How Fortinet Integrated IPS Addresses Zero-Day Threats

Introduction

With cyber threats only becoming more advanced, businesses need to protect themselves with the latest tools available to help secure their digital assets. Unknown threats are the most difficult problems in cybersecurity: zero-day vulnerabilities that have not been discovered by either user or vendor. Among these strains of malware — each serving a specific purpose that can easily lead to mass compromise and data loss, is Fortinet’s patented Integrated Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) which protects end users by acting as the critical last line of defense. In this blog, you will learn how Fortinet’s Integrated IPS not only effortlessly manages to track a zero-day threat but also neutralizes it effectively making sure your business network is protected in time. If your business is looking into renting firewalls, servers or routers you might also benefit from learning how Fortinet’s IPS capabilities can help protect information and keep out malicious threats.

Overview of Integrated IPS

Integrated IPS is a strong, full-featured solution integrated with the FortiGate firewalls to inspect network traffic for malicious activities. Since the integrated system can also use a number of other security techniques in line with the FortiGate platform, it has some benefits when compared to standalone IPS devices. This adds extra layers of security, helping to better identify and respond to threats.

Some of the key features include:

• Signature-based Detection: Recognizes known threats through an extensive base of malware signatures.
• Anomaly-based Detection: Watches the behavior of a network to see if it deviates from normal operating patterns, so that zero-day threats can be identified.
• Protocol Decoding: Detect any malicious traffic using many protocols.
• Advanced Threat Intelligence: Utilizes FortiGuard Labs’ ongoing research and updates for the latest threat intelligence.

Because these capabilities are built into the firewall, Fortinet ensures that even threat detection and mitigation occur simultaneously without adding any latency to your network security.

Zero-Day Threat Protection

Zero-day threats are especially severe as they target weaknesses which have not yet been resolved or identified. This is where traditional security measures may fail, but because of the multiple weapons in its arsenal Fortinet can easily protect and address these threats using the following mechanisms:

1. Heuristic Analysis: The IPS of Fortinet detection mechanisms use heuristic methods to identify new threats by looking at behavioral patterns. This way even not-yet documented threats can still be detected.
2. Machine Learning: This signature uses machine learning that helps in the identification of new attack vectors by the IPS. These algorithms are constantly updated to keep up with emerging threats and changing tactics.
3. Sandboxing Integration: Tackle suspicious files and activities by redirecting them to a sandbox environment where they can be scrutinized without the network safety being compromised. The detonation sandbox will explode the latent threat into containment to analyze its behavior.
4. Behavioral Analysis: The IPS can detect anomalies in network and application behaviors that could indicate a zero-day exploit based on known-to-be-good behavior.
5. Threat Intelligence Feeds: FortiGuard Labs provides ongoing updates and intelligence feeds to ensure that your IPS is constantly armed with the most current information about newly discovered threats.

Sold as a Fortinet Security Fabric and likely as any deep packet inspection solution, these protective measures guarantee that zero-day threats cannot touch the business.

Implementation Tips

One key part of improving your company’s cybersecurity stance is to turn on and tune into Fortinet’s Integrated IPS. For optimal deployment and performance, adhere to some best practices:

1. Assess and Plan your Network: Start by assessing how the network is structured in terms of security, and what their potential risks are. Determine critical assets which need more protection and position your IPS deployment as per that.
2. Configuration: Configure the IPS correctly per your security policies. Tune detection profiles so that you can strike a balance between security and performance.
3. Maintain Updates: Make sure the updates of your IPS and threat intelligence feed are always up to date to protect against new threats that have emerged.
4. Monitor & Analyze: Keep a close eye on the IPS alerts and logs. Examine and take restorative actions quickly to recognize the setting of dangers.
5. Learn How to Tune Performance: Get the most out of your IPS by adjusting its settings. Such countermeasures include properly configuring thresholds for anomaly detection and tuning heuristic analysis sensitivity to minimize false positives.
6. Employee Training: Organize regular training programs for your IT staff about operations of Fortinet Integrated IPS. Give them the ability to act on alerts efficiently and effectively.
7. Rental Solutions: Many companies also prefer renting firewalls, servers or routers so best would be partnering with a service provider who can provide a safe and secure IPS based on Fortinet issuers. Renting solutions are not only cost-effective they also provide scalability to support fluctuating security requirements.

These tips will help improve your deployment of Fortinet’s IPS and provide strong protection without impacting network performance.

Conclusion

One of the most difficult challenges facing the cybersecurity landscape is zero-day threats, but Fortinet Integrated IPS offers a strong balancing solution in response to this pronounced growing threat trend. Through the integration of heuristic analysis, machine learning and sandboxing technologies, combined with real-time FortiGuard Labs updates for unknown vulnerabilities.

Companies that are looking for an edge in security without having to pay the big upfront cost associated with these types of hardware will strategically prefer to rent Fortinet firewalls, servers or routers. Because rented solutions are flexible, you can rest assured that they will be able to safeguard your network as it grows and matures.

Adding Fortinet’s Integrated IPS to your security strategy helps defend against zero-day threats and offers a more resilient, secure digital world for your business. Learn more about how Fortinet’s Integrated IPS can help protect your network from the threats not only of today, but also of tomorrow.