Endpoint Compliance Scoring for Automated Network Security Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Networks in companies and production facilities are vulnerable to attacks by third parties, necessitating robust IT security measures, including secure administration and automation of network resources.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method for network operation that includes defining a rule set, monitoring compliance, allocating a score based on compliance, and determining measures such as privilege limitations or network termination to enhance security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual security monitoring and administration is implemented, then security compliance can be monitored, but the complexity of operation and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automated self-monitoring of security compliance through agents installed on endpoints that automatically report their status. The central server automatically evaluates compliance scores and applies sanctions without requiring manual intervention, allowing the system to service itself and reducing operational complexity while maintaining security reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical monitoring processes with an automated electronic system. A central server automatically collects data from endpoint agents, evaluates compliance against predefined criteria, calculates security scores, and applies sanctions. This substitution of manual operations with automated computing processes reduces operational complexity while maintaining or improving security compliance monitoring.
2Reliability
If comprehensive security monitoring is implemented across all endpoints, then security compliance improves, but the device complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the security monitoring function into two segments: lightweight agents installed on individual endpoints that collect local compliance data, and a central server that performs the complex evaluation and sanction application. This segmentation distributes system complexity, keeping endpoint devices simple while concentrating computational requirements on the central server, thus improving security compliance without excessively increasing device complexity at the endpoint level.
Solution Approach 2:
The central server acts as an intermediary between endpoints and the security management system. Instead of requiring complex local security management infrastructure at each endpoint, the intermediary central server handles the complex evaluation logic, score calculation, and sanction determination, thereby reducing device complexity at endpoints while maintaining comprehensive security monitoring across the network.
3Speed
If automated sanction application is implemented based on compliance scores, then response time to security threats improves, but the risk of false positives and incorrect sanctions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the evaluation process based on the calculated compliance score. Different score thresholds trigger different sanction levels, and the system can adapt the stringency of evaluation criteria based on the overall security posture of the network. This dynamic approach allows rapid automated response while maintaining flexibility to adjust for false positives, balancing speed with measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where sanctions applied to endpoints are monitored and evaluated. If false positives are detected or compliance patterns change, the system can adjust evaluation criteria and sanction thresholds. This feedback mechanism enables the automated system to learn from its decisions, improving measurement precision over time while maintaining rapid response capabilities through the automated sanction application process.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of the teachings herein include a method for operating a network having an endpoint administering a network resource. The method may include: defining a set of rules for the endpoint; monitoring compliance of the endpoint with the set of rules; allocating a score depending on the compliance; and implementing a measure based on the score.