IBM Software January 2013 IBM Security QRadar QFlow Collector appliances for security intelligence Advanced solutions for the analysis of network flow data
2 IBM Security QRadar QFlow Collector appliances for security intelligence Security intelligence through increased network visibility As the security threats facing organizations have grown exponentially, the need for greater visibility into network activity has become an imperative. Attacks and breaches have become more sophisticated, attackers now pursue targets of choice rather than targets of opportunity, and the consequences can include significant brand and financial damage or risk to critical infrastructures. Distinguishing itself from first-generation log management and security information and event management (SIEM) solutions, IBM Security QRadar SIEM delivers security intelligence by correlating logs with network flows and a multitude of other data, presenting all relevant information on a single screen. When used with IBM Security QRadar QFlow Collector appliances or IBM Security QRadar VFlow Collector appliances, QRadar SIEM provides Layer 7 application visibility and flow analysis to help you fully understand and respond to activity taking place within your network. With these solutions, you can detect threats that other solutions might miss, ensure policy and regulatory compliance, and minimize risks to mission-critical services, data and assets. The importance of network flow data Network flow data covers the set of packet exchanges or conversations between devices on a network. A network flow record provides information about a specific conversation between two devices using a specific protocol, and can include many fields that describe the interaction. These characteristics include source and destination IP addresses, protocol transport such as User Datagram Protocol (UDP) or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), source and destination ports, application information, traffic statistics, quality of service and, in some cases, actual packet payload. While a number of flow formats exist today, including NetFlow, J-Flow and sflow, they typically stop at Layer 4 and provide only network-level IP address and UDP/TCP port-level information. This capability is useful for obtaining a general understanding of the conversations occurring on well-defined protocols; however, the pre-summarized and static data from sources such as NetFlow and J-Flow does not provide deep visibility into network activity and applications. QRadar QFlow and VFlow Collector technology To really understand what s happening within their networks, security teams need the ability to look into communications at a much richer level. They need to see beyond simply who is participating in an exchange and discover when the content of these interactions includes such recognizable data patterns as social security numbers, credit card numbers, text including terms like ID or password or other protected information. The QRadar QFlow Collector solution, paired with QRadar flow processors, provides this application layer (Layer 7) visibility, as well as classification of stateful applications and protocols such as voice over IP (VoIP), multimedia, enterprise resource planning (ERP), database, and hundreds of other protocols and applications. Application-aware flow data is obtained from a deep examination and inspection of every packet, which also allows for advanced threat detection through analysis of packet payload content. Correlating this flow information with network and security events, vulnerabilities, identity information and threat intelligence is the optimal way to obtain a complete and accurate view of an organization s security posture. Because virtualized server traffic cannot be collected using traditional monitoring technologies, IBM offers QRadar VFlow Collector solutions to monitor virtual environments. QRadar VFlow Collectors provide application-layer visibility into all virtual network traffic for advanced security intelligence, with support for VMware virtual environments that enables the profiling of more than 1,000 applications out of the box. This solution can also analyze port-mirrored traffic for a physical network switch, which helps bridge the gap between the physical and virtual realms. In addition, QRadar VFlow Collectors run on the virtual server and do not require additional hardware, making them a highly cost-effective solution.
IBM Software 3 QRadar QFlow and VFlow Collector use cases QRadar SIEM with QRadar QFlow and VFlow Collectors supports five key use cases: Time profiles of different anomalies that can be detected with flow data Detection of zero-day threats through traffic profiling: Detection of malware and virus/worm activity through behavior profiling and anomaly detection across all network traffic, including applications, hosts, protocols and network areas Compliance with policy and regulatory mandates via deep analysis of application data and protocols: Alerts about out-of-policy behavior and traffic, such as traffic being sent to untrustworthy geographical regions or transmissions using unsecure protocols Social-media monitoring: Anomaly detection and deep packet inspection-based content capture that identifies and alerts security teams about social media-related threats and risks Advanced incident analysis via correlation of flow data with log data: Accurate prioritization of incident data and reduction of false positives by correlating security events with actual network traffic Continuous profiling of assets: Collection and monitoring of continuous information feeds from hosts, assets and services, enabling QRadar SIEM to automatically identify and classify new assets and discover which ports and services they are running New services on the network Long-term traffic profile Sudden increase in service activity Long-term traffic profile Sudden decrease in service activity Long-term traffic profile Short-term traffic profile Short-term traffic profile Short-term traffic profile Detection of zero-day threats that others miss QRadar QFlow Collectors use flow data to detect new security threats without the use of vulnerability signatures, so you can rely on them to identify changes in network traffic and threats often missed by other anti-virus and security systems. Use examples include unfamiliar or new service or protocol additions, such as a mail server installed in a demilitarized zone (DMZ); a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) service on a server not designated for outbound data transfers; the failure of a web server service that previously delivered upon 100 percent of requests; or the change in activity level of any commonly used services. QRadar SIEM with QRadar QFlow and VFlow Collectors can help detect anomalies based on activity baselines, providing organizations with the analytics necessary to identify and gain insight into suspicious behavior. For example, the Secure Shell (SSH) data transit security protocol might be installed on the corporate mail server, but only used a few times a week. If a malicious user were to suddenly exploit the server and utilize the SSH service as a jumping point to exploit other servers, QRadar QFlow Collectors would immediately detect the activity and issue an alert.
4 IBM Security QRadar QFlow Collector appliances for security intelligence Use case: Manufacturer detects a previously overlooked worm A global auto manufacturer analyzed flow data to identify a worm outbreak affecting its production facility that was missed by other signature-based detection sources. Using QRadar SIEM with QRadar QFlow Collectors, the company s security analyst saw Telnet sessions rapidly decrease on the local hosts while simultaneous activity through Microsoft Windows network ports dramatically increased. Working with IT operations, the analyst immediately remediated the vulnerability, preventing widespread damage. Policy and regulatory compliance First-generation log management and SIEM products are simply no longer sufficient for today s compliance needs. Requirements such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), for one, require application-aware monitoring and visibility unattainable through basic log analysis. Businesses need technology like that provided by QRadar SIEM with QRadar QFlow Collectors to: Detect applications running over non-standard ports Identify users logging on to critical servers with clear-text user names and passwords Ensure usage of encrypted protocols in sensitive areas of the network QRadar SIEM with QRadar QFlow and VFlow Collectors provide Layer 7 visibility to help organizations identify covert threats such as botnet IRC traffic.
IBM Software 5 Use case: Healthcare provider prevents loss of patient data A major healthcare provider significantly reduced its financial and reputational risk through the use of QRadar SIEM with QRadar QFlow Collectors. The system detected unencrypted patient data being passed in the clear after a patch was applied to a critical system. Due to the rapid detection, the organization quickly remediated this risk and avoided potential penalties. Social media usage can also be correlated against other network and log activity within an organization. For example, the transmission of data to a social media site immediately following a user s unusual accessing of a sensitive internal resource might signal a questionable activity to investigate. QRadar SIEM with QRadar QFlow Collectors combines flow-based application visibility and advanced in-memory correlation capabilities to give you a comprehensive, accurate and actionable view of security threats and risks affecting your network. One common scenario involves botnet communication channels (IRC traffic) running over port 80 (web traffic). Through content inspection, covert IRC channels and communications are detected and captured for forensic evidence, and alerts are issued on the behavior. Solutions using only NetFlow data would simply view this as normal web traffic and completely miss the botnet activity. Social media monitoring Social media is an increasing risk to your organization s data and assets, as employees can easily fall victim to social engineeringbased threats and unwittingly serve as entry points for advanced persistent threats. In response, you need new tools to combat these threats. QRadar QFlow Collectors address this need through native capabilities for deep packet inspection and content capture, enabling you to see social media usage on your networks and determine the risks arising from these applications. The combination of QRadar SIEM and QRadar QFlow Collectors enables users to monitor activity on social media platforms and multimedia applications. The solution s anomaly detection and deep packet inspection-based content capture make it easy to detect web-based malware, identify vulnerabilities introduced to the environment from social media applications, and monitor and alert on the information users are making public all in real time. You can identify which users are accessing each social media service, determine their patterns of usage, and monitor and alert on the content being transmitted to those services. Use case: Construction distributor meets compliance mandates A large plumbing, heating, HVAC and industrial-pipe distributor originally deployed the IBM QRadar Security Intelligence Platform to meet PCI DSS compliance mandates and ease the auditing process. Over time, the company expanded its deployment to monitor social networking usage, and now uses QRadar SIEM with QRadar QFlow Collectors to ensure its customers personally identifiable information is not shared outside of the company which moves its security posture from check-box compliance to proactive security intelligence and threat detection. If we didn t have QRadar SIEM with QRadar QFlow Collectors to help analyze the mountains of application traffic coming into and out of our network, it would have been nearly impossible to identify the anomalies that the company viewed as threats. With QRadar SIEM, we can take any network behavior and look back to get information about its relative importance to the company s overall security posture. An information security engineer, food service distributor
6 IBM Security QRadar QFlow Collector appliances for security intelligence Advanced incident analysis and insight Using QRadar solutions, you can perform real-time comparisons of application flow data with log source events sent from security devices, which can help you to better understand what s happening on your network. This powerful correlation between log and flow data can help your organization identify serious threats that might otherwise go undiscovered. Use case: Multinational firm finds and stops botnets A leading multinational corporation with an 80,000-host network used QRadar SIEM with QRadar QFlow Collectors to discover a botnet infection that existing anti-virus and anti-malware solutions didn t detect. The QRadar solution identified a small number of daily.gif transfers to external hosts known to be botnet command-and-control servers. The infection was detected, the company re-imaged the hosts, and the activity disappeared. An example of this involves a typical backdoor exploit event received from an intrusion detection system. Information from the event, such as the attacking IP, target IP and port information, can be used to automatically begin filtering the actual network communications. Flow data is analyzed to ascertain whether this traffic is normal or whether the target is communicating with an attacking IP using a previously unobserved service. Such flow-based correlation rules both eliminate false positives and raise the relevance and credibility of a real attack. Continuous profiling of assets QRadar solutions automatically identify and classify new assets found on the network and discover which ports and services they are running. They can alert you when new systems or services are added, and also watch for configuration changes to existing services. These capabilities provide a complete view of your network and improve the prioritization of security incidents. While SIEM technology has been widely deployed for network security monitoring, log management and compliance reporting, changes in the threat environment are driving new monitoring requirements for application and user activity and data access. Support of the new use cases will require the addition of user, data and application context to the broad-scope event monitoring that is provided by SIEM. Organizations should integrate context sources for each of these areas with their SIEM deployment. Use case: Utility company automatically tracks thousands of assets A major US utility company deployed QRadar SIEM with QRadar QFlow Collectors to improve its enterprise-wide security posture, and within hours of starting to monitor flow traffic, the QRadar solution identified thousands of devices and assets. In short order, the company found a number of servers with security risks it would not have discovered through log event monitoring alone. It now relies on QRadar SIEM to continuously identify new assets and risks, and to respond appropriately. Gartner, Inc., Effective Security Monitoring Requires Context, Mark Nicolett, January 16, 2012
IBM Software 7 Conclusion With the growing sophistication and frequency of threats, you need deeper visibility and actionable intelligence for your network environment. QRadar SIEM with QRadar QFlow and VFlow Collectors uses network- and application-aware flow data to deliver an advanced security intelligence solution that encompasses both physical and virtual resources. The solution more accurately detects and prioritizes security incidents by inspecting packet-level payload information and placing it in the appropriate context. For more information To learn more about IBM Security QRadar SIEM, IBM Security QRadar QFlow and VFlow Collector technologies, please contact your IBM representative or IBM Business Partner, or visit: ibm.com/security Combining Layer 7 application flow data, Layer 4 network flow data, log/event data and asset data, this next-generation QRadar SIEM solution quickly surfaces prioritized and actionable offenses to your network and security operations teams via a common console. This advanced yet easy-to-implement solution helps you better detect and remediate threats, enforce policies and minimize risk to your mission-critical IT systems.
Copyright IBM Corporation 2013 IBM Corporation Software Group Route 100 Somers, NY 10589 Produced in the United States of America January 2013 IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com, QRadar, and X-Force are trademarks of International Business Machines Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Other product and service names might be trademarks of IBM or other companies. A current list of IBM trademarks is available on the web at Copyright and trademark information at ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both. This document is current as of the initial date of publication and may be changed by IBM at any time. Not all offerings are available in every country in which IBM operates. The client examples cited are presented for illustrative purposes only. Actual performance results may vary depending on specific configurations and operating conditions. THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED AS IS WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND ANY WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF NON-INFRINGEMENT. IBM products are warranted according to the terms and conditions of the agreements under which they are provided. The client is responsible for ensuring compliance with laws and regulations applicable to it. IBM does not provide legal advice or represent or warrant that its services or products will ensure that the client is in compliance with any law or regulation. IT system security involves protecting systems and information through prevention, detection and response to improper access from within and outside your enterprise. Improper access can result in information being altered, destroyed or misappropriated or can result in damage to or misuse of your systems, including to attack others. No IT system or product should be considered completely secure and no single product or security measure can be completely effective in preventing improper access. IBM systems and products are designed to be part of a comprehensive security approach, which will necessarily involve additional operational procedures, and may require other systems, products or services to be most effective. IBM does not warrant that systems and products are immune from the malicious or illegal conduct of any party. Please Recycle WGB03005-USEN-00