Author: Nils Werner, Director of Customer Success
In an industry brimming with buzzwords, clarity often gets lost amid the noise. Network Detection and Response (NDR) has become one of these ubiquitous terms. As of April 2024, amidst a cybersecurity market crowded with 3,671 vendors worldwide, distinguishing the real value of different NDR solutions becomes critical. One of the ways Plixer differentiates itself is by employing a discrete machine-learning approach, diverging significantly from traditional NDR platforms. This strategy enables Plixer to focus on the most critical data points, thus enhancing threat detection, improving visibility into anomalies, and drastically reducing false positives.
The overwhelming deluge of data is a common challenge for security teams. Traditional NDR solutions attempt to address this through behavior-based modeling and automated response. However, they often end up modeling everything on the network, leading to noise, false positives, and missed threats. This undermines their mission of providing higher-fidelity data. In contrast, Plixer’s approach with the Plixer One Platform and built on 20 years of the proven Scrutinizer solution, offers a refreshing departure from this norm.
With Scrutinizer, Plixer creates one-to-one records of every single conversation that traverses the network allowing granular visibility and detailed reporting. When developing their NDR capabilities, Plixer quickly realized that trying to model every single one of the thousands of fields included in an IPFIX template wouldn’t necessarily lead to better detection. Instead, Plixer’s NDR solution is designed to be discreet. While creating a record of single conversation via flow, it then selects and focuses on a curated set of protocols and behaviors that are most relevant for detecting threats and anomalies. This includes:
- Authentication protocols like Kerberos and NTLM
- Domain services such as LDAP, DNS, and DHCP
- File sharing protocols like SMB, NFS, and CIFS
- Remote connectivity protocols such as SSH, Telnet, RDP, VNC, and FTP
- Email protocols like SMTP and POP3
- Inter-process communication protocols such as RPC and NetBIOS
- Management protocols like ICMP
By focusing on these crucial data points, especially those associated with what are termed “digital crown jewels”, Plixer One delivers the most relevant security insights without being overwhelmed by irrelevant noise. This discreet approach empowers customers to detect threats with greater efficiency and effectiveness, providing clearer, more actionable intelligence for security teams and instilling confidence in the product’s capabilities.
Breaking Down Plixer’s Solution: 4 Key Features
Sophisticated Machine Learning Algorithms
- Plixer’s machine learning algorithms are robust and adaptable, combining machine learning, deep learning, seasonality, and methods developed from twenty years of industry experience.
- They learn a network’s unique patterns and behaviors, creating a dynamic baseline of regular activity.
- These algorithms work discreetly based on relevant data and possible indicators of compromise, swiftly identifying anomalies and potential threats with great accuracy.
Transparency and Tunability
- Plixer’s machine-learning models are transparent and tunable, unlike many “black box” solutions that provide little visibility into their decision-making process.
- Plixer’s NDR offering allows you to see precisely how the baseline forms in real time.
- You can easily fine-tune the algorithms based on your organization’s specific risk tolerance, unique network characteristics and then implement your own.
Building Trust and Confidence
- Plixer’s NDR solution emphasizes transparency and control, ensuring users always know why an alert was triggered and what data points contributed to that determination.
- This reliability empowers security teams to make informed decisions and respond effectively to potential incidents.
- Trust in the insights provided by Plixer’s NDR solution enhances the effectiveness of security teams.
Comprehensive Visibility and Forensic Capabilities
- Built on the time-tested Scrutinizer solution, Plixer One includes robust forensic capabilities and deep incident investigation features.
- Plixer One expands visibility beyond the flow, including selective packet captures, endpoint analytics, and interactive threat timelines.
- This comprehensive approach ensures that security teams are fully prepared to quickly reconstruct the sequence of events surrounding a potential breach and understand the scope and impact of the incident.
At Plixer, we’re committed to providing our customers with the most advanced, effective, and transparent network security platform possible. With its discreet machine-learning approach and focus on meaningful data points, Plixer’s NDR offering is a prime example of this commitment to action.
For those looking to enhance their network visibility, improve their threat detection capabilities, and streamline their incident response processes. We invite you to learn more about Plixer’s NDR solution. The Plixer team is ready to provide a personalized demo, answer questions, and discuss how Plixer’s discrete machine learning approach can benefit specific environments. Having the right tools and partners is essential in today’s complex and ever-evolving threat landscape. With Plixer One, users can be confident that they are equipped with the most focused, transparent, and effective network security technology. Reach out today to gain control and efficiency with Plixer’s ironclad NDR and NPMD solutions.