Title: [Infographic] The MSP Journey to AI/ML-Powered Detection and Response
1Infographic The MSP Journey to AI/ML-Powered
Detection and Response
Sometimes it seems that MSPs (Managed Service
Providers) have seen it all from being the
first company to place a PC on the desk of the
local accountant, to connecting offices to the
internet and running email servers to enabling
office workers with OneDrive in Microsoft
365. Hardware, software, and users have been on
a journey enabled by faster compute, cheaper
storage, and higher user knowledge and
expectations.
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2 However, with anything good comes the bad, and
MSPs have been fighting to protect their clients
and users for decades. Even before networked
computers and the internet, we saw many methods
of computer viruses and worms spreading,
disabling PCs, and frustrating users and
technicians. The First Viruses Even before there
were MSPs, the concept of computer viruses
emerged in the 1960s and 1970s. The first known
computer virus, called Creeper, was detected
in the early 1970s on ARPANET, the precursor to
the modern internet. The first known computer
virus is widely considered to be the Creeper
virus. Creeper was a self-replicating program
that appeared in the early 1970s on the ARPANET,
which was the precursor to the modern internet.
It was not created with malicious intent but
rather as an experiment to demonstrate the
concept of a self-replicating program. Creeper
spread between DEC PDP-10 computers running the
TENEX operating system. When it infected a
system, it displayed the message Im the
creeper, catch me if you can! The virus didnt
cause any harm to data but demonstrated the
potential for self-replicating code. To
counteract Creeper, a program called Reaper was
created. Reaper was designed to remove the
Creeper virus from infected systems. This This
early encounter with computer viruses laid the
groundwork for the development of antivirus and
cybersecurity measures in the years that
followed. The Protection Age Begins In the
1980s, the explosive growth of the PC and
Microsoft DOS kicked off the modern era of PC
viruses often spread through floppy disks and/or
a compromised BIOS. Its widely accepted that the
first virus for MS-DOS was the Brain and in
response, Alan Solomon of SS International
created Dr. Solomons Anti-Virus Toolkit in
1988.
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3The 1990s saw a significant increase in the
number and complexity of malware threats. This
led to the development of commercial antivirus
solutions by companies like McAfee and Norton
(Symantec). These products became popular as
personal computing became more
widespread. McAfee, founded by John McAfee was
one of the earliest and most well-known
antivirus vendors in the 1990s. The companys
antivirus software became widely used on
personal computers. Symantec Norton AntiVirus,
developed by Symantec, was another major player
during this time. Norton became synonymous with
antivirus protection, and its software was widely
used on both personal and business
computers. 1994 marks the year that the
internet, the world wide web, and when email
started to be consumerized. Business use cases
for the internet started to be widely explored,
and as MSPs connected offices to the internet
there was no doubt that viruses like the Melissa
Virus and other Macro Viruses would spread
rapidly around the world. The widespread
adoption of the internet during and after the
Dot- Com bubble and corporate use of email in
the 2000s brought new challenges. Worms and
other forms of malware spread rapidly through
these channels. Antivirus companies expanded
their offerings to include features like email
scanning and firewalls. Many MSPs may remember
Trend Micro Trend Micro, founded in 1988, became
a significant player in the antivirus market
during the 2000s. MSPs in both the EU and USA
might also remember the launch of Kaspersky Lab,
founded in 1997, Kaspersky Lab gained prominence
in the 2000s. The Russian cybersecurity company
is known for its antivirus products and has
expanded to offer a range of security
solutions. The Prevention Age Begins The early
and mid-2000s saw malware become more
sophisticated traditional and signature-based
detection methods proved insufficient. Antivirus
vendors started incorporating heuristic analysis
and behavioral monitoring to detect previously
unknown threats based on their behavior rather
than relying solely on known signatures. The
2010s saw the growth of Sophos, a British
cybersecurity company that gained traction and is
known for providing a range of security
solutions, including antivirus, for both
individuals and businesses. Another MSP favorite
of this era is Bitdefender, a Romanian
cybersecurity company, that became increasingly
popular during the 2010s.
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4The Cloud Age and the Birth of Detection and
Response The mid 2010s and now in the 2020s
cloud computing, is the new normal from SaaS
applications, cloud-based productivity, and
telephone systems. Anti-virus solutions began to
leverage cloud-based databases for real-time
updates and threat intelligence, and then, with
the growth of ransomware, endpoint security
solutions became more comprehensive, encompassing
not only antivirus but also features like
intrusion prevention and detection. Enterprise
companies like CrowdStrike, Carbon Black (now
VMware), and Cylance (now Blackberry) became
known for their cloud-delivered endpoint
protection. They gained attention for their focus
on endpoint detection and response (EDR) and
threat intelligence. Even, Cisco and Palo Alto
Networks started evolving their firewall
solutions to combine endpoint and network
protection. MSPs may remember the growth of web
application firewalls, next-generation firewalls,
and solutions like Webroot. In the enterprise,
several Network Detection and Response (NDR)
services were launched to modernize the ability
to detect threats on the network more
proactively. Microsoft itself significantly
strengthened its security offerings, including
Windows Defender Antivirus and the Microsoft
Defender suite. With a focus on integrated
security solutions, Microsoft has become a major
player in the cybersecurity landscape. Todays
AI/ML Powered Detection and Response As compute
got cheaper and knowledge of how to create and
distribute malware grew, both state-sponsored and
nefarious threat actors began using AI to rapidly
morph their attack models to detect and block
them from working. And with the growth of machine
learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI)
modern SIEMs and XDRs began to evolve rapidly in
the enterprise. Today, its essential that MSPs
have advanced algorithms to analyze patterns and
behaviors, real-time detection of indicators of
compromise, and the ability to identify,
correlate, and mitigate new and evolving
threats. MSPs are evolving their cybersecurity
strategies from a traditional focus on prevention
and protection to detection and response which is
both proactive and a recognition that advanced
cyber threats are increasingly sophisticated and
can often bypass traditional preventive measures.
5MSPs are investing in advanced threat detection
and response technologies like Seceon. This
includes the use of behavior analytics, anomaly
detection, and threat intelligence to identify
unusual patterns or activities that may indicate
a potential security threat. Cyber insurance
providers and regulations like PCI 4.0 are
pushing for modern AI/ML-powered SIEMs with
real-time detection and automated responses to
block stop or quarantine threats. Enterprise
SIEMs and their complicated licensing and lack of
multi-tenant and multi-tier support just dont
apply to the MSP business model. Solutions like
Seceons multi-tenant and multi-tier aiSIEM and
aiXDR are cost-effective and risk-reducing and
are increasingly required today by many
industries and cyber insurance providers. MSPs
are also recognizing the importance of
collaboration and intelligence sharing within the
cybersecurity community. Sharing threat
intelligence and insights allows MSPs to stay
informed about emerging threats and adopt more
effective defense strategies. This has given rise
to organizations like CompTIAs ISAO, which is a
central source for the MSP Community to stay
informed and aware of emerging cyber
threats. MSPs are also placing greater emphasis
on user training and awareness programs to
educate clients about cybersecurity best
practices. Well-informed users are less likely to
fall victim to social engineering attacks,
reducing the overall risk of successful cyber
threats. Overall, the evolution from prevention
and protection to todays AI/ML-powered ability
to automate detection response at scale reflects
a more proactive and adaptive approach to
cybersecurity. MSPs are recognizing that only
AI/ML-powered detection and response platforms
provide the profit-margins and risk reduction to
meet todays threats and insurance and regulatory
requirements. Join over 350 MSPs and their
7,500 clients and learn how Seceon can modernize
your cybersecurity program and increase your
profit margins.
Address - 238 Littleton Road Suite 206 Westford,
MA 01886 Phone no - 1 (978)-923-0040 Email Id
- sales_at_seceon.com Website - https//www.seceon.c
om/
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