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Sophos Introduces Lateral Movement Protection to XG Firewall to Stop Advancing Cyberattacks
December 2018 by Marc Jacob
Sophos announced that its next-generation Sophos XG Firewall now includes lateral movement protection to prevent targeted, manual cyberattacks or exploits from infiltrating further into a compromised network.
The SophosLabs 2019 Threat Report discusses a rise in targeted ransomware. With the SamSam ransomware campaign estimated to have earned more than $6.5 million, it is not surprising that criminals are attracted to this method. In these attacks, cybercriminals target weak entry points and brute-force Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) passwords. Once in, they move laterally, working one step at a time to steal domain admin credentials, manipulate internal controls, disable back-ups and more. By the time most IT managers notice what’s happening, the damage is done.
Similar cybercat-burglar-like attacks, such as BitPaymer, Dharma and Ryuk, use a similar lateral movement playbook to hand deliver ransomware. These attacks are very different from Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) toolkits sold on the dark web. Sophos expects manual control attacks to continue into 2019.
The Sophos XG Firewall automatically interacts with Sophos’ endpoint products, including its new Intercept X Advanced with Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), to deliver this new layer of protection. These essential security anchors connect via the Security Heartbeat in Sophos’ Synchronized Security technology. This creates an intelligent solution that can proactively predict and protect against threats, detect and prevent further infection by automatically isolating machines, and remediate the infection. Security Heartbeat technology enables the automatic isolation of high-risk endpoints from other endpoints on the same broadcast domain or network segment.
Additional new and enhanced features in Sophos XG Firewall include:
• Protection Enhancements
o Deeper, broader IPS coverage with increased granularity in patterns
o JavaScript cryptojacking protection
• Sandstorm Sandboxing Enhancements
o Intercept X integration to identify zero-day threats before they enter the network
o Deep behavioural, network and memory analysis with machine learning,
CryptoGuard, and exploit detection
• Networking Enhancements
o New Sophos Connect IPSec VPN client with support for Synchronized Security
• Education Features
o Chromebook client authentication support for user-based policy and reporting
o User/group policy support for SafeSearch and YouTube restrictions
Availability
Sophos XG Firewall is available from registered Sophos partners worldwide. A free trial of XG Firewall is available today. The ability to manage XG Firewall from the cloud management platform Sophos Central is available through an Early Access Program.
