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Perspective” indicates that over half of those surveyed feel they need heightened threat
intelligence methods to deal with the rapidly evolving nature of cyber crime.

Traditional perimeter defenses such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems are no longer
sufficient to thwart determined cybercriminals. A multipronged approach is needed to combat
advanced persistent threats. A number of enterprises are implementing managed security
services that provide a variety of defenses, the most advanced of which is the use of machine
intelligence to analyze security big data, i.e. the vast amount of threat intelligence collected by
security point systems.

These advanced analytics tools can analyze past network behaviors, spot patterns and draw
conclusions as to whether observed network behaviors are aberrant and potentially destructive
or just an anomaly that doesn’t indicate a more serious problem or remediation efforts.

Some managed security services also integrate the component of human intelligence into their
analytics. This means that security experts who analyze customers’ threat intelligence data will
provide feedback to the automated security system, enabling its analytical approach to benefit
from the real world experience and expertise of security pros who are manning security
operations centers (SOC).

It’s unlikely there will ever be a silver bullet to remedy all of the security ills that companies face.
Criminals will continue to change their attack methods and companies and experts will continue
to make it more difficult for hackers to carry out their nefarious activities. But there’s not doubt
about it: cybercrime will continue to wreck havoc on corporations, their reputations, profits and
customer privacy protection.

About the Author

Mike Stute has been working in information security for 22 years in various industries
such as power generation, online commerce, electronic communications, and data
security. He has Bachelor of Science degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science
and received a Master of Science degree in 2011 in Molecular Biology with further
work in Bioinformatics. He co-founded Global DataGuard in 2000 where he designed and
created a deep packet behavioral analysis system used to perform intrusion detection using
techniques from complex systems analysis. He joined Masergy Communications, Inc. to
become their Chief Scientist when Masergy acquired Global DataGuard in 2014.

30 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – January 2015 Edition
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