New threat detection and ­mitigation sandbox

February 2014 Infrastructure

Fortinet has announced the FortiSandbox-3000D, an advanced threat prevention appliance that provides enterprises with a powerful tool to help combat Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). The new offering combines a unique dual-level sandbox, dynamic threat intelligence, real-time dashboard and rich reporting in a single device that integrates with Fortinet’s FortiGate next generation firewalls (NGFW) and FortiMail e-mail gateway appliances.

Fortinet NGFWs act as a first line of defence by scanning and mitigating threats. When used with FortiSandbox, the appliances together are able to identify and apply advanced inspection to suspicious or high-risk files and then update protections based on the full threat lifecycle of attacks uncovered. And with the new FortiMail version 5.1, Fortinet e-mail gateways can now similarly identify suspicious or high-risk files in e-mail and pass them to FortiSandbox for advanced inspection.

FortiSandbox at-a-glance

The FortiSandbox-3000D can be deployed on-premise on its own without changing any network configurations. Or, as mentioned, it can also be integrated with and extend Fortinet’s FortiGate and FortiMail platforms for improved detection and mitigation.

Consistent with Fortinet’s product development approach, the FortiSandbox consolidates specialised threat detection and intelligence services across protocols and functions into a single, high-performance and highly affordable appliance. At the heart of the appliance is a dual-level sandbox to effectively deal with increasing virtual machine (VM) evasion techniques and the increasing sophistication of attacks that require more advanced inspection.

“Today’s most sophisticated attackers are increasingly bypassing traditional anti-malware solutions and establishing a persistent presence within organisations’ networks,” said John Grady, research manager, Security Products at IDC. “These highly targeted attacks evade signature-based defences by leveraging compression, encryption, and polymorphism among other methods. Some malware variants are even able to detect virtual environments and utilise sleep techniques to make identification much more difficult. Combating today’s attacks requires a comprehensive and integrated approach that goes beyond anti-malware, virtual sandboxes and separate monitoring systems. The FortiSandbox appliance is a step in this direction.”

Key features of FortiSandbox include:

* Dynamic Antimalware and Updates/Cloud Query: Receives updates from FortiGuard Labs and can send queries back to the Labs in real time, helping to intelligently and immediately detect existing and emerging threats

* Code Emulation: Performs lightweight sandbox inspection in real time, including certain malware that uses sandbox evasion techniques and/or only executes with specific software versions.

* Full Virtual Environment: Provides a contained runtime environment to analyse high risk or suspicious code and explore the full threat lifecycle.

* Advanced Visibility: Delivers comprehensive views into a wide range of network, system and file activity, categorised by risk, to help speed incident response.

* Callback Detection: Inspects network traffic for requests to visit malicious sites, establish communications with C&C servers and other activity indicative of a compromise.

* Manual Analysis: Allows security administrators to manually upload malware samples to perform virtual sandboxing without the need for a separate appliance.

* Optional Submission to FortiGuard: Tracer reports, malicious files and other information may be submitted to FortiGuard Labs in order to receive remediation recommendations and updated in-line protections.

“The introduction of the FortiSandbox appliance is in direct response to APTs that are using highly sophisticated evasion techniques to avoid security detection,” said John Maddison, vice president of marketing for Fortinet. “Given our many years of threat research and development, we’re finding that inspection of file activity, as a complement to inspection based on attributes, is a necessary means of combating APTs. Our customers now have the opportunity to easily and cost-effectively perform detailed analysis of specific threats traversing their networks with the added benefit of integrating with our FortiGate and FortiMail appliances to perform in-line, real-time threat mitigation.”

Find more information at www.fortinet.com





Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

Power surges are killing our networks
Duxbury Networking Infrastructure
With power surges and lightning strikes becoming an all-too-familiar threat to South African infrastructure, Duxbury Networking is calling on local installers and network integrators to follow proper grounding protocols.

Read more...
A passport to offline backups
SMART Security Solutions Technews Publishing Editor's Choice Infrastructure Smart Home Automation
SMART Security Solutions tested a 6 TB WD My Passport and found it is much more than simply another portable hard drive when considering the free security software the company includes with the device.

Read more...
Five tech trends shaping business in 2025
Information Security Infrastructure
From runaway IT costs to the urgent need for comprehensive AI strategies that drive sustainable business impact, executives must be prepared to navigate a complex and evolving technology environment to extract maximum value from their investments.

Read more...
Threats, opportunities and the need for post-quantum cryptography
AI & Data Analytics Infrastructure
The opportunities offered by quantum computing are equalled by the threats this advanced computer science introduces. The evolution of quantum computing jeopardises the security of any data available in the digital space.

Read more...
Navigating today’s cloud security challenges
Information Security Infrastructure
While the cloud certainly enables enterprises to quickly adapt to today’s evolving demands, it also introduces unique challenges that security teams must recognise and manage. Vincent Hwang offers insights from the 2025 State of Cloud Security Report.

Read more...
The rise of autonomous data recovery
Information Security Infrastructure
Escalating cyberthreats and attacks constantly put businesses under pressure, increasingly prompting organisations to shift their mindsets towards ensuring continuous operations and thus avoiding downtime and revenue loss.

Read more...
Can we really fight AI cybersecurity threats with more AI?
Information Security Infrastructure
In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being weaponised by cybercriminals, the question of whether we can effectively combat AI threats with more AI is not just a technical inquiry but a pressing global concern

Read more...
Partnership delivers 40% storage savings for surveillance
Surveillance Infrastructure
Large-scale video surveillance users and applications demanding extended storage periods will benefit from up to 40% savings on video storage hardware stacks thanks to a new partnership between IDIS and Secure Logiq.

Read more...
How smart video is transforming storage at the edge
Infrastructure Surveillance
As these technologies come together, they are impacting the architecture of the edge and what we require from data storage. More specifically, they are driving a demand for specialised storage.

Read more...
VPS hosting set to dominate in 2025
Infrastructure
SME market growth and the increasing need for a digital footprint are pushing VPS growth in South Africa, especially since it is now perceived as a viable business tool, scalable by nature, with improved performance.

Read more...