Now more than ever, insider threats and compromised devices pose a significant challenge to organizations. Whether it’s a malicious insider exfiltrating sensitive data or an endpoint infected with advanced malware, these threats are often difficult to detect using conventional security tools. According to the 2023 Cost of Insider Risks Report by Ponemon Institute, insider threats cost organizations an average of $15.4 million per incident, and incidents take an average of 85 days to contain. And while traditional security measures like firewalls and endpoint protection solutions are essential, they lack deep visibility into the lateral movement of threats within a network. This is where advanced network monitoring solutions come into play.
Network monitoring provides a critical layer of security by analyzing network traffic, detecting anomalous behavior, and identifying hidden threats that evade other security measures. By continuously inspecting network packets and applying advanced analytics, organizations can detect and respond to insider threats and compromised devices in real time. This blog will explore how network monitoring helps unmask security blind spots and fortify organizational defenses against sophisticated cyberthreats.
The Growing Threat of Insider Attacks and Compromised Devices
Cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated in their attack strategies, exploiting both internal and external vulnerabilities. Insider threats and compromised devices are particularly concerning because they bypass traditional perimeter defenses and operate within trusted network environments.
Insider Threats
Insider threats originate from employees, contractors, or business partners who have legitimate access to an organization’s network but misuse their privileges. These threats can be categorized into three types:
- Compromised insiders: Individuals whose accounts have been hijacked by attackers through credential theft or malware.
- Malicious insiders: Employees or contractors who are intentionally stealing data, sabotaging systems, or aiding external attackers.
- Negligent insiders: Users who are unintentionally exposing data through weak security practices, such as using weak passwords or falling victim to phishing attacks.
Unlike external attacks, insider threats do not trigger conventional security alarms since the activity appears to be coming from authorized users. According to Verizon’s 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report, 68% of breaches involved a non-malicious human element, like a person falling victim to a social engineering attack or making an error, highlighting the importance of continuous network monitoring.
Compromised Devices
Endpoints and network devices can become compromised through various means, such as:
- Malware infections from phishing emails or drive-by downloads
- Exploited software vulnerabilities
- Unpatched operating systems and applications
- Unauthorized device usage on the corporate network
Once an attacker gains control of an endpoint, they can establish persistence, move laterally across the network, and exfiltrate sensitive data. Traditional security tools like antivirus solutions may detect known malware, but they often miss sophisticated attacks involving fileless malware, zero-day exploits, or encrypted command-and-control (C2) communications.
Network monitoring addresses these gaps by providing continuous visibility into network activity, allowing security teams to detect anomalous traffic patterns indicative of insider threats or compromised devices.
How Network Monitoring Enhances Threat Detection
A comprehensive network monitoring solution like NetMon delivers deep visibility into network activity, detecting threats that other security tools may miss. Here’s how it enhances threat detection:
1. Advanced Threat Detection with Deep Packet Analytics
NetMon goes beyond traditional IDS/IPS and next-generation firewalls by leveraging Deep Packet Analytics (DPA) to scrutinize network traffic at multiple layers. Deep Packet Analytics (DPA) builds on the NetMon Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) engine to interpret network traffic, including immediate recognition of personally identifiable information (PII), credit card information, port and protocol mismatch, and other key indicators of compromise (IoCs).
This enables organizations to:
- Detect advanced malware, botnet beaconing, and data exfiltration attempts
- Identify unauthorized application usage and risky network behaviors
- Correlate high-risk events with contextual security information from security information and event management (SIEM) platforms
By analyzing full packet payloads and metadata, NetMon ensures that even stealthy attacks, such as lateral movement or living-off-the-land techniques, do not go undetected.
2. Session-Based Packet Capture for Forensic Investigations
One of the biggest challenges in cybersecurity investigations is obtaining concrete evidence of an attack. NetMon provides session-based packet capture (PCAP), allowing incident responders to:
- Reconstruct files transferred across the network to investigate suspected data exfiltration or malware infiltration
- Conduct session playback to understand the sequence of events leading up to an attack
- Generate irrefutable network-based evidence to support legal action or compliance audits
Having access to detailed network session data accelerates incident response and helps security teams pinpoint the root cause of an attack more efficiently.
3. Real-Time Anomaly Detection and Custom Alerts
Another strength of NetMon is its anomaly detection engine, which continuously analyzes network traffic to identify deviations from normal behavior. Security teams can set up custom analysis rules and alerts to detect:
- Unusual data transfers from sensitive systems
- Privileged account access from unknown locations
- Unauthorized use of high-risk applications or protocols
By surfacing these anomalies in real time, NetMon enables security teams to take proactive measures before an attack escalates into a full-blown breach.
Closing Security Gaps with NetMon
Why NetMon is Essential for Modern Security Operations
NetMon provides organizations with an unparalleled level of visibility into their network traffic, empowering teams to immediately capture, analyze, and record network traffic. Built-in dashboards offer powerful and insightful information and SmartCapture™ can automatically capture sessions based on application or packet content. Some other key benefits include:
- Unified Security Intelligence: NetMon integrates seamlessly with SIEM platforms, correlating network insights with endpoint and log data for a more holistic security approach.
- Flexible Deployment Options: NetMon is available as an appliance or a virtual machine in your network infrastructure. It can also be purchased as an add-on across the Exabeam portfolio: on either New-Scale or LogRhythm SIEM deployments.
- Embedded Security Automation: NetMon automates incident detection and response using smart analytics and security orchestration.
- Rich Network Metadata Generation: Granular insights offer deeper visibility into application flows, user behavior, and potential threats without excessive storage requirements.
By leveraging NetMon, organizations can proactively identify security blind spots, mitigate risks, and strengthen their overall security posture against evolving cyberthreats.
Conclusion
Insider threats and compromised devices continue to challenge organizations, but traditional security tools often fall short in detecting these elusive threats. Network monitoring bridges this visibility gap, providing security teams with the intelligence needed to detect, investigate, and respond to threats in real time.
NetMon stands out as a robust network monitoring solution that delivers deep packet analytics, session-based forensic capabilities, and seamless SIEM integration to provide a comprehensive security layer. By implementing NetMon, organizations can stay ahead of attackers, reduce response times, and safeguard their networks from both external and insider threats.
To learn more about how NetMon can transform your network security strategy, click here.
Insider threats are evolving, and compromised credentials can wreak havoc on your security operations. Learn how Exabeam detects and mitigates seven common compromised insider scenarios. Download the white paper now.
