Security Threat Mitigation And Response: Understanding Cisco Security Mars

Identify, manage, and counter security threats with the Cisco Security Monitoring, Analysis, and Response System

Dale Tesch

Greg Abelar

While it is commonly understood that deploying network security devices is critical to the well-being of an organization’s systems and data, all too often companies assume that simply having these devices is enough to maintain the integrity of network resources. To really provide effective protection for their networks, organizations need to take the next step by closely examining network infrastructure, host, application, and security events to determine if an attack has exploited devices on their networks.

Cisco® Security Monitoring, Analysis, and Response System (Cisco Security MARS) complements network and security infrastructure investment by delivering a security command and control solution that is easy to deploy, easy to use, and cost-effective. Cisco Security MARS fortifies deployed network devices and security countermeasures, empowering you to readily identify, manage, and eliminate network attacks and maintain compliance.

Security Threat Mitigation and Response helps you understand this powerful new security paradigm that reduces your security risks and helps you comply with new data privacy standards. This book clearly presents the advantages of moving from a security reporting system to an all-inclusive security and network threat recognition and mitigation system. You will learn how Cisco Security MARS works, what the potential return on investment is for deploying Cisco Security MARS, and how to set up and configure Cisco Security MARS in your network.

“Dealing with gigantic amounts of disparate data is the next big challenge in computer security; if you’re a Cisco Security MARS user, this book is what you’ve been looking for.”

–Marcus J. Ranum, Chief of Security, Tenable Security, Inc.

Dale Tesch is a product sales specialist for the Cisco Security MARS product line for the Cisco Systems® United States AT Security team. Dale came to Cisco Systems through the acquisition of Protego Networks in February 2005. Since then, he has had the primary responsibilities of training the Cisco sales and engineering team on SIM systems and Cisco Security MARS and for providing advanced sales support to Cisco customers.

Greg Abelar has been an employee of Cisco Systems since December 1996. He was an original member of the Cisco Technical Assistance Security team, helping to hire and train many of the team’s engineers. He has held various positions in both the Security Architecture and Security Technical Marketing Engineering teams at Cisco.

• Understand how to protect your network with a defense-in-depth strategy
• Examine real-world examples of cost savings realized by Cisco Security MARS deployments
• Evaluate the technology that underpins the Cisco Security MARS appliance
• Set up and configure Cisco Security MARS devices and customize them for your environment
• Configure Cisco Security MARS to communicate with your existing hosts, servers, network devices, security appliances, and other devices in your network
• Investigate reported threats and use predefined reports and queries to get additional information about events and devices in your network
• Use custom reports and custom queries to generate device and event information about your network and security events
• Learn firsthand from real-world customer s

Greg Abelar has been an employee of Cisco Systems, Inc., since December 1996. He was an original member of the Cisco Technical Assistance Security Team, helping to hire and train many of the engineers. He has held various positions in both the Security Architecture and Security Technical Marketing Engineering teams at Cisco. Greg is the primary founder and project manager of Cisco’s Written CCIE Security exam. Before his employment at Cisco, Greg worked at Apple Computer, Inc., for eight years as a TCP/IP, IPX, and AppleTalk cross-platform escalation engineer. At Apple, he also served as a project leader in the technical platform deployment for the Apple worldwide network. From 1991 to 1996, Greg worked as both a systems programmer and an IT manager for Plantronics, Inc. From 1985 to 1991, Greg was employed by the County Bank of Santa Cruz, where he worked as an applications programmer. This book is Greg’s second authorship of a technical publication; the first was a very successful and uniquely presented publication, also from Cisco Press, titled Securing Your Business with Cisco ASA and PIX Firewalls (2005). Besides authoring Cisco Press publications, he was a co-author of Version 2 of the premier Internet security architecture whitepaper, “SAFE: A Security Blueprint for Enterprise and Networks.” His credentials also include technical editing of five security publications by Cisco Press. Greg lives with his wife, Ellen, and three children, Jesse, Ethan, and Ryan, in Aptos, California.

Visit Greg's blog at http://security1a.blogspot.com/.

Dale Tesch is a product sales specialist for the CS-MARS product line for Cisco Systems’ US AT Security Team. Dale came to Cisco Systems through the acquisition of Protego Networks in February 2005 and has held the primary responsibilities of training Cisco’s Sales and Engineering team on SIMS and CS-MARS and providing advanced sales support to Cisco customers. While at Protego Networks, he was responsible for sales and engineering in parts of the United States, Canada, and Europe. Before Protego Networks, he was an AT security engineer for Cisco Systems’ U.S. Channels Organization. Dale was the founding team leader of the U.S. Channels Security Technical Advisory Team and came to Cisco originally in 2000. Before Cisco, he was the senior systems engineer at Vitts Networks, a New England–based DSL provider. Previously, Dale spent ten years in the U.S. Navy Submarine Force and is a veteran of Desert Storm. He lives in Madbury, New Hampshire, with his fiancée, Janet, and their six children, Scott, Alex, Isabella, Douglas, Andrew, and Kristyn. Dale has published several articles on SIMs, security policy, and wireless security and has been a technical editor for Cisco Press. Dale also speaks as an industry expert and trainer for various technical seminars. He holds CCNP and CISSP certifications and is a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University.