Cybersecurity Rating via Probe-Based Reconnaissance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cybersecurity systems lack an efficient method for performing active and passive external reconnaissance using network scanning in conjunction with probe-based risk analysis, which is necessary for producing accurate cybersecurity ratings for organizations.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for cybersecurity rating using active and passive external reconnaissance, comprising a web crawler that sends message prompts to external hosts and receives responses, a time-series data store that produces time-series data from message responses, and a directed computational graph module that analyzes the time-series data to produce a weighted score representing the overall cybersecurity state of an organization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If massive port scanning is performed across the entire IPv4 space, then comprehensive security information is obtained, but the time and computational resources required increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the IPv4 address space into multiple zones and performs scanning in parallel using multiple scanning threads. Each thread scans a specific segment simultaneously, reducing the total time required while maintaining comprehensive coverage of the entire address space for accurate security assessment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary scanning of commonly targeted port ranges (such as ports 1-1024 and 1024-65535) before conducting comprehensive scans. This preliminary action identifies high-risk targets early, allowing the system to focus resources on the most critical assessment areas and reduce overall scanning time while maintaining assessment accuracy
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive network reconnaissance is performed, then accurate cybersecurity ratings are produced, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a multi-functional scanning system that performs multiple types of reconnaissance operations (port scanning, service detection, vulnerability assessment, and security rating) through a unified platform. This universal system consolidates what would otherwise require separate tools and processes, maintaining comprehensive assessment capabilities while reducing overall system complexity through integration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the data collection, analysis, and rating generation processes into an integrated workflow. The scanning results are directly fed into the analysis engine which automatically generates cybersecurity ratings, eliminating the need for separate manual analysis steps and simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining comprehensive assessment accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
A system and methods for cybersecurity rating using active and passive external reconnaissance, comprising a web crawler that send message prompts to external hosts and receives responses from external hosts, a time-series data store that produces time-series data from the message responses, and a directed computational graph module that probes, scans, and fingerprints devices within a cyber-physical graph and analyzes the results as time-series data to produce a weighted score representing the overall cybersecurity state of an organization.