Loops, crashes, and lockouts got you down? If you’re frustrated with the recent issues stemming from active monitoring solutions, such as the recent issues affecting CrowdStrike software, it might be time to evaluate a different approach to securing your network. Here at Parsons, we believe in a tiered approach to cybersecurity to help your operations stay online and protected.
On Friday, July 19, 2024, endpoint security company CrowdStrike pushed out an update to its customers, resulting in a global IT outage. This update caused devices running Microsoft Windows to become unavailable. CrowdStrike has released a fix, but it requires manual intervention for each endpoint. This incident underscores risks associated with agent-based monitoring solutions and should have network operators considering whether agent-based monitoring is the right approach for them when there are options for agent-less monitoring, which can be more resilient and less intrusive.
Risks Of Agent-based Monitoring Solutions
The recent Falcon Sensor update incident illustrates risks associated with agent-based monitoring solutions. A bad software update to a third-party application or appliance can compromise your entire system with the potential to cause widespread outages and require extensive manual remediation efforts.
Frequent updates, such as those associated with agent-based solutions, can lead to system instability, as seen with the recent outage. Mission-critical servers should only receive updates while not in production or when an operator is available to immediately roll back any updates that cause issues.
A Less Intrusive Cybersecurity Approach
Instead of risking operational disruptions, consider a less intrusive solution. At Parsons, we recommend a balanced approach that does not compromise your system’s stability. Agent-based protection has been avoided in OT on mission critical servers for years due to the frequent updates that are needed to keep these applications current. Mission critical servers should only receive updates while not in production or an operator is available to immediately roll back any updates that causes an issue.
Agent-based Protection vs. Agent-less Based Protection
Agent-based protection has the benefit of being on the device where it can provide immediate incident response. However, agent-based protection may introduce risks, such as system slowdowns and operational disruptions, especially when updates can occur at any time without prior notice.
On the other hand, Agent-less based Protection has many of the same abilities as Agent-based protection but eliminates the risk of impacting system operation so that your security tools are not the cause of your operation outage. Agent-less protection can scan your servers for malware, vulnerabilities and missing patches on a preplanned schedule when any outage can quickly be resolved.
The Benefits Of Agent-less Protection
At Parsons, we offer a different approach with our Cyberzcape platform. Cyberzcape leverages passive monitoring and pre-planned vulnerability scanning to secure your network without disrupting your operations. Here’s why Cyberzcape stands out:
- Non-Intrusive Security: Unlike active monitoring solutions, Cyberzcape’s passive monitoring operates quietly in the background. This means no more worrying about updates causing downtime or operational disruptions.
- Pre-Planned Vulnerability Scanning: Conducts scheduled scans of your network nodes, identifying vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. This proactive approach ensures that your network is always one step ahead of potential threats.
- Continuous Protection: Provides ongoing security without interfering with your day-to-day activities.
- Tailored for Your Needs: Offers a tiered security approach, allowing you to choose the level of protection that best fits your needs.
Why Choose Cyberzcape?
The last thing you need is a cybersecurity solution that hinders your productivity. Cyberzcape ensures that your network remains secure without compromising performance.
Cyberzcape can co-exist in your network with other complementary agent-based solutions. However, to avoid potential risks, we recommend not running CrowdStrike on critical servers. Cyberzcape’s agent-less solution ensures your critical infrastructure remains protected without the risk of operational disruptions.
Here’s why Cyberzcape stands out as the premier choice for your cybersecurity needs:
Key Features Of Cyberzcape:
- Advanced Threat Detection: Cyberzcape continuously monitors for potential threats, using sophisticated algorithms and threat intelligence feeds to identify and mitigate risks before they can cause harm.
- Real-Time Monitoring: Stay ahead of cyber threats with real-time monitoring that provides up-to-the-minute insights into your network’s security status.
- Threat Feed Analysis: Cyberzcape analyzes threat feeds to identify patterns and emerging threats to protect your network against the latest cyber risks.
- Vulnerability Management: Our solution tracks and eliminates vulnerabilities within your network by patching and securing your network before any incident occurs.
- Compliance Management: Stay on top of regulatory requirements with Cyberzcape’s compliance management features, helping you avoid penalties and ensure your network adheres to industry standards.
- User-Friendly Dashboard: Cyberzcape’s intuitive dashboard delivers actionable insights, allowing for proactive management of cyber risks and swift mitigation of potential threats.
By avoiding intrusive updates and scans, Cyberzcape minimizes the risk of system crashes and downtime, ensuring that your critical network operations continue smoothly. This passive monitoring approach keeps your network stable and your systems running efficiently, avoiding the pitfalls that active monitoring solutions can sometimes introduce.
Comprehensive Coverage
Cyberzcape provides robust security across your entire network. As Parsons’ flagship cyber monitoring product, Cyberzcape is designed to protect critical infrastructure from evolving cyber threats. It integrates seamlessly with existing systems, leveraging its passive monitoring approach to identify vulnerabilities and provide advanced threat detection, real-time monitoring, and threat feed analysis to cover your network from threat detection and prevention to incident response and vulnerability management.
With Cyberzcape, you have access to Parsons’ team of cybersecurity experts, ready to assist you in achieving and maintaining true cybersecurity. Our team provides 24/7 support and tailored guidance to help you navigate the complexities of network security and ensure that your operations remain protected. Cyberzcape is a smart choice for organizations looking to enhance their cybersecurity posture.
Ready to elevate your protection? With advanced threat detection, real-time monitoring, and a range of other features for your network, Parsons is here to protect your network. Contact us today to learn more about how Cyberzcape can benefit your organization.