Insights from RSA Conference 2024: Transformative Innovations in Cybersecurity

Beyond the Buzz Word AI, the Practical Groundbreaking Stuff

By Samridhi Agarwal, Masters Student, CMU

My first RSA Conference! Oh, what a blast it was! Attending the RSA Conference has been a long-held dream since I started in the cybersecurity field. The journey to make this dream come true began in January when I saw the incredible list of keynotes and speakers for RSA 2024. It surpassed my wildest dreams when I was selected for the Young Women in Cyber award, giving me the amazing opportunity to attend RSA 2024 with a press pass. Yes, a press pass! This was the cherry on top, allowing me to interact with and interview CISOs, CTOs, CEOs, and others from organizations doing groundbreaking work in cybersecurity.

To prepare for the conference, I read about various technologies and scheduled my calendar to make the most of the experience. However, once I arrived, I realized no amount of preparation could match the event’s scale. It was massive, with organizations hosting their own launches, the Expo featuring impressive demonstrations, and countless amazing people to talk with.

While everything at the conference was fascinating, I particularly enjoyed the work of a few organizations in the cyber arena and loved learning more about the groundbreaking efforts their teams are making in the field. From developing advanced security technologies to pioneering new methods for protecting digital infrastructure, these organizations are at the forefront of making our digital lives more secure. In this trip report, I am covering some of these amazing people I talked with and the organizations they represent.

HORIZON3.ai: Revolutionizing Penetration Testing with NodeZero

In discussion with Snehal Antani, Co-Founder and CEO of HORIZON3.ai, we explored how organizations are constantly under threat from sophisticated attacks such as APTs, ransomware, and other malicious actors. Traditional penetration testing methods, while effective, are often labor-intensive, expensive, and time-consuming, making it challenging for businesses to keep up. HORIZON3.ai is addressing this critical issue with their groundbreaking solution: NodeZero, an automated penetration testing platform that combines human expertise with machine automation.

Node Zero automates many of the time-consuming aspects of penetration testing, allowing human experts to focus on more complex tasks and analysis. It provides detailed reports with remediation information, making it easier for organizations to address vulnerabilities and comply with industry standards. It clearly explains the sequence of events leading to critical impacts, providing proof of exploitation and detailed descriptions of necessary fixes. One feature of the dashboard that I particularly liked is its design, catering to users of all skill levels, from early career IT professionals to seasoned pen-testers; NodeZero makes penetration testing accessible and efficient.

Snehal Antani said “We are not making just another AI solution. It’s an autonomous system that embodies a human-machine teaming approach,” He explained, that this approach leverages the strengths of both human penetration testers and automated tools, providing a more comprehensive and scalable solution. The platform offers transparency and visibility into ongoing operations, allowing clients to monitor running modules, discovered issues, and network connections in real time.

HORIZON3.ai’s NodeZero platform (Figure 1) is revolutionizing the way organizations approach cybersecurity. By providing continuous, autonomous penetration testing, it helps organizations proactively identify and fix vulnerabilities, ensuring a robust defense against sophisticated cyber threats. With its innovative features and user-friendly design, setting new benchmarks in the cybersecurity industry, empowering organizations to secure their digital assets effectively.

Clients have praised Horizon3.ai for the transformative impact of NodeZero on their cybersecurity strategies. A Senior IT Security and Risk Specialist shared, “NodeZero has given our organization the ability to conduct penetration testing in a reliable, repeatable, and affordable manner. The insights we gain from the platform are invaluable in strengthening our security posture.”

Overall, the aim is to revolutionize the internal penetration testing process by providing a more efficient, accurate, and secure solution that combines human expertise with machine automation, while minimizing the attack surface and providing detailed, actionable reports for remediation to the clients.

Figure 1: NodeZero Platform

RAD Security: Revolutionizing Cloud Security with Proactive Approach

In a conversation with Brooke Motta, the CEO and Co-Founder of RAD Security, we delved into how RAD Security is transforming cloud breach detection and response. As a behavioral cloud-native detection and response company, RAD Security provides the ultimate source of truth for cloud breaches by behavioral fingerprinting i.e. proactively fingerprinting unique environments, enabling the detection of novel attacks in real-time.

Traditional approaches to cloud security often rely on identifying millions of potential attack signatures, which is both time-consuming and inefficient. RAD Security takes a different approach by observing known good behavior and flagging any deviations as suspicious. For instance, fingerprinting sshd with RAD would have detected the XZ Backdoor attack immediately.

RAD Security provides a comprehensive three-in-one solution (Figure 2), focusing on the critical areas targeted by attackers today: cloud native infrastructure, identity, and the software supply chain. This holistic approach enables organizations to embed runtime fingerprints into their supply chain pipelines, detect novel attacks during runtime, identify malicious insiders, and strengthen their shift-left security programs. As Brooke Motta emphasized, securing cloud native environments has become the most critical task for CISOs, as these environments underpin the massive developments in artificial intelligence (AI). To secure AI, it is imperative to secure the underlying cloud native environments, including containers and Kubernetes. The statistics are compelling: 70% of teams are currently using containers in production, and analysts predict that by 2025, 95% of new applications will be built using cloud native workloads. ^[1]

Clients of RAD Security have praised the platform for its transformative impact on their cloud security strategies. Raj Umadas, Director of Security at ActBlue, shared, “As long as I have RAD Security deployed and not throwing concerning alarms, I know our baseline is good.”

I was personally fascinated when Brooke Motta also highlighted the importance of diversity and inclusion in cybersecurity, encouraging a culture that supports women in the field. RAD Security sets itself apart by providing a proactive approach to cloud security, enabling organizations to detect and respond to attacks as they happen, rather than relying on reactive, signature-based detection methods.

Figure 2: RAD Security Dashboard

Zentera Systems: Pioneering Zero Trust Security for the Modern Enterprise

In today’s digital landscape, where traditional network perimeters have become increasingly porous, enterprises face a daunting challenge: securing their critical assets and data against sophisticated cyber threats. Hackers can breach the corporate perimeter through various means, and once inside, they have ample time to study the organization and craft custom attacks that are difficult to defend against. The consequences of a successful cyberattack can be devastating, with costs often exceeding $100 million to remediate an attack that occurs over a single weekend.

Zentera Systems offers a game-changing solution to this problem: the CoIP Zero Trust Fabric. As discussed with President and CEO Jaushin Lee, this solution implements the NIST SP800-207 specification for a Zero Trust Architecture, effectively defending assets and data against ransomware, lateral attacks, insider threats, and data leaks.

The CoIP Zero Trust Fabric deploys a new layer of airtight protections around critical assets and data, ensuring that every single network access is known and authorized. This proactive approach neutralizes threats to critical assets with effective cybersecurity protection, addressing the limitations of traditional network firewalls, threat detection tools, and monitoring. What sets Zentera apart is its unmatched speed, unparalleled simplicity, and incredible agility in deploying Zero Trust security. As Jaushin Lee emphasizes, “Our CoIP Platform provides award-winning Zero Trust networking, security, and multi-cloud connectivity that overlays on top of any infrastructure in any fragmented environment, allowing customers to be up and running in less than a day.”

Zentera Systems has become a leader in secure and agile connectivity solutions for the digitally transformed enterprise.

DNSFilter: Revolutionizing DNS S ecurity for the Modern Workplace

In today’s digital landscape, where remote work and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) practices are increasingly prevalent, organizations face a significant challenge in securing their workforce from cyber threats. Traditional security solutions often fall short in providing comprehensive protection for a decentralized and mobile workforce, leaving organizations vulnerable to phishing, malware, and other cyber attacks. As discussed with Ken Carnesi, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of DNSFilter, the company offers a revolutionary solution to this problem: Protective DNS. DNSFilter’s approach is to secure organizations at the DNS level, effectively blocking threats before they can even reach the network or endpoints.

DNSFilter’s Protective DNS solution serves as a first line of defense against cyber threats, filtering out malicious domains and preventing users from accessing compromised websites or resources. By leveraging advanced machine learning and external threat feeds, DNSFilter ensures comprehensive and up-to-date threat protection. The company boasts over 35,000 customers and 35 million monthly users, highlighting its widespread adoption and trust among businesses of all sizes. ^[2]

What sets DNSFilter apart is its unique combination of ease of use, comprehensive threat protection, and unwavering customer support. As Ken Carnesi emphasizes, “From the beginning, we’ve made sure our threat categorization is driven by machine learning and supplemented by external feeds—giving our customers the most complete product.” The DNSFilter dashboard (Figure 3), is designed to cater to users of all skill levels, providing clear and actionable insights into network activity. It offers detailed reporting on threats detected and blocked, allowing security teams to understand and respond to incidents promptly.

DNSFilter is revolutionizing DNS security with its innovative approach to threat detection and prevention. By combining speed, simplicity, and proactive measures, DNSFilter ensures that organizations are well-protected against the ever-changing landscape of cyber threats.

Figure 3: DNSFilter Dashboard

iboss: Revolutionizing Secure Access with Zero Trust SD-WAN

During my conversation with Paul Martini, CEO of iboss, I gained deeper insights into the cutting-edge solutions iboss is providing to address the complex security challenges of today’s distributed digital environments. In the modern digital age, traditional security methods are proving insufficient to protect a dispersed workforce. Legacy SD-WAN solutions often necessitate the management of multiple disparate security technologies, complex routing, and cumbersome VPNs, leading to increased operational costs and inefficiencies. iboss tackles these challenges head-on with their Zero Trust SD-WAN solution. This innovation unifies iboss’s industry-leading Zero Trust Security Service Edge (SSE) platform with Zero Trust SD-WAN, offering a comprehensive, single-vendor SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) solution.

This integrated platform (Figure 4) enables organizations to gain secure connectivity across their distributed environments while eliminating the need for legacy firewalls and cumbersome VPNs. By consolidating security and connectivity functions into a single platform, iboss simplifies IT management, boosts employee productivity, and significantly reduces organizational costs. As Paul Martini emphasizes, “At iboss, we are committed to continually advancing our technology to address the evolving needs of today’s dynamic enterprise environments. With the launch of our Zero Trust SD-WAN, we are proud to offer a solution that not only meets the stringent security requirements of our customers but also enhances their overall productivity and reduces operational costs.”

iboss’s Zero Trust SD-WAN is a game-changer, providing a unified, efficient, and secure solution for today’s distributed digital environments.

Figure 4: iboss Dashboard

A Remarkable Experience at RSA Conference 2024

To sum it all up, RSA Conference 2024 was amazing! I can’t thank Cyber Defense Magazine enough for this incredible opportunity. It truly felt like a festival where everyone was united by a common goal – securing our digital space and pushing the boundaries of technology. I was amazed to see the collective efforts of so many brilliant minds coming together to make the RSA week an absolute hit. From groundbreaking product launches to insightful sessions and engaging networking events, the entire experience was simply mind-blowing. It was inspiring to witness firsthand the passion, creativity, and unwavering determination of industry leaders and innovators who are tirelessly working to fortify our digital defenses. I left the conference with a renewed sense of excitement and optimism for the boundless possibilities that lie ahead in the ever-evolving cybersecurity space.

References –

[1] Security, R. (n.d.). Cloud Security monitoring, management, and compliance basics. RAD Security. https://rad.security/blog/cloud-security-monitoring-management-and-compliance-basics

[2] Raymond, S. (2021, November 24). DNSFilter: DNS filtering: How does it work and why do you need it? DNS Filtering: How Does It Work? https://www.dnsfilter.com/blog/dns-filtering-how-it-works#:~:text=The%20short%20answer%20%3A%20DNS%20filtering%20gives%20you,with%20policies%20you%27ve%20determined%20you%20want%20to%20block.

About the Author

Samridhi is an award-winning woman in cybersecurity, reporter for Cyber Defense Magazine and currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Information Security at Carnegie Mellon University. She is passionate about emerging technology and cybersecurity, with four years of industry experience as a cybersecurity associate and solution advisor. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with various clients and industries, analyzing their security infrastructure and implementing measures to address vulnerabilities in alignment with industry standards such as NIST and ISO27001. She is committed to continuous learning and exploring advancements to enhance global security and safeguard data.

Samridhi can be reached online at [email protected]