The requirement for South African Finance and Insurance institutions to apply “The Joint Standards 2 of 2024 Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience” is approaching fast. See the standard HERE.

The similarity of this standard to the EU NIS2 is clear if you read the two side by side. Hence it is a good idea to understand how the CyberScope helps enterprises comply to both standards. The following post from NetAlly should be of interest.

How can handheld vulnerability scanner tools enhance zero trust?

Implementing zero trust security requires constant network resource and activity verification. Handheld security vulnerability scanning and network discovery with CyberScope® plays a crucial supporting role in

achieving this at the edge. Below are key points on how CyberScope can enhance Zero Trust implementation:

Enhanced Network Visibility

• Network Discovery: CyberScope quickly discovers and identifies all devices and endpoints on the network; automated topology mapping and inventory reporting in Link-Live™ (NetAlly’s collaboration, reporting and analysis platform) provides a comprehensive view of network assets.
• Discovery Monitoring: Regularly re-discover networked devices and update the network map to reflect new endpoints or changes, ensuring an up-to-date inventory of all connected assets and knowledge of new devices joining the network.
• Identify Unauthorized Devices: Detect and isolate rogue devices that should not have access to the network, to aid in enforcing strict access policies.

Vulnerability Assessment

• See the Edge from the Edge: Perform vulnerability scans on-site or in remote locations to detect endpoints with vulnerabilities; finds and identifies devices that centralized monitoring platforms may miss.
• Frequent Assessments: Conduct regular scans to identify new vulnerabilities as soon as they appear, reducing the window of exposure.

Micro-Segmentation Support

• Detailed Network Mapping: Provide the necessary visibility to implement effective micro-segmentation, isolating critical assets and reducing lateral movement opportunities.
• Policy Enforcement: Regularly test segment boundaries and enforce strict access controls between segments.

Operational Efficiency

• Portable and Convenient: CyberScope is designed for quick, on-the-spot assessments, reducing the need for extensive and time-consuming network audits.
• Remote Visibility: Secure remote access enables centralized experts to assist on-site ‘smart hands’ or conduct scans independently.

Compliance and Reporting

• Automated Reporting: Generate detailed reports on network vulnerabilities and device compliance, supporting regulatory requirements and audits.
• Continuous Compliance Testing: Ensure ongoing compliance with security standards and regulations through regular scanning and assessments.

In summary

Handheld security vulnerability scanning and network discovery tools such as the NetAlly CyberScope are essential for supporting zero trust architectures by providing real-time situational awareness, enabling regular testing and validation, and enhancing access control measures. These tie directly to the zero-trust technical obstacles mentioned: complexity of implementation, network visibility, and scalability. By connecting at the edge, these handheld tools help cybersecurity professionals maintain a secure and compliant network environment through efficient and effective vulnerability management and network discovery, especially at the perimeter where other tools frequently have visibility gaps.

Introducing NetAlly’s CIS Critical Security Controls Tool for your perimeter!

The edge network is an area of escalating challenges for organisations of all sizes —both from cybersecurity and visibility gap perspectives. Because cybersecurity breaches are an enterprise-wide threat, the network perimeter is often forgotten but is  frequently ground-zero for many hackers, serving as the entry point into the environment. You see, the edge offers so many attack vectors:

• Proliferation of endpoints
• Increased attack surfaces
• Ubiquitous connectivity
• Undetected vulnerabilities
• Unsecured connections
• Misconfigured network

Hit the application note to see more:

With its handheld design and tests from within the edge network, CyberScope performs a more comprehensive discovery, greatly reducing blind spots suffered by the centralized tools. CyberScope can also inventory Wi-Fi connected endpoints (and BT/BLE devices), even if client isolation and traffic filtering is enabled on the Wi-Fi network for security.

Most organizations depend on vulnerability management and testing tools, utilizing them as a critical component of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy.

However, the foundational step in vulnerability management begins by ensuring all devices are discovered and inventoried. Sounds simple but is (often) notoriously difficult—especially on the dynamic edge network.
Many centralized vulnerability management tools and scanners often miss assets and entire network segments due to the network architecture itself (asymmetric routing, NATs, firewalls, hub-and-spoke topologies, etc.), network media converters that cause un-discovered paths, and misconfigurations of network devices. CyberScope can help, sharing results with other security tools via API.

With its handheld design and tests from within the edge network, CyberScope performs a more comprehensive discovery, greatly reducing blind spots suffered by the centralized tools. CyberScope can also inventory Wi-Fi connected endpoints (and BT/BLE devices), even if client isolation and traffic filtering is enabled on the Wi-Fi network for security.

Schedule a demo today to see how CyberScope can strengthen your cybersecurity defences.