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Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) News: 23 July 2020

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Each business day, MSSP Alert broadcasts a quick lineup of news, analysis and chatter from across the managed security services provider ecosystem.

  • The Content: Written for MSSPs, SOC as a Service (SOCaaS), Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and MSP security providers — and those who need to partner up with such companies.
  • Frequency and Format: Every business morning. Typically one or two sentences for each item below.
  • Reaching Our Inbox: Send news, tips and rumors to [email protected].

A. Today’s MSSP Alerts

1. Today - Cyber Insurance Webcast: Join us for the live Q&A today (Thursday, July 23). Hosted by our sister site, ChannelE2E.

2. Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Services: Blackpoint Cyber has launched MDR (Managed Detection and Response) 4.0 service, which provides 24/7 security monitoring, live threat detection, active threat hunting, and true response. Backpoint Cyber's MDR service leverages the company's SNAP-Defense platform -- the first contextually aware breach detection and response platform on the market -- and includes over 200 new detection capabilities as well as a new malicious tradecraft detection engine (ACTion) with improved risk ratings.

3. Network Detection and Response (NDR): Awake Security has announced platform enhancements that allow organizations to interact in new ways with its virtual security analyst, Ava.  Awake is backed by Greylock Partners, Bain Capital Ventures, Evolution Equity Partners, Energize Ventures and Liberty Global Ventures.

4. Cloud Configuration and Security Management: Trend Micro Cloud One – Conformity is now available to Azure customers, helping global organizations tackle misconfigurations, compliance challenges and cyber-risks in the cloud, the company says.

5. Cyber Insurance: Coalition is entering the excess cyber insurance market to help protect middle market businesses with enhanced coverage and free access to Coalition's cybersecurity capabilities, including attack surface monitoring, an in-house response team of security experts, the company says.

6. Privileged Access Management: Centrify has announced Client-based Password Reconciliation, which is now included in version 20.3 of Centrify Privileged Access Service. The upside for partners and customers: Centrify users can reduce risk and rely on their password vault as the single source of truth for reliable, consistent access to privileged account passwords, the company says.

7. Research - COVID-19 Threat Actors: McAfee's COVID-19 Threats Report for July 2020 is here.

8. RDP Attack Alerts and Notifications: Emsisoft has introduced new capabilities to help combat RDP-based attacks. Details are here. To be clear, this is not a silver bullet to RDP (in)security and nor is it a substitute for VPNs or 2FA/MFA. Rather, Emsisoft tells MSSP Alert, it's simply another layer of security designed to help organizations protect a service that actors very frequently exploit in order to gain an initial foothold in networks.

9. Funding - Data Protection: Sotero has launched a data protection platform providing field-level encryption for data in use, data at rest, and data in motion across on-premise and cloud data stores. Sotero also announced a $5M funding round led by Gutbrain Ventures, with Boston Seed Capital and PBJ Capital, alongside significant partnership traction.

10. Talent - Government Cybersecurity: Cybereason has hired Andrew Borene as managing director for its U.S. public sector business.

11. Twilio SDK Compromised: Details are here.

B. Cybersecurity Partnerships and MSSP Strategic Alliances

1. SMB Security Awareness Training: Cisco's perspectives for partners are here.

2. Partnership - Life Sciences Security: vArmour and Court Square Group have partnered to ensure security for cloud infrastructure for the life science industry.

3. Partnership - Security and IT Service Management (ITSM): Forescout Technologies and ServiceNow are integrating their software to improve "asset intelligence as well as threat prevention, detection and response for industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology (OT) environments," the companies say.

4. Partnership - Mobile Threat Defense: SyncDog Inc. and Zimperium are integrating their mobile security and threat defense platforms. The benefits, according to the companies, include:

  • On-device, machine learning-based mobile security for device, network and malicious app attacks;
  • an embedded SDK inside apps resulting in 100% security adoption; and
  • negligible overhead and minimal permission requirements.

5. Partnership - Device as a Service Security: Ivanti and Intel announced a strategic partnership to offer Device-as-a-Service (DaaS) with self-healing capabilities. The details: Intel Endpoint Management Assistant (Intel EMA) now integrates with the Ivanti Neurons hyper-automation platform. The integration "enables IT organizations to self-heal and self-secure with Intel vPro® platform-based devices both inside and outside the corporate firewall," Ivanti and Intel assert.

6. Partnership - Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS)AttackIQ and Ackcent are partnering to provide breach and attack simulation (BAS) and continuous security validation (CSV) to joint customers across Europe.

7. Partner Program - Identity Management: The Auth0 Partner Program in 2020 has added 20 new Solutions and Technology Partners from key regions, and expanded to new regions including Asia Pacific. Key partner program members include:

  • Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) – Global professional services provider focused on digital transformation
  • NTT DATA (TSE: 9613) – Global IT services provider and Auth0’s first GSI partner in Japan
  • Abacus –  Global business transformation services industry pioneer across MENA and the UK
  • PwC Germany – Leading auditing and consulting services organization in Germany
  • Idento – Leading identity and access management consultancy and Auth0’s first partner in France
  • Softchoice – One of the largest IT solutions and managed services providers in North America
  • OSC Korea – Digital transformation specialist and Auth0’s first strategic partner in South Korea

C. Five Upcoming Cybersecurity Conferences

  1. Black Hat USA 2020 (August 1-6, Virtual Conference)
  2. FireEye Cyber Defense Summit 2020 (October 26-29, Location Undisclosed)
  3. Exabeam Spotlight20 (November 9-11, Virtual Conference)
  4. Palo Alto Networks Ignite20 (November 9-12, Las Vegas)
  5. RSA Conference 2021 (May 17-21, San Francisco)
  6. BonusMSSP Alert’s complete event calendar
Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.