Data breaches cost U.S. businesses an average of $5.4 million, according to the Ponemon Institute. Meanwhile, the 2014 Internet Security Threat Report reveals that more than 552 million identities were exposed in 2013, disclosing consumer credit card information, birthdates, government ID numbers, home addresses, medical records, phone numbers, financial information, and other data to cyber thieves.
Corporate security teams that are charged with protecting sensitive customer and company information are deluged with log files, vulnerability scan reports, alerts, and other assessments. However, the data contained in these files often isn’t actionable.
The use of visual analytics can help put this data into context while providing security professionals deep insights into their organization’s security posture. This enables them to identify and discriminate between which data/IT assets are at risk, the level of risk involved, along with recommendations on how to address suspected vulnerabilities.
For instance, the use of machine data and analytics can provide a holistic view of an organization’s security posture, vulnerabilities, and threats. Gaining a more comprehensive vision of the organization’s security stance can improve time-to-remediation, reduce or eliminate vulnerabilities before a breach can occur, and increase operational efficiencies.
The blending of machine data and analytics can also help security teams identify the data, systems, or end points that are most vulnerable and the reasons why. For example, analytics tools can be used to flag suspicious activity within an organization’s firewalls. Visual analytics are particularly good for spotting outliers and finding problems for which you don’t already have security rules and profiles.
Research reveals that employees and senior management represent a greater threat to a company’s security posture than malware, phishing, or other external dangers.
Security leaders can drill down on internal data to determine whether an employee or an organizational group is using company data outside of mandated policies or procedures or outside the scope of an individual’s work responsibilities and take corrective actions when needed.
The use of analytics and modeling can also enable security experts to assess the levels of risk posed by different access points (employees’ mobile devices, CRM systems) along with their vulnerability to internal and external threats. Decision-makers can work off these insights to prioritize which areas to address and to tackle the most pressing security hazards.
To learn more about you how can turn your log data into a lifesaver, check out our on-demand webinar featuring TIBCO LogLogic CTO Jean-Francois Roy.
