• Core features: 3.7/5
• Pricing and transparency: 4.5/5
• Ease of use and implementation: 2.8/5
• Advanced Features: 3.8/5
• Customer support: 3.4/5
• External security assessments: 3.9/5

McAfee provides antivirus software and internet security solutions that guard against viruses, malware, phishing, and ransomware. McAfee Antivirus features real-time virus and malware protection. Endpoint Security offers comprehensive endpoint protection through a unified architecture with a single agent for enhanced efficiency and integrated threat defenses. This platform provides improved threat analysis and future-proof, scalable defense.

Pros & Cons

Key Features

• Threat prevention: Uses advanced malware scanning to defend against new and targeted assaults, replacing VirusScan Enterprise for improved protection.
• Web security: Serves as a strong substitute for SiteAdvisor Enterprise, blocking access to harmful or unauthorized websites.
• Firewall: Stops harmful network traffic, replacing the McAfee Host IPS firewall capability to provide full inbound and outbound security.
• Rollback remediation: Automatically reverses malware-induced alterations, returning systems to their pre-attack state.
• Application containment: Prevents harmful programs and processes from running on endpoints, maintaining security even while the devices are offline.

Better for Pricing: Bitdefender

Individual/ Teams Monthly Pricing	• Total Security: $4 for 5 devices • Internet Security: $3.5 for 3 PCs • Antivirus Plus: $2.5 for 3 PCs	• Basic: $2.50 per device • Essential: $3+ for 5 devices
Business Monthly Pricing	• GravityZone Small Business Security: $8.7 for 5 devices • Business Security: $10.8 for 5 devices • Business Security Premium: $24 for 5 devices	• Advanced: Starts at $7.50 for unlimited devices
Enterprise Pricing	Contact sales	Contact sales
Free Trial for Business	30 days	30 days
Money-back guarantee	Yes	Yes
Free Tool Offerings	Bitdefender Antivirus Free	Antivirus & Threat Protection
	Visit Bitdefender	Visit McAfee

Winner: Bitdefender is the more economical antivirus and endpoint solution, providing low-cost plans without compromising its endpoint security features.

Bitdefender is one of the most cost-effective endpoint protection solutions, with low-cost options for five or more devices and a free plan for both Windows and macOS. The free version includes basic virus detection, while subscription plans include more comprehensive protection capabilities. GravityZone pricing varies by device count and includes a 30-day free trial and a money-back guarantee.

McAfee’s lowest-cost package is almost comparable to Bitdefender’s most expensive plan. McAfee has several subscription levels, including Basic, Essential, Plus, McAfee+ Premium, and Advanced. The McAfee+ Advanced subscription is regarded as having the greatest value, including unlimited device coverage, credit monitoring, and $1 million identity theft protection. McAfee also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Better for Core Features: Bitdefender

Behavioral analytics
Endpoint & App Visibility
Automated Response to Security Incidents
Attack Isolation
Automatic Quarantined File Recovery
Zero-day Attack Protection
ML Threat Detection/Protection
Sandboxing
Automatic Blocking
Email Protection
Browser & Webcam Protection
	Visit Bitdefender	Visit McAfee

=Yes =Add-On/Limited

Winner: Bitdefender and McAfee both offer traditional antivirus functions such as scans, phishing protection, ransomware defense, and a firewall, but Bitdefender has stronger core endpoint security capabilities.

Bitdefender provides top-tier protection, including advanced malware detection, machine learning, and behavioral analysis. It combines a centralized administration panel, a risk dashboard, an ad blocker, a device optimizer (in Total Security), and advanced threat mitigation into a single console. Bitdefender’s Total Security plan covers anti-phishing, ransomware protection, network threat prevention, and online traffic regulation.

McAfee offers strong antivirus capabilities such as anti-phishing, ransomware protection, and WebAdvisor to safeguard against harmful websites. However, it lacks an ad blocker. McAfee’s features, including Personal Data Cleanup and device optimization tools, are only available on higher-tier plans like McAfee+. They also provide optional credit score monitoring and 24/7 AI-powered protection via premium plans.

Better for Ease of Use & Implementation: Bitdefender

Central Management Console
Automatic Onboarding
Extensive User Documentation
Quick Installation	Requires longer setup time	Quick
	Visit Bitdefender	Visit McAfee

=Yes =Add-On/Limited

Winner: Both Bitdefender and McAfee have user-friendly interfaces with certain macOS constraints, but Bitdefender stands out with a simpler management console and more thorough, up-to-date documentation.

Bitdefender’s central administration platform makes installation easier with a user-friendly interface, although setup might be difficult with bad connectivity. Security Lite prevents system overload by scanning less frequently. The UI is simple and scans are done quickly, even with many browser tabs open. However, compared to Windows, macOS users have access to fewer capabilities.

McAfee offers an easy-to-use UI with a visible security status signal, letting users know their device is secure. Scanning is rapid, and real-time protection works effortlessly in the background without affecting workflows. While the UI is smooth, several identity theft security features are also unavailable on macOS, restricting access to key tools.

Better for Advanced Features: Bitdefender

ZTNA
Firewall
Ransomware Detection Protection
Automatic Backups
Additional Endpoint Protection Services/ Tools	Parental controls, device optimization, ad blocker, patch management, mobile security	Social privacy manager, Personal data cleanup. Identity protection
	Visit Bitdefender	Visit McAfee

=Yes =No/Unclear =Add-On/Limited

Winner: Bitdefender wins this category. It comes with extras like parental controls, device optimization, and an ad blocker, which McAfee either lacks or only includes at its most premium tiers.

Bitdefender goes beyond traditional protection with AI-powered malware and ransomware prevention, continuous monitoring, and GravityZone for scalable security management. It has extensive features such as scam and fraud prevention, VPN, email protection, patch management, mobile security, and full disk encryption. Their Total Security plan includes an integrated ad blocker.

McAfee also includes Social Privacy Manager, a VPN, Personal Data Cleanup, and tools for cleaning up internet accounts. Higher-tier services like McAfee+ Advanced feature identity protection, password management, and optional credit score monitoring. McAfee, unlike Bitdefender, lacks an ad blocker but offers additional identity protection and privacy measures.

Better for Customer Support: Bitdefender

Live Chat
Phone Support
Email Support
Live Demo or Training
Community Help
	Visit Bitdefender	Visit McAfee

=Yes =No/Unclear =Add-On/Limited

Winner: Both vendors offer good customer support, but Bitdefender outperforms McAfee by providing more thorough documentation and email assistance.

Bitdefender offers great support at all subscription levels, including live chat with professional operators and a comprehensive help website with FAQs and recommendations. Bitdefender Central enables direct communication with the support team, assuring rapid and complete assistance. Users can get extensive information and troubleshooting tips, improving support efficacy and customer satisfaction.

McAfee provides 24/7 help via numerous channels, including live chat and phone. It does not offer email assistance but gives online troubleshooting tips, tutorials, and support forums. These resources help users fix technical and account issues independently, while community answers provide extra assistance.

Better for System Performance: McAfee

System Optimizer	Add-on	Yes
Silent Mode	Yes	No
Estimated CPU Utilization	50%	30%
AV-Test Malware Protection Score	6/6	6/6
AV-Test Performance Score	5.5/6	6/6
	Visit Bitdefender	Visit McAfee

Winner: McAfee beats Bitdefender in this category, scoring a perfect 6 over 6 for protection and performance, plus a relatively lower CPU resource utilization during scanning tests.

Bitdefender performs admirably in AV-Test, earning a 6/6 for malware protection and a 5.5/6 for performance, indicating good overall efficacy. The software has little impact on system performance, using just roughly 50% of CPU resources during scans. Bitdefender also offers auto-system optimization as an add-on, which improves performance without causing substantial resource drain.

McAfee receives flawless marks in AV-Test for malware prevention and performance. It normally consumes about 30% of CPU resources, with occasional spikes up to 80%. McAfee includes a free PC Optimizer feature that improves system performance. This tool keeps the system running smoothly and efficiently, striking a balance between protection and performance.

Who Shouldn’t Use Bitdefender or McAfee

Although Bitdefender and McAfee provide excellent endpoint security and antivirus solutions, they may not meet the specific demands of every enterprise or security team. Each has limits that may render it unsuitable for some individuals or enterprises.

Who Shouldn’t Use Bitdefender

If you fall into one of these groups, you might want to look into other solutions:

• Users looking for extensive Mac features: Bitdefender’s macOS capabilities are less comprehensive than Windows and may not suit all of the customers’ protection needs on Apple devices.
• Businesses needing unlimited VPN: Bitdefender’s VPN is limited to 200 MB per day, which may not be enough for organizations that require unlimited data for secure operations.
• Teams requiring lower CPU usage: Bitdefender’s scans consume approximately 50% of CPU resources, which can be excessive for teams demanding low-impact, high-performance systems.

Who Shouldn’t Use McAfee

Look for alternatives if you belong to these groups:

• Organizations that require full identity protection: McAfee’s advanced identity protection services are only available in higher-tier subscriptions.
• Teams requiring email assistance: McAfee does not provide email support, which may be a disadvantage for teams that rely on this communication route to resolve difficulties.
• Customers looking for a free VPN and ad blocker: McAfee lacks a free ad blocker and only offers a VPN in premium plans.

3 Best Alternatives to Bitdefender & McAfee

If you find another product better suited to your needs, consider Sophos, Trend Micro, or Malwarebytes ThreatDown. They may offer you more suitable endpoint and antivirus protection solutions and features tailored to your specific needs.

Monthly Pricing	Contact sales	Contact sales	• Core: $5+/endpoint • Advanced: $6+/ endpoint • Elite: $8+/endpoint • Ultimate: $10/endpoint
Free Trial	30 days	30 days	14 days
Machine Learning
Threat Remediation
Platform Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome, iOS, Android	Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome, iOS, Android	Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome, iOS, Android
	Visit Sophos	Visit Trend Micro	Visit Malwarebytes

=Yes =No/Unclear =Add-On/Limited

Sophos Intercept X

Sophos Intercept X provides powerful endpoint protection through advanced antivirus features, enterprise-level security, and zero-trust network access. It uses machine learning to discover deep threats and block them automatically. Sophos’ MDR service provides 24-hour monitoring for enterprises without a dedicated security team. You may contact sales for pricing, but a 30-day free trial and demo are also available.

Trend Micro Vision One

Trend Micro Vision One is a cloud-native, unified security system that provides sophisticated threat defense, XDR, and automated protection. It excels in detecting threats, responding quickly, and using few resources. The solution includes lightweight agents for seamless third-party connections and manages XDR services. Contact Trend Micro for pricing information; a 30-day free trial is available.

Malwarebytes ThreatDown

Malwarebytes ThreatDown provides specialist endpoint security with over a decade of malware detection experience. It isolates hazards, detects them accurately, and assures full remediation. Ransomware protection, centralized management, and hacker avoidance are all essential characteristics. The core plan starts at $69 per endpoint/year, with higher tiers reaching $119 per endpoint per year. They also offer a 14-day free trial.

Explore our comprehensive reviews of the top antivirus software and top EDR solutions to get optimal protection for your endpoint security requirements. Learn more about these solutions’ key features, pricing, pros, cons, and more.

How I Evaluated Bitdefender vs McAfee

To evaluate Bitdefender and McAfee, I developed a rubric with six criteria: core functionality, cost and transparency, ease of use, advanced features, customer support, and impact on system performance. Each criterion has a sub-criteria or particular features provided by the vendor. I rated both providers on a five-point scale. Based on their scores, I determined the leading provider in each category and overall, as well as their use cases.

Core Features – 25%

I compared both antivirus and endpoint protection vendors based on fundamental features such as email protection, security for collaborative software, behavioral analytics, and attack isolation. I also explored features like automated response, zero-day protection, and machine learning detection, along with support for several platforms such as Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.

Pricing & Transparency – 20%

In this criterion, I considered free trials, free tiers, and plan fees across multiple user types, including both individuals and businesses. Transparent pricing, annual discounts, and free add-ons are critical for understanding cost structures, evaluating options, and making informed budgetary and need-based decisions.

Ease of Use & Implementation – 20%

I evaluated ease of use and implementation based on features such as a single administration console, automatic onboarding, and current documentation. I also assessed overall usability through user reviews and ratings from platforms like Gartner and Capterra.

Advanced Features – 15%

Advanced features include scalable solutions for home and business users, cloud or on-premises management, Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), and eradicating point-and-click threats. It also includes ransomware detection and prevention, enhanced endpoint services, and unified solutions with automatic backups and extensive protection capabilities.

Customer Support – 10%

I explored various support methods, such as live chat, phone, and email, as well as live demos and trainings. I also assessed support quality and customer service using Gartner and Capterra user reviews. This research assesses the breadth and efficacy of assistance provided, providing dependable support and high user satisfaction.

System Performance Impact – 10%

System Performance Impact assesses a device’s resource utilization. Key criteria include the Malware Protection and Performance scores from AV-Test and features such as silent mode for a little disruption. It considers the minimal impact on performance (0–6), threat prevention, auto-optimization, efficient resource management, and footprint. 

Bottom Line: Bitdefender vs McAfee

Bitdefender and McAfee provide comprehensive endpoint protection, including advanced features and regular updates. Overall, Bitdefender is the best pick due to its extensive core and advanced enterprise security features. Still, McAfee stands out for its user-friendliness, identity protection, and lighter system impact. Both offer free tools and trials; use these to assess each solution’s suitability with your requirements effectively.

Learn how EDR, EPP, and antivirus differ in the scope of protection. Read our comparative guide to explore the tools that can enhance your endpoint security.

Surajdeep Singh contributed to this article.

The post Bitdefender vs. McAfee: Comparing Features, Pricing, Pros & Cons appeared first on eSecurity Planet.

As always, the best way to get flaws quickly patched is to scan for vulnerabilities frequently and have a plan for fixing and documenting them. Make sure your security teams know their specific role in that process, and have frequent conversations about vulnerabilities so everyone knows what’s going on both in your infrastructure and in the industry overall.

August 19, 2024

Critical WordPress Vulnerability Jeopardizes Millions of Sites

Type of vulnerability: Privilege escalation.

The problem: LiteSpeed Cache, a WordPress plugin designed to reduce caching speeds and optimize page loads, has a vulnerability that affects at least 5 million WordPress instances. A member of security provider PatchStack’s Alliance community discovered the vulnerability and reported it to PatchStack, who then notified LiteSpeed Technologies, the plugin’s developer.

The plugin has a feature that creates a temporary user to crawl sites and cache web pages. “The vulnerability exploits a user simulation feature in the plugin which is protected by a weak security hash that uses known values,” PatchStack said. Unauthenticated users can exploit the weak hashes to escalate their privileges and upload malicious plugins or files.

The fix: Upgrade your LiteSpeed plugin to version 6.4.1, which includes the patch.

August 20, 2024

AWS Application Load Balancer Sees Configuration Issues

Type of vulnerability: Configuration issue leading to authentication bypass.

The problem: Application detection and response provider Miggo discovered a configuration vulnerability in Amazon Web Services’ Application Load Balancer (ALB) authentication feature. If an application is misconfigured as an ALB target group and is directly accessible, a threat actor could bypass ALB and use a shared public key server to set an arbitrary key ID, according to Liad Eliyahu from Miggo. The threat has been nicknamed ALBeast.

Aside from misconfiguration, misimplementation and issuer forgery also put AWS authentication processes at risk. “Until recently, the AWS ALB user authentication docs did not include guidance on validating a token’s signer—a crucial field for ensuring that the token was signed by the trusted ALB,” Eliyahu said. “Without this validation, applications might trust an attacker-crafted token.” An attacker could also forge an authentic token signed by ALBeast.

Applications that are exposed to the internet are particularly vulnerable to this flaw.

AWS updated its documentation after Miggo disclosed the vulnerability to its researchers. Now, an authentication signature needs to be verified and validated. AWS added new code that’s designed to validate the signer — the ALB instance that signs the token — according to Miggo.

The fix: Comply with all relevant documentation from AWS — use the new code they’ve provided to validate signatures. Miggo noted that AWS doesn’t consider issue forgery a formal vulnerability and has decided to reach out to customers with suboptimal configurations instead of changing the entire ALB component.

Learning about vulnerabilities as soon as possible is critical to protect your computer systems and networks, but it can be difficult to do manually. I recommend using a comprehensive vulnerability scanning product to find issues that must be fixed quickly.

August 21, 2024

Upgrade Chrome As Soon As Possible

Type of vulnerability: Type confusion.

The problem: A bug in the V8 JavaScript and Web Assembly engine affects Google Chrome on personal computers. The vulnerability allows remote threat actors to use specifically crafted HTML pages to exploit heap correction. They could potentially use the falsified HTML page to take control of your Chrome instance.

The vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2024-7971. It exists in versions of Chrome prior to 128.0.6613.84.

The fix: Chrome stable channel updates from Google include 128.0.6613.84/.85 for Windows and Mac devices and 128.0.6613.84 for Linux machines. To update to these versions:

• Open the Chrome browser and select the three vertical dots in the right corner.
• Click Help.
• Click About Chrome.
• If Chrome checks for updates and finds one, it will update the browser. Select Relaunch after it updates.

August 23, 2024

Another SolarWinds Web Help Desk Flaw Emerges

Type of vulnerability: Hardcoded credential.

The problem: Last week, I mentioned a Java deserialization flaw in SolarWinds Web Help Desk. This week, researchers have discovered another vulnerability in WHD, this one a hardcoded credential issue. If exploited, it allows an unauthenticated remote user to access the Web Help Desk’s controls and modify its data. Zach Hanley of Horizon3.ai discovered and reported the vulnerability. 

The flaw is tracked as CVE-2024-28987 and has a CVSS score of 9.1.

The fix: SolarWinds has released a hotfix, 12.8.3 number 2, that solves both last week’s remote code execution vulnerability and this week’s credential one.

CISA Adds Versa Director Vulnerability to Catalog

Type of vulnerability: Dangerous file type upload vulnerability. 

The problem: Versa Networks’ Director product has GUI customization options available for users who have Provider-Data-Center-Admin or Provider-Data-Center-System-Admin permissions. According to NIST, a malicious user with those privileges could use the “Change Favicon” option within the GUI to upload a malicious file that has a .png extension.

The file would masquerade as an image file, according to NIST. The exploit is only possible after a user with the correct privileges has logged into the Versa Director GUI successfully. Versa Networks noted that managed service providers are likely to be the main targets.

The vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2024-39717 and has a severity rating of 6.6.

The CISA has added this vulnerability to its catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV). It has a High severity rating. According to NIST, Versa Networks is aware of one instance where the vulnerability was exploited because the customer didn’t implement older firewall guidelines.

The fix: To remediate CVE-2024-39717, upgrade to one of the following updated versions, with links to the download page provided by Versa Networks:

• 21.2.3: https://support.versa-networks.com/support/solutions/articles/23000024323-release-21-2-3
• 22.1.2: https://support.versa-networks.com/support/solutions/articles/23000025680-release-22-1-2
• 22.1.3: https://support.versa-networks.com/support/solutions/articles/23000026033-release-22-1-3
• 22.1.4: Not affected. 

Additionally, follow all of Versa Networks’ firewall guidelines and hardening best practices.

Double RCE Vulnerabilities Affect GPS Tracking Tool Traccar

Type of vulnerability: Path traversal leading to potential remote code execution.

The problem: Open-source GPS tracking solution Traccar has two path traversal vulnerabilities that could allow unauthenticated threat actors to execute code remotely. According to Horizon3.ai researcher Naven Sunkavally, Traccar is vulnerable when guest registration is enabled, which is its default configuration.

Traccar allows users to register their devices to be tracked, and Traccar shows their location when the devices communicate with the Traccar server. In version 5.1 of the solution, an image upload feature allows users to upload a picture of their device, but Traccar’s code has vulnerabilities in managing image file uploads.

The first vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2024-24809 and has a CVSS score of 8.5, with a high rating. The second is tracked as CVE-2024-31214 and has a critical CVSS score of 9.7. Both allow remote code execution if exploited.

“The net result of CVE-2024-31214 and CVE-2024-24809 is that an attacker can place files with arbitrary content anywhere on the file system,” Sunkavally said. “However, an attacker only has partial control over the filename.” The filename has to be a particular structure for the attackers to be successful.

The fix: Sunkavally recommends upgrading to Traccar 6. Alternatively, you can switch the registration setting to false so user self-registration isn’t automatically enabled.

Read next:

• Vulnerability Recap 8/20/24 – Microsoft Has the Spotlight This Week
• Best Vulnerability Management Software & Systems

The post Vulnerability Recap 8/27/24 – Wide Range of Vulnerabilities This Week appeared first on eSecurity Planet.

One solution many companies, both large and small, have turned to is the utilization of virtual private networks (VPNs). They can route remote workers’ traffic through easier-to-monitor pathways, giving businesses greater safety and control over their sensitive data when used in concert with dedicated endpoint management solutions.

However, VPNs come with a few caveats and hitches that make them potentially unideal for large-scale operations. Chief among them is that VPNs were never designed as cybersecurity products. For example, although many providers tout a VPN’s ability to protect users’ traffic while using public WiFi, attack methods like Tunnel Vision can still leave users vulnerable.

Additionally, VPNs face difficulties during set-up and scaling for more than a handful of users and devices. If not configured properly, a business’s network can still be put at risk, and even when configured the right way, you might still encounter congestion and device performance issues, particularly when remote workers use a VPN for heavy-bandwidth activities like Zoom calls or downloading large files.

Cloud-based network security products like NordLayer aim to bridge the gap between VPNs and proper cybersecurity solutions, giving businesses an added layer of security alongside the strict, controlled access required to implement a zero-trust security framework.

What You Need to Know About NordLayer 

	NordLayer is a business VPN and network access tool that will appeal to businesses looking for a solution with an easy-to-use interface that can help them implement a zero-trust framework for access control.
Overall Rating: 2.5/5 • Core Features: 4/5 • Usability: 3.5/5 • Customer Support: 3/5 • Trustworthiness: 2/5 • Pricing: 2/5	Pros	Cons
	Easy to use Large number of features Options for both small businesses and enterprises	Pricing might be a bit steep for smaller teams or if you want more features Fairly limited number of server locations Company’s servers have been breached in the past 14-day money-back guarantee is pretty small

Who Should Use NordLayer?

NordLayer is a feature-rich, business-focused VPN and network access solution from the company behind two of the most popular VPNs in the consumer VPN market, NordVPN and Surfshark. 

Consider NordLayer if your business meets one or more of the following criteria:

• Enterprises seeking to adopt a zero trust framework: Nord claims NordLayer is built with a zero trust strategy in mind, making it a good choice if you’re trying to implement zero trust in your own company.
• Teams looking for an easy-to-use business VPN: Whatever else you can say about it, NordLayer offers, on the user side at least, an intuitive UI setup. However, I wasn’t able to test the back-end features meant to be used by an IT security manager.
• Businesses that want many features on one platform: From its business VPN to access management to a firewall, NordLayer comes packed to the gills with enticing features. Getting all these features in one place for your business can make your IT manager’s life much easier.

Who Shouldn’t Use NordLayer?

NordLayer looks great on paper, but no product is flawless. Its steep prices and data breach history could make it a less-than-appealing option, depending on your company’s needs.

I wouldn’t recommend NordLayer if:

• You’re a small business on a strict budget: A business VPN can feel like something your small business needs to protect sensitive company data. However, business VPNs do not come cheap, and NordLayer is no exception, especially if you want more features than what the lowest tier offers.
• You care about how a company responds to data breaches: In 2018, NordLayer’s consumer-grade cousin NordVPN, along with TorGuard VPN and Viking VPN, was hacked by an 8chan user. The user did not come away with any sensitive information, and the breach only affected Nord’s single server. However, the company did not inform users of the breach until six months after they initially learned of it.
• You’re looking for a service with a generous free trial period: Business VPNs can be expensive and difficult to fit into your company’s pre-existing IT infrastructure. As such, you might prefer a service with a free trial or a generous money-back guarantee period. NordLayer’s 14-day money-back guarantee probably won’t give you the time you need to know if the product is right for your business or not, unfortunately.

NordLayer Pricing

NordLayer has three subscription tiers, with a fourth tier for enterprises that lets you choose which features you want a la carte. The three main tiers each have a 5-user minimum, while the Enterprise Offer requires you to have at least 50 users. The lowest-tiered plan, Lite, starts at $8 per user per month, while the Enterprise Offer starts at $7 per user per month. All subscriptions come backed by a 14-day money-back guarantee.

These prices are fairly standard for business VPNs, meaning it can get pricey for smaller businesses. The money-back guarantee does not give customers enough time to determine if the product fits their business. I’d prefer if NordLayer took a page out of its cousin NordVPN’s playbook and adopted a 30-day money-back guarantee to give companies more time to test the service before committing.

3 Key Features of NordLayer

Business VPN

NordLayer is, first and foremost, a VPN. While I couldn’t dig into the administrative side of the app, the user side of NordLayer is very similar to its sister product, NordVPN. As a VPN, Nord is fine. It’s easy enough to install and use, though its zero-trust framework gives users a couple of hurdles to jump over before finally connecting. The administrator has to confirm your final connection. I’d recommend sticking to the NordLynx protocol when using the service, as it easily outpaces the other supported VPN protocols within NordLayer for device performance.

Fixed IP on Dedicated Servers

While I personally wouldn’t recommend using fixed IPs with a VPN in most cases, some companies have found it useful to restrict user access to sensitive information to specific IP addresses in lieu of or in addition to traditional login credentials. As part of its Core, Premium, and Custom plans, NordLayer offers fixed IP on dedicated servers in the following locations, according to their webpage on the subject:

• Australia (Sydney)
• Austria (Vienna)
• Belgium (Brussels)
• Brazil (São Paulo)
• Canada (Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto)
• Colombia (Bogota)
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic (Prague)
• Denmark (Copenhagen)
• Estonia (Tallinn)
• Finland (Helsinki)
• France (Paris)
• Germany (Frankfurt)
• Greece (Athens)
• Hungary (Budapest)
• Ireland (Dublin)
• Italy (Milan)
• Japan (Tokyo)
• Latvia (Riga)
• Lithuania (Vilnius)
• Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)
• Netherlands (Amsterdam)
• Norway (Oslo)
• Poland (Warsaw)
• Portugal (Lisbon)
• Romania (Bucharest)
• RSA (Johannesburg)
• Singapore (Singapore)
• South Korea (Seoul)
• Spain (Madrid)
• Sweden (Stockholm)
• Switzerland (Zurich)
• UK (London, Manchester)
• US (Boston, Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston)

Built With Zero Trust in Mind

Zero trust network access (ZTNA) is a strategy that protects networks from threats. It emphasizes continuous verification of all users when accessing company resources, lowering the risk of harm a malicious actor can cause by granting all users only the bare minimum permissions needed to do their jobs. It also involves collecting evidence such as logs or behavioral data to track and monitor access to any sensitive resources.

This approach, while effective, can sometimes be difficult to manage, as it can require getting multiple different network security solutions with very different design philosophies to work together as a cohesive unit.

NordLayer’s wide range of access control and monitoring features make it a decent option for companies looking to implement or streamline their zero-trust strategy.

Should You Trust NordLayer?

Whether you’re an enterprise with 2,000 employees or a self-employed freelancer, trust should be a key decision factor when discussing any company you’re considering buying from. This is especially true for companies that sell cybersecurity products, as you often trust them with your data and digital safety.

In the case of a VPN provider like Nord, you’re trusting them with your Internet traffic and the access tunnels to your business’s sensitive data and resources instead of trusting your internet service provider.

In terms of trustworthiness, Nord scores low for me. The 2018 data breach, while seemingly minor in terms of impact on users, casts a shadow on the company for me. Waiting six months to inform users of the breach, and only after it was talked about on Twitter, is simply unacceptable from any company claiming to be good stewards of their users’ data.

I don’t think it’s unfair if you look at the situation and say, “Well, that was 6 years ago. They’ve had time to fix that issue, improve their security infrastructure, and take steps to improve how they communicate with users.”

However, I don’t believe companies, especially cybersecurity companies, deserve second chances when making mistakes like how Nord Security handled its data breach. Why should we potentially put our data at risk by giving a company a second chance when there are plenty of providers out there who haven’t been breached or who responded to their own breaches better than Nord did?

NordLayer Alternatives

NordLayer is just one of many VPN solutions out there for businesses to choose from. Here are  a few more providers worth taking a look at.

ProtonVPN

I would probably recommend ProtonVPN’s business-focused options over NordLayer’s. On top of being cheaper, Proton, while not the most trustworthy VPN provider on the market, is more trustworthy than Nord while packing most of the same features. Outside of Proton’s custom-priced Enterprise subscription, NordLayer does have more dedicated server locations.

Mullvad VPN

While not the best choice for enterprise-level clients, small businesses and self-employed freelancers might find Mullvad an affordable and easy-to-use VPN. It’s one of the most trusted VPNs on the market as well, thanks in part to its unique account system, which means the company never has to store sensitive information like an email address or phone number. In terms of features, NordLayer has Mullvad beat, but if you just need a VPN to function like a VPN, I would go with Mullvad every time.

Perimeter 81

Perimeter 81 is more of a SASE solution than a business VPN, but its VPN component is solid. Its number of countries with server locations is lower than NordLayer’s, but I think the actual security features on display are more impressive, like the threat emulation add-on. The sheer quantity of add-ons Perimeter 81 has means it’ll probably be more expensive than NordLayer, however.

How I Evaluated NordLayer

Ultimately, VPNs as a product are about trust, which is why I assigned the highest weight to the Trustworthiness score instead of Core Features. You don’t need too many bells and whistles to make a viable VPN, and many VPNs share a lot of the same features. This homogenization of the market means it often matters more what a company does with your data or how it’s responded to past data breaches than what shiny features it has out of the box.

Evaluation Criteria

• Core Features (20%): Here, I search for the basic features every VPN needs to be a VPN. This includes split-tunneling, multi-factor authentication, and mobile app support.
  • Score: 4/5
• Usability (15%): This section looks at how easy a product is to use and how accessible its technical documentation is, as well as how easy it is to report bugs and the like.
  • Score: 3.5/5
• Customer Support (10%): For customer support, I highlight the various customer support options available to users, particularly the presence of real human customer support agents in lieu of chatbots.
  • Score: 3/5
• Trustworthiness (40%): When you use a VPN, you effectively trust that provider with your Internet traffic in lieu of trusting your internet service provider. So, I always try to look for how a company has treated its user data in the past. This can include data breach history or if the company has been caught selling user data in the past, among other transgressions.
  • Score: 2/5
• Pricing (15%): Finally, I look at a VPN’s various pricing plans and compare these plans to competitors. I also consider the availability of a free trial or a generous money-back guarantee policy.
  • Score: 2/5

Bottom Line: NordLayer Is an Easy-to-Use Business VPN With Some Nice Security Features

While I have concerns with how Nord Security has handled past breaches and how they’ve informed users, I understand that many potential customers will be more forgiving of something that happened six years ago. Ignoring the 2018 breach, NordLayer is a fine choice for a business VPN. While expensive, the sheer number of features and easy-to-use interface make it a solid enough choice for businesses looking to enhance their cybersecurity strategy.

The post NordLayer Review: Pricing, Features & Specs appeared first on eSecurity Planet.

In this article, we’ll explain how a VPN works, explore its encryption mechanisms, review common VPN protocols, and discuss its various business applications.

How a VPN Works

A VPN works by creating a secure, encrypted connection between your device and the internet. This process involves multiple steps and technologies working together to ensure your data remains private and secure. Here are the steps of VPN functionality: 

Step 1: Device Connection to a VPN Server

When you activate a VPN on your device, it first connects to a VPN server. This server is usually located in a different geographical location, which could be chosen by you or automatically by the VPN service.

Step 2: Data Encryption

Before your data leaves your device, the VPN client software encrypts it using advanced encryption protocols. This encrypted data is nearly impossible to intercept and read without the appropriate decryption key.

Step 3: Data Transmission to the VPN Server

The encrypted data is then transmitted to the VPN server. This server acts as an intermediary between your device and the wider internet.

Step 4: IP Address Masking

The VPN server replaces your original IP address with its own. This means that when your data reaches the destination server (like a website), it appears as if the request is coming from the VPN server’s location rather than your actual location.

Step 5: Data Decryption

When the VPN server receives data from the internet (such as a webpage you requested), it encrypts the data before sending it back to your device.

Step 6: Final Decryption

Your VPN client decrypts the data received from the VPN server, allowing you to access the content as if you were directly connected to the internet.

This process ensures that your internet service provider (ISP), the websites you visit, and any potential eavesdroppers cannot see your real IP address, the websites you access, or the data you send and receive. Instead, they only see the VPN server’s IP address and encrypted traffic.

Check out the figure below for a simpler image of how a VPN works:

For more information on how to get a VPN, check out this guide.

VPN Encryption Explained

VPN encryption involves converting your data into an unreadable format for anyone who might intercept it. This process ensures that even if someone manages to capture your data, they won’t understand it without the proper decryption key. Here’s a closer look at what VPN encryption entails:

Data Encryption Process

• Encryption algorithm: VPN encryption uses algorithms to transform readable data into an encrypted format. These algorithms are mathematical formulas that scramble the data in a way that can only be reversed by someone with the correct decryption key.
• Encryption key: The encryption key is a string of data used by the algorithm to encrypt and decrypt your data. For example, if a message is encrypted with a key, only someone with that key can decrypt and read the message.

Types of Encryption

Understanding the types of encryption helps you choose the right encryption approach for your data protection strategy. Here’s a closer look at symmetric and asymmetric encryption and their respective roles in securing information.

Encryption Protocols

• AES (Advanced Encryption Standard): AES is a symmetric encryption algorithm used widely in VPNs. It is known for its strength and efficiency, with AES-256 providing the highest level of security.
• RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman): RSA is often used to encrypt data exchanges rather than the data itself. It secures the transmission of encryption keys between parties.
• SHA (Secure Hash Algorithm): While not an encryption method, SHA creates a unique hash of data, which helps verify its integrity and ensures that it has not been altered.

Encryption in Action

• When you connect to a VPN: As soon as you establish a connection to a VPN server, your device encrypts your data before sending it over the internet. This encrypted data is transmitted to the VPN server, where it remains secure.
• From the VPN server: The VPN server decrypts the incoming data from the internet, then re-encrypts it before sending it back to your device. Your device decrypts this data, allowing you to view the content as intended.

Key Components of a VPN Protocol

A VPN protocol ensures secure and efficient data transmission. Its key components, including encryption, authentication, tunneling, and data integrity, all work together to protect your online activity. Here’s a brief overview of how these elements contribute to a secure VPN connection.

• Encryption: The protocol determines the type of encryption used to secure data. Stronger encryption ensures better security but may impact connection speed. Common encryption methods include AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) and RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman).
• Authentication: VPN protocols also manage how your device authenticates its identity to the VPN server. Authentication ensures that data is sent to and received from the correct source.
• Tunneling: VPN protocols establish a secure “tunnel” through which your data travels. This tunnel is an encrypted pathway between your device and the VPN server, protecting your data from interception.
• Data Integrity: Protocols include methods to verify that the transmitted data has not been tampered with during transit. This ensures the integrity and authenticity of the data received.

6 Common Types of VPN Protocols

VPN protocols dictate how your data is transmitted over the VPN connection. Different protocols offer varying levels of security, speed, and compatibility. Here are some of the most common ones and what they bring to the table:

1. OpenVPN

OpenVPN is one of the most popular and widely used VPN protocols, known for its balance of speed, security, and reliability. It’s an open-source protocol, which means it is constantly being reviewed and updated by the global security community.

Strengths:

• Security: OpenVPN uses strong encryption standards, including AES-256, and supports a variety of cryptographic algorithms. It also offers robust authentication options and is highly configurable.
• Flexibility: It works across multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, making it highly versatile.
• Performance: While OpenVPN is secure, it may require more processing power, potentially slowing down connections on less powerful devices.

Use Cases:

OpenVPN is ideal for users prioritizing security and privacy, such as those accessing sensitive information or bypassing strict censorship.

2. L2TP/IPsec (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol)

L2TP (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol) is often paired with IPsec (Internet Protocol Security) to provide encryption and secure data transmission. This combination is a common VPN protocol that balances security and performance well.

Strengths:

• Security: L2TP itself does not provide encryption, but when combined with IPsec, it offers robust security with double data encapsulation.
• Compatibility: It is built into most modern operating systems, making it easy to set up without needing additional software.
• Stability: L2TP/IPsec offers stable connections, making it reliable for most internet activities.

Use Cases:

This protocol is suitable for those who need a balance between security and ease of use, such as general internet browsing or accessing work networks remotely.

3. IKEv2/IPsec (Internet Key Exchange Version 2)

IKEv2 is a VPN protocol developed by Microsoft and Cisco, often paired with IPsec for encryption. It’s known for its speed and ability to quickly re-establish connections, making it a preferred choice for mobile users.

Strengths:

• Security: IKEv2/IPsec provides strong encryption and supports many cryptographic algorithms, making it secure against most security threats.
• Speed: It’s highly efficient, offering fast connection speeds with low latency, even over mobile networks.
• Stability: IKEv2 is excellent at maintaining a stable connection, especially when switching between networks, such as from Wi-Fi to mobile data.

Use Cases:

Ideal for mobile users who need a fast, secure, and reliable VPN connection, particularly when on the move.

4. PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol)

PPTP is one of the oldest VPN protocols, developed by Microsoft in the 1990s. While it is known for its fast speeds, its security is considered weak by modern standards.

Strengths:

• Speed: PPTP is less resource-intensive, offering fast connection speeds making it suitable for activities like streaming.
• Compatibility: It’s supported on most devices and operating systems, making it easy to set up.

Weaknesses:

• Security: PPTP uses outdated encryption standards, making it vulnerable to modern hacking techniques.
• Reliability: It’s more prone to being blocked by firewalls than other protocols.

Use Cases:

Best for users who prioritize speed over security, such as streaming content in regions with less stringent privacy requirements.

5. WireGuard

WireGuard is a newer VPN protocol that is gaining popularity for its simplicity, speed, and strong security features. It’s designed to be more efficient and easier to implement than older protocols.

Strengths:

• Security: WireGuard uses state-of-the-art cryptography, providing a very high level of security with fewer vulnerabilities.
• Performance: It’s extremely fast, with a lean codebase for quick connections and low latency.
• Simplicity: WireGuard is easier to configure and deploy, making it more user-friendly than some older protocols.

Use Cases: 

Ideal for users who want a modern, fast, and secure VPN experience, particularly in scenarios where performance is critical.

6. SSTP (Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol)

SSTP was developed by Microsoft and is integrated into the Windows operating system. It’s known for bypassing firewalls, as it uses the HTTPS port 443, which is rarely blocked.

Strengths:

• Security: SSTP offers robust security, with support for SSL/TLS encryption, making intercepting difficult.
• Firewall bypassing: Its use of the HTTPS port makes it excellent at getting through firewalls that block other protocols.
• Integration: SSTP is deeply integrated into Windows, making it easy to set up and use on Microsoft platforms.

Use Cases:

Best for Windows users who need a reliable, secure VPN that can bypass restrictive firewalls, especially in corporate or public environments.

Each VPN protocol offers distinct advantages and disadvantages, making them suitable for different use cases. Whether you prioritize speed, security, or compatibility, understanding these six common VPN protocols can help you choose the right one for your needs. Whether streaming content, accessing sensitive information, or maintaining a secure connection, selecting the appropriate VPN protocol is key to optimizing your online experience.

How Businesses Leverage VPNs for Enhanced Security

Businesses utilize VPNs for various purposes beyond individual privacy. Here are some common use cases:

Secure Remote Access

VPNs allow employees to securely connect to the company’s internal network remotely. This is crucial for protecting sensitive company data, especially when employees are working from home or traveling.

Bypassing Geo-Restrictions

For businesses with operations in multiple countries, VPNs can be used to bypass geo-restrictions on websites or services, ensuring that employees have access to the necessary resources regardless of location.

Enhanced Security for Remote Work

In today’s work-from-anywhere environment, VPNs provide additional security for remote workers, safeguarding sensitive communications and reducing the risk of data breaches.

Cost-Effective Network Security

For small and medium-sized enterprises, deploying a VPN can be a cost-effective alternative to expensive types of network security solutions. It enables secure communication without the need for dedicated hardware.

Anonymous Market Research

Businesses often use VPNs to conduct market research anonymously. They can gather competitor information without revealing their identity or location by masking their IP addresses.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does a VPN Hide Your Location?

Yes, a VPN masks your real IP address with the IP address of the VPN server you’re connected to. This hides your location from websites, services, and potentially malicious actors.

Can Someone Find Out That You’re Using a VPN?

While your activities are hidden, someone (e.g., your ISP or network administrator) can detect you using a VPN. VPN traffic has distinct characteristics, such as encrypted data and connections to known VPN servers.

Is Using a VPN Legal?

Yes, using a VPN is legal in most countries. However, some countries with strict internet regulations may restrict or outright ban VPN usage. Always check local laws before using a VPN.

Bottom Line: Secure Your Business with VPNs

A VPN is a powerful tool that secures your internet connection by encrypting your data and masking your IP address. It is essential for IT professionals to understand how it works, as it helps select the right VPN solutions for business needs and personal use.

You can check out our guide on enterprise VPN solutions for more information. If you want to learn more about VPN security, visit our detailed overview. Stay informed on the latest network security threats and best practices with our comprehensive network security threats guide.

The post How Does a VPN Work? A Comprehensive Beginner’s Overview appeared first on eSecurity Planet.

Here are the six best alternative solutions to CrowdStrike Falcon:

• Palo Alto Cortex XDR: Best for advanced security capabilities
• Trend Micro Vision One: Best for smaller teams with advanced needs
• Cybereason Defense Platform: Best for visualizing incidents and threats
• Bitdefender GravityZone: Best for small business budgets
• Sophos Intercept X: Best for basic EDR requirements
• Symantec Endpoint Security: Best for large-scale endpoint management

Top CrowdStrike Alternatives Compared

The following table compares a few features of CrowdStrike’s major competitors and the availability of a free trial.

	Behavioral Analytics	Device Controls	Custom Detection Rules	Free Trial
Palo Alto Cortex XDR
Trend Micro Vision One				30 days
Cybereason Defense Platform
Bitdefender GravityZone				One month
Sophos Intercept X				30 days
Symantec Endpoint Security

= yes    = no     = add-on

While these solutions are the best in the endpoint detection market, I found that Palo Alto Cortex XDR was the best overall platform to replace CrowdStrike Falcon. Continue reading to learn more about these products, or skip down to see how I evaluated the best EDR alternatives to CrowdStrike.

Palo Alto Cortex XDR – Best for Advanced Security Capabilities

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Overall Rating: 4.1/5

• Pricing: 2.4/5
• Core features: 3.8/5
• Advanced features: 4.3/5
• Ease of use and administration: 4.7/5
• MITRE scores: 5/5
• Customer support: 4.5/5

Palo Alto Cortex XDR is a highly advanced security platform for protecting endpoints across your business infrastructure. Palo Alto Networks is renowned for its excellent security — it most recently posted perfect scores in the MITRE ATT&CK evaluations — and like CrowdStrike, it offers advanced features like custom detection rules and incident triage. I recommend Palo Alto for experienced teams that need top-notch security and can manage a large platform.

Visit Palo Alto

Pros

• Plenty of EDR features
• Fantastic technical security capabilities
• Available as a managed service

Cons

• On the more expensive side
• May be complex for smaller teams to use
• No free trial

Pricing

• Contact for quote: Custom pricing available; some pricing information available from Amazon Web Services
• Free demo: Contact to schedule

Key Features

• Forensics: Cortex XDR investigates incidents involving endpoints even when they aren’t connected to the network.
• Root cause analysis: Palo Alto allows admins to examine the root causes of incidents and the sequence of events leading to them.
• Behavioral analytics: The platform analyzes threat trends and malicious behavior to detect malicious insider attacks and credential abuse.
• Incident prioritization: Cortex XDR prioritizes fixing incidents by grouping alerts and scoring the incidents.

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Alternatives

Although Palo Alto Cortex XDR is a great security solution for enterprises, it will take less experienced teams significant time to learn and use effectively. If you need an easier-to-use platform, look at Sophos instead.

Trend Micro Vision One – Best for Smaller Teams With Advanced Needs

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Overall Rating: 3.9/5

• Pricing: 3/5
• Core features: 3.8/5
• Advanced features: 4.1/5
• Ease of use and administration: 5/5
• MITRE scores: 3.5/5
• Customer support: 3.4/5

Trend Micro Vision One is a unified security platform for businesses of all sizes. With features like remediation suggestions and customized playbooks, it’s designed to protect the entire security infrastructure. Trend Micro has been consistently building its security business for years, and Vision One is proof of that, with functionality for both large enterprises and SMBs. Similar to CrowdStrike, Vision One is designed to cover multiple facets of business security.

Visit Trend Micro

Pros

• Multiple customer support channels
• Available as a managed service
• Free trial lasts a month

Cons

• No native device control features
• Incident prioritization capabilities are unclear
• No official product demo

Pricing

• Contact for quote: Custom pricing available
• Free trial: 30 days

Key Features

• Attack surface discovery: Vision One tracks down unknown assets and attack surfaces that aren’t yet scanned and protected.
• Vulnerability management: The platform shows admins data like commonly exploited vulnerabilities and legacy operating systems being used.
• Risk scores: Trend Micro uses global threat intelligence sources to help determine which vulnerabilities are the most critical and should be fixed first.
• Variety of response options: Vision One can isolate endpoints, terminate processes, send threats to a sandbox, and force users to reset their passwords.

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Alternatives

Vision One is a great solution for teams that want a comprehensive security platform, but a couple of its endpoint security features are unclear, including device controls and incident triage. If these are big priorities for you, consider Cybereason instead.

Cybereason – Best for Visualizing Incidents & Threats

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Overall Rating: 3.8/5

• Pricing: 2.2/5
• Core features: 3.8/5
• Advanced features: 4/5
• Ease of use and administration: 4.2/5
• MITRE scores: 5/5
• Customer support: 3.8/5

Cybereason is an enterprise-grade detection and response platform ideal for larger teams, though SMBs with a sizable budget can certainly benefit from it, too. One of its differentiating features is the MalOp, or malicious operation, a method of tracking individual threats and all associated data. If you’re looking for a strong managed defense platform similar to CrowdStrike, Cybereason is a great choice, particularly for threat visualization.

Visit Cybereason

Pros

• Excellent practical security testing results
• Available as a managed service
• Excellent MITRE scores in recent testing

Cons

• Limited incident quarantine functionality
• Lacks pricing and licensing transparency
• No free trial

Pricing

• Custom pricing available: Contact Cybereason for a quote or purchase from resellers
• Free demo: Contact to schedule

Key Features

• Endpoint control: Within a single interface, admins can set rules for specific endpoints based on their business’s security policies.
• Threat intelligence: Cybereason compares multiple threat feeds using machine learning-based analysis to determine which feeds are most helpful.
• Remediation assistance: The platform shows admins which tools threat actors use and helps them quickly block threats and isolate malicious files.
• Integrations: Technology partners of the Cybereason Defense Platform include Okta, Proofpoint, Fortinet, and Palo Alto.

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Alternatives

Cybereason is a strong choice for large enterprises and security teams that want to truly visualize the connections between different events. However, it’s not the best choice for small teams; consider Bitdefender instead if your business needs something a bit simpler.

Bitdefender GravityZone – Best for Small Business Budgets

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Overall Rating: 3.7/5

• Pricing: 4.5/5
• Core features: 3.7/5
• Advanced features: 2.8/5
• Ease of use and administration: 3.8/5
• MITRE scores: 3.8/5
• Customer support: 3.4/5

Bitdefender GravityZone is a multi-purpose security platform for both small businesses and enterprises. You can choose your GravityZone package based on need; the most basic plan truly is an SMB solution, with features like web control and filtering. However, the enterprise option offers plenty for large and experienced teams, like correlation across endpoints and response suggestions. Like CrowdStrike Falcon, GravityZone provides pricing for small teams.

Visit Bitdefender

Pros

• Strong set of endpoint protection features
• Transparent pricing for very small teams
• Month-long free trial

Cons

• Not available as a managed service
• No support email or live chat available
• No native incident triage or threat intel

Pricing

• 100 devices: Between $4,000-$5,810 per year
• More than 100 devices: Contact for quote
• Free trial: One month

Key Features

• Ransomware mitigation: When GravityZone detects strange encryption procedures, it creates tamper-proof file copies so the data won’t be lost.
• Risk management: Bitdefender assigns risk scores to individual threats and prioritizes misconfigurations and behaviors depending on criticality.
• Sandboxing: GravityZone can automatically send suspicious files or code to the Sandbox Analyzer, determining whether it’s malicious.
• Single pane of glass: GravityZone combines the whole Business Security platform into one management console, so your admins can manage everything from one location.

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Alternatives

GravityZone is a great endpoint security solution for businesses but is unavailable as a managed service. If your business needs an MDR platform, look at Trend Micro instead.

Sophos Intercept X – Best for Basic EDR Needs

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Overall Rating: 3.4/5

• Pricing: 3.4/5
• Core features: 3/5
• Advanced features: 2.4/5
• Ease of use and administration: 5/5
• MITRE scores: 4/5
• Customer support: 4.3/5

Sophos is an extremely popular network security and EDR provider with customers. It offers tools like application and peripheral device control for managing endpoints. Renowned for its usability, Sophos is a strong solution for SMBs and less experienced teams, though it provides features like data loss prevention for larger companies. While CrowdStrike is a highly advanced platform, Sophos is ideal for teams that need a basic but strong EDR foundation.

Visit Sophos

Pros

• Plenty of usability features, like training videos
• Managed service option through Sophos MDR
• User interface is popular with customers

Cons

• Limited pricing details
• No custom detection rules
• No rogue device discovery

Pricing

• Contact for quote: Custom pricing available
• Free trial: 30 days
• Free demo: Contact to schedule

Key Features

• Prioritized detection: Intercept X uses artificial intelligence to prioritize which threats to detect.
• Web protection: Sophos examines web pages and data like IP addresses and blocks user access to malicious sites when needed.
• Behavioral analysis: The platform works over a period of time to gather process, registry, and file event data and determine threats versus normal activity.
• File integrity monitoring: Sophos protects Windows servers by identifying changes to the critical files on the servers.

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Alternatives

Sophos is an outstanding solution for smaller teams and more basic EDR requirements, but it might not have enough advanced features for large enterprises. If your team needs more functionality, consider Palo Alto instead.

If you’re working to protect your entire business network, learn more about different types of network security solutions, like virtual private networks and firewalls.

Symantec Endpoint Security – Best for Large-Scale Endpoint Management

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Overall Rating: 3.6/5

• Pricing: 2/5
• Core features: 4.4/5
• Advanced features: 4.1/5
• Ease of use and administration: 5/5
• MITRE scores: 2/5
• Customer support: 2.6/5

Symantec, recently acquired by Broadcom, is an EDR solution offering broad endpoint and server management. Features include custom detection rules and suggestions for remediation. Symantec’s security capabilities extend to multiple operating systems and mobile devices. It’s designed to protect data centers, hybrid infrastructures, and storage solutions like cloud buckets and network-attached storage. Like CrowdStrike, Symantec offers managed security services.

Visit Symantec

Pros

• Support for multiple storage environments
• Multiple training videos available
• Protects multiple data center deployments

Cons

• Limited incident prioritization features
• MITRE detection scores lacking
• Complaints about support after acquisition

Pricing

• Contact for quote: Custom pricing available

Key Features

• Device controls: Security teams can develop rules to control peripheral devices like USBs connecting to endpoints within the infrastructure.
• Attack visibility: Symantec EDR shows you the attack chain of events during an incident, which you can sort chronologically and then perform remediations.
• Managing assets: Part of the endpoint management solution, asset relationships and software license management help teams better visualize their organization’s hardware and software.
• Custom rules: You can add your own incident detection rules to find threats that Symantec’s existing rules don’t already cover.

Screenshot

Alternatives

While Symantec is a strong endpoint security solution, some customers complained about customer support responsiveness after the Broadcom acquisition. Consider Sophos if you’re looking for a solution with high customer service reviews.

5 Key Features of CrowdStrike Competitors

Endpoint security platforms like CrowdStrike Falcon typically offer features like device control, incident isolation, suggestions for remediation, threat intelligence, and mobile device support.

Device Controls

Endpoint security platforms typically offer device controls so teams can block or isolate devices that are seeing — or causing — security problems. This could be a strain of malware on a laptop or a mobile application trying to gain unauthorized access to a service. Admins can isolate the device so any threat won’t spread or block certain malicious processes.

Incident Quarantine

Often, threat actors use lateral movement to travel through IT environments, but they can do that because of insufficient permissions and the connection points between devices and applications. Endpoint security solutions should allow admins to quarantine incidents, or whole devices, so threats like malware can’t spread further.

Remediation Recommendations

Endpoint detection and response often include suggestions for remediating threats. A management console might provide threat data like affected applications and then give a listed process for mitigating the threat, like quarantining it or sending it to a sandbox. These suggestions are helpful for security admins because they’re based on data that the EDR solution has already compiled, and the automation also saves the admins manual work.

Threat Intelligence

Endpoint security vendors like CrowdStrike often integrate with popular threat intelligence feeds or perform their own threat research. Security platforms like EDR and XDR need to have accurate sources of threat data. These platforms will be better prepared to combat threats with a strong understanding of them and their associated indicators of compromise.

Support for Mobile Operating Systems

Ideally, endpoint security suites like CrowdStrike should cover mobile devices like phones, not just laptops and servers. Mobile phones can be just as much of a threat to enterprise security as computers, especially if they’re connected to a business network or are used to store sensitive data. Often, security platforms like EDR cover Android and iOS.

Flaws in mobile devices aren’t the only threats to business networks. Read more about major network security threats, including malware and denial of service, in our guide.

How I Evaluated CrowdStrike’s Main Competitors

To analyze the best alternatives to CrowdStrike Falcon, the vendor’s main platform, I created a product scoring rubric that analyzed solutions in the endpoint security, EDR, and XDR spaces. The rubric included six major categories that buyers look for in endpoint security solutions. Each category had its own weight, and each also included multiple subcriteria. How well each security product met the subcriteria and their weighting contributed to their final score.

Evaluation Criteria

I started with core endpoint security features, like device controls, when creating the rubric. Then I looked at usability and administrative features, like documentation and training videos. Next, I considered pricing, which included free trials, and advanced features, such as threat hunting. I also scored the products based on vendors’ MITRE Evaluation scores, which come from independent tests. Finally, I looked at customer support, including the availability of demos.

• Core features (25%): This category included the most important endpoint security features, like vulnerability management, remediation suggestions, and device control.
  • Criterion winner: Symantec
• Ease of use and administration (20%): I evaluated usability features like documentation, APIs, and a single management console.
  • Criterion winner: Multiple winners
• Pricing (15%): I looked at the availability of pricing information, including from resellers, and also evaluated free trials.
  • Criterion winner: Bitdefender
• Advanced features (15%): These included nice-to-have capabilities like threat hunting and rogue device discovery, which are particularly helpful for enterprises.
  • Criterion winner: Palo Alto
• MITRE scores (15%): I scored the products based on their MITRE Evaluation results, which indicate how well they can actually protect computer systems.
  • Criterion winner: Multiple winners
• Customer support (10%): I considered customer support channels, like phone and email, as well as product demo availability.
  • Criterion winner: Palo Alto

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is CrowdStrike Better Than Competitors?

The top endpoint security and EDR platforms excel in different areas, including detection, protection, threat intelligence, and research. CrowdStrike is particularly renowned for its defense capabilities. However, multiple other providers do well in threat protection — just look for signs like strong independent testing scores; these show that vendors can actually use the features they claim to offer.

Who Is CrowdStrike’s Biggest Competitor?

CrowdStrike has plenty of competitors, but the most notable one is probably Palo Alto Networks, one of the world’s best detection and response providers. It offers similar features and earns very comparable independent testing scores. Palo Alto actually received the best score in the most recent MITRE ATT&CK evaluations and was the only vendor to stop all tests perfectly.

What’s the Difference Between Antivirus, Endpoint Protection Platforms & EDR?

CrowdStrike and its competitors all offer features in the antivirus, endpoint protection, and EDR families. However, the three have distinctions, even if they’re typically combined on CrowdStrike Falcon and other platforms. Antivirus solutions are mainly concerned with protecting computer systems from viruses and malware. Endpoint protection platforms prevent threats on devices like laptops, and EDR platforms combine preventative features with direct response.

Learn more about the differences between antivirus, endpoint protection platforms, and endpoint detection and response in our guide to the three.

Bottom Line: Choosing An Alternative to CrowdStrike

Whether you’re looking for your business’s first EDR platform or trying to replace an existing instance of CrowdStrike Falcon, consider the key features your team needs when evaluating competitors. Falcon is renowned for its threat prevention capabilities, but other solutions can provide that, too. Look for strong independent testing scores that indicate actual ability, but consider administrative and support features that affect usability, too.

Is your business specifically looking for a managed endpoint security solution? Check out our guide to the best managed detection and response solutions, including Alert Logic and SentinelOne.

The post CrowdStrike Competitors for 2024: Top Alternatives Reviewed appeared first on eSecurity Planet.

How Does Cookie Stealing Work?

Attackers steal cookies through phishing, malware, and MITM attacks, resulting in data theft, financial loss, and identity theft. Understanding the implications, prevention, and recovery procedures can enhance the protection of your accounts and personal information. Long-term threats need a serious effort to secure stolen data and safeguard your privacy against further misuse.

1. Launch the Initial Attack Vector

Attackers will send you phishing emails or develop fake websites that appear legitimate, deceiving you into entering your login information. They may also use flaws in websites you visit to install malware on your device that extracts cookies from your browser. This enables attackers to access your accounts, exposing you to illegal access and data theft.

2. Deploy Information-Stealing Malware

Malicious actors deliver malware via phishing emails that you open or by exploiting software flaws. Once installed, the malware hits your browser, whether Chrome, Firefox, or Brave, and extracts cookies and sensitive data. Without your knowledge, this virus captures your session and personal information, placing you in danger of account takeovers and data breaches.

3. Execute a Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attack

While surfing on unprotected public Wi-Fi, cybercriminals intercept the communication between the browser you’re using and the website you’re on. Without encryption, they can monitor your connection and steal your session cookies, allowing them to hijack your accounts. This exposes you to fraudulent transactions and account misuse when doing sensitive tasks on public networks.

4. Perform Session Hijacking

Attackers may take over your active session by collecting session cookies if you remain logged in to sites or apps. Hackers may conceal dangerous malware in photos or links on insecure websites that you visit. When you click on these links, the code becomes active, allowing them to overcome your login processes, including multi-factor authentication, and potentially get unwanted access to your personal and financial information.

5. Exploit Stolen Cookies

After obtaining your cookies, attackers can sell them on dark web marketplaces or use them for other illegal activities. They may update your account settings, make illicit transactions, or install other types of malware on your device. You may face long-term implications, such as identity theft and financial loss, prompting lengthy efforts to safeguard your compromised accounts and personal information.

Risks & Implications of Cookie Theft

Cookie theft carries serious consequences, including identity theft, financial loss, and illegal access to accounts. Attackers use stolen cookies to conduct unlawful transactions, violate privacy, and harm reputations. The repercussions can be difficult to discover and recover from, resulting in long-term consequences such as legal challenges, productivity loss, and continued exploitation of sensitive data.

Identity Theft

Identity theft happens when attackers utilize stolen cookies to obtain personal information such as names, addresses, or financial information. With this information, they can impersonate you, open credit accounts, and engage in fraudulent activities. The long-term consequences include destroyed credit, financial loss, and the significant time and effort required to recover your identity.

Financial Loss

Hackers can use stolen cookies to gain access to your financial accounts, make fraudulent transactions, or transfer funds. This might result in sudden financial losses, depleted bank accounts, and maxed-out credit cards. Recovering these funds can be difficult, and you may encounter legal or financial issues as a result.

Unauthorized Access

Once attackers hijack your cookies, they have illegal access to your online accounts. This can comprise personal, financial, or professional accounts that can access, alter, or remove sensitive data. Violating privacy and control over your accounts might result in substantial data loss or misuse.

Illegal Transactions

Stolen cookies allow attackers to carry out illegal activities, such as making purchases, transferring money, or changing account information. These activities can cause immediate financial harm, disturb your financial management, and result in disputes with financial institutions, thereby lowering your credit score.

Loss of Privacy

Attackers who gain access to your cookies may expose personal information such as browsing history, messages, and login information. This violation of privacy may reveal vital information, leaving you open to future assaults or exploitation. The loss of privacy can cause personal and emotional pain.

Damage to Your Reputation

If attackers exploit your stolen cookies to assume your identity online, they might release improper content or engage in fraudulent activity in your name. This can harm your personal or professional reputation, resulting in loss of trust, social ramifications, and possible career consequences.

Legal Consequences

Businesses that neglect to secure user cookies may face legal consequences if they are stolen and result in data breaches. The potential legal implications can include fines, lawsuits, and compliance. If the stolen identity is used for illegal activities, it may also lead to legal complications for that individual.

Productivity Loss

Dealing with the aftermath of cookie theft takes a significant amount of time and work, whether you’re regaining access to accounts or dealing with security breaches. This decrease in productivity may interfere with your everyday activities, cause stress, and result in missed opportunities or delayed tasks.

Vulnerability of Sensitive Data

Cookies frequently hold sensitive data, such as login credentials and personal information. If this data is stolen, it becomes vulnerable to misuse by hackers, potentially leading to more exploitation, illegal access to other accounts, and worse security breaches.

Difficulty in Detection

Cookie theft is often difficult to detect because attackers can operate without leaving visible evidence. The lapse in detection enables attackers to continue exploiting your accounts or data, causing more extensive damage before you’re even aware of the breach.

How Do You Know If You’re Being Targeted?

Early detection of cookie theft helps protect your online accounts and personal information. Understanding the subtle signs of compromised cookies can help you take quick action to secure your network and data further or avoid identity theft and financial implications.

You may be a victim of cookie theft if you: 

• Detect suspicious account activity: Look for unauthorized logins, posts, or transactions on your online profiles that you did not initiate.
• Receive unexpected password reset notifications: Identify unrequested password reset messages as potential evidence of exploited access.
• Discover unforeseen changes to settings: See if your email addresses, phone numbers, or credentials have been changed without your permission.
• Experience repeated logouts: Observe if you’re constantly and abruptly getting logged out of an account, as it may be a sign of session hijacking.
• Get unusual login notifications: Look for alerts regarding logins from unknown devices or places, which could indicate unwanted access.
• Spot strange network traffic: Monitor unexpected data transfers or connections to unknown servers, which may indicate cookie-related compromises.
• Observe random browser behavior: Notice if your browser redirects to suspicious sites or behaves weirdly. This could indicate unwanted interference.
• Receive security software alerts: Inspect any antivirus or security software alerts regarding detected network threats or suspicious activities in your browser.
• Notice increased spam or phishing messages: Examine if there’s a surge in spam or phishing attempts that could be targeting accounts via stolen cookies.
• Find unidentified devices in security logs: Look for new devices in your account’s security settings that you don’t recognize, which could indicate unauthorized access.

9 Ways to Prevent Cookie Stealing

Implement critical security measures such as establishing secure cookie flags, implementing SSL/TLS for encrypted sessions, and deploying strong firewalls. Enhance account security using Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), enforce strong password restrictions, and regularly update software to protect against possible threats.

Use Secure Cookie Flags

Configure cookies using security options like Secure and HttpOnly. The Secure option ensures that cookies are exclusively transferred via HTTPS, whereas the HttpOnly flag prohibits cookies from being accessible by client-side scripts. This lowers the chance of cookies being taken via unencrypted connections or cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.

Deploy a Firewall

Install a reliable firewall to prevent malicious communications and safeguard against exploitation. Firewalls monitor incoming traffic, flag questionable requests, and enforce security policies to prevent unwanted access and session hijacking attempts. This protects your website from potential cookie theft threats and improves overall security.

Utilize SSL/TLS

Secure your website with HTTPS by using SSL/TLS certificates to encrypt data sent between users and servers. Encryption makes it nearly impossible for attackers to intercept and steal session cookies, keeping critical information safe during transmission and improving overall data security.

Apply 2FA or MFA

Increase account security by using two-factor authentication (2FA) or multi-factor authentication (MFA). While cookie theft may bypass MFA, this extra verification step can still provide significant protection. Requiring a second form of authentication in addition to passwords makes it far more difficult for attackers to access accounts, even if session cookies are compromised.

Adopt Strong Password Policies

Encourage the use of strong, unique passwords and implement standards for regular password upgrades. Enforcing complexity criteria and making regular adjustments lessens the risk of password breaches and the chance of attackers using stolen cookies to gain unauthorized access.

Update Website Software Regularly

Keep your website’s WordPress, themes, and plugins up to date. Regular updates fix security flaws that could be used to steal cookies. By installing the most recent updates and security fixes, you lessen the likelihood of attackers exploiting outdated programs to compromise session cookies.

Train Your Admin & Staff

Educate admin and other personnel on the dangers of session hijacking and the effective practices for prevention. Ensuring that they learn secure practices and recognize potential threats reduces risks. It also encourages the organization’s culture of adhering to security measures to prevent cookie theft and other common security risks. 

Beware of Phishing & Risky Websites

Stay alert for phishing attempts and avoid dangerous websites. Phishing scams and rogue websites can spread cookie-stealing software. Examine emails, texts, and site links thoroughly to avoid unintentional exposure to cookie theft and other cyber risks.

Clear Cache Regularly

Make it a practice to clear your browser’s cache and cookies periodically. This method helps to erase any potentially compromised cookies and reduces the impact of cookie theft. Regular cache emptying prevents malware impact and ensures that it has fewer resources to exploit even if it exists.

How to Recover from Cookie Theft

To recover from cookie theft, website administrators should do a security scan with a program to delete any detected risks. Then, invalidate active sessions, update passwords and security keys, and then refresh the website software. End users should change their passwords, clean their browser cache, enable two-factor authentication, monitor their accounts, and update their security settings.

Recovery Methods for Website Admins

Website administrators should apply these recovery techniques to manage and resolve cookie theft concerns successfully:

• Run a security scan: Use a reliable security tool like antivirus to scan your website thoroughly. Examine the scan results to detect and pinpoint any harmful code or vulnerabilities.
• Get rid of malicious codes: Utilize your security plugin or malware removal program to quarantine or delete any discovered risks. Run another scan to confirm complete removal, then update your security settings to avoid future infections.
• Disable active sessions: Go into your admin dashboard and log out all active users. The process invalidates stolen cookies and prevents unwanted access. Inform users that they must log in again using their changed credentials.
• Configure authentication credentials: Change all user and admin passwords. Review the WordPress salts and security keys in the wp-config file to remove all existing sessions and require users to log in again.
• Refresh website software: Verify and deploy updates to all plugins, themes, and core software. Ensure that all updates are properly installed to fix security vulnerabilities and guard against future attacks.

Recovery Methods for End Users

End users should follow these measures to secure their accounts and reduce the possibility of cookie theft: 

• Update passwords: For all affected accounts, replace the passwords immediately. To prevent future illegal access, use a password manager to create strong, unique passwords.
• Clear browser cache: To remove possibly compromised cookies and cached data, clear your browser’s cache and cookies. This step helps to remove any residual session data.
• Activate two-factor authentication (2FA): Turn on 2FA on your accounts to offer an extra degree of security. Configure 2FA in your account’s security settings to make illegal access more difficult.
• Keep track of account activity: Check your account activity regularly for any indications of unusual conduct or fraudulent activities. Report any odd activities to the service provider right at once.
• Adjust security settings: Review and improve your account’s security settings. Confirm that security measures such as security questions and email verification are up to date and correctly configured.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What Are the 2 Types of Cookies?

Cookies are classified into two types: session cookies, which disappear when the browser is closed and are used for session activities; and persistent cookies, which remain on the device after the browser is closed and save data such as login credentials and site preferences for future visits.

How Do Cookies Track You?

Cookies track users by assigning them a unique identification that’s kept in the cookie. First-party cookies store user-specific information for a single site, whereas third-party cookies track activity across several sites. This enables individualized experiences and larger online behavior tracking, which is commonly used for targeted advertising and analyzing user habits.

Can Cookies Steal Passwords?

Cookies can’t steal passwords; nonetheless, they can be hijacked. In attacks such as session hijacking, hackers use cookies to get access to sensitive data, including passwords. Once they obtain this information, criminals can potentially steal money or compromise online accounts, thus, it’s critical to protect cookies from unwanted access.

Bottom Line: Mitigate the Risks of Cookie Theft

Cookies track and collect information, causing privacy concerns. Cookie theft can jeopardize your online security, and recovery might be difficult once it occurs. To avoid potential headaches dealing with cookie theft, prioritize prevention. Enhance network security by employing strong passwords, strengthening authentication methods, and keeping your software updated and monitored.

Preventing cookie theft is a critical part of network security, but additional measures should also be applied for your comprehensive protection. Explore our detailed guidelines on how to secure a network to learn more about effective network protection.

Julien Maury contributed to this article.

The post Cookie Theft: What Is It & How to Prevent It appeared first on eSecurity Planet.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through setting up LastPass so your team can manage passwords efficiently and securely across all platforms.

9 Steps on How to Use LastPass

Setting up and using LastPass may seem daunting initially, but it’s a straightforward process once you break it down. In the following steps, we’ll guide you through everything from choosing the right subscription plan to mastering key features like password generation and autofill. Whether you’re new to LastPass or need a refresher, this step-by-step guide will help you get the most out of this powerful password manager.

Step 1: Choose a LastPass Subscription Plan

• Select the subscription plan from the LastPass website that best fits your needs, such as Free, Premium, Families, Teams, or Business.

• Click “Get Started” or “Start Free Trial” based on your choice.

Step 2: Create a LastPass Account

You can start by choosing a plan first, but if you want to start with your free trial, follow the steps below:

1. After choosing your plan, you’ll be prompted to create an account.
2. Enter your email address and create a strong master password. Remember, this master password is crucial as it unlocks your LastPass vault. Make sure it’s both strong and memorable.
3. Confirm your email address via the verification email sent to your inbox.

Step 3: Install the LastPass Browser Extension

Once your account is set up, you must install the LastPass browser extension for easier access.

1. Visit the LastPass download page.
2. Choose your preferred browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) and follow the prompts to add the extension.
3. After installation, log in to the extension with your new LastPass credentials.

Step 4: Set Up Your LastPass Vault

1. After logging in through the extension, you’ll be directed to your LastPass Vault.

2. The Vault stores all your saved passwords, notes, and other secure information.
3. To start adding passwords, click “Add Item” and fill in the details for your accounts (e.g., website URL, username, and password).

Step 5: Import Existing Passwords

1. If you have passwords saved in your browser or another password manager, you can import them into LastPass.
2. Go to your Vault, click “Advanced Options,” and select “Import.”
3. Follow the instructions to import from your preferred source, whether it’s a CSV file or directly from your browser.

Step 6: Enable Autofill & Save New Passwords

1. LastPass makes it easy to save new passwords. When you log into a new site, LastPass will prompt you to save the credentials.
2. Enable Autofill so LastPass automatically enters your login information on your saved sites. This can be managed through the extension settings.

Step 7: Set Up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

1. For added security, set up MFA to require a second verification form when accessing your Vault.
2. In your Vault, go to “Account Settings,” then “Multifactor Options.”

3. Choose your preferred MFA method (e.g., Google Authenticator, LastPass Authenticator) and follow the setup process.

Step 8: Share Passwords Securely

1. If you need to share passwords with team members or family, LastPass allows you to do so securely.
2. Go to your Vault, find the password you wish to share, and click the share icon.
3. Enter the recipient’s email address. They’ll receive a secure link to access the shared credentials.

Step 9: Access LastPass on Mobile Devices

• LastPass is also available on mobile devices through its app.
• Download the LastPass app from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android).
• Log in with your LastPass credentials and sync your Vault for mobile access.

By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to mastering LastPass and securing your digital life.

For more detailed comparisons and reviews of password managers, including alternatives like Dashlane and 1Password, check out this article on eSecurity Planet.

How Businesses Can Benefit from LastPass

Many other password managers are available on the market, like Bitwarden, but LastPass stands out as a top choice for many organizations. Here’s how businesses can benefit from integrating LastPass into their operations.

Centralized Password Management

LastPass offers a centralized platform for storing and managing passwords across the organization. This means that all employees, from entry-level staff to executives, can securely store and access their passwords in one place. For IT administrators, this centralization simplifies the management of credentials, ensuring that all accounts are secure and up-to-date.

Enhanced Security Features

Security is paramount for businesses, and LastPass provides multiple layers of protection. With multi-factor authentication (MFA) features, businesses can add more network security beyond just a password. Additionally, LastPass uses AES-256-bit encryption, which ensures that sensitive information is well protected from unauthorized access.

Streamlined Onboarding & Offboarding

Managing employee access to various systems is crucial for businesses, especially during onboarding and offboarding. LastPass allows IT administrators to quickly assign or revoke access to shared credentials, making it easy to manage transitions without compromising security. This is particularly useful in large organizations where managing individual accounts manually can be time-consuming and prone to errors.

Secure Password Sharing

Teams must share access to certain accounts or services in many business environments. LastPass enables secure password sharing without exposing the recipient to the actual password. This feature is ideal for departments that share tools or platforms, ensuring that sensitive credentials are not mishandled or exposed.

Compliance & Auditing

Maintaining compliance with industry regulations and standards is a critical concern for businesses, especially those in the finance, healthcare, or technology sectors. LastPass provides detailed auditing and reporting features, allowing businesses to track and monitor access to critical accounts. This visibility helps organizations ensure that they are meeting compliance requirements and can provide necessary documentation during audits.

Productivity & Efficiency

Password fatigue is a real issue in many organizations, where employees might use weak passwords or repeat passwords across multiple accounts to avoid the hassle of remembering them. LastPass alleviates this problem by allowing users to generate and store complex, unique passwords for every account. The Autofill feature saves time, enabling employees to log in to accounts quickly without compromising security.

Integration with Existing Systems

LastPass integrates seamlessly with various applications and platforms, including popular single sign-on (SSO) solutions, directory services like Active Directory, and various cloud-based applications. This integration capability allows businesses to incorporate LastPass into their security infrastructure with minimal disruption.

Scalability for Growing Businesses

As businesses grow, so do their cybersecurity needs. LastPass is designed to scale with your organization, whether you’re a small business with a handful of employees or a large enterprise with thousands. The ability to easily add new users, manage access rights, and expand security protocols makes LastPass a flexible solution that grows with your company.

With features such as centralized password management, advanced security measures, and streamlined processes, LastPass provides a comprehensive solution for safeguarding your company’s digital assets. As cybersecurity threats evolve, investing in a robust password manager like LastPass is essential to protecting your business. For more information on addressing evolving network security threats, visit this resource on network security threats.

For other insights on password management tools, consider exploring LastPass alternatives or comparing 1Password vs. LastPass to find the best fit for your organization.

6 Best Practices for Using LastPass

LastPass is a powerful tool for managing passwords, but to get the most out of it, it’s important to follow best practices that enhance security and efficiency. Here are six essential practices to use LastPass to its full potential.

Create a Strong Master Password

Your master password is the key to your entire LastPass vault, so it must be strong and unique. Avoid using common words or phrases, and opt for a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. A longer passphrase that’s easy to remember but hard for others to guess is ideal. Once set, do not reuse this password anywhere else.

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Adding an extra layer of security through multi-factor authentication (MFA) is crucial. LastPass supports various MFA methods, including Google Authenticator, LastPass Authenticator, and hardware tokens like YubiKey. Enabling MFA ensures that even if your master password is compromised, an additional verification step is required to access your vault.

Use the Security Challenge Regularly

LastPass offers a built-in Security Challenge that evaluates the strength of your passwords and identifies any weak or duplicate passwords. Running this challenge regularly helps you stay on top of your password security by encouraging you to update vulnerable passwords. Addressing the issues identified in the Security Challenge will significantly improve your overall security.

Regularly Update & Audit Your Vault

Regularly reviewing and updating the items in your LastPass Vault is important for maintaining security. Remove outdated or unused accounts, update passwords for critical accounts, and ensure that sensitive notes remain relevant. Auditing your vault also helps you identify accounts requiring additional security measures, like enabling MFA or updating weak passwords.

Use Secure Notes for Sensitive Information

In addition to storing passwords, LastPass allows you to save Secure Notes. These are ideal for storing sensitive information such as software licenses, bank account details, or Wi-Fi passwords. Secure Notes are encrypted and only accessible through your master password, providing a safe place for critical information.

Be Cautious with Password Sharing

LastPass allows you to securely share passwords, which is useful in personal and professional settings. However, only share passwords when necessary and ensure the recipients have MFA enabled on their accounts. Additionally, you can control access permissions, allowing the recipient to use the password without seeing it and adding another security layer.

For a comprehensive overview of the top options available, check out this guide on the best password managers. This resource will help you evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various platforms, including LastPass, and determine the best fit for your security needs.

Admin Tips for Effective LastPass Management

As a LastPass administrator, managing your organization’s password security effectively is crucial. Here are three essential tips to help you get the most out of LastPass and keep your company’s data secure:

Detailed Reporting & Alerts

One of the most powerful tools in LastPass for administrators is the ability to monitor user activity through detailed reporting. You can track login attempts, view who shares passwords, and identify any unusual behaviors that might indicate a security issue. By setting up custom alerts, you can be immediately notified of any suspicious activity, allowing you to respond quickly to potential threats. Regularly reviewing these reports ensures you stay informed about your organization’s security posture.

Implement & Enforce Password Policies

LastPass allows you to create and enforce password policies across your organization. As an admin, you can set requirements for password complexity, length, and expiration. Additionally, you can enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all users, adding an extra layer of security. By standardizing these practices, you can significantly reduce the risk of weak or compromised passwords, ensuring that all accounts within your organization adhere to the highest security standards.

Shared Folders Feature for Team Collaboration

The Shared Folders feature is invaluable for teams that need to share access to accounts or resources. As an administrator, you can create and manage these folders, controlling who has access and what level of access they have. This feature is useful for managing access to shared tools or services without exposing passwords. It also simplifies revoking access when team members leave the company or change roles, ensuring your sensitive information remains secure.

These tips are designed to help you maximize the effectiveness of LastPass within your organization, ensuring robust security and efficient management of passwords. To dive deeper into LastPass’s administrative features, you can explore this quick helpdesk guide.

Bottom Line: LastPass Strengthens Security

LastPass is an invaluable tool for secure and efficient password management, whether you use it personally or implement it across your organization. This comprehensive LastPass tutorial will guide you in maximizing the benefits of the service. LastPass provides advanced features such as centralized administration, user provisioning, and business compliance reporting. These capabilities make it a top choice for IT managers aiming to strengthen their organization’s security posture and streamline password management.

For further reading, check out our LastPass review for 2024 to learn more.

The post How to Use LastPass: Complete Guide for Beginners appeared first on eSecurity Planet.