Detect, Prevent, Improve with Scalable DPI

Packet data is a widely used tool for network monitoring and management to ensure network infrastructure reliability and service assurance, but with increased digital transformation and external connectivity outside the data center via the cloud and the edge, points of access have widened and become extremely complex. All of this complexity creates gaps in your infrastructure and expands your attack surface, which ultimately increases your risk.

Bad actors are aware of the complexity and visibility gaps digital transformation creates; we are seeing attacks on the rise because security teams are operating from an incomplete source of data. The only place an attacker can’t hide is on the network, and network packet data represents the absolute truth.

Here is a list of security use cases for packet data:

• Gaining comprehensive network visibility across legacy and hybrid cloud environments gives you comprehensive protection because you can’t protect yourself from what you can’t see.
• Bringing the network visibility into your security strategy increases your security posture because it allows you to verify that the other tools in your security stack are performing as desired.
• Having real-time, comprehensive network visibility allows you to collect higher-quality data for creating a baseline for “normal traffic” behavior and better detection of anomalies or questionable behavior. 
• Having a better baseline of normal behavior allows you to conduct real-time threat detection such as higher volumes trying to access a specific server, an attempt to access a server from a region in the globe that your company does not conduct business in, or even a significant number of files being downloaded and/or transferred without authorization.
• Having the ability to conduct real-time threat detection enriches the security investigation process. This allows the initial investigation to be conducted by the security team, as opposed to the network team initiating the investigation and passing their findings to the security team for further analysis or validation. 
• Having this increased process efficiency, and allowing the security team to be involved from the beginning, speeds up the investigation process and reduces the mean time to knowledge to lower the impact of a potential breach.
• Giving them this access to comprehensive visibility allows your security team to have an offensive approach and conduct unguided threat hunting. This can significantly increase your security posture and help to find potential issues before they have an impact on the organization.
• If a breach is in fact validated, and your company is publicly-traded, you may be required to disclose this breach within a specific time frame to avoid any additional fines due to failure to comply. Having a comprehensive visibility solution allows you to collect evidence for use by law enforcement and reduce the impact of a breach.

Packet-level data can help security teams become more efficient and act quickly to resolve issues before they become major breaches. This data offers an additional, more comprehensive view of network traffic and a level of detail that an endpoint detection and response solution is unable to provide, such as cloud or IoT devices. Packet-level data is the only source of data that can provide visibility with any devices or digital infrastructure being used. 

How NETSCOUT Helps
NETSCOUT believes in achieving what we call Visibility Without Borders. This is achieved by using our scalable deep packet inspection (DPI) and patented Adaptive Service Intelligence (ASI) technology, which converts raw network packets into a rich source of locally stored, compressed packets and layer 2-7 metadata in real-time.

NETSCOUT uses this market-leading, patented technology to offer a scalable DPI-based network detection and response (NDR) solution known as Omnis Cyber Intelligence. NETSCOUT gives you the most comprehensive attack surface observability in the industry and provides continuous intelligence, with real-time detection of all network activity, so you can halt attackers in their tracks.

To learn more about how packet intelligence can improve your security posture, read the Omdia white paper “Assessing the Role of Packet Intelligence in Securing the Modern Enterprise Network Environment.”