As the cyber and physical worlds collide and interact, so the defences in each are now integrating with an example this month being the merger between Jazz Networks, a cybersecurity insider threat detection and response company, and Vaion, an end-to-end video security provider to form Ava Security.
Tormod Ree, CEO of Ava Security commented: “The only way to protect against hybrid cyber and physical security threats is to have a solution that can connect the dots across both domains.”
Many of the threats faced come from inside an organisation, with both deliberate actions and errors by staff. A recent Ponemon “Cost of Insider Threats: Global Report” says that the average cost of an insider risk incident is US$307,111, If it involves a negligent employee or contractor. This average cost almost triples to US$871,686 if it involves an imposter or thief who steals/leaks credentials.
Nick Maxwell, Ava GM UK/MEA, notes that, “It doesn’t just stop there, there is a need to be able to mitigate against hybrid attacks. More and more organisations are trying to address this gap within their risk/resilience/CISO/CSO – it’s been acknowledged that there is a gap in the security posture where physical and cyberattacks need to be correlated, with a single unified approach.”
After winning the US Cyber Command Competition in 2019, Ava has grown significantly and plans to foster further research and development. Its integrated cyber and video solution allows for separate analysis of data from all users, cameras, and servers. It combines a human-centric cyber solution (formerly by Jazz Networks) with an end-to-end video solution (formerly by Vaion). The cyber aspect employs a combination of policy, education and machine learning sensors to prevent IP theft and sabotage, improve cyber hygiene, and accelerate threat hunting. The proactive video security solution provides insight including integrated video and audio analytics driven by machine learning algorithms, intuitive installation processes, and a range of smart cameras.
Martin Whittle, co-founder of partner company Ethos Technology in the UK describes the Ava Insider threat solution as a “perfect tool to protect your business, from compliance to company policy enforcement,” adding: “This isn’t just an issue for Law firms. As we all concentrate on an external threat breaching our infrastructure, we lose focus on internal threats from error or malicious behaviour that still needs to be detected and protected against.”
As companies move toward a hybrid workforce structure with employees splitting time between working in-office and remote, organisations must reassess processes to keep IT staff from burning out, while at the same time efficiently managing distributed systems and assets. “You can’t build firewalls around remote employees, businesses must empower and educate staff to make the right choices,” said Ree.
