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The powerful open-source tool Nmap scans the ports of network devices and probes website domains for known vulnerabilities. Since both internal security teams and malicious hackers can use Nmap, internal security teams should make sure to perform the scan first!

To become familiar with Nmap as a basic tool to detect basic vulnerabilities this article will cover:

• Getting Started with Nmap
• Nmap Vulnerability Scanning
• Vuln vs Vulners vs Vulscan
• How Do Attackers Use Nmap?
• Pros and Cons of Using Nmap
• Nmap Vulnerability Scanner Alternatives
• Bottom Line: Use Nmap for Inexpensive, Effective Vulnerability Scanning

Getting Started with Nmap

Nmap, or network map, provides open-source and free capabilities for auditing IT infrastructure, such as port scanning, host discovery, or device identification across a network. Both pen testers and threat actors use Nmap to collect information about their target, and Nmap has been recognized by CISA as an important free tool for network security.

Installing Nmap

Nmap began as a Linux utility, but it’s now available for all major operating systems, including Windows or macOS. Nmap comes pre-installed on several versions of Linux including Kali Linux. Other Linux systems users can use the command “apt-get install Nmap” to install it.

Users of all operating systems can download Nmap as well as the ZeNmap graphical user interface (GUI) front-end for Nmap. Those that prefer to use github can clone the official git repository using this command:

git clone https://github.com/Nmap/Nmap.git 

After installing Nmap, users can use the command line or ZeNmap to execute simple commands to map the local domain, scan ports on a host, and detect operating system versions running on hosts.

Many open source software packages have been infected with malware. To verify that the specific download of Nmap matches the intended contents, an organization can compare the download against the signature records maintained by Nmap.

Built-in Nmap Scripts

Running basic functions can be tedious. Users increase the capabilities of Nmap by running built-in Nmap scripts. These scripts should be periodically updated by running this command:

sudo Nmap --script-updatedb

An overview of basic commands and example scripts can be found in Nmap: Pen Testing Product Overview and Analysis.

Using Custom Nmap Scripts

Advanced users may prefer to combine multiple lines of instructions or more complex commands using the Python language and the Python-Nmap package.  Advanced users can also use the Nmap Scripting Engine (NSE) to enable network discovery, vulnerability detection (e.g., backdoor), and even specific exploits using the Lua programming language.  These scripts are .nse files and will typically contain comments for end users and code instructions for the machines.

Nmap Vulnerability Scanning

Nmap’s vulnerability scanning capabilities rely upon the vulnerability-detecting scripts categorized under “vuln” for vulnerability or custom scripts. Users can run built-in scripts individually or collectively using the “vuln” command. In addition, users can also download custom scripts such as Vulscan or Vulners.

As with any penetration testing or vulnerability scan, users must keep in mind that these invasive scans should only be performed with permission. Even scanning a system without permission could lead to attempts to impose fines or jail time depending upon the jurisdiction. For more information, a user can investigate regulations such as those found in the US (The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act), England (Computer Misuse Act 1990), India (Information Technology Act Sec. 43 and 66), Japan (The Act on the Prohibition of Unauthorised Computer Access), and many other countries.

Specific Nmap Vulnerability Scans

Nmap scripts contain well over 100 specific scans for vulnerabilities that can be run against domains or against specific host IP addresses. A comprehensive list of scanned vulnerabilities can be found on the Nmap website.

Application Scans: Run Nmap against a target domain (ex: esecurityplanet.com)  to check websites for vulnerabilities such as:

• http-csrf: Detect Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities by entering the command: Nmap -sV –script http-csrf <target domain>
• http-sherlock: Check if the “shellshock” vulnerability can be exploited in web applications by entering the command: Nmap -sV –script http-sherlock <target domain>

IT Host Scans: Run Nmap against a target IP address (ex: 166.96.06.4) to check for host vulnerabilities such as: 

• dns-update: Attempt to perform a dynamic domain name service (DNS) update without authentication by entering the command: Nmap -sU -p 53 –script=dns-update –script-args=dns-update.hostname=foo.example.com,dns-update.ip=192.0.2.1 <target IP address>
• smb-vuln-cve-2017-7494: Check if target IP address are vulnerable to the arbitrary shared library load vulnerability by using a script such as: Nmap –script smb-vuln-cve-2017-7494 -p 445 <target IP address>

Government advocated Nmap scripts will sometimes be released or promoted on official websites to help organizations address specific vulnerabilities. For example, the UK government maintains an open-source GitHub repository to help organizations scan networks for the Exim MTA vulnerability as part of the Scanning Made Easy project from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and its i100 industry partnership.

The repository provides a collection of officially promoted Nmap scripts to users, such as sysadmins, for detecting system vulnerabilities. The initial UK script focuses on the Exim message transfer agent (MTA) remote code execution vulnerabilities CVE-2020-28017 through CVE-2020-28026, also known as 21Nails.

The script contains information on:

• How it checks for the presence of the vulnerability
• Why the check is not intrusive
• Why there may be false positives and false negatives

How to Use Vuln

Nmap can scan a target domain or IP address for all vulnerabilities in the default script library for the “vuln” category with the appropriately named Vuln command:

sudo Nmap --script vuln <target domain or IP Address> -v

Note that the command may require “sudo” in Linux to run the command as a super user or as the Linux equivalent of an administrator. In most cases, elevated privileges will be required to run the more invasive and probing commands for Nmap. The -v, or verbosity, flag will provide extensive information about the tests run and their results.

Running these commands can be dangerous because of invasive and disruptive aspects of specific vulnerability scans. Instead of simply obtaining information, certain scans attempt to verify a vulnerability by attempting to exploit the vulnerability. In some cases, a successful exploitation will result in changes to the service or even crashing the service, website, or operating system.

A subset of the vulnerability scans can be performed using wildcards or asterisks (*) to run multiple scripts with similar names simultaneously. For example, adding the wildcard after the http command (http*) will run all vulnerability scans that start with “http” against a targeted domain.

When using any of the bulk scans, the results can become overwhelming and some users will want to exclude low CVSS score vulnerabilities. To only show vulnerabilities within a certain range add the following flag to the command where “x.x” is the CVSS score (ex: 6.5).

--script-args=mincvss=x.x

The complete command to exclude vulnerabilities below 6.5 would be:

Nmap --script vuln --script-args mincvss=6.5 <target>

Results of the scan can be exported in various file formats by adding flags followed by the file name in the command. This export will make it easier to share information or make the vulnerabilities available for other software.

Two common examples of the complete command are:

• XML File: Nmap –script vuln -oX file.xml <target>
• Browser Friendly XML File: Nmap –script vuln –webxml -oX file.xml <target>

Of course, the basic set of vulnerability scans may not be sufficient for some users because it only examines a limited, although important, set of vulnerabilities. Advanced users may download custom scripts such as Vulscan or Vulners to access a larger database of vulnerabilities.

How to Use Vulscan

To use the NSE script Vulscan, a user must first clone the software from the github repository using the git command:

sudo git clone https://github.com/scipag/vulscan

The user may need to make a soft link to the NSE scripts directory by executing the following command:

sudo ln -s pwd /scipag_vulscan /usr/share/Nmap/scripts/vulscan

In this case, /usr/share/Nmap/scripts/vulscan is the presumed directory for Nmap scripts on the user’s machine, but this directory may be adjusted as necessary. Once the directory is known to Nmap, Vulscan is available to be called by the –script flag to run additional vulnerability checks using the following syntax:

sudo Nmap -sV --script=vulscan/vulscan.nse <target IP address or host name>

Vulscan can be run to detect IT vulnerabilities against an IP address in the network or software vulnerabilities against a host name (ex: esecurityplanet.com). Vulscan will run non-invasive tests for all applicable vulnerabilities against the target. The results will display the port followed by limited information on the specific CVEs discovered.

How to Use Vulners

Vulners will typically be included in the standard Nmap NSE scripts, but a user can also clone the NSE script for Vulners from its github repository using the git command:

sudo git clone https://github.com/vulnersCom/Nmap-vulners.git /usr/share/Nmap/scripts/vulners

The file directory /usr/share/Nmap/scripts/vulscan is the presumed directory for Nmap scripts on the user’s machine, but this directory may be adjusted as necessary. Once cloned, Vulners is available to be called by the –script flag using the following syntax:

sudo Nmap -sV --script Nmap-vulners/vulners.nse <target host or IP address>

Users can target specific ports on an IP address by adding -p<#> (ex: -p80 to target port 80) at the end of the command line. The results will display the discovered CVEs and will link to the Vulners website for more information.

Vuln vs Vulners vs Vulscan

Vuln and Vulners are included in the basic NSE script database and will be updated when updating all scripts for Nmap. Vulscan is not included in the basic script set and must be downloaded and updated separately. 

Vulners sends common platform enumeration (CPE) information received from port scans to vulners.com using the site’s API to actively download the latest common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVE) information from the site’s database. Vulners also requires internet access to reach the external databases of vulnerabilities. 

This information sharing of vulnerabilities may not be appropriate for organizations deeply concerned about the secrecy of their environment. There is an option with Vulscan to use a local database, but this generally removes the advantage of using Vulscan’s fully updated database. 

Vuln and Vulscan do not send CPE information outside of the scanned organization and use locally stored vulnerability databases.

The advantage of sending the CPE information is that Vulners hosts a fully updated set of CVEs. Vuln only detects 150 top vulnerabilities for systems and Vulscan uses an offline copy of vulnerability databases.

Vuln can risk disruption because Vuln tests for the presence of some vulnerabilities by attempting to verify exploitation and disruption or corruption of that service. However, the active probing will increase confidence and reduce the chance of a false positive. 

Vulners and Vulscan avoid the risk of disruption because they do not attempt to verify or exploit vulnerabilities. The confidence in both of these tools depends upon the accuracy and precision of the detection capabilities of the specific version of Nmap. Both of these tools may also be confused by non-standard, custom, or patched builds of specific services, which may lead to more false positives.

Of the three tools, the Vuln category of scripts can immediately produce highly accurate scans for a limited set of important vulnerabilities. However, while the number of vulnerabilities is small, the in-depth probing of the vulnerability can take 3-4 times longer than Vulners or Vulscan.

While both of the manually downloaded vulnerability scanners will enjoy a much more extensive and robust selection of CVEs to detect, Vulners will typically be the most updated scan since IT teams may forget to manually update Vulscan databases. But for more secretive organizations that need to avoid releasing CPE information, Vulscan’s use of a local database may be the best choice among the Nmap options.

How Do Attackers Use Nmap?

Attackers use Nmap to scan large networks quickly by using raw IP packets to identify available hosts and services on the network and determine their vulnerabilities. Hackers and pen testers typically add specific options to cover their tracks.

Decoy scans add the -D option flag (Nmap -p 123 -D decoyIP targetIP), to hide the attacking IP address and send source-spoofed packets to the target in addition to the scanning machine packets. The additional packets make port scan detection harder for defenders.

Attackers can also run zombie scans, also known as idle scans. This side-channel attack attempts to send forged SYN packets to the target using the IP address of the “zombie” endpoint on the network. This method attempts to fool the intrusion detection system (IDS) into mistaking the innocent zombie computer for the attacker. A more thorough review of Nmap attacks can be found in the Nmap Ultimate Guide: Pentest Product Review and Analysis.

Do Host Systems Detect Nmap Scans?

SIEM tools, firewalls, and other defensive tools, can receive alerts from systems and the scanned system will log the successful TCP requests from the many Nmap port scans. More sophisticated IDS/IDP tools might also detect malformed TCP requests, such as the Nmap stealthy requests that do not complete a TCP connection. Disruptive scans that cause system or service failure will definitely be detected by systems as well as by affected users.

Pros and Cons of Using Nmap

Nmap provides powerful vulnerability capabilities and should be under consideration for use within most organizations. However, there are many reasons why Nmap is not used universally.

Pros: Reasons to Use Nmap

• Open source and free so great for hackers, students, and all organizations
• Quick scans provide a fast look at potential vulnerabilities
• Lightweight TCP scans do not consume enormous network bandwidth and can escape some network security tools
• A hacker preview for organizations checking their internal systems
• Scriptable scans enable an organization to create repeatable vulnerability scans usable by non-technical users and for hackers to embed Nmap commands and scans into malware

Cons: Reasons Not to Use Nmap

• Less user friendly than commercial tools with more advanced GUIs
• Easy to make mistakes with command line entries
• Lack of programmers in an organization’s IT staff to create custom scripts or understand Nmap scripts
• Less formal support than commercial tools
• Limited vulnerability scans through the basic vuln command

Nmap Vulnerability Scanner Alternatives

Nmap remains a popular tool among many, but it certainly is not the only vulnerability scanner available. Open-source vulnerability scanner options for applications include OSV-Scanner or OWASP Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) and for infrastructure include CloudSploit or OpenVAS.

There are many commercially available vulnerability scanners as well. The best vulnerability scanners for applications or infrastructure include Invicti, Tenable.io, ManageEngine’s Vulnerability Manager Plus, as well as others listed below:

Bottom Line: Use Nmap for Inexpensive, Effective Vulnerability Scanning

Nmap provides a no-cost option to detect vulnerabilities, double-check the results of commercial vulnerability scanners, or provide an effective sneak peek at the way a hacker might view opportunities in the organization’s infrastructure. Everyone, even an organization selecting to use a commercial vulnerability scanner, should consider using Nmap as a vulnerability scanning tool in their arsenal.

Read next: 

• Top Vulnerability Management Tools
• The 8 Best Vulnerability Scanner Tools for 2023
• 10 Best Open-Source Vulnerability Assessment Tools for 2023
• Nmap: Pen Testing Product Overview and Analysis

This article was originally written by Julien Maury on February 8, 2022 and revised by Chad Kime on July 14, 2023.

The post How To Use Nmap for Vulnerability Scanning: Complete Tutorial appeared first on eSecurityPlanet.

CSPM is increasingly being combined with cloud workload protection platforms (CWPP) and cloud infrastructure entitlement management (CIEM) as part of comprehensive cloud-native application protection platforms (CNAPP); however, cloud security posture management’s ability to detect and remediate cloud misconfigurations makes standalone CSPM solutions a worthwhile investment for small businesses and enterprises alike.

Here are our picks for the top cloud security posture management (CSPM) tools in the market today:

• Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud: Best overall
• Check Point CloudGuard: Best for compliance
• Lacework: Best for behavioral analysis
• CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security: Best for threat intelligence
• Cyscale: Best for cloud security mapping
• Trend Micro Trend Cloud One Conformity: Best for configuration recommendations
• Ermetic: Best for privileged access management

Top CSPM Software Comparison

Cloud security posture management tools can come with a wide range of capabilities, including support for different cloud infrastructures and business sizes, and specialized security features and integrations. Here’s how our top CSPM solutions compare across a few key categories:

Jump ahead to:

• Top Cloud Security Posture Management Solutions
• Key Features of CSPM Tools
• Benefits of Working with CSPM Solutions
• How Do I Choose the Best CSPM Tool for My Business?
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• Methodology
• Bottom Line: Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) tools

Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud

Best Overall

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks is a CNAPP solution with top-tier cloud security posture management features for hybrid, multicloud, and cloud-native environments. The solution offers its full feature set and capabilities across five different public cloud environments: AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud, and Alibaba. It should be noted that Prisma Cloud is one of the few solutions that provide features that work for both Alibaba and Oracle Cloud.

Prisma Cloud stands out from most CSPM competitors for a number of reasons, including its flexible implementation options, multiple third-party and vendor integrations for security and compliance, machine-learning-driven threat and anomaly detection, and code scanning and development support features. It is one of the few solutions that offer comprehensive code-scanning capabilities that are also easy to use. Customizations and automation are also fairly straightforward to implement through this platform.

Pricing

Pricing information for Prisma Cloud is not transparently listed on the vendor’s website; it varies depending on which partners and features you choose to work with. For example, Prisma Cloud Enterprise Edition costs $18,000 for 100 credits and a 12-month subscription from AWS Marketplace. Prisma Cloud Enterprise Edition is the only version of Prisma Cloud with specific CSPM features.

Features

• Automated workload and application classification with full lifecycle asset change attribution
• Configuration assessments based on more than 700 policies and 120 cloud services
• Automated fixes for common misconfigurations
• Custom policy building and reporting capabilities
• Network threat detection, UEBA, and integrated threat detection dashboards

Pros

• Takes a comprehensive approach to data normalization and analysis across multiple sources that goes beyond many competitors
• Machine-learning-driven anomaly-based policies are available to users
• Palo Alto Networks Enterprise Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and the WildFire malware prevention service integrate with Prisma Cloud, supporting robust data security capabilities

Cons

• Palo Alto Network’s approach to pricing is not straightforward; customers can quickly go over their budget, depending on how many Capacity Units they require
• This solution is not ideally suited to smaller businesses, especially since it lacks some spend-tracking functionality

Check Point CloudGuard Cloud Security Posture Management

Best for Compliance Features

Check Point CloudGuard Cloud Security Posture Management is one component of the CloudGuard Cloud Native Security platform that specializes in automated, customizable solutions for cloud security posture management. It is designed to support security and compliance functions in cloud-native environments, offering its full capabilities to AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, Alibaba, and Kubernetes users, and limited functionality to other cloud users.

Many users select this CSPM for its impressive compliance capabilities, which include rule-based, ML-driven telemetry mapping based on dozens of compliance frameworks and CloudBots for the automated enforcement of compliance policies. Other standout features in this solution include AI/ML-driven contextualization that comes before risk scoring activities, risk management in IDEs, and advanced infrastructure-as-code scanning.

Pricing

Pricing information for CloudGuard Cloud Security Posture Management is not transparently listed on the vendor’s website; it varies depending on which partners and features you choose to work with. For example, one month and 25 assets worth of access to CNAPP Compliance & Network Security cost $625 through AWS Marketplace. AWS Marketplace also offers plans with 12-month, 24-month, and 36-month subscriptions and the ability to purchase 100-asset bundles. CloudGuard Cloud Security Posture Management is typically purchased as part of CloudGuard CNAPP Compliance & Network Security.

Features

• Security hardening and runtime code analysis
• Auto-remediation is provided through a compliance engine
• IAM-driven just-in-time user access
• Security assessments are available for more than 50 compliance frameworks, 250 cloud-native APIs, and 2,400 security rulesets
• Workload and software supply chain security capabilities

Pros

• Threat intelligence support is included as a complimentary add-on for all CloudGuard Cloud Security Posture Management users
• Governance and compliance policies features, especially CloudGuard’s telemetry mapping, are incredibly advanced
• CloudBots offer low-code, open-source automation that is easy to use

Cons

• Limited support and features for Oracle Cloud users
• CloudGuard’s licensing bundles have large minimums that are not friendly to smaller business budgets and requirements

Lacework

Best for Smart Behavioral Analysis

Lacework is a CNAPP platform that combines cloud security posture management with vulnerability management, infrastructure as a code (IaC) security, identity analysis, and cloud workload protection for AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and Kubernetes configurations. Instead of primarily relying on compliance policies for risk and security management, Lacework depends on smart behavioral analysis to determine baselines in your cloud environment and assess anomalies and risks based on those standards.

Lacework’s machine-learning-driven approach allows the platform to automate cloud security management not only for behavioral analytics but also for threat intelligence and anomaly detection. Other effective features in this tool include agent and agentless operations and reporting features, such as push-button and multiple format options, that make it easy to share findings with all kinds of stakeholders in the business.

Pricing

Pricing information for Lacework is not transparently listed on the vendor’s website; it varies depending on which partners and features you choose to work with. For example, Lacework starts at $1,500 per month with an additional $0.01 usage fee per unit used through Google Cloud Marketplace. CSPM functionality is offered as part of the Lacework Polygraph Data Platform.

Features

• Cloud asset inventories with daily inventory capture
• Prebuilt and custom policy options
• Push-button, customizable reports
• Attack path analysis and contextualized remediation guidance
• Severity and risk scoring

Pros

• Lacework Labs is an internal research team that identifies new threats and prioritizes ways to optimize the Lacework platform
• The solution is highly customizable, especially through features offered in the Polygraph behavioral engine
• Advanced risk contextualization is available with this tool, allowing users to match various types of misconfigurations with identified anomalous activities in their environment

Cons

• Limited third-party integrations and support
• Somewhat limited data governance capabilities

CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security

Best for Threat Intelligence

CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security offers advanced CSPM features for hybrid and multicloud environments alike. It is specifically compatible with three major public clouds: AWS, Azure, and GCP, offering threat detection, prevention, and remediation features to users of these three services. CrowdStrike’s solution primarily takes an agentless approach to CSPM, with continuous discovery and intelligent monitoring available to simplify risk management and response in cloud environments.

But CrowdStrike’s CSPM solution truly differentiates itself with a strategic take on and deep expertise in threat intelligence. Its adversary-first approach to threat intelligence, with policies based on more than 50 indicators of attack and 150 adversary groups, supports guided remediation and makes it quicker and easier for teams to identify and fix their most pressing security issues.

Pricing

Pricing information for CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security is not transparently listed on the vendor’s website; it varies depending on which partners and features you choose to work with. For example, the Falcon CrowdStrike CSPM portion of Falcon Cloud Security costs $14.88 for a 12-month subscription, with the option to pay for additional units, through AWS Marketplace. Users also have the option to purchase access to Falcon CWP and CWP On-Demand through AWS Marketplace.

Features

• TTP/IOA detections driven by machine learning and behavioral analytics
• Adversary-driven threat detection and intelligence
• Guided remediation support for misconfigurations, guided by industry and organizational benchmarks
• One-click reconfiguration capabilities for unprotected resources
• DevOps, SIEM, and other cloud security integrations

Pros

• This solution integrates well with CrowdStrike’s vast collection of cybersecurity solutions.
• CrowdStrike’s expertise in XDR and EDR solutions makes it possible for CSPM customers to benefit from unique features like cloud threat hunting.
• The platform takes a comprehensive and focused approach to threat intelligence, with identity-driven real-time detection.

Cons

• Little to no code scanning capabilities
• Limited public cloud scope for CSPM, with full features only available for AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure

Cyscale

Best for Cloud Security Mapping

Cyscale brands itself as a contextual cloud security posture management solution, offering cloud security management features that support AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and Alibaba configurations. With multiple dashboards, an easy-to-navigate interface, and a structured approach to onboarding both new customers and their individual teams, Cyscale heavily emphasizes the user experience aspect of its solution.

Cyscale offers some of the best mapping features for cloud assets and security controls, like regulatory standards and organization-specific policies. The way it works is that cloud infrastructure issues are mapped to everything from established policies to larger regulatory standards; from there, users have the ability to set custom thresholds to determine which assets are meeting their security and compliance requirements. Cyscale’s approach to mapping is particularly effective for organizations that are frequently audited and need a quick way to visualize problems and possible steps for remediation.

Pricing

Pricing information for Cyscale is not transparently listed on the vendor’s website; it varies depending on which partners and features you choose to work with. For example, the Pro plan starts at $10,000 for a 12-month subscription and up to 1,000 assets through Azure Marketplace. Users also have the option to purchase the same plan for one month for $1,000. The Scale plan, which includes more features and up to 5,000 assets, costs $50,000 for a one-year subscription and $5,000 per month for month-by-month access.

Features

• Cloud asset inventorying, mapping, and security scoring
• More than 500 built-in security controls and policies
• In-app consultancy and remediation guidance
• Data retention exports for up to one year in PDF and CSV formats
• Exemptions with an exemption approval process are natively offered

Pros

• Beyond support for multiple public clouds, Cyscale also integrates with identity providers such as Okta and Azure Active Directory
• The asset discovery and mapping approach Cyscale takes from the outset with new customers makes this one of the best CSPM solutions for user experience and visibility
• Offers some of the most straightforward onboarding and deployment procedures in the CSPM market

Cons

• Cyscale can be very expensive, especially for businesses with smaller budgets
• What constitutes a single asset can be confusing to users, especially for new users who are attempting to predict costs

Trend Micro Trend Cloud One Conformity

Best for Configuration Recommendations

Trend Micro’s Trend Cloud One Conformity is a leading CSPM solution that mostly focuses on Google Cloud Platform, AWS, and Microsoft Azure configurations, excelling by offering detailed explanations, guidance, and support to new users. Committed to bringing prospective buyers knowledge before they commit, Trend Micro is one of the few CSPM vendors that offers a complimentary public cloud risk assessment to anyone who wants additional guidance on security, governance, and compliance before building their cloud infrastructure in AWS or Azure.

Trend Cloud One Conformity also comes with detailed configuration recommendations that are based on a cloud design and infrastructure standard known as the Well-Architected Frameworks. With this collection of principles as the backbone for its recommendations, users can easily check how their configuration decisions align with pillars such as security, operational excellence, reliability, performance efficiency, cost optimization, and sustainability. Configurations can either be updated manually or auto-remediated based on those rules.

Pricing

Pricing for this Trend Micro solution depends on the source from which you access it. This is one of the few options on this list that can be purchased directly through the vendor, however. The Cloud First plan, offered directly through Trend Micro, is $217 per month per account, billed annually for users with 26 to 50 accounts. Cloud Ready and Cloud Native packages are also offered, and a 30-day free trial is available as well. Learn more about Trend Cloud One Conformity pricing here.

Features

• Remediation guides and auto-remediation
• Filterable auditing for misconfigurations
• Exportable and customizable reports
• Continuous scanning against compliance and industry standards
• Free public cloud risk assessments

Pros

• One of the best options for straightforward, easy-to-setup auto-remediation
• The solution integrates with multiple service ticketing and communication tools, including Slack, ServiceNow, Jira, PagerDuty, and Microsoft Teams
• The Conformity Knowledge Base offers an extensive self-service collection of remediation guides to users

Cons

• Limited CIEM capabilities
• Features are limited to three public clouds: AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform

Ermetic

Best for Privileged Access Management

Ermetic is a CNAPP solution that equally emphasizes cloud security posture management and cloud infrastructure entitlement management (CIEM) for AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure configurations and users. The addition of advanced CIEM features makes this one of the best CSPM options for monitoring humans and their impact on infrastructural and configuration decisions.

Its identity-driven features include multicloud asset management and detection, risk assessments based on identity entitlements, and IAM-focused policy recommendations. It is also one of the few CSPM software options that include privileged access management (PAM) and just-in-time access management features for its users.

Pricing

Pricing information for Ermetic is not transparently listed on the vendor’s website; it varies depending on which partners and features you choose to work with. For example, the commercial plan for Ermetic CIEM and CSPM starts at $28,000 for a 12-month subscription and up to 120 billable workloads when purchased through AWS Marketplace.

Features

• Auto-remediation with an identity-driven strategy
• Remediation is available for both unused and excessive user privileges
• Combined CSPM and CIEM functionality
• IaC snippets in Terraform and CloudFormation
• Built-in templates and customizable options for policies

Pros

• One of the best CSPM options for users who also want comprehensive CIEM functionality
• One of the only CSPM solutions that offer privileged access management
• Capable integrations with SIEM and ticketing solutions, such as Splunk, IBM QRadar, ServiceNow, and Jira

Cons

• At least based on the information provided by AWS Marketplace, this is one of the most expensive options in the CSPM market
• Limited to AWS, Azure, and GCP

Also see the Top Cloud Security Companies

Key Features of CSPM Tools

CSPM features can vary greatly, especially depending on if it’s offered as part of a greater CNAPP or cloud security suite of solutions. In general, it’s important to look for the following features when selecting a CSPM solution:

Infrastructure-level risk monitoring and assessments

All CSPM solutions should include some form of risk and configuration assessments, making it easier for users to identify and assess risks. Most tools include risk scoring, risk mapping, or some other kind of risk visualization to help users of all backgrounds quickly identify configuration problems and how to solve them.

Threat detection and intelligence

Threat detection is an important piece of cloud security posture management, and threat intelligence is often a bonus that transforms discoveries into actionable remediation tasks. CSPM solutions typically use industry or organizational benchmarks, specific policies, behavioral analytics, or a combination of these factors to effectively detect and mitigate cloud security threats. A growing number of CSPM solutions also use machine learning to power and further automate the threat intelligence and detection process.

Remediation and recommendations

Unlike some other cloud security tools that simply identify problems for your team to fix, most CSPM solutions include specific recommendations and can remediate issues on their own. Depending on your specific requirements, your team can set up custom organizational policies or utilize built-in regulatory frameworks and best practices as baselines. From there, users often have the option to manually remediate or rely on auto-remediation when issues are discovered.

Advanced data governance and compliance management

Because public clouds and cloud applications are constantly changing and play by their own rules, data governance and compliance management features are very important to the configuration management part of CSPM. Nearly all CSPM tools allow users to build their own or use prebuilt policies and rules for compliance management. Some of the most common regulatory frameworks that CSPM tools build off of include HIPAA, GDPR, NIST, PCI-DSS, CIS, ISO, and SOC 2.

Automation

Many aspects of CSPM are driven by automation, especially for tools that rely on agentless performance. Automated workflows are used to identify and prevent cloud, app, and data misconfigurations that can cause security and compliance problems. Some of the most common types of CSPM automation are used to automate policy enforcement, classification, and remediation.

Benefits of Working with CSPM Tools

CSPM software offers many benefits to users who are looking to enhance their cloud security. These are some of the top benefits that come from implementing cloud security posture management:

• Increased infrastructural visibility: Constant security and compliance monitoring is a standard aspect of CSPM tools. This real-time approach to threat detection and risk monitoring leads to increased visibility for stakeholders with varying levels of cybersecurity experience and infrastructural expertise.
• Security support for multiple environments and ecosystems: Most CSPMs work with at least the Big Three public cloud providers (AWS, Azure, and GCP), and others work well with Oracle Cloud and Alibaba. CSPM vendors’ experience with public cloud environments gives users additional peace of mind when storing data and workloads in public cloud environments.
• Automation that simplifies security management: Automation is interwoven into many parts of the CSPM lifecycle, simplifying risk detection and remediation efforts for complex and sprawling cloud environments.
• Proactive security and compliance recommendations: Instead of only correcting problems after they arise, CSPM solutions can proactively detect configurations and infrastructure designs that are potentially harmful. They can also make suggestions for security posture improvements.
• Enhanced compliance policies and enforcement: Cybersecurity teams can certainly create their own compliance policies, but it’s difficult to enforce these policies across all parts of cloud infrastructure. CSPM tools take some of this burden off of your team, helping them to create and enforce policies that meet your organizational, regional, and industry-specific requirements.

How Do I Choose the Best CSPM Tool for My Business?

Choosing the best CSPM tool for your business requires you to look closely at your specific cloud setup and security requirements. First, consider the size of your cloud infrastructure and the budget you have in mind. While some solutions may seem slightly more affordable than others in this market, many of them have per-unit and capacity-based pricing that can scale up quickly if you’re not careful. CSPM solutions also usually have unit minimums that may exceed the requirements of your organization, meaning you’re paying for more than you actually need with no alternative from that vendor.

Next, consider the unique compliance and security requirements of your business. Do you operate in a region where GDPR is in effect? Do HIPAA or SOX regulations apply to your data? Do you work with third-party cloud environments or applications with their own security rules and procedures? Uncovering the answers to these questions will help you identify a CSPM tool that supports your compliance frameworks and other unique requirements.

Finally, consider any other features that would particularly benefit your team. Automation is included in nearly all CSPM tools, but some have more extensive automation capabilities for steps like remediation and analytics. Many tools also have some form of artificial intelligence baked into their operations. Regardless of the special features that you determine are most important to your team, look for a tool that implements them in an easy-to-use fashion.

More on third-party risk: 10 Best Third-Party Risk Management Software & Tools

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is cloud security posture management?

Cloud security posture management, otherwise known as CSPM, is the strategy behind the tools that support security and compliance management in cloud computing environments. Boasting some overlapping features with risk management and cloud-security-focused tools, cloud security posture management software is designed to identify, assess, prioritize, and manage risk at an infrastructure- and configuration-level in the cloud.

What is the difference between CASB and CSPM?

Cloud access security broker (CASB) and CSPM tools are both effective solutions for managing cloud security, but they each focus on different aspects of that security, with some overlap. CASB tools are dedicated to data-level security and user access controls, while CSPM focuses more heavily on infrastructure-level security, compliance, and configuration management.

Is CSPM a part of SASE?

CSPM solutions are often used in combination with secure access service edge (SASE) technology, but CSPM is not officially a part of SASE. CSPM focuses more on the features and functionality needed to secure cloud environments, while SASE solutions support secure access to the resources in those environments through managed services and specialized features.

Methodology

The top cloud security posture management solutions in this list were selected through a thorough examination of their individual feature sets, their scalability, pricing options, user experience, and their general performance on user- and expert-aggregated review sites. Over two dozen solutions were reviewed in order to create this curated CSPM product guide.

Bottom Line: Cloud Security and Posture Management (CSPM) Tools

The best CSPM solution for your business depends less on how these solutions perform in aggregated reviews and more on your specific cloud environment, security, and compliance requirements. It’s important to look for a platform with built-in features for compliance frameworks that apply to your industry and/or region. To make the best decision for your business, we recommend first identifying your top compliance and cloud security concerns and then reaching out to vendors to determine what support and features they offer in those areas.

Read next: Cloud Security Best Practices

The post Top 7 Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) Tools appeared first on eSecurityPlanet.

A password manager can reduce the risk of data breaches by ensuring that employees are using strong, unique passwords for each account. Password managers can also simplify the process of managing and changing passwords, making it easier for employees to follow best practices for password security.

We’ve analyzed the market to come up with this in-depth guide to the best password managers, followed by buying considerations for those considering a password management solution.

Here are the 8 best password managers for business and enterprises in 2023:

• 1Password: Best user interface
• BitWarden: Best free password management
• NordPass: Best for consumers
• Enpass: Best free basic features
• RoboForm: Best management features
• Keeper: Best security features
• LogMeOnce: Best cross platform password manager
• Dashlane: Best add-on features
• Password Boss: Best for reducing security breaches
• Features, benefits & buying considerations

Top password manager software comparison

1Password

Best user interface

1password has a well-designed and intuitive user interface that simplifies the process of creating and managing complex passwords. It has an app with a sleek and modern design that is both aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate, making it accessible to users of all levels of technological expertise. 1Password stands out from its competitors with its unique features: travel mode, watch tower, and Secret Key. 1Password is launching its passkey feature this summer. With this innovative update, you’ll have simple access to all of your accounts wherever you are as long as you have your phone nearby. The 1Password software on your phone will provide login authentication clearance through the use of your biometrics, whether you are connecting into an app on a smart TV or accessing your accounts on a new PC.

Pricing

• 1Password offers subscription-based pricing for its Personal/Family and Business plans. The Personal/Family plans are priced at $2.99/month for 1 user and $4.99month for 5 users, with access to limited or all features depending on the plan selected. The Teams plan starts at $19.95 for up to 10 users, while the Business plan starts at $7.99/month per user.

Features

• Passkey support
• Secure travel mode
• Encrypted sharing
• Unlimited devices
• Password and username generator
• Secrets Automation

Pros

• Ease of usage
• Checks compromised passwords
• Live chat support
• Travel mode
• Secure password sharing
• Advanced security measures
• Compatible with latest OSes and browsers
• WebDev Integrations

Cons

• Limited free trial

See our 1Password comparisons:

• 1Password vs LastPass
• Keeper vs 1Password
• Bitwarden vs 1Password
• Dashlane vs 1Password

BitWarden

Best free password management

Bitwarden is a cloud-based service that offers browser extensions, mobile apps, and desktop applications for various platforms. This password manager uses end-to-end encryption to ensure that only the user can access their stored data, and also provides features such as 2FA, secure password generation, and secure password sharing passwords with family members and team members. Bitwarden simplifies the authentication process by allowing you to login to your Bitwarden Vault using passkeys. The security vault is accessed by being authenticated by trusted devices, fingerprint or facial recognition, hardware security keys, and FIDO2 WebAuthn Certified Authenticators. In other words, Bitwarden simply interacts with current Single Sign-On (SSO) systems, making password management and account security easier.

Pricing

• Bitwarden offers both a free version and a premium version. You will get basic features such as password storage, autofill, and syncing across two devices for the free version. You will have access to more features with their $10/year premium version for individuals and $40/year for family plans with up to 6 users. Bitwarden also offers enterprise plans for businesses with pricing based on the number of users and features needed.

Features

• Passkey support
• Open source
• Self-hosted option
• Cross platform compatibility
• Autofill feature
• Keyboard extension

Pros

• Advanced security features
• Excellent free plan
• Extensive customization options
• Self-hosting capabilities
• Intuitive and user-friendly interface
• Affordable premium options

Cons

• Interface design is not the best
• Autofill feature may not always work smoothly
• Premium users only get 1GB of encrypted storage

Also read: Bitwarden vs LastPass: Compare Top Password Managers

Nordpass

Best for consumers

NordPass offers a comprehensive password management solution that empowers you to safely store and access a wide range of sensitive information, including passwords, payment details, notes, and other important and personal data. In addition, NordPress protects your data using a “future-proof” encryption technology that surpasses the industry-standard 256 bit AES encryption. NordPass also offers a convenient Security Key to simplify your account access. This physical key is easily plugged into your laptop or PC, providing an extra layer of security. NordPass will also soon introduce a passkey feature, eliminating the hassle of remembering numerous passwords for different accounts. When logging into your accounts across multiple devices, passkeys offer several benefits, you will receive a notification promoting you to authorize the login by using your biometrics that you’ve set.

Pricing

NordPass offers a subscription-based service, with different pricing tiers depending on the number of devices you want to use and the length of your subscription. They offer monthly, yearly, and 2-year plans with discounts for longer commitment. NordPass also offers a free version but with limited features and a 30-day money back guarantee for their paid plans. Individual and family pricing ranges from free to $3.69 a month, while business pricing starts at $3.59/user/month.

Features

• Unlimited password storage
• Autosave and autofill
• Password generator
• Advanced encryption: XChaCha encryption
• Biometric authentication/Passkey
• Security Key
• Multi-device sync
• Secure sharing
• Password health
• Two-factor authentication

Pros

• Strong security
• User-friendly
• Unlimited password storage
• Multi-device sync
• Secure sharing
• Browser extension

Cons

•  Limited features for free version
• One account per free plan

Related: What Is a Passkey? The Future of Passwordless

Enpass

Best free basic features

Enpass is a password management tool that offers several unique features, including a desktop version where you can save unlimited items, vaults, and sync through all your computers. In addition, they offer subscriptions and a one-time purchase for a lifetime use. For improved password security, Epass adds a passkey function. You can create a special passkey so you don’t have to remember different passwords. While offering quick access across devices, it also encrypts your data to further increase security.

Pricing

Enpass is offering an individual plan of $1.99 a month or $23.99 annually, a family plan of $2.99 a month for the first year and then $47.99 a year. They also have business plans such as a Starter plan of $9.99 per month with up to 10 users, a Standard plan of $2.99 per user per month, and an Enterprise plan of $3.99 per user per month.

Features

• Passkey support
• Local storage data
• Cross-platform availability
• One-time payment
• Multiple vaults
• Password audit
• Secure sharing

Pros

• Multi-platform support
• Uses AES-256 Encryption
• Local storage
• Generates strong passwords
• Generous free features

Cons

• Difficult to use for those who are not familiar with how password managers work
• Limited autofill
• User interface could be better
• No cloud syncing

RoboForm

Best management features

RoboForm has been a leading password manager for over two decades, known for its robust security features that safeguard users’ sensitive information. This password manager has top-notch features like limitless password storage and a 2FA, and a comprehensive password protection against unauthorized access. Its intuitive user interface is user-friendly and straightforward, making it an ideal choice for both tech savvy and novice users.

Pricing

RoboForm offers a free plan for one user with access to limited features as well as three premium plans for individuals: a 1-year plan for $35.80, a 3-year plan for $107.40, and a 5-year plan for $179. All individual plans provide access to all features and allow five users per account. For business, there is a five-user account plan available for $3.35 per user per month that is billed annually which also provides access to all features.

Features

• Passkey support
• Autofill login details
• Captures your web login details
• Multi-device and website sync
• Offline access
• Organizes your passwords
• User-friendly
• CSV import and export
• Generates unique passwords
• Strong encryption
• Stores passwords, web applications, notes, and contacts

Pros

• Secure sharing
• Convenience
• Strong security
• Multiple device synchronization and compatibility
• Uses time-based one-time password (TOPT) apps

Cons

• Synchronization challenges
• One user is allowed for the free version

Keeper

Best security features

Keeper offers the most advanced password management features for both individual users and businesses. It has robust security measures since they use a 256-bit AES with PBKDF2 encryption, 2FA, and zero-knowledge security feature. Its intuitive user interface and seamless integration with popular platforms and applications make it effortless to manage passwords across multiple devices and platforms.

In addition to its robust password management capabilities, Keeper provides the convenience of passkey authentication for your accounts. Currently, Keeper is offering passkey authentication as a browser extension and it will soon be available for Android and iOS devices.

Pricing

Keeper offers a Personal Plan at $24.49 a year for one user and access to limited features, and a Family Plan for $52.49 a year for five users and access to all features. For businesses, there is a Starter Plan for $24 per user per year with a minimum of five users and access to most features, a Business Plan for $45 per user per year with access to all features, and an Enterprise Plan with customized pricing depending on the number of users and features needed.

Features

• Passkey support
• Password audit
• Security incident checker
• Breach watch
• Encrypted messaging app (Keeper mobile app)
• Password recovery
• Autofill
• One-time sharing
• Encrypted file sharing
• Emergency access
• Offline access

Pros

• Customizable policies
• Role-based access control
• Secure file storage
• Identity and access management
• Secure chat
• Secure digital wallet

Cons

• Free trial limitations
• It can get expensive

LogMeOnce

Best cross-platform password manager

LogMeOnce offers a unique feature where you don’t need to remember a master password. You can use a PIN, biometric, or photo login to access your password vault. Even though it is a “passwordless” password manager, it is rich with security features such as storing and syncing passwords and credit cards across devices with end-to-end encryption, as well as additional features such as cyber threat monitoring and password auditing.

LogMeOnce has been offering passwordless/passkey management since 2011, making it easier for anyone to log in to their online accounts. By eliminating the need to remember complex passwords, LogMeOnce empowers users with a seamless and secure authentication experience.

Pricing

LogMeOnce offers a range of pricing options for Password Management, Identity Protection, and Cloud Encryption services. The Premium Free Plan for Password Management allows for unlimited passwords, access to their platform and 2FA. The Family Plan costs $4.99 per month and accommodates up to 6 users with additional features. Business and enterprise owners can opt for the Professional Plan at $2.50 per month, providing access to most features, while the Ultimate Plan at $3.25 per month offers additional features including anti-theft protection.

Features

• Biometrics login/Passkey
• MFA
• Single sign on
• User management
• Mobile authentication
• Access controls/permissions
• Knowledge-based authentication

Pros

• Pin, Photo, and Biometric Authentications
• Unlimited device synchronization on all plans
• Decent free version
• Multiple login options
• Family plan has its own management dashboard
• Password encryption

Cons

• Dashboard needs improvement

Dashlane

Best add-on features

Dashlane offers an expansive free plan with limitless password storage and live chat support.  This comprehensive tool boasts a number of strong features to ensure the safety of user data. Alongside managing passwords, dashlane also offers advanced security options such as a built-in VPN and a security dashboard that warns users about potential data breaches. Dashlane is the first password manager to support them. However, not all websites and apps currently support passkeys for login, limiting their widespread availability. Dashlane is working to help users manage passkeys with websites that support this method. The app currently supports save, storing, logging in, viewing, editing, and deleting passkeys on the web and Android apps, with plans for iOS support in the future. As more websites and platforms adopt passkeys, Dashlane will become more versatile in managing passkeys across various online services.

Pricing

Dashlane offers competitive pricing for Personal/Family and Business plans. Under their Personal/Family plan, they have an Advance Plan for $2.75 per month with access to most features, Premium Plan for $3.33 per month with access to all features including a VPN, and the Friends and Family plan for $4.99 per month with up to 10 users per account and access to all premium features with Friends and Family Dashboard. Their Business Plan offers a Starter Plan for $2 per user per month with a minimum of 10 users, Team Plan for $5 per user per month with unlimited number of users and access to all features including VPN. Finally, Dashlane offers a Business Plan for $8 per user per month with unlimited number of users, SSO integration and SCIM provisioning.

Features

• Password audit
• Passkey support
• Emergency access
• Password sharing
• Advance form filling
• Built-in VPN
• 2FA activation

Pros

• Authentication using 2FA
• Free plan
• Biometric account recovery
• Money-back guarantee with all their plans
• VPN for their premiums
• Compatible with latest browsers

Cons

• No desktop app since 2022
• Limited free version
• Internet dependent

Read more:

• Dashlane Review
• Dashlane vs. LastPass
• Dashlane vs. 1Password

Password Boss

Best for reducing security breaches

Password Boss is a cloud-based password manager that is both user-friendly and highly functional. It has an easy-to-navigate interface and remote wipe feature. Password Boss offers a range of secure features such as secure password sharing, 20-character password generator, and the ability to retain a comprehensive history and passwords. In addition, its comprehensive security dashboard is designed to identify weak, duplicate, and compromised websites to ensure maximum security for all online accounts.

Pricing

Password Boss offers different pricing plans for individuals and businesses. They offer a Free version but it is only available for individuals and has limited features. To access all features, you must subscribe to Password Boss Premium for $2.50 per month, which is billed annually, and $1.53 per month if you choose a three-year subscription. This premium subscription has a 30-day money back guarantee and a 30-day free trial. As for business plans, they offer a Standard Plan for $2 per month per user and an advanced Plan for $3 per month per user where you can customize the features and security policy that your business needs.

Features

• Secure password sharing
• 2FA
• Role-based access
• Remote control integration
• AES-256 and PBKDF2 encryptions
• MSP management portal
• Multi-device access
• Autologins

Pros

• New, more secure version will be released in 2023
• Refined business-specific features
• Robust mainstream capabilities
• User-friendly interface

Cons

• Limited MFA options
• Form filling can be faulty at times

Key Features of Password Manager Software

To ensure the security of login credentials for online accounts, a password manager should offer users the ability to securely store and manage them. In addition, premium password managers even provide users with a personal vault where they can safely store essential information such as credit card details and notes. To choose the best password manager software for your needs, here are some key features you should consider:

Password Generator

A password generator allows users to create strong, unique passwords for each account. Passwords that are generated by a password manager are typically long and complex so they will be harder to crack. These passwords are then stored in the vault for easy access.

Autofill

This feature automatically fills in login credentials when users visit a website or application to save time and reduce risk of typing errors.

Encryption

Password managers use advanced encryption techniques to ensure that sensitive information is kept secure. A military-grade encryption known as 256-bit AES encryption is what most password managers use since it encrypts and decrypts data so only authorized users can access.

Cross-Platform Support

One of the many tasks a password manager should have is cross-platform support that enables users to access their passwords from any device regardless of operating system or platform. This is to prevent the inconvenience of being locked out of an account if the user loses their device or if they need to access their account from a different device.

2FA or Multi-Factor Authentication

2FA or Multi-Factor Authentication gives an extra layer of protection and security by requiring users to verify their identity using a second or third factor of authentication. This can be done either by biometric authentication, OTP, and security questions. Passkey support is increasingly important for authentication.

Password Auditing

Auditing the strength and security of users’ password is a critical feature of a password manager. This helps to ensure that users’ passwords are strong, unique and secure. This typically works by scanning the passwords stored in the password manager and checking them against a database of known weak, compromised or reused passwords.

These features are essential for a good password manager since they help users create and manage strong, unique passwords so their login credentials and other important data are kept secure. By using a password manager, users can avoid the risk of weak or reused passwords, reduce the risk of identity theft, and make it easier to manage multiple accounts.

See the Best Passkey Solutions for MFA, SSO & Passwordless Authentication

Benefits of Password Manager Software

Working with password manager software offers several advantages and benefits to make your online security easier.

Generates strong passwords for you

Generating complex and unique passwords for each of your online accounts reduces the likelihood of your accounts being hacked due to weak passwords. You don’t have to remember all the different passwords for each site, which can be a hassle especially when you try to access your accounts on different devices and platforms.

Stores and secures all your passwords in one place

Password managers provide a secure way to store all your passwords in one encrypted location or vault. This eliminates the need to write down passwords or remember multiple passwords at the same time.

Conveniently autofills your login details

You no longer have to type in your login credentials every time you visit a website. Password manager software can automatically fill in your login details for you to save time and effort and avoid typographical errors.

Individual vaults for employees 

If you use a password manager in a business setting, each employee can have their own vault to store their login credentials, ensuring privacy and security. This can also help streamline the login process by auto-filling credentials, saving time and reducing frustration and leading to increased productivity and efficiency in the workplace.

Easy access to accounts across devices and browsers

Password managers provide easy access to all your accounts from any device or browser, allowing you to manage your passwords in one central location without having to search through multiple documents or remember where you stored your login details. This means that you can access your passwords from any device or browser and still maintain secure access to all your accounts.

Secure password or file sharing

Securely sharing passwords or files with a password manager makes it easy to collaborate with family members or team members. You no longer have to worry about sending passwords or sensitive information over unsecured channels like email or messaging systems.

How Do I Choose the Best Password Manager Software for My Business?

Choosing the best password management software for your business involves several factors that you should consider to ensure that you select the most suitable option for your business’s needs.

Security

Security should be your top priority when selecting password manager software. Ensure that the service you choose has strong encryption and that it stores your passwords securely. Having multifactor authentication as an extra layer of security is also one of the important features a password manager should have. And look at the solution’s security history – LastPass, for example, has suffered a number of data breaches but has pledged to improve security, a hopeful sign for users of that service.

Ease of use

The software should be user-friendly and easy to use for you and your team members. Choose software that has an intuitive user interface and simple to navigate to minimize the learning curve and maximize productivity. Passkeys and passwordless approaches are also increasingly important for ease of use and end user compliance.

Integration

Look for software that integrates with tools and services that you are using in your business such as browsers, operating systems, and communication systems. Integration ensures that the software is seamlessly integrated into your workflow and improves efficiency.

Customization

Each business has its own requirements and needs that password manager software should meet. Look for a service that is customizable and can be tailored to your business’ specific needs.

Collaboration

If your team members need to share login credentials or files, look for a password manager that offers secure collaboration features. This software should allow you to securely share passwords, set permissions and access levels and track changes made to passwords you shared.

Pricing

Consider the pricing structure of the software, including the subscription model and any additional fees for add-ons or extra users. The service must be within your budget and should provide value for your money.

How We Evaluated Password Managers

Password managers were evaluated based on security, user interface, features, compatibility, customer support, affordability, history and user reviews. Security features include encryption strength, multi-factor authentication, passkey and passwordless support, and data protection. User interface should be easy to navigate and user-friendly. Features include password generation, strength analysis, secure sharing, autofill, and password syncing across multiple devices.

Bottom Line: Password Managers

Password management tools remain an important first line of cybersecurity defense, protecting you organization, applications and data from weak or stolen credentials while enabling productivity through ease of use and collaboration. Taking the time to find the solution that best fits your business’ needs is well worth the time and research.

Further reading:

• 5 Best LastPass Alternatives
• The Challenges Facing the Passwordless Future
• Best Internet Security Software & Suites

The post 8 Best Password Managers for Business & Enterprises in 2023 appeared first on eSecurityPlanet.

Palo Alto Networks boasts a long history of innovation and strong independent test scores, earning our rating as the top overall cybersecurity company. Enterprise security buyers might pay a premium for Palo Alto products, but they can typically buy with confidence.

That said, the next-generation firewall (NGFW) market — where we also list Palo Alto as a leader — has gotten tougher in recent years, with low-cost competitors like Versa Networks and Sangfor offering good firewalls at lower cost. Forcepoint and Fortinet have made an effort to compete on price too, and Check Point remains strong at the high end, so there’s no room for any vendor to rest on their laurels. With nearly $7 billion in annual revenue and a 20%+ growth rate, Palo Alto (PANW) has the resources to stay competitive in the network security market.

We’ll discuss Palo Alto’s wide-ranging firewall lineup, including features, performance and security — and a surprising recent development — plus buying considerations and alternatives.

See our full list of the Top Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs)

Jump ahead to:

• Palo Alto Firewall Ratings
• Palo Alto’s Firewall Product Lineup
• Pricing and Performance
• Security
• Cloud Features
• Management and Implementation
• Support
• Palo Alto Firewall Alternatives
• Bottom Line: Palo Alto Firewalls

Palo Alto Firewall Ratings

We’ve rated Palo Alto firewalls in a number of key areas. We go into detail below, but here’s an overview of our review findings.

Palo Alto’s Firewall Product Lineup

Palo Alto remains a clear leader in the NGFW market it invented. Gartner placed Palo Alto in the Leaders quadrant and gave it the highest ratings in its latest next-generation firewall Magic Quadrant (MQ). It was also named a Leader in a Forrester Wave for Enterprise Firewalls.

Palo Alto NGFW appliances range from the low-end PA-220 to the high-end PA-7000, plus virtual, cloud, and container firewalls and SD-WAN options. The firewalls run on Pan-OS and the Panorama centralized management console.

Palo Alto boasts a single-pass architecture to maximize performance and security (image below), with full Layer 7 protection, machine learning-based inline prevention, and centralized user identity and access control. 

Even low-cost Palo Alto firewall appliances include advanced features like ML-based detection, AIOps policy recommendations, behavioral analysis, IoT device detection, application classification, and adaptive policies for users and groups regardless of device or location.

Pricing and Performance

Pricing for Palo Alto Networks NGFWs starts at around $1,000 for the PA-220, while the high-end PA-7000 starts around $200,000 and goes up from there. Threat prevention throughput for the ruggedized PA-220R can hit 320Mbps, while the high-end PA-7080 can reach 300Gbps and 6 million new sessions per second.

Pricing for Palo Alto firewalls tends toward the higher range of the market, but users give high ratings to the firewalls’ capabilities, not surprising when you consider that the PA-220R contains many features of the high-end models. In recent testing, CyberRatings rated Palo Alto at the upper end of the market in price per Mbps (chart below).

By comparison, the very high-end Check Point Maestro Hyperscale Orchestrator 28600 can start at around $500,000 and scale to 1.5Tbps.

Also read: Check Point vs Palo Alto Networks: Top NGFWs Compared

Security

This is where it gets interesting, as we hinted earlier. Palo Alto has a long string of top independent security tests going back at least five years, so it’s noteworthy that the company’s CyberRatings firewall tests released recently came in toward the bottom of the tested solutions.

That said, many of the misses came in just two evasion techniques — http obfuscation and compression (see chart below) — so the issues identified by CyberRatings in the PA-3220 v10.2.3 are fixable. We maintain our high ratings on Palo Alto’s security given the company’s long history of top scores in MITRE, CyberRatings, NSS Labs and other evaluations, and props to CyberRatings for their extensive firewall testing.

Management and Implementation

To their credit, Palo Alto engineers have built a high-end firewall that offers user-friendly implementation and management.

Here’s a typical comment from a banking IT manager, who calls the firewalls “incredibly easy to deploy.” The IT manager says the management interface is “intuitive and easy to navigate.”

The Exploration mission tool makes it easy to transfer existing policy to a zone-based policy that can be loaded onto the firewall. Other management features getting high marks include FQDN address objects, External Dynamic Lists (EDL), rule-based log forwarding, and management of apps, customers, and content from a single interface.

Another user, a network security engineer in the transportation industry, noted that while plug-and-play features may be great for the unsophisticated, security pros seeking to customize the firewalls will have to work for it.

The engineer said Palo Alto firewalls are “awesome for somebody who just wants to unpack the box, connect it to network and leave it with default settings. But if you need something more and start to dig in, you will discover lots of bugs and limitations. On the other hand, all bugs can be fixed and all missing features can be added sometime in the future.”

Cloud Features

Support for cloud environments is an area where Palo Alto shines. With virtual firewalls and support for Azure, AWS, 5G and containers, Palo Alto’s NGFW lineup is far ahead of most competitors.

With strong branch office, campus and data center offerings, Palo Alto firewalls are particularly appealing for enterprises with a range of use cases.

Support

This is the one area Palo Alto could do better in. There are plenty of instances where Palo Alto firewall customers are happy with the support they receive, but it’s also the area users complain about the most, with a number of criticisms of the cost, timeliness and effectiveness of support. Both Gartner Peer reviewers and G2 reviewers give Palo Alto below average ratings for firewall support.

Palo Alto Firewall Alternatives

The market for next-generation firewalls is one of the best-served markets in cybersecurity, with offerings ranging from very low-cost to very high-end.

Among alternatives, Fortinet, Versa and Forcepoint offer good security and performance at lower cost, while Palo Alto’s most formidable high-end competitor is Check Point.

Whichever firewall you choose, evaluate product features carefully to make sure you get the firewall that best meets your needs.

Also read: Fortinet vs Palo Alto: Compare Top Next-Generation Firewalls

Bottom Line: Palo Alto Firewalls

Palo Alto Networks has been a leader in the market for next-generation firewalls since the company coined the term in 2008, now 15 years ago. Buyers looking for advanced features even at the lowest price points will find much to like in Palo Alto firewalls, and those buying at the high end of the market have few alternatives. But the rise of strong competition in the low-end and midrange markets means the company will have to work to stay on top of the firewall market.

Read next: Network Protection: How to Secure a Network

Drew Robb contributed to this product review and analysis

The post Palo Alto Networks PA Series Review: NGFW Features & Cost appeared first on eSecurityPlanet.

A few vendors refer to advanced BAS solutions as security validation or continuous threat exposure management (CTEM). Several of these tools also assess broader security defenses and potential attack paths, a market known as attack surface management. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are an important part of the BAS market, as automated cybersecurity tools are needed to keep up with the huge volume of  vulnerabilities and emerging threats.

We analyzed the market for BAS tools to come up with this list of the top 19 vendors, plus an additional 8 honorable mentions, followed by more on breach and attack simulation technology and buying considerations.

• AttackIQ: Best for AI/ML security testing
• Cymulate: Best user experience
• Picus Security: Best for detecting logs and alert gaps
• SafeBreach: Best for integration with other security tools
• XM Cyber: Best for attack path management
• CyCognito: Best for risk detection and prioritization
• FireMon: Best BAS tool for visualization
• Akamai Guardicore: Best for microsegmentation, visibility and control
• Mandiant: Best BAS tool for threat intelligence
• Qualys: Best for vulnerability management and security compliance
• IBM Randori: Best BAS tool for red teaming
• Rapid7: Best for affordable risk analysis
• BreachLock: Best for network and web pentesting
• Horizon3.ai: Best BAS tool for small businesses
• NetSPI: Best BAS tool for pen testers
• Pentera: Best for ​​automated security validation
• Scythe: Best for adversary emulation
• Skybox Security: Best for integration with data sources
• Tenable: Best for analytics and attack surface visibility
• Honorable Mentions
• What is Breach & Attack Simulation Software?
• Why Do Companies Use BAS?
• BAS features
• Deployment Options for BAS
• Bottom Line: Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) Tools

20 Best Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) Vendors Comparison Chart

AttackIQ

Best for AI/ML security testing

AttackIQ started as an automated validation platform in 2013 in San Diego, California. The platform enables organizations to test and measure their security posture across environments. Informed by the MITRE ATT&CK matrix and its wealth of cyber adversary behavior, clients can run advanced scenarios targeting critical assets and continuously improve their defensive posture.

AttackIQ’s Anatomic Engine is a standout feature, as it can test ML and AI-based cybersecurity components. With the capacity to run multi-stage emulations, test network controls, and analyze breach responses, AttackIQ remains a top contender among BAS solutions.

AttackIQ Features

• Integration: Integrates with various third-party solutions, including Palo Alto Networks, Splunk, Cisco, and RSA
• OS support: Supports all major operating systems, including Windows, Linux, macOS
• Flexible deployment: AttackIQ can be deployed on-premises and in the cloud
• Security posture Insight: Real-time visibility into security performance
• Cloud security: Validate native security controls embedded within cloud providers like Azure and AWS
• Risk management: Uses MITRE ATT&CK framework to validate NIST 800-53 and CMMC security controls automatically

Pros

• Support for on-premises and cloud environments
• Validates native cloud security controls
• AI/ML security validation

Cons

• Users would like to see more integrations
• Some complaints about deployment challenges

Pricing

AttackIQ does not publicly list pricing information on its website. However, they offer a free trial and a personalized online demo to help potential buyers understand their services and determine the best pricing option for their needs.

The little pricing that’s publicly available on the Azure Marketplace suggests it’s not a cheap product — AttackIQ Starter Pack Bundle: $227,500.00 one-time payment per year, or $580,125.00 one-time payment for a 3-year billing term — but users understand that they’re getting a product that goes well beyond the basics.

Note that AttackIQ Starter Pack Bundle rates are subject to change starting August 1, 2023. The updated price for the one year billing term will be $250,250 one-time payment while the 3-year billing term price will increase to a $638,138 one-time payment.

Cymulate

Best for usability and user experience

Cymulate is the first of two Israeli vendors in our top-tier BAS solutions. Founded in 2016, the Rishon LeZion-based vendor specializes in breach and attack simulation and security posture verification. By employing the MITRE ATT&CK framework and mimicking an array of advanced hacker strategies, the Cymulate platform assesses network segments, detects vulnerabilities, and optimizes remediation.

To confront the dynamic threat landscape, Cymulate offers continuous security validation that provides consistent guidance for action. Deploying Cymulate with near-unlimited attack simulations can be completed within minutes via a single lightweight agent.

Cymulate Features

• Attack remediation: Allows you to prioritize remediation based on attackable vulnerabilities
• Endpoint security: Detects and prevents endpoint ATT&CK TTPs such as ransomware and worms
• Data exfiltration: Ensures that company sensitive data can not be exfiltrated
• Full kill chain APT: Validate your enterprise defense against APT attack scenarios such as Fin8, APT38, Lazarus and custom scenarios
• Email gateway: Test your security against thousands of malicious email formats, attachments, and URLs
• Web app firewall: Evaluate your security against web apps attack such as OWASP top ten

Pros

• Users praise its resources for cyber risk assessments and penetration testing
• Easy to setup and use
• Offers instant threat alerts
• Signature and behavioral based endpoint security

Cons

• Some users reported that the scanning capability can be made better
• Adding more integration with other security tools can further improve the tool 
• Reporting capability can be made better 

Pricing

Pricing information for this product is unavailable on the vendor’s website. Potential buyers can contact the Cymulate sales team for custom quotes tailored to their needs. Cymulate offers a 14-day free trial, and potential buyers can also request a product demo. Publicly available pricing on AWS shows that the Cymulate 7 attack vector bundle for organizations with up to 1,000 endpoints may cost about $7,000 a month or $91,000 per year.

Picus Security

Best for detecting logs and alert gaps

Picus Security is a continuous security validation vendor founded in 2013 and located in San Francisco, California. Recognized in each of our top BAS lists, Picus has raised over $32 million through Series B and a corporate funding round by Mastercard in May 2022. The Picus Security Control Validation (SCV) platform scans for vulnerabilities and offers guidance for configuring security controls.

Integrating into an existing security information and event management (SIEM) system, the Picus SCV helps identify logging and alert gaps where additional action is required to optimize your SIEM. With MITRE ATT&CK and kill chain visibility, administrators deploying SCV can take the necessary steps to prevent the next advanced attack.

Picus Security Features

• Threat library: Picus Security’s threat library of over 3500 threats covering the MITRE ATT&CK framework is updated regularly
• Security control validation: Test the efficacy of your network security and detection controls, including firewalls, web and email gateways, SIEM, EDR, and SOAR tools
• Mitigation library: Picus Security provides over 70,000 actionable recommendations to remedy security gaps, as well as vendor-specific mitigation suggestions targeted to your environment
• Attack Path Validation (APV): Picus APV helps security teams automatically detect and visualize an evasive attacker’s path to important systems and accounts
• Integration: Picus integrates with various third-party tools, including Citrix, Cisco, IBM Security, McAfee, F5, Trend Micro and more.

Pros

• Continuous assessment
• Provides users with recommendations to further help strengthen their networks
• Automated testing
• Supports over 100 APT and malware scenarios

Cons

• Users feedbacks from review sites shows that Picus Security has a complex initial setup
• Some users say technical support are some time insufficient, product documentation can be improved to help users resolves minor issues quickly 

Pricing

Picus Security does not advertise pricing on its website, as packages and services are tailored to the customer’s exact needs. Generally, prices for their services range from $30,000 to $120,000, depending on the scope of the chosen package. To receive a custom quote tailored to your needs, contact their sales team. You can also take advantage of their 14-day free trial or request a product demo.

SafeBreach

Best for integration with other security tools

SafeBreach holds multiple patents and awards for its BAS technology. Founded in 2014, the California-based vendor is a pioneer in breach simulation. Since our last update, SafeBreach earned a $53.5 million Series D funding round in November 2021. The BAS platform can detect infiltration, lateral movement, and data exfiltration by offering cloud, network, and endpoint simulators.

SafeBreach continuously validates tools and the organization’s overall security posture with an ever-changing threat landscape. When flagged, administrators have the visibility to take prompt action against potential vulnerabilities. With the SafeBreach platform deployed, organizations can expect increased security control effectiveness, real threat emulation, and improved cloud security.

SafeBreach Features

• Integration: SafeBreach integrates with various technology solution providers, including Splunk, ServiceNow, Google BigQuery, Tanium, Checkpoint, IBM, Slack, Qualys and more
• Reporting: Provides real time reporting and remediation action
• SafeBreach-as-a-Service: SafeBreach is available as a fully managed software solution consisting of platform licensing, ongoing strategy, and full support
• RansomwareRx: Allows users to run a customized, no-cost attack scenario based on actual ransomware behavior—including MITRE ATT&CK TTPs
• No-code: Allows users to plan every aspect of attack in a single no-code environment

Pros

• Ability to simulate over 15,000 attacks
• Dashboards display security risks over time
• Offers cloud, network, and endpoint simulators

Cons

• Customer support can be made better. Users reported slow response time
• User interface takes time to learn and get use to

Pricing

SafeBreach doesn’t advertise prices on its website. Interested buyers can contact its sales team for custom quotes. You can also request a free demo to learn how to leverage the product for your environment. Publicly available pricing on AWS shows that SafeBreach simulator can cost about $18,000 for an annual subscription.

XM Cyber

Best for attack path management

XM Cyber is a Tel Aviv-based cyber risk analytics and cloud security vendor launched in 2016. Born from the thought leadership of the Israeli intelligence sector, the XM Cyber Breach and Attack Simulation, previously known as HaXM, is a leading BAS solution. In its short history, the vendor has been at the forefront of BAS innovation, winning several awards and pushing other vendors forward.

XM Cyber identifies an organization’s most critical assets and works backward with attack-centric exposure prioritization, identifying the exploit routes. Analyzing every potential attack path and crafting remediation options informed by risk impact give administrators visibility in real-time to secure their network. Through its success, XM Cyber was acquired for $700 million by the Schwarz Group in November 2021.

XM Cyber Features

• Flexible: Allows organizations to prioritize security exposures and focus remediation activities across cloud, SaaS and on-premises
• Compliance validation: Automate compliance validation and reporting for key standards such as ISO, NIST, GDPR, SWIFT and PCI
• Attack path management: APM allows users to detect attacks before they happen proactively
• Hybrid cloud security: Identify exposures across your AWS, Azure and GCP environments
• Active Directory security: Neutralize Active Directory risks across on-premises and cloud environments
• Automated red teaming and penetration testing: Provides real-time evaluation of your security tools’ performance and uses attack modeling to reveal misconfigurations, mismanaged credentials, and risky user activity

Pros

• Track users’ overall security posture and risk level
• Advance analytics capability
• End-to-end network scanning
• Provides users with visibility into their critical attack paths

Cons

• Users report that the tool is expensive, making it hard for small businesses to buy
• The customer support can be improved and optimized for fast response time

Pricing

This is a quote-based tool, and the price is available on request. Contact XM Cyber for custom quotes. You can also request a personalized demo to learn more about the solution. AWS Marketplace shows pricing for XM Cyber’s hybrid attack simulation for up to 1,000 assets cost about $7,500 per month or $90,000 per year, while its next-generation vulnerability management costs about $1,083 per month or $13,000 per year for up to 1000 assets.

Read more on security automation:

• Hyperautomation and the Future of Cybersecurity
• Top Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) Solutions
• Vulnerability Management as a Service (VMaaS): Ultimate Guide

CyCognito

Best BAS tool for risk detection and prioritization

CyCognito is committed to exposing shadow risk and bringing advanced threats into view. One of the youngest BAS vendors started operations in 2017 and resides in Palo Alto, California. Founded by tenured national intelligence professionals, CyCognito identifies attacker-exposed assets to enhance visibility into the attack and protect surfaces.

According to the vendor, clients identify up to 300% more assets than they knew existed on their network. Through the CyCognito platform, organizations can define risk categories, automate offensive cybersecurity operations, and prepare for any subsequent advanced attack. The budding vendor continues to grow with a Series D of $100 million in December 2021.

CyCognito Features

• Graph business and asset relationships: The CyCognito platform leverages machine learning, natural language processing, and graph data structure to uncover and consolidate all corporate relationships in your organization, from acquired companies to joint endeavors and cloud infrastructures.
• Test security: CyCognito testing capabilities detect attack vectors that could be used to breach enterprise assets, including data exposures, misconfigurations and even zero-day vulnerabilities.
• Risks prioritization: CyCognito automatically prioritizes risks based on the following principles
  • Attackers’ priorities
  • Business context
  • Discoverability
  • Ease of exploitation
  • Remediation complexity

• Integration: The platform integrates with SIEMs, ITSM, CMDBs, and communications software.
• Security framework: CyCognito satisfies most common security frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK Framework, NIST cybersecurity framework, CIS critical security controls and ISO/IEC 27000 and regulatory compliance standards, including GDPR, NIST 800-53, CCPA, PIPEDA, BDSG and POPI act.

Pros

• Supports cloud and on-premises environments
• Attack surface management
• Advanced analytics

Cons

• CyCognito is difficult to learn and use, new users need extensive training to understand the tool

Pricing

Product pricing is available on request. Contact the CyCognito sales team for custom quotes. For its attack surface management product, data from AWS marketplace shows a cost of $30,000 for 12 months, $55,000 for 24 months, and $80,000 for 36 months – limited to 250 assets max.

FireMon

Best BAS tool for visualization

Started in 2001, FireMon is a Kansas-based vendor for cybersecurity, compliance, and risk mitigation. One of the earliest companies to address change detection and reporting, compliance, and behavioral analysis, FireMon has a track record that includes over 1,700 organizations. FireMon’s vulnerability management technology can be found under Security Manager and Cloud Defense, offering real-time risk assessment, mitigation and validation. FireMon’s attack path graphics and analysis are suitable for administrators who desire greater visibility.

FireMon Features

• Integrations: FireMon integrates with a range of technologies, including ITSM tools (ServiceNow, Accenture, Jira Software, Redseal and BMC), SIEM/SOAR solutions (Splunk, Komand, Demisto and Swimlane), and vulnerability scanners (Qualys, Rapid7, and Tenable)
• Optimize response: Real-time event analysis and intelligent routing of high-priority events
• Notification: Send alerts directly using existing tools, including Slack, Teams, and Jira
• Compliance: Support for common compliance standards, including CIS and PCI-DSS
• Visualization: Comprehensive reporting and dashboards
• Automatic enforcement: Adhere to security requirements from CIS, NIST and AWS, and implement monitoring/logging, IAM, and backup across all cloud accounts and providers

Pros

• Intuitive user interface
• Users find its historical log capability beneficial
• Tracks firewall rule change
• Easily identify misconfigurations

Cons

• Customer support and documentation could be improved
• Complex initial setup, which leads to slow implementation time

Pricing

FireMon does not publicly disclose pricing information. In addition to custom quotes, you can also request a demo to learn more about the platform. FireMon also offers bring your own license (BYOL) plans for Azure and AWS.

Akamai Guardicore

Best for micro-segmentation and enhanced visibility and control

A decade into a maturing zero trust solution space, Guardicore has been an upstart microsegmentation company addressing security for assets across hybrid environments. The Tel Aviv-based company was acquired by Akamai in September 2021 for $600 million.

For BAS, Akamai Guardicore’s open source platform Infection Monkey offers continuous testing and reports on network performance against attacker behavior. On par or better than some proprietary solutions, Infection Monkey is environment agnostic, handles varying network sizes,  and offers analysis reports based on zero trust, ATT&CK MITRE, and BAS.

Guardicore Features

• Legacy system support: Support legacy systems such as Windows 2003, CentOS 6, RHEL5, and AS400
• AI-powered segmentation: Implement AI-recommended policies with templates to address ransomware and workload attributes like processes, users, and domain names
• Broad platform support: Support modern and legacy OSes across bare-metal servers,  virtual machines, containers, IoT, and cloud instances
• Integrations: The platform integrates with third-party solutions such as CyberArk, Duo, Okta, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, Oracle, AWS, Cisco, Check Point and more
• Flexible deployment: Secure IT infrastructure with a mix of on-premises workloads, virtual machines, legacy systems, containers and orchestration, public/private cloud instances, and IoT/OT

Pros

• Users can create audit reports
• Support for on-premises, container, and cloud environments
• Free open source version available

Cons

• The search and filtering capabilities can be improved to help users easy concatenate fields
• The Guardicore central user interface can be improved to enhance navigation

Pricing

Akamai Guardicore’s Infection Monkey can be downloaded for free, while cloud users would need to pay infrastructure costs.

Mandiant

Best BAS tool for threat intelligence

In our first BAS update, Virginia-based startup Verodin made the list before its acquisition by FireEye in 2019. Integrated into the Mandiant Security Validation platform, Mandiant — now part of Google — continues to lead the way through an eventful few years.

With integrated threat intelligence, automated environmental drift detection, and support for optimizing existing cybersecurity tools like SIEM, Mandiant eases a client’s monitoring job to focus on taking action. Mandiant notes clients can save big financially in the form of controlled vulnerabilities and speed response time to advance TTP by almost 600%.

Mandiant Features

• Breach analytics: Continuously monitors an organization’s real-time and historic threat alert data to identify and prioritize indicators of compromise (IOCs) present in their environment
• Security validation: Provides security teams with real data on how security controls behave under attack
• Visibility into external exposure: Identify unknown or unmanaged vulnerable internet-facing assets
• Attack surface management: The platform allows organizations to identify unsanctioned resources, digital supply chain monitoring and assess high-velocity exploit impact
• Digital threat monitoring: Provides visibility into the open, deep and dark web

Pros

• Automated defense
• Security validation and threat intelligence
• Flexible deployment

Cons

• Mandiant customer support response time can be improved for fast issues resolution
• Users report that the on-premises client is too processor-intensive

Pricing

Mandiant doesn’t publish pricing information for Security Validation, but CDW offers pricing info on a range of Mandiant Verodin offerings.

Qualys

Best BAS tool for vulnerability management and security compliance

Qualys is a leading provider of cloud security and compliance solutions – and one of the older vendors to make our list, founded in 1999 in San Francisco. The Qualys Vulnerability Management, Detection, and Response (VMDR) platform is their most popular product and a top BAS solution.

From analyzing vulnerabilities with six sigma accuracy to identifying known and unknown network assets, Qualys VMDR is a comprehensive solution that’s fully cloud-based, and the vendor offers a set of features and several add-ons for organizations requiring more. Those include mobile device support, cloud security assessments, and container runtime security.

Qualys Features

• Asset monitoring: Automatically identifies all known and unknown assets, on-premises, endpoints, clouds, containers, mobile, operational technology, and IoT, to generate a comprehensive, categorized inventory.
• Prioritize remediation: Qualys offers real-time threat information and asset inventory correlation to give you an overview of your threats.
• Validate file integrity: Qualys’ FIV solution monitors OSes continuously, logging and managing events centrally, and correlating and tracking changes.
• Systems monitoring: Qualys collects IoC data from your assets and stores, processes, indexes and analyzes it.
• Detects critical vulnerabilities, malware, exploits and misconfigurations.

Pros

• Integrates with ITSM tools like Jira and ServiceNow
• Automates remediation with no-code workflows
• Customizable dashboard
• Straightforward initial setup

Cons

• Users report that the tool’s remediation module can be complex
• The tool is pricey, making it unaffordable for many small businesses

Pricing

Qualys offers a free trial of their cloud platform for 30 days, after which pricing depends on the type of subscription and the specific services required. The company offers solutions for small businesses, mid-market, and enterprise environments. You can contact Qualys directly for more information on pricing.

Publicly available pricing shows that Qualys VMDR starts at $542 per month or $5,422 per year for 128 hosts.

IBM Randori

Best BAS tool for red teaming

A part of the budding attack surface management (ASM) solution market, Randori was one of the top cybersecurity startups before its acquisition by IBM in June 2022. Launched in Waltham, Massachusetts in 2018, Randori’s black-box approach maps attack surfaces to identify and prioritize an organization’s most valuable targets.

Whether it’s continuous automated red teaming (CART), preparing for zero-day attacks, or inspecting shadow IT, the Randori Platform offers robust insights into the cyber kill chain. Organizations can test their managed detection and response (MDR), managed security service provider (MSSP), and Security Operations Center (SOC) capabilities, as well as the effectiveness of tools like SIEM, SOAR, and EDR.

Randori Features

• Detect shadow IT: The platform helps identify forgotten assets, blind spots, and process failures.
• Notification: Randori provides alerts on new vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, such as unauthenticated services, pages with outdated copyright and new applications with poor quality.
• Continuous and automated red team: Randori helps organizations Prioritize investments in security tools by assessing the risks in your people, process and technology with regard to opportunistic, social, and zero-day attacks.
• Validate security investments: Randori helps organizations validate the efficacy of their SIEM, EDR, SOAR, threat intelligence, and MDR partners.

Pros

• Continuous automated red teaming
• Shadow IT discovery
• Attack surface management

Cons

• Steep learning curve for new users. The interface can also be improved to help users more easily navigate the platform.

Pricing

Randori doesn’t advertise product pricing on its website. Potential buyers can request product demos and pricing details by filling out a short form on their website.

Rapid7

Best BAS tool for affordability and risks analysis

Rapid7 kicked off operations in 2000, and fifteen years later released the Insight platform, bringing together vulnerability research, exploit knowledge, attacker behavior, and real-time reporting for network administrators.

Rapid7’s BAS solution is InsightVM and comes with an easy-to-use dashboard, where clients can manage everything from risk prioritization and automated containment to integrated threat intelligence feeds. Rapid7’s goal is to make cyber risk management seamless, with features devoted to remediation and attack surface monitoring.

Rapid7 Features

• Lightweight endpoint agent: Automates data collection from all your endpoints, including those from remote workers.
• Live dashboards: InsightVM dashboards are not static, they are interactive and allow you to create custom cards for admins or CISOs.
• Real risk prioritization: Leverage InsightVM real risks score to prioritize threats based on their severity and potential impact automatically.
• IT-integrated remediation projects: Streamline the process of responding to threats by integrating InsightVM with IT’s ticketing systems.
• Cloud and virtual infrastructure assessment: The platform integrates with cloud services and virtual infrastructure to ensure your technology is configured securely.
• Attack surface monitoring with project sonar: Continually scan your attack surface for vulnerabilities and misconfigurations to identify risks before they can be exploited.
• Container security: Monitor container workloads and external images for vulnerabilities and compliance issues in an automated, integrated fashion. Organizations can integrate InsightVM with CI/CD tools, public container repositories, and private repositories.
• RESTful API: Quickly integrate Rapid7 solutions with your existing security tools and processes via API.

Pros

• Transparent pricing
• Risk scoring based on attacker analytics
• Integrated threat feeds
• Live dashboard
• Good value

Cons

• Users say that the reporting is only available with direct access to the console, meaning a user needs access to the local server or VM instance to pull the reports
• Users say scan engine management is difficult

Pricing

Rapid7 InsightVM pricing is based on the number of assets being managed. Buyers looking to cover their entire network can contact the Rapid7 sales team for custom quotes and enjoy volume-based discounts.

• 250 assets: $2.19 per asset per month ($26.25 per year)
• 500 assets: $1.93 per asset per month ($23.18 per year)
• 750 assets: $1.79 per asset per month ($21.43 per year)
• 1000 assets: $1.71 per asset per month ($20.54 per year)
• 1250 plus assets: $1.62 per asset per month ($19.43 per year)

BreachLock

Best BAS tool for network and web penetration testing

Launched in early 2019, BreachLock is a top BAS company focused on penetration testing as a service (PTaaS). While relatively new, the New York City startup already has a growing reputation.

The on-demand SaaS solution offers testing for servers, IoT devices, APIs, mobile and web apps, and cloud infrastructure to give clients end-to-end visibility of exposure to risk.

BreachLock Features

• Vendor security assessment: BreachLock validates mobile and web applications, APIs, external and internal networks, cloud environments, and IoT.
• Cloud penetration testing services: The platform experts can test your cloud security in AWS cloud, GCP cloud, and Azure cloud, cloud technology, cloud platforms, and cloud-hosted SaaS applications.
• Network penetration testing: BreachLock experts manually test your external and internal networks.
• Web application penetration testing: Users’ web applications will be manually tested by the BreachLock team for OWASP and business logic security flaws.

Pros

• Efficient support team
• Vulnerability scanning
• Online and offline reporting

Cons

• The GUI could use a facelift to be more intuitive
• Users says they find the documentation confusing

Pricing

This is a quote-based solution. Contact the BreachLock sales team for custom quotes.

Horizon3.ai

Best BAS tool for startups and small businesses

Another top cybersecurity startup, Horizon3.ai also offers a cloud-based BAS solution with its autonomous penetration testing as a service (APTaaS), NodeZero.

Across hybrid IT environments, NodeZero identifies internal and external attack vectors and verifies the effectiveness of security tools and remediations. Started in October 2019, the San Francisco-based company most recently earned a $30 million Series B in October 2021.

Horizon3.ai Features

• Availability: The solution is available 24/7, allowing organizations to continuously evaluate their security posture and proactively identify and remediate attack vectors.
• Attack surface management: Provides coverage for internal and external attack vectors on-premises, in the cloud or in hybrid environments.
• Monitor attack path: NodeZero helps users understand the attack vectors that lead to a critical breach to mitigate attacks.
• Coverage: NodeZero algorithm fingerprints external, on-premises, IoT, identity, and cloud attack surfaces.

Pros

• Scalable
• Easy to use and helpful support team

Cons

• Some users find the tool cost-prohibitive
• Users say the tool lacks automated testing capabilities, whch means they can’t run tests on schedule

Pricing

Although Horizon3.ai doesn’t advertise pricing on its website, they offer a 30-day free trial and custom pricing for users. Enterprise users can contact the company for a tailored quote. Additionally, buyers can request product demos for more information about the solution. Publicly available pricing shows that Horizon3.ai pricing may range from about $24,999 per year to $327,467 per year.

NetSPI

Best BAS tool for pen testers

Founded in 2001, NetSPI has a track record of delivering pen testing to the top cloud providers, healthcare companies, banks, and more.

The Minneapolis, Minnesota-based company’s PTaaS, Resolve, offers clients an orchestration platform to manage the lifecycle of vulnerabilities. With two-way synchronization with tools like ServiceNow and Jira, Resolve can reduce time to remediation.

NetSPI Features

• Identify detection gaps: NetSPI identifies detection gaps such as missing data sources, disabled and misconfigured controls, broken telemetry flows, incomplete coverage and kill chain gaps.
• Validate controls: The platform validates controls, including endpoint controls, network controls, Active Directory controls, SIEM capabilities and MSSP capabilities.
• MITRE ATT&CK simulation: The platform helps organizations stay resilient against the attacks listed in the MITRE ATT&CK framework.
• Attack surface management: NetSPI detects known and unknown potential vulnerabilities of public-facing assets.

Pros

• Detects misconfigured controls
• Customizable solution
• Extensive testing services

Cons

• Can be expensive, particularly for smaller organizations or those with limited budgets

Pricing

NetSPI is a quote-based tool. Potential buyers can contact the sales team for custom quotes. They can also request a demo to better understand the platform. You can also visit AWS Marketplace to subscribe to this solution.

Pentera

Best BAS tool for ​​automated security validation

Formerly known as Pcysys, Pentera has emerged as another top BAS solution in a field that has attracted a number of Israeli security startups.

Started in 2015, the Pentera Automated Security Validation (ASV) Platform inspects internal and external attack surfaces to emulate the latest threat behavior. With a Series C round worth $150 million in January 2022, Pentera has the resources to continue growing.

Pentera Features

• Continuous validation: The platform validates an organization’s security programs, such as defense controls, security policies, password configurations, and critical assets in near-real time.
• Agentless: Pentera is a fully automated platform that provides immediate discovery and exposure validation across a distributed network infrastructure.
• Model attacker behavior: Pentera enables security teams to emulate malicious actors, providing insights needed for anticipating and preventing an attack.
• Prioritize remediation: The platform generates a risk-based remediation roadmap with a focus on high-priority systems.
• Attack surface management: Detect known and unknown exposures, external and internal, to identify attacker’s most attractive target.

Pros

• Remediation priority capability
• Easy to deploy and intuitive
• Efficient technical support
• Offers different testing scenarios, including black box, gray box, targeted test, and AD strength assessment tests

Cons

• Users reported difficulty understanding the documentation
• Some users say the scheduler is not flexible

Pricing

Pentera does not publicly disclose pricing information. However, they do offer a free demo of their software, which could be requested by contacting their sales team. Contact the vendor for a custom quote.

Scythe

Best BAS tool for real-world adversary emulation campaigns

Launched in 2018, Scythe is an adversary emulation platform offering services for red, blue, and purple teams to optimize visibility into risk exposure.

Available as a SaaS or on-premises solution, the Virginia-based startup also offers developer-friendly clients a software development kit to create custom validation modules in Python or native code.

Scythe Features

• Visibility: The platform offers real time visibility of “real-world risk posture and exposure.”
• Prioritize remediation: Scythe prioritizes vulnerabilities to focus on the highest-risk issues.
• Threat library: Scythe’s public threat library helps organizations be prepared for both known and unknown threats.
• Reports: The platform allows users to customize reports. Scythe also offers insights and prioritized recommendations to help users remediate critical issues quickly.

Pros

• Customizable tool
• Supports red, blue, and purple teams
• Increases detection and reduces response times

Cons

• Training is limited to live online and documentation
• Lacks integration with Check Point IPS and Infinity

Pricing

Scythe serves enterprises, consultants and managed service providers. Their price is tailored to the customer’s needs and requirements. To get a quote, you will need to contact their sales team, and you can also request a demo to gain a better understanding of the product.

Skybox Security

Best BAS tool for integration with data sources

Twenty years after its founding, Skybox Security’s stack of products include threat intelligence, vulnerability control, network assurance, change management, and firewall assurance to form the Security Posture Management Platform.

Alongside a robust set of integrations, Skybox offers organizations visibility into IT and OT infrastructure, path analysis, and risk scoring.

Skybox Security Features

• Vulnerability discovery: The platform allows organizations to gather, aggregate, and normalize data from scanners, EDR, CMBDs, security controls, network technologies, OT assets, and Skybox threat intelligence.
• Vulnerability assessment and prioritization: Assess and prioritize remediation with precise risk scores (CVSS, exploitability, importance, exposure).
• Rule optimization: Conduct analysis, optimize, and audit firewall rules; remove redundant, shadowed, or overly permissive rules.
• Context-aware change management: Gain visibility, assess rule and policy changes, spot misconfigurations, and identify potential vulnerability exposures.

Pros

• Attack surface visibility
• Path analysis and risk scoring capability
• Extensive integration with third-party services

Cons

• Some challenges with customized reports
• Technical support could be more responsive

Pricing

Skybox Security does not list pricing. To obtain pricing information, customers must contact the company directly. It’s also available on Azure.

Tenable

Best BAS tool for analytics and attack surface visibility

A longtime leader in vulnerability management, Tenable continues to look to the future of cyber exposure management while organizations undergo digital transformation.

Started in 2002, the Columbia, Maryland-based cybersecurity vendor’s portfolio includes solutions for ransomware, zero trust, application security, and a range of compliance and security frameworks.

Tenable Features

• Visibility: Provides a unified view of all enterprise assets and associated software vulnerabilities, configuration vulnerabilities and entitlement vulnerabilities, whether on-premises or in the cloud, to identify risk exposure.
• Predict and prioritize: Protects organizations against cyber attacks.
• Eliminate attack paths: Maps critical risks to the MITRE ATT&CK framework to visualize all possible attack paths on-premises and in the cloud.
• Comprehensive asset inventory: The platform provides comprehensive visibility into an organization’s assets and exposures (vulnerability management, web app security, cloud security and active directory security).

Pros

• Transparent pricing
• Attack surface management
• Attack path analysis
• About 500 prebuilt scanning policies

Cons

• Users report that the vulnerability scanning engine has high false positives and negatives
• Users say Tenable support response could be quicker

Pricing

Tenable offers four pricing plans. They include:

Nessus Professional

•  1 Year – $3,644.25
•  2 Years – $7,106.29
•  3 Years – $10,386.11

Nessus Expert

• 1 Year – Promotional price: $5,364.25 (Actual price $8,051.75)
• 2 Years – Promotional price: $10,460.29 (Actual price $15,700.91)
• 3 Years – Promotional price: $15,288.11 (Actual price $22,947.49)

Tenable Vulnerability Management

Pricing for this plan depends on the number of assets. They rates below are for 65 assets (minimum number of assets supported for this plan)

• 1 Year – $2,934.75
• 2 Years – $5,722.76
• 3 Years – $8,364.04

Tenable Web App Scanning

• 5 FQDNs – $3,846.35

Add-ons

• Advanced Support: $430 (24×365 access to phone, email, community, and chat support)
• On-Demand Training: $268.75 (1 year access to the Nessus Fundamentals On-Demand Video Course for 1 person)

Honorable Mention BAS Solutions

With so many options out there, it can be difficult to know which BAS vendor is right for you. The following companies offer a range of features and capabilities that make them viable options for organizations looking for comprehensive security defense.

Aujas

Aujas services include identity and access management, risk advisory, security verification, security engineering, managed detection and response, and cloud security.

Detectify

Detectify is a security solution designed to help AppSec and ProdSec teams protect their external attack surfaces. Their core products include surface monitoring and application scanning. Detectify solution can be used for attack surface protection and other uses.

DXC Technology

DXC Technology is a Fortune 500 global IT services provider headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia. It was formed in 2017 by the merger of the former Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Enterprise Services business and Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). Its services include technology consulting, cloud and mobility solutions, application services, and business process services.

Foreseeti

Foreseeti is an automated cybersecurity risk management platform that helps organizations reduce their cyber risk and improve their security posture. Foreseeti enables organizations to quickly identify security gaps, prioritize cyber risks and create action plans to reduce those risks.

Keysight

Keysight BAS platform enables organizations to simulate cyber attacks and rapidly detect, respond and remediate threats. The platform provides a comprehensive view of the security posture of an organization, enabling customers to assess their level of risk and reduce their attack surface. Keysight achieves this via its security solutions, including Threat Simulator, ThreatARMOR and Security Operations Suite.

NeSSi2

NeSSi2 (Network Security Simulator) is an open source tool for network security simulation. NeSSi2 includes a graphical user interface and a library of components that can be used to build, configure, and monitor simulations.

NopSec

NopSec is an enterprise cyber security platform that helps organizations discover and manage vulnerabilities, detect and respond to threats, and automate security operations. It provides a comprehensive cybersecurity platform with a wide range of capabilities, including vulnerability management, risk simulation and attack, threat detection and response, and security automation.

ReliaQuest

GreyMatter Verify is ReliaQuest‘s BAS platform. It allows security operations teams to simulate breaches and identify gaps in their security posture. 

What is Breach & Attack Simulation Software?

Breach and attack simulation solutions go beyond vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and red teaming by offering automated and advanced breach simulation.

To test the strength of network security, organizations must put themselves in the shoes (or hoodies) of malicious actors. Security teams lean on existing threat intelligence, outsource system auditing to cybersecurity firms, and pray they fend off the next advanced attack. As a software, hardware, cloud, or hybrid solution, BAS offers the latest in automated vulnerability management, risk analysis, and network testing.

Why Do Companies Use BAS?

Malicious attacks and advanced persistent threats (APTs) pose a constant risk to SMBs and enterprise organizations. In response to the ever-evolving nature of threats, several security tools have evolved to address rapidly changing threats, among them vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, red teaming, and breach and attack simulation.

Without disrupting business continuity, these methods can test attacks and other malicious activities and provide valuable insight into defensive needs.

While pentests can take as much as a couple of weeks, red team assessments typically last 3-4 months. Those human tests yield important insights, but they’re expensive. To augment those practices, BAS offers an around-the-clock automated solution.

BAS Features

Given the wide range of breach and attack simulation tools, features can vary, but a few in particular help to automate vulnerability management.

APT Simulation

Breach and attack simulators assess and verify the most recent and advanced tactics, techniques, and practices (TTP) circulating the globe.

Advanced persistent threats, in particular, are daunting to organizations due to social engineering, zero-day vulnerabilities, and an incredible capacity to go unnoticed and undetected. No tool is guaranteed to stop every attack. Still, a BAS system can make APT attacks harder by detecting zero-day vulnerabilities and identifying potential attack routes for malicious actors moving through a network.

Automated vs. Manual

For penetration testing, red teaming, or in-house security audits, organizations and third-party security contractors are responsible for manually designing and executing each passthrough. Whether the scan was targeting a critical asset or doing a vulnerability assessment of the entire network, manual network testing is resource-intensive and expensive.

BAS solutions have the technological prowess to augment these tests by automating the deployment of custom scans and attacks pertinent to the specific network, informed by threat intelligence feeds and the broader industry ecosystem.

Real-Time Insights

Malicious actors don’t care what time it is and will gladly take advantage of a small window of opportunity. Given this, SMB and enterprise organizations know that 24/7 monitoring is necessary, or at least an objective in progress.

Firms can save internal resources devoted to vulnerability and attack simulations by outsourcing BAS. Network administrators can rest better knowing that vulnerabilities should result in a timely notification.

Flexible For Evolving Infrastructure

Organizations moving to the cloud or considering alternatives to on-premises infrastructure require a solution covering everything. As a newer technology, breach and attack simulation can deploy to most infrastructures or network segments, including organizations moving towards a hybrid cloud or SD-WAN.

Add to this the headaches caused by mergers and acquisitions. For a global economy chock full of digital transformation and network changes, deployment flexibility for diverse environments is critical.

Deployment Options for BAS

There are a number of ways to deploy a BAS tool. Here are the main ones.

Agent-Based Vulnerability Scanning

The most straightforward deployment of BAS is the agent-based method. Similar to a vulnerability assessment but offering more visibility, this approach means placing agents in an organization’s LAN to continue testing network segments.

A critical downside to the agent-based method is its lack of oversight of the perimeter and, typically, an inability to exploit or validate vulnerabilities. That said, the agent-based process for deployment is still an improvement from past tools, thanks to its ability to report vulnerabilities and map out potential attack routes.

Malicious Traffic-Based Testing

Monitoring traffic, including malicious packets, is an inherent component of any modern cyberinfrastructure. Whether it’s an NGFW, IDPS, SIEM, EDR, NDR, or a combination of these tools, comprehensive solutions to address risks are a focal point for advanced network security. The malicious traffic-based testing approach attacks the network to identify vulnerabilities and – more importantly – report instances where core security solutions like IDPS and SIEM miss malicious traffic.

Like agent-based scanning, several agents in virtual machines (VMs) sit positioned throughout the network. Using a database of breach and attack scenarios, these VMs serve as the targets for testing. However, like the agent-based method, the traffic-based deployment option also leaves your perimeter out of the equation.

Black Box Multi-Vector Testing

The most advanced approach to BAS typically involves cloud deployment of agents to network locations, while the software solution maintains communication with the BAS platform. Unlike the previous two methods, the black box multi-vector approach for deployment includes analysis for perimeter-based breaches and attacks.

Much like the classic black box example for agent-machine I/O, this method aims to test as many inputs on multiple attack vectors to detect malfunctions. Suffice it to say that this method is the most desirable for enterprises because it offers the most visibility into its defensive posture.

Bottom Line: Breach and Attack Simulation Tools

When honing a skill, the saying goes, “practice makes perfect.” And then someone interjects, “Actually, perfect practice makes perfect.”

While maybe a bit too literal, they’re right in the context of cybersecurity. Threats today require proactive defensive strategies and can’t wait to be attacked to prepare. All it takes is one hidden misconfiguration and an advanced TTP for a network to fall victim to malicious actors.

Pen testing and red team services continue to make defenses more robust, offering critical insight into vulnerabilities, breach detection, and attack vectors. Breach and attack simulation is a natural step for SMB and enterprise organizations that require the latest cybersecurity tools. In an age where APTs wreak massive damage to critical and sensitive infrastructures, the need for constant, active scanning for the newest threats makes sense.

Read next: AI Will Save Security – And Eliminate Jobs

This updates a July 2022 article by Sam Ingalls

The post 19 Top Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) Tools in 2023 appeared first on eSecurityPlanet.

Passkeys can use a range of passwordless authentication methods, from fingerprint, face and iris recognition to screen lock pins, smart cards, USB devices and more. They can be implemented as part of an account, application, cloud service, access management system, or password manager.

The top password managers are in the process of implementing passkey methods, but here we’ve focused on the best passkey products in general regardless of the access management product category we’d place them in. One thing all these passkey solutions have in common is that they’re all certified by the FIDO Alliance, which along with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) sets passkey authentication standards and protocols.

See the Best Identity and Access Management (IAM) Solutions

Top Passkey Products:

• authID: Best for biometric MFA
• Aware: Best comprehensive solution
• Beyond Identity: Best for workforce and customer MFA
• HYPR: Best for distributed workforces
• LoginID: Best for e-commerce
• Ping Identity: Best for application integration
• Thales: Best for high security
• Yubico: Best for physical passkeys
• Passkey Solution Buying Considerations
• Bottom Line: Passkey Solutions

Passkey Vendor Comparison

authID

Best for biometric MFA

authID is an enterprise identity authentication provider that promises “unphishable authentication.” authID’s multi-factor authentication (MFA) solutions included biometric authentication such as fingerprint recognition and facial recognition. authID stands out for its emphasis on biometric technology, ensuring strong security measures while prioritizing user convenience.

Key features

• Biometric matching of selfie to ID photo
• AI-liveness and anti-spoofing confirmation
• Automated document security features check
• Secure API response

Pros 

• Efficient and convenient user experience
• Enhanced security through multi-factor authentication
• Robust protection against phishing attacks
• Biometric authentication for added security
• Versatile platform compatibility

Cons

• Reliance on device capabilities for facial authentication
• Potential learning curve for new users
• Limited data customization options

Price

AuthID offers three levels of pricing:

• Standard: $2 per account up to 500 accounts, $1 one time license fee per enrolled account. $600/year minimum
• Premium: $4 per account up to 500 accounts, $1 one time license fee per enrolled account. $1,200/year minimum
• Enterprise: Contact sales. 500+ accounts, $1 one time license fee per enrolled account

See the Best Facial Recognition Software for Enterprises

Aware Inc.

Best comprehensive solution

Aware Inc. offers a range of identity and biometric solutions, and its passkey solutions focuses on biometric authentication methods such as fingerprint recognition, facial recognition, and iris scanning. Aware provides flexible and scalable solutions that can be integrated into different systems and applications, giving the company’s solutions a wide range of potential uses.

Key features

• Mobile biometric authentication
• Biometric search and match SDKs (fingerprint, face and iris)
• Biometric enrollment SDKs
• Biometric platforms
• Turnkey solutions
• Biometric applications
• Identity text analytics

Pros

• Comprehensive product vision covering all common features
• User-friendly system with easy navigation
• Interoperability with a wide range of third-party software
• Stable and mature company with excellent customer service
• Implementation of advanced features like facial recognition and fingerprint scanning
• Innovative approach and use of next-generation technology

Cons

• Occasional instability and interoperability challenges

Price

Aware Inc. does not publicly provide pricing but potential buyers can inquire through the company’s website.

Beyond Identity

Best for workforce and customer MFA

Beyond Identity bills itself as “phishing-resistant, passwordless multi-factor authentication.”  The company leverages device-based cryptography and secure certificates to authenticate users, removing vulnerabilities associated with passwords. Beyond Identity’s solutions target workforces, DevOps and customers, offering a secure and user-friendly authentication experience.

Key features

• Passwordless MFA
• Device trust
• Phishing-resistant MFA
• Zero trust authentication
• End user self-signup and recovery
• Device security posture checks
• Zero trust policy engine

Pros 

• Offers a free version
• User-friendly interface
• Quick deployment

Cons

• Occasional bugs

Price

Beyond Identity doesn’t reveal pricing, but AWS offers Beyond Identity Secure Workforce packages, ranging from the Starter Package for 165 users starting at $10,000 per year up to the Secure Developer Bundle priced at $108,000 per year for 1,000 users. For a customized price quote, visit Beyond Identity’s sales page.

See the Top Zero Trust Security Solutions

HYPR

Best for distributed workforces

HYPR is a passkey solution company that focuses on passwordless multi-factor authentication. The company’s solution is designed to decentralize user credentials and store them securely on personal devices. HYPR’s decentralized approach enhances security by reducing the risk of centralized credential databases being compromised. The company supports a range of authentication methods and solutions, including biometrics, smart cards, and mobile devices.

Key features

• Desktop MFA client
• Software development kit (SDK)
• Passwordless integrations
• Centralized management via FIDO Control Center
• Works with a range of identity and technology platforms
• Policy enforcement
• Remote workforce support

Pros

• Effortless MFA with simple sign-in process
• Easy improves credential security

Cons

• Occasional error messages during sign-in, but can be resolved
• Windows credential manager issues sometimes affect Chrome/Outlook passwords
• Limited web integration

Price

Hyper offers competitive pricing for its workforce solution, starting at $5 per user per month, which can be billed annually. Additionally, on AWS, the Hyper Enterprise package caters to organizations with 1,000 active users, priced at $66,000 per year.

LoginID

Best for e-commerce applications

LoginID is a passkey solution company that offers passwordless authentication solutions for businesses. One of LoginID’s unique features is the ability to leverage existing email and phone numbers as user identifiers, simplifying the onboarding process for businesses and users alike. LoginID has particular appeal for finance, payment and DevOps uses.

Key features

• FIDO2/UAF integrations
• WordPress integration
• Multi-device management
• Cloud, private cloud, and on-premises solutions
• Offers SDK and API connections

Pros 

• Strong authentication standards with the use of 3D secure protocol
• Frictionless checkout experience, eliminating redirects and password entry
• Liability shift, allowing merchants to shift fraudulent chargebacks liability to card issuers
• Enhanced security for crypto exchanges and digital wallets
• Rapid authentication and easy management
• Wide platform compatibility with major operating systems and browsers

Cons

• Exemptions from strong customer authentication may not benefit from the liability shift
• Limitations of merchants under fraud monitoring programs
• Reliance on device security for biometric authentication
• Limited information on data customization options

Price

LoginID doesn’t publish pricing information, but the company offers a free Startup version that comes with FIDO2/UAF integrations, multi factor authentication (mfa), dashboard, WordPress integration, multi-device management, cloud hosting, and email/live chat support. Customized pricing is required for enterprises.

Ping Identity

Best for application integration

Ping Identity provides comprehensive identity and access management solutions. Their passkey solution focuses on providing secure single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication capabilities. Ping Identity stands out for its 1,800+ integrations and extensive range of identity management features, allowing businesses to manage user identities, access controls, and authentication across a wide range of applications and systems.

Key features

• Orchestration
• Fraud detection
• Risk management
• Digital credentials
• Web API access and API intelligence
• Dynamic authorization

Pros

• Offers a robust set of features that rival top-notch identity and access management (IAM) solutions
• Seamless integration with other products in Ping’s comprehensive lineup allows for enhanced functionality and customization

Cons

• Product catalog can be overwhelming and may lead to confusion due to overlapping features and offerings
• Certain essential features are only available when purchasing bundled products, limiting flexibility in some cases

Price

Customer Pricing

• Essential plan is $44,000/year
• Plus plan is $66,000/year
• Premium requires custom pricing

Workforce Pricing

• Essential plan is $3/month/user
• Plus plan is $6/month/user
• Premium requires custom pricing

Ping Identity also offers a 30-day trial for both Customer and Workforce plans

See the Top Single Sign-On (SSO) Solutions

Thales

Best for high security

Thales offers a broad range of access management solutions. The company’s passkey solution focuses on providing secure authentication and encryption methods. Thales offers hardware security modules (HSMs) and smart cards that can securely store and process cryptographic keys, enhancing the overall security of passkey-based authentication. The company’s broad range of access solutions makes it a good choice for enterprises with high security needs.

Key features

• SafeNet Trusted Access, Agents and Mobile Pass+
• API References
• Identity and authentication as a service
• Cloud SSO
• A range of authentication methods such as SAML, one-time password (OTP) authenticators, token and tokenless

Pros

• Easy setup process with knowledgeable technicians assisting in initial setup and configuration
• Users are not limited to mobile approval; Thales accommodates those without constant access to a mobile device
• Effective use of hardware tokens and grid methods
• Strong protection for servers, files, and accounts

Cons

• Occasionally requires multiple pushes/approvals for connectivity to some aspects of the internal network

Price

Thales SafeNet Trusted Access offers a free trial on all its plans, but doesn’t publish pricing. The only pricing we could find is UK government pricing starting at $20 per user.

Yubico

Best for physical passkeys

Yubico is a passkey solution company that specializes in hardware-based authentication devices. They provide USB and NFC-based security keys, such as the YubiKey, which can be used for strong multi-factor authentication. Yubico’s unique offering lies in its hardware-based approach, providing an additional layer of security and protection against phishing attacks and other online threats.

Key features

• Comes with physical keys
• Phishing-resistant MFA
• Offers a range of authentication options and devices, including biometric keys

Pros

• Easy to use
• Strong physical layer of protection guarding against phishing attacks and credential theft
• Works offline, offering convenience in a range of situations
• Wide range of platform, app, and website support
• Compatible with major operating systems

Cons

• Limited availability for certain websites and apps, potentially restricting its usage
• Less customization options than some other tools
• Can require a learning curve for new users

Price

Yubico offers a range of pricing options for their physical security keys. Keys range from $25 to $90, while bundles start at $310. Enterprise pricing depends on the number of users requiring Yubico keys and you can get an estimated quote through their online calculator.

Passkey Solution Buying Considerations

Buyers in the market for a passkey solution should look for a vendor that most closely aligns with their needs. Considerations include:

• Application integration: Are the applications your organization uses covered by the passkey solution? This could be anything from collaboration and CRM tools to security systems, servers, files, and more.
• SSO and IAM integrations: The best solution for some organizations may be to simply strengthen an access management tool you’re already using.
• Security needs: Is the security provided by the tool adequate for your needs? Are protocols and implementation strong enough to meet your security and compliance requirements?
• Ease of use: Will the passkey solution fit your environment, and will users embrace it? An authentication solution is only as good as user compliance.
• Price: Can the passkey solution do what you need at a price that’s reasonable?

Bottom Line: Passkey Solutions

Passkeys are a convenient and secure way for moving beyond the limitations of passwords and ensuring user compliance. With a range of authentication methods ranging from biometric data to codes and hardware, passkeys are poised to become the de facto authentication standard for a wide range of access management solutions. Adopting passkey solutions will give organizations a big advantage in stopping credential theft, phishing attacks and other access threats.

Read next:

• Google Launches Passkeys in Major Push for Passwordless Authentication
• MFA Advantages and Weaknesses

The post Best Passkey Solutions for MFA, SSO & Passwordless Authentication appeared first on eSecurityPlanet.

To help you navigate this growing market, we provide our recommendations for the world’s leading cybersecurity technology providers, based on their innovation, revenue and growth, user reviews, product features and benefits, analyst reports, independent security tests, and use cases.

Between high-profile ransomware attacks, software supply chain hacks and mergers, it is a time of high stakes and great change for the industry. Here are our picks for the top 20 cybersecurity software and hardware vendors — plus an additional 22 honorable mentions.

Top Cybersecurity Companies

• Palo Alto Networks: Best for Comprehensive Security
• Fortinet: Best for Network Security
• Cisco: Best for Distributed Network Security
• CrowdStrike: Best for Endpoint Security
• Zscaler: Best for Cloud Security
• IBM: Best R&D
• Trend Micro: Best for Small Businesses
• Okta: Best for Access Management
• OneTrust: Best for Privacy and Compliance
• Rapid7: Best for Value and Ease of Use
• Proofpoint: Best for Phishing Protection
• Tenable: Best for Vulnerability Management
• KnowBe4: Best for Security Awareness Training
• Darktrace: Best for AI Security
• Check Point: Best for Firewalls
• Sophos: Best for Home and Small Office Security
• Broadcom: Best for Endpoint Management
• Trellix: Best XDR Solution
• RSA: Best Risk Management Solution
• Microsoft: Best for Windows Security
• Top Cybersecurity Companies Compared
• Honorable Mentions
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Methodology
• Bottom Line: Top Cybersecurity Companies

Palo Alto Networks

Best for Comprehensive Security

Headquarters: Santa Clara, California

Founded: 2005

Annual Revenue: $5.5 billion

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 18

Topping our list once again is Palo Alto Networks (PANW), and for one very good reason: Its long history of top scores in rigorous independent security tests, whether in next-gen firewalls (NGFW), endpoint detection and response (EDR) or any other area. While known primarily for its comprehensive cybersecurity solutions, Palo Alto managed a top four finish in the first MITRE managed security tests, showing that it’s no slouch in security services either. Its security product tests have been consistently excellent, including in the latest MITRE endpoint security tests and CyberRatings firewall tests. Cybersecurity buyers have taken notice. Despite revenue clearing the $5 billion mark, Wall Street analysts predict that the 17-year-old Santa Clara firm will grow annual revenue at a 27% rate over the next five years.

In all, we’ve named Palo Alto to 18 top product lists, and we expect that number to grow in the coming months, and the company topped three categories in our cybersecurity product awards last year too. Palo Alto has continued its innovative tradition, including some noteworthy announcements in automated threat response, DevSecOps, vulnerability and configuration management, and other areas of cyber resilience often overlooked in the detection-obsessed cybersecurity market. While known primarily for the strength of its security features, Palo Alto has made surprising gains in recent years in ease of use, pricing and user perceptions of value, showing a company actively working to broaden its customer base. The one disappointment we’d note is that Okyo, Palo Alto’s promising foray into home office security, has been discontinued, but rival Fortinet retains its Wi-Fi security partnership with Linksys.

In addition to NGFW, EDR and DevSecOps, here are the other enterprise security areas where Palo Alto ranks among the best:

• Cloud security
• Network security
• Zero trust
• Threat intelligence
• Cloud access security broker (CASB)
• User and entity behavior analytics (UEBA)
• Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS)
• Extended detection and response (XDR)
• Container and Kubernetes security
• Cybersecurity products
• IoT security
• SD-WAN
• SASE
• SOAR
• Cloud workload protection (CWPP)

Fortinet

Best for Network Security

Headquarters: Sunnyvale, California

Founded: 2000

Annual Revenue: $4.4 billion

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 16

Fortinet (FTNT) was in the number two slot last year, and we see no need to change that this year. Despite sales clearing the $4 billion mark, analysts are projecting a 35% annual growth rate for the next five years. The network security vendor is another that doesn’t shy away from rigorous testing, and that’s landed the company on 16 of our top cybersecurity software and hardware lists. Fortinet is strongest in its core network security area, but boasts strength in other key security areas like SIEM and EDR too. Not surprisingly, Fortinet has turned its networking expertise into leadership positions in adjacent markets like SD-WAN. Customer satisfaction ratings are high in key areas like product capabilities, value, ease of use and support, which have given it inroads into small business markets too. Analysts have also lauded the company, joining Palo Alto and others in frequent appearances in Gartner Magic Quadrants and Forrester Wave reports. Here are the eSecurity Planet top product lists that Fortinet has made:

• Security information and event management (SIEM)
• Network access control (NAC)
• Web application firewalls (WAF)
• Unified threat management (UTM)
• Enterprise VPNs
• Email gateways
• Small business security
• NGFW
• EDR
• UEBA
• CASB
• IoT security
• Network security
• Cybersecurity products
• SD-WAN
• Zero trust

Cisco

Best for Distributed Network Security

Headquarters: San Jose, California

Founded: 1984

Annual Revenue: $54.5 billion

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 14

Cisco (CSCO) is another perennial favorite on this list. The networking pioneer has used its market dominance to move into adjacent markets like network security. Cisco’s $4 billion security business is growing at a healthy 9% rate, faster than the company as a whole. Customers are often Cisco shops gravitating toward its firewall, endpoint and other security solutions, but when you have more than $50 billion in annual sales, your existing customers are a pretty big market, and Cisco has had its wins elsewhere too. Cisco has made 14 of our top security product lists: identity and access management (IAM), web gateways, network detection and response (NDR), SASE, SD-WAN, NGFW, IDPS, CASB, NAC, IoT, cybersecurity software, XDR, network security and zero trust. An expanding network security portfolio and early leadership in the important zero trust market are two noteworthy achievements.

CrowdStrike

Best for Endpoint Security and Services

Headquarters: Sunnyvale, California

Founded: 2011

Annual Revenue: $2.2 billion

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 5

CrowdStrike (CRWD) has made five of our lists – EDR, XDR, MDR, vulnerability management as a service (VMaaS) and cybersecurity – and its strong positions in the very competitive EDR market and the emerging XDR market leave it well positioned for the future too. Revenue is expected to grow from $2.2 billion to $3 billion over the next year, and analysts expect a stunning 58% annual growth rate over the next five years, showing plenty of buyer interest in CrowdStrike’s products and services. The 11-year-old Sunnyvale company proved its mettle by fending off a SolarWinds-related attack, a distinction shared with Palo Alto Networks, and taking home the top score in the MITRE MSSP evaluations show the company is well positioned for the fast-growing MDR market too.

Zscaler

Best for Cloud Security

Headquarters: San Jose, CA

Founded: 2007

Annual Revenue: $1.53 billion

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 5

Zscaler (ZS) moved up our list a few spots this year. With $1.53 billion in expected revenue this year and a long-term projected growth rate of 53%, Zscaler’s broad cloud security platform makes the San Jose-based company well positioned for important emerging trends like zero trust, edge security and secure access service edge (SASE). Zscaler made our SASE, zero trust, web gateway, deception tools, and SD-WAN lists.

IBM

Best Research & Development

Headquarters: Armonk, New York

Founded: 1911

Annual Revenue: $60 billion

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 12

IBM may not be the growth story it once was, but it boasts enviable R&D capabilities that keep it in the conversation in many IT markets, including security. Big Blue has made 12 of our top security product lists: UEM, container security, SOAR, SIEM, IAM, encryption, database security, threat intelligence, single sign-on, patch management, managed security services, and cybersecurity products. Customer ratings are about average and the company’s speed in adding updates isn’t the best, but it remains popular with analyst firms like Gartner. IBM’s biggest strength might be its research depth, witness its impressive recent strides in areas like homomorphic encryption.

Trend Micro

Best for Small Businesses

Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan

Founded: 1988

Annual Revenue: $1.64 billion

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 8

Trend Micro (TMICY) jumped a number of spots on our list this year for a few reasons. First, its independent test results have been strong, and that’s the best data buyers currently have to go on. Second, it’s putting together an impressive portfolio with unusually strong appeal for SMBs—or any security team that values ease of use and good security. And third, its main competitors have faced a number of acquisitions and spinoffs that make Trend’s decades of steady ownership enviable by comparison. And here’s a fun inside scoop for you: Trend participated in the new MITRE MSSP tests but didn’t report results because it discovered “sensitive information” in the course of the evaluations. Finding something sensitive beyond the scope of the tests seems like a pretty good result to us, but we’ll have to wait for a future round for full results. With $1.6 billion in revenues and a projected long-term growth rate of 12%, the future looks pretty good too. One of the first-gen antivirus vendors, Trend Micro may be strongest in endpoint protection, where Gartner has included it as a Leader for more than 15 years, but the company has built a strong XDR, application, cloud and network security business too. Customer satisfaction ratings are high for value, ease of use and capabilities, making Trend Micro a compelling option for SMBs and others valuing those traits. IDPS, encryption, and DLP are other areas we’ve rated the company’s products highly in.

Okta

Best for Access Management

Headquarters: San Francisco

Founded: 2009

Annual Revenue: $1.83 billion

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 4

Okta has had its challenges, including some issues with breaches, but remains well positioned for the important identity and access management (IAM) and zero trust markets. It offers a unique value proposition as a quick and easy way for organizations to get started implementing zero trust. With easy to use, deploy and manage products, Okta continues to attract security buyers, with revenues expected to grow 41% this year to $1.83 billion and a long-term expected growth rate of 25%. In addition to IAM and zero trust, the 14-year-old San Francisco-based company also made our top network security and single sign-on lists.

OneTrust

Best for Privacy and Compliance

Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia

Founded: 2016

Annual Revenue: Privately held; GrowJo estimates $669 million

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 3

With revenue up roughly 200% since our last update, OneTrust has backed up its early promise as few startups can. With annual revenue estimated at $669 million, the $933 million that venture investors have sunk into OneTrust is beginning to look like a bargain, and its $5.3 billion “unicorn” valuation reasonable. In the crazy market for cybersecurity startups, OneTrust is starting to resemble a blue chip company. The 7-year-old privacy compliance technology startup has ridden data privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA to rapid growth and high rankings on our risk management, third-party risk management and hot cybersecurity startups lists.

Rapid7

Best for Value and Ease of Use

Headquarters: Boston, Mass.

Founded: 2000

Annual Revenue: $680 million

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 10

Rapid7 (RPD) has combined a strong vulnerability management platform with SIEM and threat detection capabilities, with an emphasis on value and ease of use that is driving the company to long-term growth of 52% a year, according to Wall Street analysts. That combination has landed Rapid7 on 10 of our top product lists: SIEM, SOAR, MDR, vulnerability management, VMaaS, vulnerability scanning, breach and attack simulation, application security, UEBA and DevSecOps. Rapid7 has also been among the most open cybersecurity vendors when it comes to pricing, transparency that the industry could use more of.

Also read our Rapid7 InsightIDR SIEM tutorial

Proofpoint

Best for Value and Ease of Use

Headquarters: Sunnyvale, California

Founded: 2002

Annual Revenue: $1.2 billion (2021)

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 5

Proofpoint cleared the $1 billion revenue mark before being taken private by Thomas Bravo in 2021. While we don’t have the insight into the company’s financial growth rate we once did, Proofpoint’s better-than-expected sales growth of 20%+ in 2021 was a good note to go private on. Proofpoint has made securing end users its focus, and the Sunnyvale-based company’s SECaaS product portfolio made five of our top product lists, including CASB, data loss prevention (DLP), zero trust, threat intelligence and email gateways. Proofpoint offers email protection, network sandboxing, security awareness training, cloud protection and more. Its move into security awareness training via the 2018 acquisition of Wombat Security put the company in a good position to address the biggest security vulnerability of all: the mistakes made by a company’s own end users.

Tenable

Best for Vulnerability Management

Headquarters: Columbia, Maryland

Founded: 2002

Annual Revenue: $680 million

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 6

Tenable (TENB) has been singularly focused on reducing the attack surface, which has propelled the company to $680 million in annual revenue and a 42% expected long-term growth rate. That focus on a critical — and difficult to get right — cybersecurity practice has landed the Maryland-based company on six of our top product lists: Vulnerability management, vulnerability scanning, patch management, cloud security, Active Directory security, and breach and attack simulation. User reviews have been positive across product lines, a good sign of consistency.

KnowBe4

Best for Security Awareness Training

Headquarters: Clearwater, Florida

Founded: 2010

Annual Revenue: $334 million

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 3

KnowBe4 (KNBE) may largely be known for one product, but what a product it is. As the early leader in cybersecurity awareness training, KnowBe4 gained first mover advantage in the all-important market for training employees not to do stupid things. That assessment may sound a little flip, but employee errors like clicking on malicious links and downloads continue to be the cause of most cyber attacks, and many devastating ones at that. That makes preventing employee error through measures like training and email gateways a critically important practice for reducing cyber attacks. User reviews have been very positive, and equally positive employee reviews suggest that KnowBe4 may be one of the best places to work in the industry. Growth has slowed to around 35% in recent quarters, but Wall Street analysts expect that to double in the coming years. In all, KnowBe4 has made three of our lists. Security training, of course, including a product award, and its PhishER email security product made our small business security products list too.

Darktrace

Best for AI Security

Headquarters: Cambridge, UK

Founded: 2013

Annual Revenue: $445 million

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 2

Darktrace’s sales growth has slowed to around 25% recently, but the UK-based company’s pioneering work in AI-based security continues to earn it a spot on this list. We’ve placed the company on our top IDPS and NDR lists, but with capabilities spanning prevention, detection, response and healing, the 10-year-old venture between British intelligence agencies and Cambridge University mathematicians is not easy to categorize. User reviews are very positive, and Darktrace remains one to watch.

Check Point

Best for Firewalls

Headquarters: Tel Aviv, Israel, and San Carlos, California

Founded: 1993

Annual Revenue: $2.15 billion

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 13

Check Point’s (CHKP) 7% revenue growth may not turn heads, but the 30-year-old firewall pioneer offers a complete security portfolio that offers strong security and value too. Firewalls, gateways, UTM, EDR, threat intelligence, incident response, encryption and data loss prevention are just some of the areas the company ranks highly in. It is one of just three Leaders on Gartner’s Magic Quadrant in the all-important network firewall market — and the other two leaders, Palo Alto and Fortinet, sit atop this list. Check Point has repeatedly scored high in independent security tests from MITRE, Cyber Ratings and others, and customer satisfaction ratings have been solid.

Sophos

Best for Home and Small Office Security

Headquarters: Abingdon, United Kingdom

Founded: 1985

Annual Revenue: $818 million (GrowJo estimate)

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 12

Sophos is one of the oldest security vendors on this list, from the 1980s era that also saw the founding of RSA, McAfee, Symantec and Trend Micro. The company went private in 2020 after being acquired by Thomas Bravo, and appears to have grown revenues since then, with services a major focus area under the new ownership. Sophos offers strong security in a number of areas, often at value pricing. That combination has landed Sophos on 12 of our top products lists: WAF, NGFW, UTM, EDR, encryption, XDR, MDR, ransomware removal, container security, BAS, CWPP, and even antivirus. Unlike Symantec and McAfee, which have separated their consumer and enterprise businesses, Sophos and Trend Micro have retained control of their consumer products, and Sophos offers a very good one that even uses some of its enterprise EDR artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. Other areas of strength include firewalls and network and cloud security, giving Sophos a good base for the emerging XDR market. Customer reviews have been among the best on this list, showing plenty of demand for products that offer good security, value and ease of use.

Broadcom

Best for Endpoint Management

Headquarters: San Jose, California

Founded: 1991

Annual Revenue: $41 billion

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 15

Broadcom (AVGO) moved heavily into the security market three years ago with the acquisition of Symantec’s enterprise security business, and if it can convince U.S. and EU regulators to let it acquire VMware, Broadcom will further add to that security business. That proposed merger is the one cloud hanging over the Broadcom security business right now, as the deal would give the company two of the top EDR products in Symantec and Carbon Black. How that shakes out is anyone’s guess, but one that security customers of both companies will certainly be watching. Symantec has made 15 of our top product lists, including endpoint security, CASB, WAF, web gateways, managed services, encryption, XDR, access management, DLP and zero trust. With strong R&D and product teams, the longtime security leader is not content to rest on its laurels, with intelligent focus on innovation.

Trellix

Best XDR Solution

Headquarters: San Jose, California

Founded: 1987 (McAfee), 2004 (FireEye)

Annual Revenue: Privately held

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 15

Trellix, the name given to the merged entity of FireEye and McAfee Enterprise, has appeared on 15 of our top security products lists. As Trellix made XDR its primary focus, it spun off much of McAfee’s cloud business as Skyhigh Security to focus on SASE use cases. Both companies are owned by private equity group Symphony Technology Group (STG) – which also owns RSA, our next entry on this list. Admittedly all that sounds a little complicated, and it will likely take time for Trellix and Skyhigh to firmly establish their identities in the minds of security buyers. Trellix remains strong in its core XDR market, which includes IDPS, SIEM, endpoint protection, threat intelligence, encryption and email security, but CASB is now a Skyhigh product and the two have a joint DLP offering.

RSA

Best Risk Management Solution

Headquarters: Bedford, Massachusetts

Founded: 1982

Annual Revenue: Privately held

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 7

RSA remains an independent company within STG’s security portfolio, which also includes Trellix and Skyhigh Security. RSA boasts strong products, a respected name and its eponymous conference among its considerable assets. We’ve given the company high marks in GRC, threat intelligence, encryption, SIEM, risk management and UEBA, among other areas. Customer satisfaction ratings have been a little lower than some of the other leaders on this list, and despite the strong name recognition, the company hasn’t stood out as much as its name would suggest. But with RSA encryption algorithms sure to be in the headlines as we enter the quantum computing age, the RSA name will remain a strong one.

Microsoft

Best for Windows Security

Headquarters: Redmond, Washington

Founded: 1975

Annual Revenue: $213 billion

Appearances on eSecurity Planet‘s Top Vendors lists: 7

One surprise in the security market in recent years has been Microsoft’s (MSFT) outperformance in independent security tests. The company has been near the top in MITRE endpoint evaluations for a few years now, but at the top in last year’s MSSP tests? We certainly didn’t expect to see that. The software giant has quietly built up a large security portfolio. This includes Active Directory for identity and access management, Microsoft Defender, Azure cloud security services such as Microsoft Sentinel intelligence and analytics, Azure Key Vault, Azure DDoS Protection, Azure Application Gateway, database security and more. While not without occasional missteps and performance issues, Microsoft’s rise in the security market has been good news, especially in a world that’s still very much Windows-centric.

Also see our picks for the top cybersecurity startups

Top Cybersecurity Companies Compared

The following table compares our top 20 providers, including their appearances on our top product lists and raw scores from Gartner Peer Insights, Glassdoor, and composite independent security testing. For security tests, we used scores from MITRE, CyberRatings, and NSS Labs tests from 2020-2023.

Other Cybersecurity Market Leaders

The cybersecurity industry is loaded with great companies. The following didn’t quite make our cut for the top cybersecurity companies, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have great products and services. Some continue to gain traction, while in other cases mergers and private equity takeovers have limited our visibility, but all these vendors have made our top product lists and will meet the needs of many users.

1. OpenText/Micro Focus (SIEM, access management, encryption, patch management, application security, DevSecOps, SSO)
2. Splunk (SIEM, SOAR, UEBA, network security)
3. Ivanti (patch management, VMaaS, ITAM, zero trust, EMM, VPN)
4. Imperva (WAF, database security, threat intelligence, bot protection, DDoS)
5. Illumio (zero trust, microsegmentation, CWPP, top startup)
6. SkyHigh Security (zero trust, SASE, DLP, CASB, cloud security)
7. Barracuda (WAF, NGFW, UTM, SD-WAN, web gateway, email security)
8. Tanium (zero trust, patch management)
9. Netskope (CASB, zero trust, SASE)
10. SonicWall (WAF, UTM, NGFW, threat intelligence)
11. LogRhythm (SIEM, SOAR, UEBA, threat intelligence)
12. Forcepoint (NGFW, CASB, DLP, zero trust)
13. CyberArk (privileged access management, IAM, SSO, zero trust, DevSecOps)
14. Qualys (vulnerability management, vulnerability scanning, BAS, VMaaS, container security, cloud security)
15. Cybereason (EDR, XDR, MDR, top startup)
16. Juniper Networks (NGFW, SD-WAN, UTM, zero trust)
17. Akamai (DDoS, bot protection, zero trust, BAS, WAF, network security)
18. SentinelOne (EDR, MDR, XDR, CWPP)
19. Arctic Wolf (vulnerability management, MDR)
20. Snyk (application security, container security, DevSecOps)
21. Lacework (cloud security)
22. Cynet (EDR, XDR, UEBA, deception tools, incident response, SMB security)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The following questions are some of the most common from individuals researching security technologies and jobs.

What Are the Main Types of Cybersecurity?

While the security industry is broad and nuanced, there are a few widely recognized categories of security:

• Network security protects the connections between networks, including data transfers to and from the internet, and hardware like routers and switches
• Endpoint security protects devices like laptops, phones, and servers
• Application security protects software, data and access at the individual application level
• Cloud security protects cloud environments and data from vulnerabilities and threat actors

Also note that some security solutions cover multiple categories. Extended detection and response (XDR), for example, pulls alerts from endpoints, networks, and applications into a single console for centralized management.

How Do You Choose a Cybersecurity Company?

Choosing a cybersecurity vendor involves multiple factors, including company focus, integration issues, customer support needs, your team’s skill level, and your budget. Consider the following questions when choosing a cybersecurity vendor:

1. What is the company’s overall focus? If you’re searching for a container security solution, you’ll want to consider a vendor that specializes in cloud and application security. If the company mostly sells networking security solutions, you might want to consider other vendors. This question won’t apply as much to broader solutions like EDR, but for highly specialized security tools it could.
2. How many of their solutions will you use? If you have software or hardware from another security vendor, do they integrate well? And look at support for other applications too.
3. What are your customer support needs? Determine how much support and training your security and IT teams need, and then choose a vendor accordingly. Signs that a vendor has good technical service include 24/7 support in multiple channels and high praise for the support team in reviews.
4. Can your business afford it? Some smaller businesses might not have the budget for vendors like Palo Alto and CrowdStrike, and that’s okay. There are plenty of providers that not only have SMB-friendly costs but also have security solutions designed for small companies.

Will Cybersecurity Jobs Become Obsolete?

If you’re a job seeker in the security industry or considering a career change, know that cybersecurity careers aren’t going anywhere. They might continue to change as the industry evolves, but demand for cybersecurity skills remains strong. Today’s IT climate requires knowledge of large security platforms, detection and response technologies, and even sometimes distributed systems.

Job seekers will need to research the field and curate skills that will be most useful to potential employers. Organizations like EC-Council and CompTIA+ have certifications that provide a springboard for individuals wanting to start a security career. And continued education is critical for staying on top of threats — never stop learning.

What Are the Top Cybersecurity Companies to Work for?

The following companies are a sample of highly rated enterprises with strong security solutions. If you’re job searching or considering a career change, look at open roles with these tech organizations.

SentinelOne offers good benefits and receives a staggering 4.8 out of 5 stars on Glassdoor. SentinelOne is also comparatively small in the security industry, with fewer than a thousand employees. And the company boasts some pretty stellar cybersecurity products too.

Netskope offers flexible spending accounts, a 401(k), and employee stock purchase plans to its personnel. It earns 4.6 stars from Glassdoor employee reviews. Netskope specializes in SASE, CASB, and SD-WAN technology.

Palo Alto Networks has employee benefits like stock purchase plans, development courses, and a 401(k). It earns 4.3 stars on Glassdoor. Palo Alto has some of the best and broadest security in the entire industry so there’s lots of opportunity to experience different facets of security.

Fortinet offers benefits like unlimited PTO, a health savings account, and a 401(k) to employees. It too has 4.3 stars on Glassdoor. Fortinet is known for its firewalls but excels elsewhere as well, including in SIEM and EDR.

And don’t forget big IT vendors with a security presence. Cisco (4.4 stars from Glassdoor) and Microsoft (4.3) are two standouts to consider.

And lastly, CyberArk offers an investment program, employee recognition program, and tuition reimbursement. The IAM leader receives 4.2 stars on Glassdoor.

Methodology

Cybersecurity has been the top spending priority of CIOs for some time now, ahead of more strategic IT investments like AI and digital transformation, as crippling ransomware, software supply chain and critical infrastructure attacks have gotten the attention of C-level execs and corporate boards. With the damage a breach can do to a company’s intellectual property, reputation and revenues — not to mention heavy fines under data privacy laws — companies have been pouring money into the $188 billion enterprise security market. But who are the market leaders? To find out, eSecurity Planet routinely conducts an analysis of the world’s largest and hottest cybersecurity vendors and ranks the top ones.

To compile our list, we start with innovation and market leadership, hence our focus on our rigorously researched top security product lists. Consistent performance, revenue and growth are ranking factors, as a product without traction likely isn’t meeting a strong need. Strong independent security test results get our attention in a market that is starved for information. User reviews, product features, benefits and use cases, and analyst reports also play a role in our analysis. Venture capital funding will get our attention only if it’s backed by substantial revenues and growth.

The biggest surprises in this list are the number of smaller vendors that are rapidly moving up, ahead of some more established names. Specialization can be a good thing in cybersecurity, witness the likes of CrowdStrike, Okta and OneTrust high on our list. The vendors at the top of the list shouldn’t surprise longtime readers — Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet continue to impress us — and a number of other vendors have also withstood the test of time to stay on the list.

But the second tier of vendors contains some impressive names too, and offerings and traction were compelling enough that we added 21 additional names after our top 20.

The cybersecurity market is strong and thriving, and whatever your needs, eSecurity Planet has the answers.

Bottom Line: Top Cybersecurity Companies

The enterprise security market is a wide one, covering a range of technologies and systems that need to be protected. Some vendors offer a variety of products, while others specialize in just one or two. To choose a potential provider for your business, consider your needs first before searching for the right fit. While all the vendors listed above offer strong solutions, it’s worth the effort to research and demo products until you find one well suited to your organization’s cybersecurity needs. 

Read next: Security Outlook 2023: Cyber Warfare Expands Threats

Drew Robb and Jenna Phipps contributed to this research report.

The post Top 42 Cybersecurity Companies To Know in 2023 appeared first on eSecurityPlanet.

Securing cloud-native apps requires an extensive approach that goes well beyond basic security solutions. Cloud native application protection platforms (CNAPP) accomplish that by combining a range of cloud security tools and functions such as cloud workload protection platforms (CWPP), cloud security posture management (CSPM), cloud infrastructure entitlement management (CIEM), Infrastructure-as-Code (IAC) scanning and more to secure cloud workloads, applications, identity and access management, dev environments and more from threats and vulnerabilities.

We’ll take an in-depth look at the top five CNAPP solutions available today, followed by recommendations to help you choose the best CNAPP product for your organization’s needs.

Top CNAPP tools:

• Check Point CloudGuard: Best for container security and runtime protection
• CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security: Best for advanced threat protection
• Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks: Best for comprehensive cloud-native application security
• Sysdig Secure: Best for consolidated CDR and CNAPP capabilities
• Wiz: Best for intuitive user interface

Top 5 Cloud Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) Comparison

Here is an overview of the top five cloud native application protection platforms, including their CWPP/CSPM integration, agent or agentless approach, free trial availability and pricing details.

Jump ahead to:

• Key Features of Cloud Native Application Protection Platforms
• How Do I Choose the Best CNAPP Solution for My Business?
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• How We Selected the Top CNAPP Products
• Bottom Line: Cloud Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP)

Check Point CloudGuard

Best for container security and runtime protection

Check Point CloudGuard provides greater security capabilities for cloud-native applications through the combination of CWPP and CSPM. It is ideal for enterprises looking for improved container security and runtime protection in their cloud settings. It has a unified dashboard, a policy rule set, and support for both agent and agentless monitoring and protection. Check Point CloudGuard distinguishes itself with its comprehensive container security and runtime protection features, making it a good alternative for enterprises looking to improve the security of their cloud-native applications.

Pricing

• Check Point has not provided pricing information for this service but you may contact Check Point sales for custom quotes
• AWS Marketplace provides some pricing information that starts at $625 per month for 25 assets

Features

• The Infinity unified security platform enables intelligent threat prevention from on-premises to the cloud
• Protects against attacks across major cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Cisco ACI, VMWare NSX, Ali, and Oracle
• Provides unified visualization for all of your cloud traffic, security warnings and assets, as well as auto-remediation
• Provides DevOps with the tools they need to assess security posture, get configuration assistance, alerts, and governance during CI/CD
• Integrates controls into CI/CD technologies, such as CloudFormation and Terraform, allowing pre-deployment security posture evaluation and scaling over hundreds of thousands of cloud assets
• Profiles and defines application behavior automatically, imposing zero trust boundaries across cloud workloads like containers and serverless architectures
• Offers security hardening, runtime code analysis, and Web/API security, with cloud-native multi-layer protection
• Protects against misconfigurations and updates security and compliance best practices, including auto-remediation
• Complies with regulatory and industry standards such as HIPAA, CIS BENCHMARKS, NIST CSF/800-53, and PCI-DSS, and provides High Fidelity Posture Management (HFPM) to ensure contextual cloud security across 300+ native cloud services

Pros

• Comprehensive container security and runtime protection
• Suitable for large-scale businesses that use SaaS as a delivery model
• Integrates with both CWPP and CSPM for increased security
• Offers threat intelligence and proactive protection systems
• Includes compliance and governance components to ensure regulatory compliance
• Integrates well with DevOps procedures for secure development

Cons

• Pricing information is not publicly available
• Some advanced features and add-ons may require additional configuration and setup and add to cost

See the Top Cloud Security Companies

CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security

Best for advanced threat protection in cloud environments

CrowdStrike‘s CNAPP capabilities were boosted last year through its CrowdStrike Falcon Cloud Security platform. New features are designed to improve threat hunting in cloud environments, reduce response times, and improve overall security. Falcon Cloud Security includes CWP, CSPM, CIEM and container security in a single CNAPP offering.

CrowdStrike offers a “1-Click XDR” capability that automatically identifies and secures unprotected cloud workloads by instantly deploying the CrowdStrike Falcon agent, in addition to agentless options for cloud application security. The agent-based technology protects both before and during runtime, giving organizations total visibility and repair capabilities. This adversary-focused technique helps organizations secure their cloud infrastructure and applications throughout the CI/CD pipeline.

Pricing

• Price starts at $300 annually per basic Falcon Go bundle. AWS offers additional pricing info.

Features

• Streamlines compliance enforcement and delivers multi-cloud visibility, continuous monitoring, and threat detection, allowing DevOps teams to deploy applications more quickly and efficiently
• Provides automatic detection and protection of all workloads with a single click, integrating seamlessly with DevOps to support continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD)
• Provides strong identity-based security, visibility, privileged access management and policy enforcement
• Performs one-click remediation testing before deployment
• Supports containers, Kubernetes and hosts across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud environments
• Provides for vulnerability discovery from development to production in any cloud

Pros

• Comprehensive cloud security posture management (CSPM) is now integrated along with cloud workload protection
• Requires minimal CPU demand and negligible impact on system performance
• Delivers a comprehensive and accurate picture of the cloud threat landscape
• Real-time visibility and monitoring of cloud workloads
• Employs advanced behavioral analytics and machine learning for effective and proactive threat identification and defense
• Continuously monitors and alerts for unusual activity

Cons

• Some users report that the user account management for insider threat detection could be better
• Some advanced features may require additional configuration and cost

Prisma Cloud

Best for comprehensive cloud-native application security capabilities

Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto Networks’ CNAPP technology offers full security stack protection for cloud settings. The platform’s unified strategy helps security operations and DevOps teams work cohesively and expedite secure cloud-native application development. Prisma Cloud CNAPP distinguishes itself with its enhanced and comprehensive cloud-native application protection features, allowing businesses to easily safeguard containerized and serverless applications. It’s best suited for enterprises looking for strong and proactive cloud-native application protection.

Pricing

• Starts at $9,000 annually per 100 Business Edition credits
• Explore Prisma Cloud by Palo Alto’s pricing guide here or visit AWS marketplace for more pricing information

Features

• Offers full-stack security from code to cloud, covering IaC security, Secrets security, Container image scanning, Software composition analysis (SCA), Supply chain security, and Software bill of materials (SBOM) generation
• Provides visibility, compliance, and governance in its cloud asset inventory, configuration assessment (runtime), and compliance monitoring and reporting
• Automated threat detection through user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA), API-based network traffic visibility, analytics, and anomaly detection and automated investigation and response
• Continuously detects and automatically remediates identity and access risks across infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS) offerings
• Detects and prevents network anomalies by enforcing container-level microsegmentation, inspecting traffic flow logs, and leveraging advanced cloud-native Layer 7 threat prevention with network visibility and anomaly detection, identity-based microsegmentation, and cloud-native firewalling
• Includes host security, container security, serverless security, and web application and API security

Pros

• Security is readily integrated into the main CI/CD processes, registries, and running stacks
• Across the application lifetime, it provides visibility, control, and automatic solutions for vulnerabilities and misconfigurations incorporated in developer tools
• Vulnerability intelligence from over 30 sources gives quick risk clarity, while controls across the development process keep vulnerable settings from reaching production
• Offers built-in compliance monitoring and reporting features
• Provides advanced threat intelligence and anomaly detection capabilities

Cons

• Data classification, malware scanning, and data governance are available for AWS support only
• Some advanced features may need additional configuration, training, and expertise for deployment

Also read: CNAP Platforms: The Next Evolution of Cloud Security

Sysdig Secure

Best for consolidated CDR and CNAPP capabilities

Sysdig Secure consolidates cloud detection and response (CDR) and cloud-native application protection platforms (CNAPP), employing the open-source Falco in both agent and agentless deployment modes. With this pairing, threats can be identified quickly anywhere in the cloud, with 360-degree visibility and connection across workloads, identities, cloud services, and third-party applications. Sysdig Secure offers a comprehensive set of capabilities such as identity threat detection, incident response, software supply chain detection, increased Drift Control, and live mapping.

Pricing

• Sysdig provides only custom quotes, but AWS Marketplace provides some pricing information that starts at $720 annually per standard Sysdig Secure plan. Additional usage costs $0.125/unit.

Features

• Agentless Falco deployment for cloud threat detection removes the requirement to deploy Falco on infrastructure
• Sysdig Okta detection safeguards against identity threats by correlating Okta events with cloud and container activities and offering real-time insight
• Sysdig GitHub detections expand threat detection to the software supply chain, alerting developers and security teams to crucial events such as hidden pushes
• Prevents runtime assaults by prohibiting executables that do not originate from the original container
• Kubernetes Live allows teams to dynamically see their infrastructure and workloads, allowing for faster issue response
• Sysdig Process Tree illustrates the attack path from user to process, giving crucial information for recognizing and removing threats
• Provides curated threat dashboards for a unified view of security concerns across clouds, containers, Kubernetes, and hosts, prioritizing risks in real time; mapping against the MITRE framework further adds context to cloud-native settings

Pros

• Drift Control has been improved to avoid runtime assaults
• Kubernetes Live provides real-time incident response with live mapping
• Provides both agent-based and Falco-based advanced agentless cloud threat detection
• Detects identity threats with Sysdig Okta detections
• Detects software supply chain issues with Sysdig GitHub detections

Cons

• Pricing information is only available upon request
• For effective deployment, additional training and expertise may be required

See the Top Container Security Solutions

Wiz

Best for intuitive single user interface

Wiz CNAPP provides a cloud infrastructure security solution that includes CSPM, CWPP, and other capabilities in a single unified platform. It can identify an isolated misconfiguration in a single layer of the cloud environment, and also consolidates information using a graph-based database across multiple layers of the cloud environment to identify where a breach path could be and risk to the environment. Wiz easily integrates with DevOps and provides intelligent automation.

Pricing

• Wiz doesn’t publish pricing information, but you may contact Wiz Sales for plans and quotations. Some Wiz pricing information is available on AWS.

Features

• Scans buckets, data volumes, and databases fast and classifies the data for monitoring
• Performs continuous detection of critical data exposure
• Uses schema matching to identify data flow and lineage
• Automatically assesses compliance on a continuous basis to verify that security rules are continuously implemented
• Provides agentless scanning that can be implemented quickly 

Pros

• Agentless and graph-based architecture
• Wiz deployment uses a single cloud role to scan your whole cloud environment, including PaaS, VMs, containers, serverless operations, buckets, data volumes, and databases
• Provides a unified platform, a unified data layer, and a unified policy framework for normalizing data across clouds, architectures, pipelines, and runtimes
• A single risk queue prioritizes what action your teams should take
• Simplifies the workflow of risk reduction

Cons

• Pricing information is only available from Wiz Sales
• Customers have reported some difficulty in contacting the customer success team
• The website does not mention a free trial version, although a free demo is available

Also read:

• Top Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) Solutions
• Top Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Providers

Key Features of Cloud Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP)

Cloud Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) provide a comprehensive set of security capabilities for cloud-native applications. These solutions protect cloud-native environments against evolving threats and ensure the integrity and compliance of applications by providing container security, advanced threat intelligence, DevOps integration, microservices and serverless application security, as well as compliance and governance functionalities.

Container Security and Runtime Protection

Container security protections provided by CNAPP systems should be robust, including vulnerability scanning, security configuration management, and runtime protection. These technologies discover vulnerabilities, enforce safe setups, and provide runtime defensive mechanisms by continually monitoring containers.

Advanced Threat Intelligence Capabilities

CNAPP employs advanced threat intelligence approaches such as machine learning algorithms and behavioral analytics. Because of this proactive strategy, the systems can identify and mitigate complex attacks in real time. CNAPP systems identify possible security problems and take proactive actions to reduce risks by identifying patterns and unusual activity.

DevOps Integration

One of CNAPP systems’ key features should include a seamless integration with DevOps procedures. These systems provide a complete security orchestration architecture that works in tandem with DevOps tools and procedures. CNAPP systems guarantee that security measures are implemented from the beginning of the software development lifecycle, allowing enterprises to construct safe applications without sacrificing development pace.

Microservices and Serverless Application Security

End-to-end security for microservices-based architectures and runtime defense includes traffic encryption, identity and access management, and runtime defense methods. CNAPP technologies also ensure the integrity and confidentiality of serverless environments by defending against function-level vulnerabilities, API misuse, and data disclosure threats.

Compliance and Governance

CNAPP solutions help enterprises maintain a strong security posture and adhere to industry-specific standards by automating compliance checks and providing governance frameworks.

How Do I Choose the Best Cloud Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) for My Business?

Matching your requirements and cloud environment with the best CNAPP product for your needs is the surest way to better cloud security. Here are several guidelines to aid you in your CNAPP product evaluation.

• Determine your requirements. Begin by learning about your organization’s particular needs and security goals. Consider the type of apps you need to protect, the cloud platforms you use, and your regulatory compliance requirements.
• Assess CNAPP product features, such as container security, runtime protection, threat intelligence, and compliance capabilities. Select a platform that meets your requirements.
• Evaluate scalability and performance of CNAPP tools to make sure they can manage the volume and complexity of your applications and minimize performance lags.
• Look for CNAPP products that will integrate well with your current technology stack, which should include your cloud provider, DevOps tools, and security information and event management (SIEM) systems.
• Consider ease of use. Make sure that the CNAPP platform has an interface and usability that allows your security team to easily manage and monitor application security, create reports, and investigate events.
• Examine CNAPP providers’ track records and reputation, including their customer support services, response times, and dedication to correcting vulnerabilities as soon as possible.
• Consider getting a free trial or doing a proof of concept to assess the efficacy and usability of the CNAPP tools in a real-world setting.

Also read: 13 Cloud Security Best Practices

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Is a Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP)?

A cloud-native application protection platform (CNAPP) is a comprehensive cloud-native security solution that integrates important cloud protections like cloud security posture management (CSPM), cloud infrastructure entitlement management (CIEM), Infrastructure-as-Code (IAC) scanning, cloud service network security (CSNS), and cloud workload protection (CWPP) into one cohesive platform.

What Are the Benefits of CNAPPs?

CNAPPs improve cloud security in a number of important ways:

• Increasing security, visibility, and control over cloud-native apps and infrastructure
• CNAPP is optimized for cloud-native environments, such as containers and serverless architectures, to maximize security
• CNAPP solutions monitor for misconfigurations, code vulnerabilities, and other security issues in cloud workloads, Kubernetes clusters and other cloud environments, resulting in tighter security controls and fewer vulnerabilities.

How We Selected the Top CNAPP Products

We assessed the best CNAPP products by analyzing the range and quality of security features, ease of use, integration, support, automation, and compliance features, as well as pricing, reputation, and customer feedback. We examined a range of data points and product characteristics, including vendor documentation, analyst reports, security data, and user reviews.

Bottom Line: Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP)

Cloud-native application protection platforms (CNAPP) have become the state of the art in cloud security by unifying important protections such as cloud security posture management (CSPM) and cloud workload protection platforms (CWPP) into a comprehensive platform. Organizations that depend heavily on cloud-native applications and environments should give serious consideration to implementing a CNAPP solution to protect those assets.

Read next: Security Buyers Are Consolidating Vendors: Gartner Security Summit

The post 5 Best Cloud Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) in 2023 appeared first on eSecurityPlanet.

By automating GRC practices, GRC tools can help companies prevent the damage and huge fines and losses that can come from failing to protect personally identifiable information (PII) and critical company data.

Many organizations don’t have a good handle on the data they have or how they’re required to protect it. GRC software can give businesses a plan for protecting their most sensitive data, addressing security vulnerabilities, and for limiting damage in the event of a breach.

Here, in our analysis, are the top 10 GRC solutions, followed by features and issues buyers should consider as they look for a GRC tool.

• RSA Archer: Best for Breadth of Features
• LogicManager: Best for Risk Reporting
• Riskonnect: Best for Internal Auditing
• SAP GRC: Best for Real-time Visibility and Control
• SAI360: Best for Monitoring Third-party Access
• MetricStream GRC: Best for Flexibility and Customization
• Enablon GRC: Best for Continuous Assessment
• ServiceNow: Best for Automation
• StandardFusion: Best User Experience
• Fusion Framework: Best GRC tool for Visualization
• What is GRC Software?
• What Do GRC Tools Include?
• What Is the Purpose of GRC?
• Which Industries Typically Need GRC Tools?
• Features of GRC Software
• How To Choose a GRC Solution
• Bottom Line: GRC Tools

Top Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Tools Comparison Chart

Archer

Best GRC for Extensive Features

Private equity group Cinven recently acquired RSA’s Archer Suite, now operating as Kansas-based Archer Technologies LLC. Archer offers nine risk management solution areas, with four platform options, from streamlined through enterprise. Archer removes silos from the risk management process so that all efforts are streamlined and the information is accurate, consolidated, and comprehensive. The platform’s configurability enables users to quickly make changes with no coding or database development required.

Key features

• IT & security risk management
• Enterprise & operational risk management
• Regulatory & corporate compliance
• Audit management
• Business resiliency
• Public sector solutions
• Third-party governance
• ESG management
• Operational resilience

Pros

• Broad GRC capabilities
• Customizable workflow
• Comprehensive dashboard view
• Report customization
• Admins can set access control at the system, application, record, and field levels, allowing users to log in based on their access level

Cons

• User interface could be improved
• The keyword search feature could be better

Pricing

Archer does not list pricing on its website, but pricing per risk area typically starts around $30,000 to $50,000.

LogicManager

Best GRC for Risk Reporting

LogicManager’s GRC solution has specific use cases across financial services, education, government, healthcare, retail, and technology, among other industries. Like other competitive GRC solutions, it speeds the process of aggregating and mining data, building reports, and managing files.

Key features

• Enterprise risk management
• IT governance and security
• Compliance management
• Third-party risk management
• Audit management
• Incident management
• Policy management
• Business continuity planning
• Financial reporting compliance

Pros

• Pre-built and configurable reports featuring heat maps, risk summaries, and risk control matrices
• Allows users to automate workflows
• LogicManager custom profile and visibility rules allow users to configure GRC form input fields to fit specific scenarios
• Efficient support team

Cons

• Some users say the platform and interface could be more intuitive and easier to use
• Reporting functionality could be improved

Pricing

Pricing for LogicManager is based on the size and complexity of an organization, but can start as low as $10,000 a year.

Riskonnect

Best GRC Tool for Internal Auditing

The Riskonnect GRC platform has specific use cases for risk management, information security, compliance, and audit professionals in healthcare, retail, insurance, financial services, and manufacturing. It integrates the governance, management, and reporting of performance, risk, and compliance processes company-wide.

Strategic analytics (built into the platform through Riskonnect Insights) provide intelligence by surfacing, alerting, and visualizing critical risks to senior leadership. Riskonnect also boasts tight integration with the Salesforce CRM platform.

Key features

• Risk management information system
• Claims administration
• Internal auditing
• Third-party risk management
• Enterprise risk management
• Compliance management

Pros

• Riskconnect automates task assignment, document management, data deduplication and data entry
• Dashboards provide risk status and customizable KRIs and KPIs
• Gathers vendor information – including agreements, contracts, policies, and access credentials 
• Merges insurable and non-insurable risks for easy management

Cons

• Some users reported that the software implementation process can be difficult
• Steep learning curve

Pricing

Riskconnect doesn’t list prices on its website, but the ESG Governance solution is available to Salesforce users for $25 per user per month. The Riskonnect website also includes an ROI study that may be of value to potential customers.

SAP GRC

Best GRC Tool for Real-time Visibility and Control

For large enterprises, SAP’s GRC offering is a robust suite of tools that provide real-time visibility and control over business risks and opportunities. SAP’s in-memory data access provides top-of-the-line big data and predictive analytics capabilities tied to integrated risk management. 

Key features

• Process control
• Audit management
• Business integrity screening
• Regulation management
• Enterprise threat detection
• Privacy governance and management
• Global trade management
• S/4HANA implementation

Pros

• Streamline enterprise compliance efforts, document and assess critical process risks and controls, test, and remediate using best practice internal control processes
• SAP security information and event management helps identify, analyze, and addresses cyberattacks in real-time in SAP applications
• Allows admins to restrict, control, monitor, and manage user’s access
• Efficient support team
• Analyze large transactional data in real time, using predictive analysis and extensible rules to detect anomalies, fraud, or policy violations

Cons

• Users report that the solution is pricey for small businesses
• Steep learning curve
• Implementation can be challenging

Pricing

SAP GRC does not publish pricing information on its website. They offer demos and custom quotes. One UK consultancy offers SAP GRC as a Service starting at around US$6,000.

SAI360

Best GRC for employee training and monitoring third-party access

SAI360 from SAI Global offers three different editions of its platform to suit a variety of needs, from small businesses needing just the basics to large enterprises needing major customization.

SAI360 catalogs, monitors, updates, and manages a company’s operational GRC needs. It’s specifically focused on monitoring third parties with access to your systems, automating workflows to fill any gaps you might be missing, and creating a culture of compliance best practices among your internal teams.

Key features

• Compliance education & management
• IT risk & cybersecurity management
• Environment, health, and safety (EHS) management
• Enterprise & operational risk management
• Audit management
• Business continuity management
• Regulatory change management
• Internal control
• Vendor risk management

Pros

• Users can create relationships between elements like risks, controls, policies, applications, and loss events to enhance assessment scores and reporting
• Quality support team
• Easy workflow setup
• Provides a unified view of enterprise risk management

Cons

• Users reported that the solution has limited customization
• Reporting could be improved
• The user interface could be better

Pricing

SAI360 does not provide pricing, and we could find no secondary sources.

MetricStream GRC

Best GRC Tool for Flexibility and Customization

MetricStream’s platform is best for organizations that have unique requirements for different sets of users, including auditors, IT managers, and business executives.

MetricStream’s GRC platform is centered around three dimensions of risk: the waves of risk (financial, cyber, human health, and environmental); stakeholder engagement; and organizational agility. This kind of structuring helps you focus on what’s most important at any given moment.

Key features

• Enterprise & operational risk management
• Business continuity management
• Policy & compliance management
• Regulatory engagement & change management
• Case & survey management
• Internal audit management
• IT threat & vulnerability management
• Third-party management

Pros

• Provides mobile apps to support mobility
• Uses AI to remediate issues
• Automate content extraction from SOC2 and SOC3 reports
• Use AI-powered recommendations to categorize observations as a case, incident, issue, or loss event and route them for review, approval, and closure
• Provides insight into risks via advanced analytics, heat maps, reports, dashboards, and charts

Cons

• Reporting could be improved
• Users report that the solution can be buggy

Pricing

MetricStream does not publish pricing information for its solutions. However, AWS marketplace quotes MetricStream CyberGRC Prime for IT risk assessments, reporting, scoring and centralized management at $180,000 for 36 months. Prospective buyers should contact MetricStream directly to request pricing information and schedule a platform demo before making a purchase decision.

Enablon GRC

Best GRC for Continuous Assessment 

Enablon GRC is best aligned with businesses of all sizes and industries that place a strong emphasis on sustainability. While it has powerful automation capabilities that reduce—if not eliminate completely—the need for manual processes, Enablon truly shines with its dashboards and reporting tools.

The GRC platform will analyze your data from the top-down or from the bottom-up with the click of a button and help you identify high-level trends with speed and precision. Then you can download relevant data sets and export them as spreadsheets, PDFs, or presentations.

Key features

• Compliance management
• Audit management
• Inspection management
• Document control
• Incident management
• Risk management
• Internal control management
• Internal audit management
• Insurance & claims management
• Business continuity management
• Continuous assessment

Pros

• Leverage ML/AI to identify potential threats and risk incidents
• Offers self-service channels for faster incident reporting
• Manage KPIs
• Ensures compliance at site, regional and global level
• Mobile capabilities

Cons

• Initial setup can be cumbersome
• Requires comprehensive training

Pricing

Visit Wolters Kluwer’s website to request pricing information and book a demo. Some sources say pricing starts at around $50,000.

ServiceNow

Best GRC tool for Automation

ServiceNow, as the name implies, strives to provide the insight you need now. It uses sophisticated monitoring, automation, and analysis tools to identify risks in real-time, so you can respond to them as efficiently as possible.

ServiceNow GRC simplifies workflow management and tracking for collaboration with internal and external teams and also serves as a valuable project management tool in many cases. Its reporting tools leave something to be desired and could use improvement with its data visualization, but overall it is regarded as a powerful force in the GRC market.

Key features

• Policy & compliance management
• Risk management
• Business continuity management
• Vendor risk management
• Operational risk management & resilience
• Continuous authorization & monitoring
• Regulatory change
• Audit management
• Performance analytics
• Predictive intelligence

Pros

• Real-time view of compliance across the organization
• Automates workflow with a no-code playbook
• Users can interact with a virtual agent in human language to resolve common issues
• Allows users to manage and assess vendor’s risks
• Manages KRIs and KPIs library with automated data validation and evidence gathering

Cons

• Users report that the solution can be pricey
• Steep learning curve

Pricing

Pricing for ServiceNow GRC is available on request. ServiceNow partner pricing can start at about $3,000 a month, while base licensing can start around $50,000.

StandardFusion

Best GRC for Usability and User Experience

StandardFusion offers a range of GRC features for everything from small businesses to enterprises. Ease of use and deployment makes it a strong option for SMBs, but more advanced features will appeal to enterprises too.

It streamlines compliance standards for multiple regulations, including GDPR, HIPAA, NIST, CCPA, and many others. Unlike some GRC vendors, StandardFusion has a very transparent pricing structure, so you won’t be surprised by hidden costs or unexpected fees. User reviews have been very positive, rating the company well above average for ease of use, deployment and support, among other features.

Key features

• IT and operational risk management
• Vendor and third-party risk management
• Compliance and audit management
• Policy management
• Incident management

Pros

• Transparent pricing
• Integrates with several third-party tools, including RiskRecon, SecurityScorecard, Slack, Jira, Confluence, ZenDesk, SSP Reporting and POA&M
• Users can generate branded reports
• Manage compliance to multiple standards, such as ISO, SOC2, NIST, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI-DSS, and FedRAMP
• Quality support team
• Free trial available

Cons

• SSO is only available in enterprise packages. It costs an extra $200 per month for Starter and Professional plans.
• The starter plan lacks integration into major third-party apps
•  Steep learning curve

Pricing

StandardFusion offers four pricing plans

• Trial: A 14-day free trial is available
• Starter: $1,500 per month, onboarding fee: $7,500
• Professional: $2,500 per month, onboarding fee: $10,000
• Enterprise: $4,500 per month, onboarding fee: $20,000
• Enterprise+: $8,000 per month, onboarding: Dedicated implementation

Fusion Framework System

Best GRC tool for visualization

The Fusion Framework System is built on Salesforce Lightning, so it’s an ideal solution for organizations that are already using the newest Salesforce interface.

With the Fusion Framework System, users can map their business from top to bottom and visualize relationships, dependencies, and opportunities. Its click-to-configure user interface and guided workflows make Fusion Framework very user-friendly, and its integrations with other platforms add value to an already flexible tool.

Key features

• Enterprise & operational risk management
• Third-party management
• Business continuity management
• IT disaster recovery management
• Crisis & incident management

Pros

• Quality customer service team
• Users reported that the solution is highly customizable
• The UI is user-friendly
• Enables users to create guided workflows

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• The report builder could be improved

Pricing

Fusion doesn’t advertise prices on its website. Potential buyers can contact the sales team for custom quotes. However, Salesforce AppExchange notes that pricing starts at $30,000 per company per year. You can also book a free demo to get more information about the product.

What is GRC Software?

Governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) software helps businesses manage all of the necessary documentation and processes for ensuring maximum productivity and preparedness. Data privacy regulations like the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) can be hard to navigate for businesses of any size, but GRC tools can simplify and streamline adherence with all compliance demands.

GRC tools are also useful for preventing and addressing vulnerabilities that will inevitably impact your systems, resources, and stakeholders. Further, managing the short-term and long-term policies and procedures of your organization can be challenging without an effective GRC strategy in place.

See the Top Vulnerability Management Tools

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What Do GRC Tools Include?

Whether you have a small business or a large enterprise, governance, risk management, and compliance will play some role in your business operations and preparedness. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” and GRC strategies thus help your business avoid failure. This happens through planning for organizational structure, vulnerability monitoring and response, and reporting requirements.

Learn How To Improve Governance, Risk, and Compliance

Governance Management

Governance describes the top-down approach to managing your organization. Your business’s governance strategy is composed of all the business processes and policies that are structured, implemented, and maintained to preserve productive relationships among all stakeholders. It creates a framework that enables your business operations to run like a well-oiled machine. It also ensures that the top officials are receiving the most accurate information needed to make decisions quickly and effectively.

Risk Management

Risk management refers to the measures put in place to prevent, detect, and respond to vulnerabilities that can impact your organization from all perspectives. Specifically, risk management monitors all departments – most importantly IT, finance, and HR – to ensure your broader business goals won’t be impeded or compromised.

It considers all internal risks as well as those presented by working with third-party vendors. This is important because when you choose to work with a third-party vendor, you need to make sure they can be entrusted with your organization’s information and resources. Otherwise, you may be faced with costly data breaches, operational failure, or regulation non-compliance.

In addition to addressing the risks themselves, risk management also involves mitigating any consequences or potential impact on your organization’s infrastructure, resources, and stakeholders.

See the Best Third-Party Risk Management Software & Tools

Compliance Management

Compliance involves your business’s ability to fulfill the obligations set forth by government regulations. It relies heavily on documenting all efforts to meet relevant standards, usually concerning data protection and privacy. Such regulations include the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the CAN-SPAM Act, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Also Read: 34 Most Common Types of Network Security Protections

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What Is the Purpose of GRC?

To use an example of a functional GRC strategy in action, imagine a fictional retail business that sells vitamin supplements. The narrowest component, compliance, ensures that any data they collect is purposeful, the way they store the data is secure, and the way they use the data is appropriate. If they collect health information about prospective customers to match them with the right kinds of vitamins, compliance will help them meet all HIPAA requirements.

The risk management component monitors the security of the business’s infrastructure and technology, the activities of internal teams, and the suitability of prospective external partners. If there’s a phishing attempt that targets the company’s email system, the risk will be recorded, assessed, and dealt with in a way that minimizes damage to the internal systems and information. If there is damage, the risk management strategy will also help recovery efforts regarding the impacted technology and data itself as well as any reputational rehabilitation that may be required.

Perhaps most broadly, the corporate governance component helps the business’s leadership manage the company’s success in meeting short-term and long-term goals. It provides an overview of the financial and operational status at any given moment so that all teams are aware of urgent needs or areas for improvement. It also ensures all internal policies are being upheld and enforced, like paid time off and technology use. Not only does the governance framework promote accountability and corporate integrity, but it also helps optimize the business’s performance.

Overall, a GRC strategy helps make sure every action, resource, and stakeholder is aligned with the business’s broader company objectives.

Which Industries Typically Need GRC Tools?

While finance, healthcare, and manufacturing are probably the first industries that come to mind when you hear risk and compliance, nearly every industry has risk and at least some compliance requirements, so every industry needs some type of GRC tool in place. For example, retailers have PCI DSS compliance to contend with in order to accept credit card information, and any business that interacts with Europe in any way has to abide by GDPR.

GRC software may not be a priority for small businesses, especially those in industries that are not heavily regulated. Typically, their risk and compliance needs can be handled with basic cybersecurity software and business continuity plans. However, enterprises that don’t currently have a GRC framework in place should add the tools as soon as possible. Without them, they’re leaving themselves vulnerable to risk and could compromise their clients’ data.

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Features of GRC Software

Most of the vendors listed above have been recognized in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT risk management as well as Forrester’s GRC Wave. What helps these platforms gain recognition? According to Forrester, a GRC solution should have the breadth and depth to support a wide range of GRC use cases, capabilities to align GRC efforts across multiple business functions, and advanced risk analysis. Most GRC programs employ some combination of features in the following areas to accomplish these goals:

• Risk and control management
• Document management
• Policy management
• Audit management
• IT risk management
• Third-party risk management
• Risk scoring
• Workflow
• Dashboards and reports
• Preconfigured and custom integration
• End-user experience

How To Choose a GRC Solution

With so many GRC solutions in the market today, it can seem like a challenge to know where to begin. Thankfully, there are a few discerning factors that can identify the solution that will be best for you from the crowd.

Ease Of Use

As with many things, a GRC technology is effectively pointless if you can’t figure out how to use it. Once you’ve narrowed your list down to a few platforms, a demo or free trial period might help you discern which one will best match your team’s needs. Pay attention to how accessible the different features are, how everything works together, and how intuitive the platform feels as a whole. Your needs and technical expertise will help guide the solution choice too.

Mobile Application

In today’s mobile world, a GRC platform that offers support for all of your devices is an advantage. When you (and your team) are able to manage your organization’s governance, risk, and compliance efforts from anywhere, you can have peace of mind knowing you’ll be able to address any issues that may arise even when you’re on the go.

Delivery Method

Cloud-based software is the way of the future, so you’re unlikely to find a competitive GRC platform that is not delivered as a Software as a Service (SaaS) product. Here’s why that’s important: SaaS solutions are more cost-effective, easier to implement, and much more flexible to grow alongside your business. Additionally, the SaaS GRC vendor will be responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the platform itself, meaning your team can focus on the bigger priorities at hand.

Security

A functional GRC platform means all of your organization’s vulnerabilities and regulatory efforts are managed from one place. If that platform is compromised, that means your company’s weaknesses are at risk of being exploited. To avoid these harrowing situations, your GRC platform should include external security features like encryption and user access management. When configured correctly, these security measures will prevent costly breaches and exposures.

Cost

Obviously budget is a major consideration when implementing any kind of technology. The ROI of a GRC platform is a bit hard to measure because you don’t normally think about how well it’s working until something goes wrong. So rather than thinking about how much it costs, also consider the cost of not implementing a GRC platform.

Customer Support

Much like the significance of a GRC platform’s ease of use, the customer support the vendor provides will also determine how effective it is. When something breaks or isn’t working as it should, how will your team be able to fix it? Will there be dedicated support staff at the ready? Is there adequate documentation to guide the troubleshooting process? How quickly and effectively will your needs be addressed? These questions may prove useful when evaluating a platform’s customer support capabilities. Look for service-level agreements to help you answer these questions.

Automation

With the massive amounts of data and events affecting an organization, automation is becoming increasingly important. GRC with automation capabilities will be able to send you alerts the second a vulnerability is identified so your team can jump into action. It can also perform data validation and auditing operations in the background. This means your team won’t have to spend time on manual processes and can instead focus on long-range innovations and more impactful projects. It also ensures that the information you’re reviewing is thorough, consolidated, and free of human error.

Bottom Line: GRC Tools

GRC is more than a software platform or a set of tools. In fact, GRC is effectively a broad framework that helps with decision-making processes, emergency preparedness, and collaboration across all segments of a business.

Any organization, regardless of industry or size, can benefit from a GRC strategy. It will help you optimize performance, stay up-to-date with all compliance requirements, and be proactive in preventing and addressing all threats to your organization. To keep customer data safe, and in turn keep their confidence, you’ll need the right set of GRC tools.

See the Top Cyber Insurance Companies

This updates a June 9, 2022 article by Kaiti Norton

The post 10 Top Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Tools for 2023 appeared first on eSecurityPlanet.

These tools play a vital role in ensuring the security, integrity, and confidentiality of sensitive information, such as personal data and financial records. By employing application security tools, organizations can proactively identify and address potential security flaws, reducing the risk of exploitation and minimizing the impact of security incidents.

Here we’ll take an in-depth look at five of the top application security tools, followed by features buyers should look for and an examination of different approaches to application and code security.

Also read: Application Security: Complete Definition, Types & Solutions

• GitGuardian Internal Monitoring: Best for dedicated secrets scanning
• Veracode: Best for programming language support
• GitLab: Best for DevOps
• Qualys Cloud Platform: Best for vulnerability management
• Trend Micro Cloud App Security: Best for SaaS protection
• Other Application Security Vendors to Consider
• Key Features of AppSec Software
• Code Analysis and Testing Types
• AppSec vs DevSecOps
• How We Evaluated Application Security Software
• Bottom Line: Application Security Tools

GitGuardian Internal Monitoring

Best dedicated secrets scanning

GitGuardian, established in 2017, focuses on securing sensitive information and secrets stored in source code repositories. It specializes in detecting and preventing the exposure of API keys, credentials, certificates and other confidential data. It offers real-time scanning, integrations with popular version control systems like GitHub and GitLab, and alerts for potential security breaches related to sensitive data in code.

Key Features

• Real-time automated public and private repositories monitoring
• Internal Git repositories secrets detection
• Detection and remediation alerts
• Developer-driven incident response application

Pros

• Easy installation with a 30-minute quick-start guide
• Streamlined incident resolution and communication
• Focuses on critical issues, reducing remediation effort
• Automatic incident notifications for faster response
• GitHub integration for detecting code secrets and blocking merges
• Offers a free plan

Cons

• User interface could offer better usability and ease of access
• Sensitive data and new repository activities alerts could be better
• Needs more detailed reports with additional metrics and information

Pricing

Veracode

Best for programming language support

Veracode is a comprehensive application security tool that provides static, dynamic, and software composition analysis. It offers a wide range of security testing capabilities, including code scanning, vulnerability assessment, and penetration testing. Veracode supports more than a hundred programming languages and provides detailed reports on security vulnerabilities and weaknesses in applications.

Key Features

• Static Application Security Testing
• Dynamic Application Security Testing
• Software Composition Analysis
• Interactive Application Security Testing
• Security Development Training and eLearning
• Application Security Program Management
• Integrations and APIs
• Reporting and Analytics

Pros

• Accurate vulnerability scanning
• Highlights the risk level and severity of the vulnerabilities
• Comprehensive library of remediation guidance
• Comes with VisualStudio add-on
• Detailed reports on issues and fixes
• Excellent customer service

Cons

• The user interface can be challenging
• Users also report issues with slow performance and false positives

Pricing

Veracode customizes pricing based on the specific needs and features required by each business and does not publish pricing. CDW offers some pricing on Veracode plans and features, while AWS provides pricing for Veracode’s FedRAMP platform. To obtain a quote, contact Veracode’s sales team or visit their Contact Us page. Additionally, you can take advantage of a 14-day free trial.

GitLab

Best DevOps unified platform

GitLab is primarily known as a version control system and DevOps platform but also includes built-in application security features. It offers features like static application testing (SAST), dependency scanning, container scanning, and dynamic application security testing (DAST). GitLab integrates security testing into the development workflow, allowing for continuous security monitoring and mitigation.

Key Features

• Static Application Security Testing
• Dynamic Application Security Testing
• Container Scanning
• Dependency Scanning
• License Scanning
• Coverage-guided Fuzz Testing
• API Security

Pros

• Version/source control
• User-friendly interface
• Streamlined Git CLI integration
• Seamless merge and merge requests

Cons

• Documentation could be more user-friendly and comprehensive
• Integration with third-party software could be better
• Can be challenging to navigate between branches within a repository
• Editing files in a browser can be challenging
• Error messages related to CI/CD could provide more detailed information

Pricing

Qualys Cloud Platform

Best for vulnerability management

Qualys is a cloud-based security tool that offers a suite of security and compliance solutions, including application security. It also provides web application scanning and vulnerability management tools. It offers scanning and assessment of web applications to identify vulnerabilities and potential security risks, with detailed reports and remediation. Perhaps more comprehensive than some organizations are looking for, Qualys’ security coverage is as complete as it gets.

Key features

• Continuous monitoring
• Vulnerability management
• Policy compliance
• PCI compliance
• Security assessment questionnaire
• Web application scanning
• Web application firewall
• Global asset view
• Asset management
• API, container and cloud data collection

Pros

• Automated web application scanning
• Automated reporting
• Cloud asset management
• Remediation guidance
• Patching

Cons

• 2FA options could be broader
• Adding domains and networks could be easier
• Discovery and scanning setup could be better integrated
• Module integration could be more seamless

Pricing

Qualys Cloud platform is licensed by customers on an annual basis, and the pricing is determined by factors such as the number of Cloud Platform Apps chosen, IP addresses, web applications and user licenses. Customers have categorized the pricing into three tiers: Express Lite, Express and Enterprise. While Qualys does not publicly disclose its prices, customers have shared that pricing packages can range from $300 for small businesses to $2,000 for larger packages. In addition, Qualys offers a 30-day free trial subscriptions to allow users to test services before committing to a purchase.

See the Top Vulnerability Management Tools

Trend Micro Cloud App Security

Best for SaaS platform protection

Trend Micro Cloud App Security focuses on securing cloud-based applications and services. It provides protection for SaaS platforms like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and others. It helps organizations ensure the security and compliance of their cloud-based applications, protecting sensitive data, preventing unauthorized access, and defending against threats.

Key features

• Workload security
• File storage security
• Container security
• Open source security
• Email, ransomware and malware protection

Pros

• Facilitates speedy application deployments
• Real-time protection and immediate blocking of unwanted activities during application runtime
• Prevention of malicious intrusions and protection against hacking or takeovers
• Safeguarding cloud applications from design and deployment issues

Cons

• Web support lacks clarity
• Remote endpoints with weak or intermittent internet connections often appear offline
• Settings are not well organized or clearly defined, requiring significant efforts to locate the desired option for modification
• Occasional false positives

Pricing

Trend Micro offers a user-friendly pricing calculator on its website, giving potential buyers a convenient way of determining an approximate cost tailored to their requirements.

Other Application Security Vendors to Consider

The application security market offers a broad range of tools to meet a variety of needs. Here are an additional seven names to consider, plus our lists of the top DevSecOps, code security, and vulnerability scanning tools.

• Acunetix
• Checkmarx
• Invicti (formerly Netsparker)
• Micro Focus Fortify
• Rapid7
• Snyk
• Synopsys

Also read:

• Top Code Debugging and Code Security Tools
• Best DevSecOps Tools
• Best DevOps, Website, and Application Vulnerability Scanning Tools
• Best Cloud, Container and Data Lake Vulnerability Scanning Tools
• Top Container Security Solutions

Important Features of Application Security Software

Application security tools offer a number of important features that contribute to the overall security posture of applications, protecting against unauthorized access, data breaches, and other security risks.

Authentication: Ensures that users or entities are verified and granted appropriate access based on their identity. It involves verifying credentials such as usernames and passwords, before granting access to applications. The tougher to steal, the better.

Authorization: Determines what actions and resources a user or entity is allowed to access or perform within an application. This enforces access control policies to prevent unauthorized access and restricts privileges based on roles or permissions.

Encryption: This protects sensitive data by converting it into a coded form that can only be accessed or decrypted with the appropriate key. Encryption ensures that data remains confidential and secure, even if intercepted or accessed by unauthorized parties.

Logging: Logs are records of events and activities within an application or resource that helps with monitoring and audits to identify common and unusual patterns of user behavior. Logging captures information about user actions, system events, and security-related incidents, providing a trail of evidence for troubleshooting, compliance, and forensic investigations.

Application security testing: Application security testing refers to the assessment and evaluation of applications for identifying vulnerabilities, weaknesses and security flaws. This includes different types of testing techniques such as static application testing, dynamic application testing, and interactive application security testing (more in the next section).

Auditing and accountability: Audit logs and accountability mechanisms help in compliance with regulations, detecting suspicious behavior and investigating security breaches. This tracks and monitors user activities and security-related incidents to establish accountability and traceability.

Vulnerability scanning: Vulnerability scanning identifies and assesses vulnerabilities within applications, networks, or systems. This allows organizations to proactively address potential security risks. Finding vulnerabilities in the open source dependencies that make up most modern applications is an increasingly critical feature.

Code security review: Code security review is an essential practice that helps identify and remediate potential security weaknesses and ensures applications are built with strong defenses against cyber threats.

WAF integration: Web application firewalls (WAF) are a crucial line of defense for web applications, inspecting traffic, enforcing security policies, and protecting against a wide range of web-based attacks such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS). Integrating WAFs with application security tools can provide critical information to developers and security teams, helping to protect applications from vulnerabilities until they can be fixed.

SIEM integration: Security information and event management systems (SIEM) collect and analyze security event data from various sources to detect and respond to security incidents. This provides centralized visibility, correlation of events, advanced analytics, and automated alerting, and can help identify application security issues.

Threat intelligence integration: Threat intelligence integrations enhance threat detection and provide real-time insights into emerging threats, including attack techniques and open source vulnerabilities, information that can help both dev and security teams.

Secure development lifecycle (SDL) support: SDL supports the integration of security practices and testing throughout the software development lifecycle, ensuring security is prioritized.

Code Analysis and Testing Types

A key concept to understand in application security is that of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). In that process, there are stages for code development, deployment and ongoing maintenance. As part of that lifecycle there are a number of critical application security approaches.

• Static Analysis: At the foundational level is the security of the application code as it is being developed, which is often an area where static code analysis tools can play a role. This area is called static application security testing, or SAST.
• Dynamic Analysis: For code that is running, dynamic application security testing (DAST) enables the detection of different types of security risks.
• Interactive Application Security Testing: Combining both DAST and SAST approaches is the domain of Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST).
• Software Composition Analysis (SCA): SCA addresses configuration issues, software dependencies and libraries that have known vulnerabilities, important issues in software supply chain security.

Also read: SBOMs: Securing the Software Supply Chain

AppSec vs DevSecOps

An interesting trend in the application security product market is that the many different kinds of tools — application security, code security, debugging, DevSecOps, and vulnerability scanning — have been coming together over time.

DevSecOps tools are perhaps the broadest of these products, encompassing developer tools, container implementation, monitoring tools, and more.

Vulnerability scanning, application security, and DevSecOps increasingly have considerable feature overlap, covering DAST, IAST, SAST, and SCA. There are some noteworthy differences however. DevSecOps tools typically have features for container, Ci/CD, and API management. Fuzzing is more likely to be a feature of vulnerability scanning tools, while AppSec will have a greater focus on Static Code Analysis.

See the Top DevSecOps Tools

How We Evaluated Application Security Software

In our evaluation of application security software, we assessed accuracy and effectiveness, breadth of features, ease of use, integration with development and security tools, automation capabilities, pricing, ideal use cases, and reporting functionality. Detailed reporting and vulnerability prioritization were two important factors, as they give dev and security teams the information they need to make risk-based decisions. Ease of use is generally important in this market, as non-security specialists are critical to the process. Integration capabilities are also crucial for the workflow, so the software should integrate and interact with existing development and security tools.

Bottom Line: Application Security Tools

When selecting an application security tool, it is important to prioritize your organization’s unique requirements and conduct a thorough search before making a purchase decision. To do this, prospective buyers should consider factors such as features and capabilities, supported programming languages, compatibility with existing infrastructure, scalability, ease of use, cost, and the level and quality of technical support provided. Additionally, it is important to involve key stakeholders such as IT security teams and developers in the decision-making process.

An application security tool is critically important for securing applications, the environments they run on, the data they contain, and the employees and customers who depend on them.

Read next: Software Supply Chain Security Guidance for Developers

This updates a November 2020 article by Sean Michael Kerner

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