Real-time cyber defence: using Qualys Threat Protection

Cyber threats are becoming increasingly complex and dangerous in today's digital world. Regardless of size, every organisation faces the challenge of keeping its data, networks and customers safe. The most common threats include hacking, confidential information leaks and software vulnerabilities.

The ability to respond in real-time is critical to cyber defence. The ability to remediate threats immediately helps to avoid catastrophic consequences. In this context, Qualys Threat Protection plays a key role by providing innovative tools for cyber threat management, vulnerability scanning and security process automation.

Qualys is a leading cybersecurity company providing end-to-end solutions for risk management, compliance and IT infrastructure protection. Founded in 1999, the company offers customers cloud-based cyber defence solutions, a single cloud-based platform for monitoring, assessing and mitigating cyber threats.

The company's core platform, Enterprise TruRisk, provides a holistic view of an organisation's cybersecurity posture, enabling effective risk assessment, vulnerability management and security response. The company's products include configuration management, web application scanning, API monitoring, cybersecurity automation, vulnerability patching and industry compliance solutions. Qualys' services cover hybrid environments, including on-premises, cloud and SaaS infrastructures.

Qualys serves more than 10,000 customers in 130 countries, including 70% of the Forbes Global 50, demonstrating the company's reliability and innovative approach. The company also actively promotes environmental sustainability by minimising its environmental footprint and supporting sustainability initiatives.

What is Qualys Threat Protection?

Qualys Threat Protection is a cyber defence solution that integrates vulnerability management with real-time, current cyber threat intelligence. With its intelligent platform, the tool enables companies to prioritise vulnerability remediation by focusing on the risks that pose the greatest threat to their IT infrastructure.

Main features of Qualys Threat Protection:

1. Real-time vulnerability monitoring. View current vulnerabilities on interactive dashboards to quickly identify and analyse threats.
2. Threat correlation. Combine vulnerability data with information on active cyber threats to identify the most critical issues.
3. Risk prioritisation. Automatically ranks threats by business risk, allowing you to focus on the most important issues.
4. Integration with other Qualys products. Easily integrate with vulnerability management, compliance and asset monitoring solutions.
5. Flexible cloud deployment. Access solutions from anywhere without the need for complex on-premises installations.

Qualys Threat Protection automates processes, reduces the time between detection and remediation, and enables you to effectively protect both on-premises and cloud infrastructures. This solution is ideal for organisations looking to improve their cyber risk management and ensure that their multi-layered security protects their networks.

How does Qualys Threat Protection work?

Qualys Threat Protection uses deep data integration to provide effective threat management across your entire IT infrastructure. Let's have a closer look at the key elements of the system:

1. Data analysis. It constantly analyses external threat information and correlates it with your vulnerabilities. A powerful data analysis engine, powered by the Enterprise TruRisk platform, helps you determine which are most critical to your organisation.
2. Live data stream. The system provides continuous monitoring of new vulnerabilities through the Live Threat Intelligence Feed, which shows the latest vulnerability disclosures and their potential impact on your assets. Users can see the number of assets at risk and drill down to each asset.
3. Centralised management. The intuitive dashboard allows you to customise your real-time threat view using graphs and charts. Users can create different types of dashboards to view threats based on different types of threat indicators.
4. Powerful search. The search tool allows you to search for specific assets and vulnerabilities by building queries with multiple variables. This allows you to quickly identify systems exposed to potential threats and take corrective action.
5. Threat identification. The system identifies and scores characteristics that increase the risk of vulnerabilities using real-time threat indicators (RTIs) such as zero days, publicly available exploits and active attacks.
6. Personalised dashboards. Users can create dashboards tailored to their specific business needs, allowing them to focus on the security issues that matter to them.

This solution not only helps with vulnerability management but also improves the overall security of the organisation through a proactive approach to threat monitoring.

Key benefits of using Qualys Threat Protection for business:

1. No overloading of vulnerability data

• Information flow control. The platform helps manage large volumes of vulnerability data by segregating priority threats.
• Easy to manage. Get only the information you need to respond quickly.

2. Instant, comprehensive visibility

• Continuous updates. Qualys provides continuous monitoring and an up-to-date view of your IT infrastructure assets and their vulnerabilities.
• Complete control (including access control). This allows organisations to have an accurate view of the current state of the security system.

3. Automated, accurate risk analysis

• Remove uncertainty. Analytical tools remove the need for guesswork and subjective graphics.
• Intelligent prioritisation. Threats are analysed according to their impact on critical assets.

4. Patching efficiency

• Optimise resources. The platform allows you to direct resources to fix the most critical vulnerabilities, saving time and effort.
• Save time. Automated processes reduce the time between detection and remediation.

Qualys Threat Protection integrates all of these benefits into a single cloud-based platform, enabling effective cyber risk management and improving overall business security.

Real-world use cases for Qualys Threat Protection

Qualys Threat Protection can be used effectively in a variety of areas to improve cybersecurity and vulnerability management. Here are some key areas where its solutions can be implemented:

• Aviation. As the Edinburgh Airport case study shows, Qualys Threat Protection helps airports monitor their IT environments to prevent disruptions caused by cyber threats. This is critical to maintaining smooth operations in a sector that requires high reliability due to the importance of air travel.
• Financial sector. Financial institutions face stringent data security requirements. Qualys provides tools that help banks and financial institutions quickly identify and remediate vulnerabilities, ensure compliance with regulatory requirements such as PCI DSS, and protect sensitive financial data.
• Healthcare. The healthcare sector requires robust security measures to protect patient data and comply with regulations such as HIPAA. Qualys Threat Protection can help healthcare organisations identify vulnerabilities in their systems and protect sensitive patient information from potential leaks.
• Retail. With the growth of e-commerce, retailers are increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Qualys enables retailers to manage their vulnerabilities across multiple platforms, ensuring secure transactions and protecting customer data.
• Manufacturing. In the manufacturing sector, especially with the introduction of IoT devices, it is critical to ensure the security of operational technology. Qualys can help manufacturers monitor their networks for threats that could potentially compromise production lines or sensitive operational data.
• Education. Educational institutions, which often have limited resources, are often the target of cyber attacks. Implementing Qualys can help these institutions effectively manage their IT security and protect student and faculty data from being compromised.
• Government. Government agencies must protect sensitive information and infrastructure. Qualys provides solutions that help government organisations monitor vulnerabilities, ensure compliance and respond quickly to threats.

These sectors demonstrate the versatility of Qualys Threat Protection and its importance in today's digital environment. 

How Edinburgh Airport is using Qualys Threat Protection to ensure cyber security

Context 

Edinburgh Airport is the largest airport in Scotland and the sixth largest in the UK, transporting millions of passengers to over 150 destinations worldwide. 

Business challenges

With rapidly increasing passenger numbers and round-the-clock operations throughout the year, there is a critical need for business continuity. Any disruption to IT systems can have a direct impact on flight schedules, causing serious inconvenience to passengers.

Dennis McIlroy, Head of Architecture, Security and IT Operations at the airport:

“Even a five-minute outage can have serious consequences for passengers”.

The solution

To mitigate the risks, the airport implemented a cybersecurity improvement programme and chose the Qualys platform to improve vulnerability management:

• Qualys Vulnerability Management: for regular scanning of more than 2,000 assets, including 300 servers.
• Qualys Cloud Agents: for remote workers, enabling them to perform scans when away from the office.
• Qualys Threat Protection: for rapid detection and remediation of new threats.

How Qualys is helping Edinburgh Airport

• Complete network visibility

Qualys provides a clear view of your network's security posture through continuous monitoring. Regular scans identify vulnerabilities, assess their risk and generate detailed reports for the IT team.

• Rapid response time

Qualys TP provides real-time information on active threats and their potential impact. This allows you to respond quickly to threats such as zero-day attacks and avoid major disruptions.

Craig Barr, Technical Architect:

“The Qualys TP dashboard gives us the ability to assess risks immediately and implement remediation without disrupting our operations”.

• Process Automation

Qualys helps you to automate manual updates and patch processes. This significantly reduces time and effort while ensuring effective network protection.

• Prepare for regulation

With GDPR implementation in mind, the Qualys platform ensures all assets are compliant with security standards, minimising the risk of fines and data breaches.

Implementation results

• Improved cybersecurity. Reduced risk through regular updates and prompt remediation of threats.
• Uninterrupted operations. No disruption to flight schedules due to cyber threats.
• Effective reporting. Detailed reports for team and management.

Dennis McIlroy:

“Qualys allows us to quickly identify and remediate vulnerabilities without disrupting operations”.

Edinburgh Airport is confident about the future and is prepared for any new cyber threats or regulations.

How to get started with Qualys Threat Protection

Steps to implement the system

Implementing Qualys Threat Protection requires a well thought-out approach to ensure effective protection against cyber threats. Here are the steps to help you get started with the platform:

1. Analyse your business needs

The first step is to carry out a thorough analysis of your business needs:

• Identify weaknesses. Assessing existing security systems and identifying vulnerabilities that could threaten your infrastructure.
• Security priorities. Identifying critical assets that need protection and prioritising risk management.

2. Integrate security systems

This step requires you to configure the Qualys platform in your infrastructure:

• Install and configure. Install Qualys Cloud Agents on all your assets, including servers, workstations and network devices.
• Configure security policies. Configure policies to automatically detect vulnerabilities and manage risk based on your specific requirements.

3. Testing.

Once the system has been integrated, it is important to test it:

• Performance testing. Evaluate how well the system detects and responds to threats. Use test scenarios to verify how the system operates in real-world conditions.
• Identify potential problems. Gather feedback from the security team and identify areas for improvement to ensure maximum effectiveness.

Tips to improve your cyber defences

1. Update threat databases regularly. Keeping your threat database up to date is critical to keeping your organisation secure. With new threats emerging every day, updated data helps identify and respond to attacks. Keeping your threat database up to date allows your security systems to respond effectively to new cyber threats.
2. Use automated scans to monitor for vulnerabilities. Automated scans help you regularly check your system for vulnerabilities and identify problems in real-time. They can be set to run on a regular schedule, ensuring constant monitoring and rapid response to potential threats. It also reduces the workload on the IT team, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks.
3. Integrate Qualys with other security systems for greater coverage. Integrating Qualys with other security solutions, such as Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems, can significantly improve the overall security of your infrastructure. It allows you to combine data from multiple sources into a single dashboard that provides a more detailed picture of your security posture. Integration enables you to detect threats faster and more accurately, increasing the effectiveness of your response.

These practices will help your organisation get the most out of your Qualys security management solution.

Trial access and support

Qualys offers free trial access to its solutions, allowing potential customers to familiarise themselves with the platform's functionality before making a purchase decision.

Trial access

• Free demos. Qualys provides demo versions that allow users to familiarise themselves with the various features and capabilities of the system. This includes the possibility to test different tools for vulnerability management, security monitoring and threat response. Trial access is usually for a limited time and provides the opportunity to interact with the system, which is important for understanding its practical benefits.

Support

• Professional customer support. Qualys offers its customers comprehensive support. This includes assistance with system setup, user training and recommendations on how to optimise your use of the platform. The support team is available to answer questions, provide technical assistance and provide training resources to help you get the most out of your Qualys tools.

Training resources

Qualys also provides a variety of training resources, such as online courses, webinars, and documentation, to help users get up to speed quickly and understand how to make the most of the system.

Conclusion

In today's cyber environment, where threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, Qualys Threat Protection is an effective and innovative tool for business security. The platform offers a comprehensive approach to vulnerability monitoring, incident management, and real-time adaptation to new threats. With its powerful analytics capabilities and integration with other security systems, Qualys helps organisations not only protect their data but also confidently respond to today's challenges while ensuring business continuity. This makes it an indispensable tool for those seeking to stay at the forefront of the fight against cyber threats.

Learn more about Qualys today to ensure your business is protected at the highest level! Ask the experts at Solidity.