Each business day, MSSP Alert delivers a quick lineup of news, analysis and chatter from across the managed security services provider ecosystem.
- The Content: Written for MSSPs and MSPs; threat hunters; security operations center as a service (SOCaaS); managed detection and response (MDR) and eXtended detection and response (XDR) providers; and those who partner 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 Managing Editor Jim Masters: [email protected].
Today’s MSSP, MSP, MDR, XDR and Cybersecurity Market News
1. Security Partnership: Blue Team Alpha, a comprehensive cybersecurity force, has formed a strategic partnership with Node International, a digital risk insurance company. The objective is to provide clients with an integrated shield against cyberthreats, merging cybersecurity with insurance solutions. The partnership capitalizes on Blue Team Alpha's proficiency in cybersecurity to complement Node International's holistic insurance approach.
2. Industry Recognition: Ncontracts, a provider of integrated compliance and risk management solutions to the financial industry, has completed its Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) 18 audit, distinguishing its adherence to the latest standards for Service Organization Controls (SOC) 1 Type II and SOC 2 Type II. Additionally, the company has earned its National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-53 Security Framework Certification. These rigorous accreditations demonstrate Ncontracts’ position as a trusted partner dedicated to security, compliance, and operational controls, the company said.
3. Industry Recognition: Sentar, a women-owned small business specializing in advanced cyber intelligence solutions and technology, has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Under the grant, Sentar will develop a proof-of-concept solution intended to inform key nuclear plant stakeholders of predicted and observable operational performance disruptions that result from specific cyberattacks. The effort is intended to promote cyber resilience in nuclear power plant environments.
4. Industry Recognition: Trellix, an extended detection and response (XDR) specialist, announced that TRellix Endpoint Security (ENS) earned the highest AAA rating in the SE Labs Endpoint Security (EPS) 2023 Q2 test for both enterprise and small business categories. Trellix ENS delivered 100% scores across all categories demonstrating industry-leading protection without disruption of business productivity.
5. Industry Award: Frost & Sullivan recently researched the next-generation firewall (NGFW) industry and, based on its analysis, has recognized Check Point Software Technologies with the 2023 Global Company of the Year Award.
6. CISA Releases Cyber Defense Plan: The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released the Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) Cyber Defense Plan. This is the first proactive plan developed by industry and government partners through the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC). This plan addresses systemic risks facing the exploitation of RMM software. Cyber threat actors can gain footholds via RMM software into managed service providers (MSPs) or manage security service providers (MSSPs) servers and, by extension, can cause cascading impacts for the small and medium-sized organizations that are MSP/MSSP customers, CISA said.
7. Cybersecurity Research: Arete, a cyber risk management company, has released Turning Tides – Navigating the Evolving World of Cybercrime, a report highlighting trends and shifts in the cyber threat landscape observed by Arete in the first half of 2023. The report leverages data collected during Arete incident response engagements and explores the rise and fall of ransomware variants, trends in ransom demands and payments, industries targeted by ransomware attacks, and what may be coming next.
