IBM Unveils Software To Help Cos Identify And Predict Security Risk

IBM has announced an integrated security intelligence solution that helps organisations identify key vulnerabilities in real-time, while reducing total cost of security operations.

IBM QRadar Vulnerability Manager gives security officers a prioritised view across their entire network, helping them to quickly strengthen and fortify their defenses. By aggregating vulnerability information into a single view, security teams can see the results from multiple network, endpoint, database or application scanners where it can be quickly reviewed and managed.

Part of the IBM Security Intelligence Platform, QRadar Vulnerability Manager (QVM) combs through security holes to help close them to potential exploits, excluding those hidden behind firewalls, associated with inactive applications or otherwise unreachable from external attacks. By simply activating a license key, this new software can automatically scan the network and perform the analysis, helping security teams more effectively direct their limited staff resources.

“Security Intelligence is about putting all the available data into context, and making it useful for each client’s unique security needs,” said Brendan Hannigan, General Manager, IBM, Security Systems Division. “We have relentlessly expanded QRadar’s capabilities, and tight integration of vulnerability management is the next natural extension.”

IBM QRadar Vulnerability Manager helps clients reduce the remediation and mitigation burden by aggregating vulnerability information into a single risk-based view where it can be quickly prioritised. Security teams can see the results from multiple network, endpoint, database or application scanners alongside the latest X-Force Threat Intelligence alerts and incident reports from the National Vulnerability Database. The new offering also includes its own embedded, PCI-certified scanner which can be scheduled to run periodically or triggered based on network events.

IBM is enhancing its intrusion prevention platform with the introduction of the IBM Security Network Protection XGS 5100. Fully integrated with IBM QRadar Security Intelligence Platform, the platform now provides ongoing network data feeds to help identify stealthy Secure Socket Layer attacks (SSL–a security protocol to enable Web sites to pass sensitive information securely in an encrypted format), in addition to helping provide real-time protection from advanced threats and heightened levels of network visibility and control. This enhanced intrusion prevention platform also includes IBM’s “virtual patch” technology to provide vulnerability protection when a software patch is not yet available.

Additionally, IBM is also announcing a new version of the IBM Security zSecure Suite, a mainframe security solution with IBM QRadar Security Intelligence Platform integration. This combined solution helps provide organisations with enterprise-wide visibility of mainframe security events, supported with automated real-time threat alerts and customised compliance reporting.