Rapid7 unveils analytics for security controls and user risk

Rapid7 showcased two new IT security insight solutions at the UNITED 2013 security summit. Lee Weiner, senior vice president of products and engineering at Rapid7 comments: “It’s difficult for security professionals to sift through the noise that’s bombarding them and identify relevant threats so they can communicate the current state of their organization’s security. It’s even harder to gauge what’s working and what’s not, and where further investment or action is needed. We aim to give them this insight, and help them achieve progress in reducing risk.”

ControlsInsight and UserInsight focus on two core areas: the effectiveness of security controls in place, and the risk associated with the users across an organization. This is a logical advancement of Rapid7’s risk analytics and management portfolio, which includes vulnerability management software, Nexpose, the penetration testing tool, Metasploit, and mobile risk management solution, Mobilisafe.

Rapid7 ControlsInsight

According to Gartner, worldwide security software revenue totaled $19.2 billion in 20121. The vast majority of this spend is focused on controls to protect assets, data, and users. Many organizations now have thousands, or even tens of thousands, of controls in place to protect themselves, and few have a true gauge of how effectively these controls are deployed, how well they are configured, and how well they protect against the real and current threats the organization faces.

Rapid7 ControlsInsight addresses this by providing visibility into these security controls. With the first version of ControlsInsight, security professionals and business leaders can see how well their endpoint security controls are performing, whether the right investments are being made and fully utilized, and where further investment is needed. Users can also track progress in reducing risk over time. These capabilities are based on a unique threat model that is built on Rapid7’s deep understanding of the threat landscape, combined with risk management best practices from the Company’s broad customer base.

Rapid7 UserInsight

Evolving IT usage models, such as the adoption of employee-owned smart phones and proliferation of cloud services, have resulted in an organization’s employees representing considerable risk. For example, according to the 2013 Verizon Data Breach report, 76% of network intrusions reported in 2012 exploited weak or stolen credentials.

Whether it is a user having their credentials compromised, unintentionally opening a malicious attachment, clicking on a dangerous link, losing a smart phone connected to the corporate network, or using an insecure cloud service without the knowledge of the IT team, security professionals need to be aware of the risks associated with end-users in their organizations.

Protecting the organization by securing the perimeter has become considerably more complex as every user is now a point on the perimeter. IT professionals must now consider how they protect assets that they don’t directly manage, such as mobile devices and cloud services.

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