In an era characterized by the rise of AI–assisted bad actors and the interconnectedness of businesses, the threat of ransomware still looms over us like a dark cloud. Cue gloomy music.  

We all know … Read more on Cisco Blogs

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In an era characterized by the rise of AI–assisted bad actors and the interconnectedness of businesses, the threat of ransomware still looms over us like a dark cloud. Cue gloomy music.  

We all know that an organization’s data is its second most valuable asset after its people and ransomware has its sights set directly on it. Ransomware attacks can tarnish an organization’s brand image, erode customer trust, undermine business relationships, and threaten its viability and continued operations. While preventing ransomware is always the goal, when that isn’t possible, swift and effective recovery measures are crucial to recovering and restoring full operational readiness. 

Unfortunately, when it comes to ransomware recovery, organizations today only have a couple of choices; either pay the ransom and hope the attackers suddenly develop a conscious and restore your data, or hope that your last known good backup was done recently enough that you don’t need to recreate valuable business data that may have been lost. Either way, today’s ransomware solutions are less than ideal – it’s expensive or it’s frustrating, sometimes it’s both.

For the first time with Cisco XDR, Security Operations Center (SOC) teams can automatically detect, snapshot, and restore business-critical data at the very first signs of a ransomware outbreak; often before it has had a chance to move laterally through the network to reach the high–value assets. Partnering with Cohesity, an infrastructure and enterprise data backup and recovery vendor, Cisco is excited to announce the first integration of this kind to ensure up-to-date recovery and rapid automated responses. 

Cohesity has a proven track record of innovation in data backup and recovery capabilities. Cohesity’s products provide configurable recovery points and mass recovery for systems assigned to a protection plan. The new features evolve this core functionality further and are designed to preserve potentially infected virtual machines for future forensic investigation, while simultaneously protecting data and workloads in the rest of the environment.  

Cohesity’s new integration complements Cisco XDR’s robust detection, correlation, and integrated response capabilities, enabling customers to benefit from accelerated response for data protection and automated recovery from potential ransomware attacks as soon as the intrusions are detected. 

Cisco’s open approach to XDR means that recovery actions can be taken across all integrated solutions, across multiple security vectors, and even third-party vendors. So, what does this all mean? Customers no longer must choose to either pay a ransom or hope they won’t lose too much data when restoring from the last known good restore point… and ransomware gangs die a slow death as their sources of revenue dry up. 

Implementing robust recovery solutions is a proactive measure that bolsters an organization’s resilience against cyber threats. Prevention will always be our first principle at Cisco, but when everything else goes wrong and the adversary has found a way in, there is Cisco XDR. 

Stop by the Cisco booth at BlackHat, at Booth #1532, and join our Lunch and Learn session with Cohesity on Wed, Aug 9 at 12:05 -1:30pm PT for an in-person demonstration and discussion.  

We’d love to hear what you think. Ask a Question, Comment Below, and Stay Connected with Cisco Secure on social!

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  Discover how Cisco XDR enables SOC teams to detect, snapshot, and restore business-critical data at the very first sign of ransomware.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

We are excited to share that Cisco AppDynamics has completed the Australian Government’s IRAP assessment at a “PROTECTED” level. AppDynamics, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that provides obse… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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We are excited to share that Cisco AppDynamics has completed the Australian Government’s IRAP assessment at a “PROTECTED” level. AppDynamics, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that provides observability across cloud-native technology landscapes, enables businesses with smart, adaptive tools to analyze and optimize digital business performance in real-time.

In an increasingly digital world, where data breaches and cyber threats loom large, protecting sensitive information has become a priority for individuals and organizations alike. The Australian Information Security Registered Assessors Program (IRAP) plays a critical role in enhancing digital security and ensuring the protection of valuable data. The IRAP is an Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) initiative that provides high-quality, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) security assessment services to Australia’s government and industry. The ASD endorses suitably qualified cybersecurity professionals to deliver services that secure systems and data for industry and the Australian Government. This key initiative provides assurance that Cloud Service Providers (CSP) meet the Australian Government’s cybersecurity standards.

Attaining the IRAP demonstrates Cisco’s commitment to the Australian public sector market as IRAP is of paramount importance, especially for businesses seeking to engage in projects and contracts with the Australian Government. The IRAP assessment assures government agencies and potential partners that IRAP-endorsed products and services adhere to stringent security protocols and operate within a robust cybersecurity framework. Consequently, achieving the IRAP assessment enhances an organization’s credibility, leading to increased opportunities and trust between clients and their stakeholders.

The IRAP assessment, completed by an independent ASD-certified IRAP assessor, is based on the Protective Security Policy Framework, Information Security Manual, and other Australian Government cybersecurity requirements, such as the Secure Cloud Strategy. The IRAP Policy and Procedures provide more detail about the IRAP program and assessment.

A Consolidated Audit Strategy Utilizing the Cisco Cloud Controls Framework (CCF)

The Cisco Cloud Controls Framework (CCF) has been central to Cisco’s ability to swiftly scale, comply with, and adopt regional and international compliance requirements as it ensures our cloud offerings have security and compliance built in throughout the software development life cycle. All features are designed from the outset with security and compliance controls built in. The CCF addresses a thorough list of data security governance requirements from around the world, using a test-once-use-many approach to achieve multiple regional and international security certifications. AppDynamics was able to leverage many common processes, procedures, and technical controls to streamline its assessment to be faster and more seamless and inherit additional security controls due to the shared responsibility model with the CSP.

The AppDynamics IRAP Engagement Letter, now available on the Cisco Trust Portal, exemplifies Cisco’s commitment towards contributing to a safe and secure digital transformation and hybrid-work environment in Australia and globally.

Read more about this achievement in this corresponding blog post: Cisco completes Cisco AppDynamics and Cisco Secure Application IRAP assessment.

We’d love to hear what you think. Ask a Question, Comment Below, and Stay Connected with Cisco Secure on social!

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  Cisco AppDynamics has completed the Australian Government’s Information Security Registered Assessors Program (IRAP) assessment at a “PROTECTED” level.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

Today, Cisco XDR is generally available, making it a great day to discuss, “What’s in a name?”

By now we hope you have heard that Cisco XDR is a game changer. That you’ve heard from us, from industry … Read more on Cisco Blogs

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Today, Cisco XDR is generally available, making it a great day to discuss, “What’s in a name?”

By now we hope you have heard that Cisco XDR is a game changer. That you’ve heard from us, from industry analysts, or your cybersecurity practitioner peers how it simplifies SecOps and makes security better for users and safer for everyone. Delivered by the Cisco Security Cloud platform, it moves the focus from endless investigation to remediating the highest priority incidents with evidence-backed automation. This allows security operations teams to act with greater speed, efficiency, and confidence.

But why is this important?

In the tech world, we love our acronyms. And in cybersecurity we have amassed quite a few.

CASB, CIEM, CVE, DNS, EDR, ETD, MDR, NDR, NGFW, SASE, SOC, SIEM, VPN, ZTNA – the list could easily be longer than this blog.

Then along came Extended Detection and Response, giving us XDR. If you and I have similar tenure in cybersecurity, you may even know this concept by alternative names.

Far from being just another acronym, XDR introduced the concept of connecting security events from multiple disparate sources. This concept has evolved over many years into connecting those events and adding context to understand the occurrence.

Widely expanding the timeframe, we search for connected events. Associating vulnerability details for known systems involved in an event. Understanding how we can build standard responses for these events and developing incident response plans.

The expectations of security practitioners now fit this XDR evolution.

Practitioners should now expect detection analysis to span all potential sources of security events in their environments. They should expect non-security events to be considered when the situation deems them viable. That potential attack timeframes analyzed span larger amounts of time to automatically confirm seemingly different events as one. That defined responses clearly mapped to an incident are being presented and that an organization’s assets, their value, and their ownership provide business and risk context that contribute to incident priority.

If the expectations are set for these rich requirements in conducting incident management, analysis, and response, shouldn’t the XDR security tools follow suit? Shouldn’t the security solutions and services every vendor provides deliver what is expected?

At Cisco, we stand beside you and resoundingly say, “Yes, they should!”

And today, as proof of that statement, we proudly present Cisco XDR for General Availability. An XDR solution built for the challenges of 2023 and beyond. One that allows SOC teams to move away from endless investigation and instead spend their time remediating the most critical incidents across their security stack quickly and efficiently. Regardless of the vendor or vector, whether that be EDR, NGFW, NDR, Email, or Cloud.

So, what’s in a name? In the XDR space, it will come down to which vendor delivers on the new expectations, rather than resting on their reputation. Believe in what you see, what works, what makes your job easier. We understand what you expect, what you need, and with Cisco XDR, we are delivering on those expectations.

RELATED LINKS/RESOURCES

• Cisco XDR Product Page

• Cisco XDR At-a-Glance

• 5 Ways to Experience XDR eBook

• Click-Through Demo

• Webinar: Automate and orchestrate your way to simplified security

We’d love to hear what you think. Ask a Question, Comment Below, and Stay Connected with Cisco Secure on social!

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  Cisco announces General Availability of Cisco XDR on July 31, 2023, helping security analysts rapidly identify and remediate threats, optimizing SOC performance.  Read More Cisco Blogs 

A shift in how the U.S. Federal Government connects to the Internet is underway. The good news is that it has some very welcome benefits, including enhanced security and greater operational… Read more on Cisco Blogs

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A shift in how the U.S. Federal Government connects to the Internet is underway. The good news is that it has some very welcome benefits, including enhanced security and greater operational efficiency for federal agencies. Plus, it will help federal agencies with their IT modernization efforts. And it all revolves around IPv6, the most recent version of Internet Protocol (IP).

As the new IP standard for the U.S. Federal Government, IPv6 provides additional IP addressing and security to support the future growth of connected devices in federal agencies. The move is driven by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) mandate that 80% of IP-enabled assets on federal networks be operating in IPv6-only environments, rather than the older and less secure IPv4, by the end of fiscal 2025. By making the move, federal agencies can increase security, decrease complexity, and facilitate innovation in support of their mission.

The benefits of IPv6 over IPv4 for federal government

As I mentioned earlier, security and efficiency are big drivers in the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 by the federal government. But another big motivator is the massive amount of IPv6 addressing available. With the growth of connected devices, the need for more and more addresses has grown. And there is no slowdown in sight.

Thankfully, IPv6 offers up an impressive number of addresses for use. Consider these numbers – IPv4 is based on 32-bit addressing that is limited to just 4.3 billion addresses, but IPv6 is based on 128-bit addressing which offers 340 undecillion (340 trillion3) usable addresses! With numbers like that, the OMB’s mandate is definitely a wise one.

In addition, IPv6 addressing can reduce routing table size. It does this by allowing ISPs to aggregate customers’ prefixes into a single prefix and present only that one prefix out to the IPv6 internet. I’d like to note that many networks implement IPv6 concurrently with IPv4 (in a dual-stack design). But newer networks usually deploy IPv6 natively, providing compatibility with IPv4 if it’s needed. This approach also addresses current government mandates for IPv6 use.

The benefits of moving to IPv6 go beyond addressing. It also offers federal agencies:

A shift from scarcity to plentiful mindset on IP enabled devices
Stateless address autoconfiguration
Eliminates NAT (Network Address Translation)
True realization of IoT (Internet of Things)
A lead in the next generation of IP communication
Easier administration with DHCPv6
Improved quality of service with flow labeling.

How federal agencies can approach the IPv6 OMB mandate

If you’re a leader in federal IT, I encourage you to gain a deeper understanding of just what the OMB IPv6 mandate means to your organization. As a first step, I suggest getting up to speed with two of our latest resources:

The Cisco quick-guide for Transitioning to IPv6 for Security, Efficiency, and Modernization
Cisco’s journey map detailing the IPv6 Customer Journey for Public Sector Organizations.

Once you review those two resources, you should start thinking about your approach to implementing IPv6 in your organization, including the opportunities available for:

Assessing and building a strategy for network transformation to IPv6
Building an architecture and a plan to support IPv6
Better understanding the impact of infrastructure migration and applications availability.

How Cisco can help

Implementing a successful IPv6 strategy can be a bit daunting. Our team of Cisco IPv6 experts are glad to help you throughout the process. The Cisco Customer Experience (CX) team offers the following services with expert guidance and insights, letting you achieve better outcomes faster.

Strategy: We can help you create a customized journey based on capabilities, current network environment, and future vision.
Planning: Cisco’s experts can help establish and validate a next generation architecture that leverages the capabilities and benefits of IPv6.
Transformation: We can show you how to accelerate transformation by leveraging automation based on proven methodologies and best practices.

As an industry leader in IPv6, Cisco offers the widest range of platforms and features compared to any other vendor. This gives us the capability to customize and integrate solutions sets to better meet the specific needs of your federal agency. And with 8,500 Cisco approved partners, our partner ecosystem can provide your agency with the customized solutions you need to work seamlessly with your existing or planned infrastructure as you implement the OMB IPv6 mandate.

Additional resources for OMB IPv6 success

What is IPv6?
Validated Solution: IPv6 Integration with Cisco SD-Access, SD-WAN, and Firepower
Transitioning to IPv6 for Simplicity, Efficiency, and Modernization

  The OMB mandate to transition to IPv6 means federal agencies must move quickly to make it happen. Discover the latest tips and resources to help your agency create a successful IPv6 strategy, all in our latest blog.  Read More Cisco Blogs