Cisco, a leader in security and networking, has introduced innovative features in the Cisco Security Cloud to simplify security. The newly unveiled Cisco Identity Intelligence and advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities are part of the company’s initiative to create a unified, AI-driven security platform that addresses the evolving challenges of cyber threats.
Cisco’s groundbreaking approach integrates identity, networking, and security to enhance protection against sophisticated attacker techniques targeting organizations’ complex identity structures. In 2023, over 26% of Cisco Talos Incident Response engagements involved adversaries exploiting compromised credentials on valid accounts, highlighting the critical need for improved identity security.
Cisco Identity Intelligence operates on existing identity stores, providing unified visibility and AI-driven analytics. It enables organizations to comprehensively assess their entire identity population, clean up vulnerable accounts, eliminate risky privileges, detect anomalous behavior, and block high-risk access attempts without replacing current solutions.
While multifactor authentication (MFA) remains crucial, attackers are using inventive methods to steal credentials. The 2024 Duo Trusted Access Report reveals that Cisco Duo processed 16 billion authentications in 2023, with weaker forms of MFA like SMS and phone calls reaching an all-time low of 5%. Despite this, identity attacks are on the rise.
Jeetu Patel, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Security and Collaboration at Cisco, emphasizes the importance of adopting an identity-first approach to security. Cisco Identity Intelligence bridges the gap between authentication and access, analyzing an organization’s entire attack surface, including users, machines, services, apps, and data.
Cisco Identity Intelligence leverages a powerful identity graph that pulls data from various third-party sources, integrating AI-driven behavioral analytics. The solution enables organizations to take a graduated response, such as quarantining an identity, killing active sessions, or isolating the network using Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE).
This comprehensive approach allows Cisco customers to benefit from critical insights, including smart authentication with Cisco Duo, smart access with Cisco Secure Access, and smart threat detection with Cisco XDR. Cisco Identity Intelligence is set to be available in July 2024, enhancing the value of existing investments in the Cisco Security Cloud. The integration of identity and security is crucial for a zero-trust future in the evolving landscape of hybrid work and multi-cloud IT architectures.
Industry experts, such as Frank Dickson, Group Vice President, Security & Trust at IDC, and Will Townsend, Vice President & Principal Analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, acknowledge Cisco’s efforts in combining identity intelligence with network visibility, XDR orchestration, and existing access capabilities to address ongoing cybersecurity challenges.
