The report is based on groundbreaking research and analysis from Unit 42, the global threat intelligence team at Palo Alto Networks.

The report is based on groundbreaking research and analysis from Unit 42, the global threat intelligence team at Palo Alto Networks.

This report highlights key learnings from these incidents along with research by Unit 42’s cloud research team to shed light on current and emerging trends. Moreover, it offers tips and best practices to help organizations ensure business-critical data across their public cloud environments – AWS, Azure and Google Cloud – is secure.

Palo Alto Networks was recognized as a Leader in the Forrester 2018 Zero Trust eXtended (ZTX) Wave.

Gartner’s 2018 Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Network Firewalls Report recognizes Palo Alto Networks a Leader for the SEVENTH straight time, with the highest position in ability to execute and furthest in completeness of vision for enterprise network firewalls.

NSS Labs performed an independent test of the Palo Alto Networks PA-5220 PAN-OS 8.1.2. The product was subjected to thorough testing at the NSS facility in Austin, Texas, based on the Next Generation intrusion Prevention System (NGIPS) Test Methodology v4 and the NSS Labs Evasion Test Methodology v1.1. Testing was conducted free of charge and NSS did not receive any compensation in return for Palo Alto Network’s participation.

Palo Alto Networks® is focused on securing your business with a prevention-focused architecture you can easily deploy and operate. NSS Labs® – in its Security Value Map™ (SVM) based on the 2018 “Next Generation Firewall Group Test Report” – has recognized this and given our NGFW a Recommended rating.

Palo Alto Networks® is focused on securing your business with a prevention-focused architecture you can easily deploy and operate. In its 2018 “Next Generation Firewall Group Test Report,” NSS Labs® recognized this and gave our NGFW a Recommended rating.

To provide customers with a framework to evaluate the financial impact of investing in the Security Operating Platform, Palo Alto Networks engaged with Forrester Consulting. Forrester conducted a Total Economic Impact (TEI) study with three long-term customers to better understand the benefits, costs, and risks associated with their investment.

Palo Alto Networks Traps earned a “Recommend” rating in the 2018 NSS Labs Advanced Endpoint Protection test. Results indicated outstanding protection and low total cost of ownership. The AEP test evaluated Traps ability to detect, prevent, continuously monitor and take action against malware, exploits, evasions and blended threats. The results of this test validates Palo Alto Network’s prevention first philosophy.

The 2018 Cloud Security Report reveals that security concerns are on the rise, heightened by a shortage of qualified security personnel and the inability of most legacy security tools to address modern IT environments.

With both the threat landscape evolving rapidly and regulatory requirements becoming more demanding, organisations are struggling to prepare for cybersecurity incidents.

NSS Labs performed an independent test of the Palo Alto Networks PA-5250 v8.0.3-h4. The product was subjected to thorough testing at the NSS facility in Austin, Texas, based on the Next Generation Intrusion Prevention System (NGIPS) Test Methodology v3.1 available at www.nsslabs.com. This test was conducted free of charge and NSS did not receive any compensation in return for Palo Alto Networks’ participation.

Download the report to learn about the rise of ransomware, how adversaries are refining and improving their tactics, and what you can do to better defend your organization against them.

Forrester Traps TEI Study

AV-Comparatives, the independent organization that tests and assesses antivirus (AV) software, announced the completion of its 2017 “Comparison of Next-Generation Security Products” and presented Traps advanced endpoint protection with its “Approved” award. The firm conducted a series of malware protection and exploit prevention tests on Traps during September and October 2017. Download the report to view the results of this test.

In this research report, we present the results of a recent Tech Pro Research survey, asking CBS Interactive’s readers about their current cloud activities, security operations, and priorities. You'll learn how IT departments are planning their implementation of private and hybrid cloud infrastructure, how they're dealing with concerns about insider threats, their perceptions of shadow IT, and how you can protect your organization in a challenging threat landscape.

The Meaning of Security in the 21st Century uncovers the root causes of security threats and steps companies can take now to prevent them.

Credential theft is the oxygen of malicious activity: nearly always there, necessary, but never noticed. According to the 2016 Verizon® Data Breach Report, 63 percent of confirmed data breaches leveraged credentials, and the use of stolen credentials is the most common approach in web-app attacks. Credential theft is a staple in the playbooks of sophisticated attackers, like the Sofacy threat actor group, and unsophisticated attackers alike.

Credential theft is the oxygen of malicious activity: nearly always there, necessary, but never noticed. According to the 2016 Verizon® Data Breach Report, 63 percent of confirmed data breaches leveraged credentials, and the use of stolen credentials is the most common approach in web-app attacks. Credential theft is a staple in the playbooks of sophisticated attackers, like the Sofacy threat actor group, and unsophisticated attackers alike.

Credential-Based Attacks: Exposing the Ecosystem and Motives Behind Credential Phishing, Theft and Abuse In this white paper, Unit 42 details the ecosystem behind how adversaries steal and leverage legitimate credentials to break in and move laterally within the organization, often bypassing security controls. Learn the key attack methods currently in use, how this technique fits into attacker playbooks, and real-world guidance on preventing successful attacks.

As recent headlines illustrate, malicious actors are improving their ability to compromise organizations with increasing usage of automated tools to scaletheir attacks. The malware distribution mechanism that malicious actors are coming to rely on in order to generate profits from their activity, like holding files for ransom or stealing information for resale, are exploit kits. Exploit kits are server-based frameworks that automate the exploitation of vulnerabilities on target machines, most commonly while victims are browsing the web. While an increasingly urgent challenge, exploit kits can be thwarted with the right security technology and risk management processes. Unit 42, the Palo Alto Networks® threat intelligence team, recently released an in-depth report on exploit kit history, evolution and effective defenses.

Unit 42 tracks Nigerian Threat Actors and finds they've evolved into capable and formidable adversaries successfully attacking major companies and governments.

Exploit kits, which first became popular in 2006, are used to automate the exploitation of vulnerabilities on victims’ machines, most commonly while users are browsing the web. Over the past decade they have become an extremely popular means for criminal groups to distribute mass malware or remote access tools (RAT), because they lower the barrier to entry for attackers and can enable opportunistic attacks at scale. To understand this phenomenon, we must understand the ecosystem that surrounds exploit kits, including the actors, campaigns and terminology involved.

Exploit kits, which first became popular in 2006, are used to automate the exploitation of vulnerabilities on victims’ machines, most commonly while users are browsing the web. Over the past decade they have become an extremely popular means for criminal groups to distribute mass malware or remote access tools (RAT), because they lower the barrier to entry for attackers and can enable opportunistic attacks at scale. To understand this phenomenon, we must understand the ecosystem that surrounds exploit kits, including the actors, campaigns and terminology involved.

We surveyed decision-makers in the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Belgium to understand how they plan to adjust to the changing world of cybersecurity.

It’s exciting when we’re recognized in the market as the security vendor customers can count on to protect their users and their data. Now, we have a third-party report that publicly corroborates what our customers have been saying: that Palo Alto Networks is effective when it comes to protecting the data center.

Read Unit 42's in-depth report on ransomware history, evolution and effective defenses.

The business model behind crimeware has changed. In the past, attackers typically profited from their malicious endeavors by stealing identities, or credit card numbers, and selling them on underground markets for a small fee. In recent years, the price for stolen records has plummeted, falling from $25 per record in 2011 to only $6 in 2016.1 This has necessitated new sources of income for cyber attackers, with many of them turning to ransomware due to recent advances in attack distribution, anonymous payments, and the ability to reliably encrypt and decrypt data. Unit 42, the Palo Alto Networks® threat research team, reviews the past, present and future of ransomware in this report, including strategies for preventing this critical threat.

On March 4, 2016, Unit 42, the Palo Alto Networks® threat intelligence team, identified the first ever fully functional ransomware targeting Mac® OS X® users.