Behavior analytics tools for cybersecurity move into enterprises


December 5, 2016

Behavior analytics is one of the more recent buzzwords in enterprise cybersecurity, with more than 35 vendors competing for customers, according to security analysts.

Behavior analytics in cybersecurity is roughly defined as using software tools to detect patterns of data transmissions in a network that are out of the norm. The theory is that the analytics tool would detect the anomaly and alert IT managers, who would stop the unusual behavior or cyberattack.

Enterprises use behavior analytics to detect intrusions that evade preventive technologies such as firewalls, intrusion-prevention systems and antivirus software. Those conventional tools match fingerprints or signatures identified in prior attacks, while behavior analytics tools study and report anomalies that are judged against a baseline of normal behavior. Among the users of behavior analytics is the National Security Agency, which uses the analytics to detect threats to its private cloud system.

The market for behavior analytics tools gained steam in 2015, but is still “immature,” according to a report from 451 Research analyst Eric Ogren. Sometimes it’s hard to prove how effective the concept is in bolstering security, he noted, and called for more focused proof of concept case studies to demonstrate the value of the tools.

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