Leading Provider of Cybersecurity for Industrial Control Systems, NexDefense, Launches Sophia™ 3.1
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) July 20, 2016 -- NexDefense Inc., a leading provider of cybersecurity for industrial control systems, today announced the release of Sophia™ 3.1 to combat cybersecurity threats affecting critical infrastructure. The latest version of Sophia, NexDefense’s award-winning network security monitoring and anomaly detection software, includes greater ICS-specific protocol support, an improved security dashboard and enhanced visualization. These new capabilities, along with other product updates, will make it easier for (ICS) operators and controls engineers to passively monitor their industrial networks for anomalous behavior that could signify an attempted cyber attack.
Sophia 3.1 network security monitoring software includes:
- Command-Level Parsing (CLP) of industrial protocols
- Security dashboard for alerts, device counts, system health and status details
- New user-interface for report access, data export, integration and configuration
- 3D viewer enhancements for more custom ICS layouts and views of data flows
- Protocol and device packet-flow filters to show and hide device data exchanges
- Real-time traffic pause, rewind & filtered-replay controls to aid in event analysis
- Expanded network flow data and summary of network and device statistics
- User-configurable network traffic storage for post-event forensics and analysis
- Syslog client and API for integration options with SIEMs and third party tools
“Most industry sectors such as energy, oil & gas, water, chemical, transportation and critical manufacturing operate their industrial control systems without adequate network visibility into key events that may affect their missions for safety, security and reliability,” said Doug Wylie, vice president of product strategy at NexDefense. “Sophia version 3.1 addresses both customer concerns and demands for a passive 24/7 network security monitoring solution that can do no harm, yet still proactively detect and report anomalies and threats.”
NexDefense’s Sophia combines real-time, industrial-grade security monitoring with state-of-the-art visualization, industrial protocol intelligence, event logging, reporting and notifications, all in a scalable solution engineered for use in both new and existing control systems. The software helps meet today’s industrial cybersecurity challenges by establishing a baseline of normal control system network activities, continuously tracking devices, and by analyzing and identifying unusual communication patterns such as erratic, abnormal or potentially malicious traffic. By providing access to real-time network security intelligence, ICS operators and controls engineers are empowered to make more informed decisions on how to address cyber risks throughout a control system’s extended lifecycle.
“Reducing risk and enhancing the protection of today’s ICS relies on people, processes and innovative technologies,” added Wylie. “The newest enhancements to Sophia 3.1 help those responsible for the operation of control systems gain an even clearer view of connected devices, unusual communication activities and unique network events that threaten the safe operation of highly-engineered systems.”
Sophia has previously earned recognition as the Best Network Security Solution 2015 by Cyber Defense Magazine and as an Innovation Sandbox Finalist at RSA. Since announcing mass-market availability in January 2015, the software has also propelled NexDefense to be named Entrepreneurial Company of the Year in the Industrial Cybersecurity Monitoring Software Market by Frost & Sullivan; a 2016 Top Startup by The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), a global nonprofit organization for entrepreneurs; a 2016 Gartner Cool Vendor, and a two-time Top 40 Most Innovative Company in Georgia by the Technology Association of Georgia.
Sophia 3.1 is now available for upgrade and new installations. For more information on NexDefense and the Sophia network monitoring solution for industrial control systems, visit http://www.nexdefense.com and follow us on Twitter @NexDefense.
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About NexDefense
NexDefense empowers industrial control system operators with the real-time knowledge needed to maintain system integrity and combat sophisticated cybersecurity threats. Through Sophia™, a patent-pending industrial network monitoring and anomaly detection system, control system engineers, operators and security practitioners can gain valuable insight into networking events and activities that can negatively affect vital process and manufacturing systems. When employed throughout the control system’s lifecycle, its proven capacity to continuously identify, analyze and warn about deviations from normal operations provides unparalleled situational awareness and actionable intelligence to limit risk, reduce liabilities and enhance control system safety, security and productivity. For more information on NexDefense, visit http://www.nexdefense.com and follow us @NexDefense.
Evan Goldberg, AR|PR, http://www.arpr.co, +1 855-300-8209, [email protected]
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