Security Management Software For Financial Organizations

The security landscape is shifting from large, widespread malware outbreaks with the goal of notoriety, to targeted, quiet threats with the goal of financial gain. Financial institutions are targets because of the vast amounts of financial and customer data that reside on their networks and endpoints. Traditional, reactive security solutions cannot properly defend against targeted attacks as evidenced by the fact that 62 percent of enterprise desktops which have anti-virus software suffered an infection¹.

Endpoints are porous and if they are left exposed to vulnerabilities and if the applications and devices that are used in conjunction with them are not managed properly, confidential financial records are at risk of being lost or stolen. With financially motivated threats targeting data, and with the pervasiveness of removable devices able to hold up to 160 GB, sensitive financial data is more mobile than ever before. And with that comes the challenge of securing that data from walking out the door.

Just recently it was discovered that a Fidelity National Information Services Inc. senior database administrator responsible for defining and enforcing data access rights at one of its subsidiaries sold the personal information of about 8.5 million consumers to a data broker, who then sold this information to direct marketing companies.

Financial services firms are specifically targeted by external and internal threats because of the sensitivity of the customer and financial data that they transmit and store.

• 65 percent of financial services institutions worldwide experienced repeated external breaches within the past 12 months²
• 30 percent of these global institutions suffered repeated internal breaches during the same timeframe²

Lumension Security Management Software Protects IT Assets and Financial Data

Lumension security management software protects against internal and external threats targeting financial services organizations’ endpoints by providing comprehensive vulnerability management and data protection solutions. These solutions include:

• PatchLink Update™ - Proactive management of threats through automated collection, analysis, and delivery of patches (all major operating systems and applications) across heterogeneous networks.
   
• PatchLink Scan™ - Complete network-based scanning solution enables assessment and analysis of threats impacting all network devices.
   
• PatchLink Security Configuration Management™ - Out-of-the-box regulatory and standards-based assessment to ensure endpoints are properly configured.
   
• PatchLink Developers Kit™ - Create custom remediation packages to address configuration issues, remove unauthorized files and applications, address Zero-day threats, patch custom software and more.
   
• PatchLink Enterprise Reporting™ - Robust data warehouse that enables easy creation and sharing of reports on all aspects of your remediation efforts in support of policy compliance.
   
• Sanctuary® Application Control - Policy-based enforcement of application use to secure your endpoints from malware, spyware and unwanted or unlicensed software.
   
• Sanctuary® Device Control - Policy-based enforcement of removable device use to control the flow of inbound and outbound data from your endpoints.

Lumension Security Management Software Helps Financial Organizations to:

• Comply with regulations such as PCI DSS, Sarbanes Oxley, Gramm-Leach-Bliley and FSA which require safeguarding the integrity and availability of financial data and with Basel II which requires the control of operational risk
  • Remove the risk of financial data from being improperly disclosed
  • Prove compliance with financial industry regulations by providing a detailed audit trail of all device and application execution attempts, by tracking data that is copied to and from removable devices and by controlling what data is allowed to be copied to a device at the file level
  • Patch and remediate vulnerabilities before they can be exploited to access sensitive data
  • Control and monitor the flow of inbound and outbound data
  • Identify organizational security holes in the protection of customer financial information through comprehensive auditing capabilities
     
• Prevent malware and zero-day threats originating at an endpoint
  • Protect against network security breaches where customer or financial data could be exposed to fraud
  • Enable the transmission, integrity, confidentiality and retention of financial data without disruption, corruption or loss
     
• Improve IT system performance
  • Prevent unwanted desktop applications and devices from burdening network bandwidth
  • Enable faster computing resources on network, laptops and desktop PCs
  • Maintain desktop PCs’ performance as new with configurations remaining stable
  • Enable transaction and order processing systems to run without impediment
     
• Reduce endpoint security TCO
  • Minimize security or compliance crisis response
  • Remediate vulnerabilities more quickly and with fewer required resources
     
• Improve end user productivity
  • Block unwanted, non-business desktop applications
  • Enforce policy to ensure endpoints run as expected
     
• Enforce software license compliance within the organization

1 - 2005 Yankee Group Security Leaders and Laggards Survey
2 - Deloitte Global Financial Services Industry 2007 Global Security Survey