Courtesy of NY Metro Infragard: https://www.nym-infragard.us/cms/

The report/study cited that the number of malicious attacks on institutions doubled in 2009, and the average cost of a breach is now $204.  $144 of the $204 is linked to indirect costs resulting from client turn-over and churn, and $60 is related to direct costs.

This study was specifically focused on “regular” data breaches ranging from 5,000 to 101,000 compromised records, which means it did not include catastrophic breaches like Heartland Payment Systems or TJX. The point being, even a breach involving a relatively small number of records (5,000 – 101,000) at the current average cost per compromised record ($204) would yield a liability for the institution responsible for maintaining those records in the range of $1M – $21M.

If you were to consider applying even just the direct cost ($60) of a breach to the 285M records that were cited in the 90 breaches studied by Verizon in the report “The 10 dumbest mistakes network managers make”, the direct cost liability alone would be an astounding $17B.

SCADA systems are being modernized with TCP/IP network connectivity. This development, however, has exposed SCADA networks to the significant security risks that accompany today’s TCP/IP networks. The potential implications resulting from this exposure are high, especially since many of these systems control much of the world’s critical infrastructure. Establishing the discipline of Network Assurance to secure SCADA networks mitigates a significant portion of these security risks. Only with a comprehensive set of network facts can organizations fully demonstrate the alignment of network defenses and security policy. With Network Assurance in place, companies can truly secure interconnected SCADA devices from threats both outside and inside the organization.

I recently read a report published by Pike Research which forecasted the amount of money which is going to be spent on smart grid cyber security. A component of what the overall SCADA market could represent.  The report forecasts that this sector (smart grid cyber security) alone is going to grow from $1.9 Billion in 2009 to approximately $21 Billion in 2015.

The report also indicates that the utilities/energy companies are highly focused on finding end-to-end cyber security solutions, which will open new market opportunities for companies like large systems integrators to collaborate with traditional utility industry players.

Herndon, VA – Jan 12, 2010– TKC Global Solutions LLC (TKC Global) today announced that it has secured a multi-year enterprise contract with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to deploy and provide technical and programmatic support for Lumeta IPsonar®, an Enterprise Network Mapping and Leak Detection Solution (NMLDS) for the Department of Defense Network (DODN). TKC Global’s longtime partner, Lumeta, is the leading provider of network discovery solutions for enterprise and government agencies.

TKC Global is an innovative systems integrator focused on providing the federal government with information technology, network management and security and telecommunications solutions. The company collaborates with its technology partners and the Federal Government to deliver the needed integrated solutions.

DISA has been working with the Lumeta IPsonar solution, which has been deployed on the Secure Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet) since 2003. After thorough testing and a comprehensive review of competitive products, DISA chose to implement IPsonar enterprise-wide because of the technology’s unique ability to map very large network infrastructures and to identify previously undetected or misconfigured devices and connectivity. This contract makes IPsonar available enterprise-wide to all DoD Networks, Armed Forces Installations, and Military Bases around the globe.

Lumeta IPsonar is the industry’s only network discovery product which finds every asset on a network, including assets either unknown ornot currently under management. IPsonar maps and analyzes the connectivity between assets and networks to uncover risk patterns and automate enforcement of network policies. Lumeta’s Network Leak Discovery identifies unauthorized or previously undetected inbound and outbound network connectivity.

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), at the request of the JTF-GNO, United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) and in support of National Security goals established by the President, intends to utilize this solution with the goal of alleviating network topology awareness gaps within Department of Defense (DoD) networks and integrating that situational awareness of the network into existing DoD Enterprise Information Assurance (IA) management capabilities.

“Lumeta’s previous deployment with DISA demonstrated IPsonar’s ability to provide network mapping and leak detection on one of the world’s largest networks,” said David Hickey, Lumeta’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We’re also pleased to work again on a large Federal project with TKC Global, who has experience with our system and an excellent reputation within the Federal sector. Lumeta is honored that our network discovery solution, IPsonar, will now be utilized throughout the Department of Defense, providing situational awareness of the enterprise network through mapping and network leak detection.”

“TKC Global will continue to provide DISA with enterprise-class network management and security solutions to support its missions,” said Juvy McCarthy, General Manager of TKC Global Solutions. “Along with one of our key technology partners, Lumeta, TKC Global is very excited about this opportunity to provide DHS with proven high-end security technologies and responsive customer service.”

About TKC Global Solutions LLC

TKC Global Solutions LLC, a Qivliq company, assists its government clients in navigating the complex and converging digital environment. The company’s services include the delivery of network solutions customizable network servers and appliances, data storage, telecommunications and security management products. TKC Global offers integration services through its certified and skilled team of network engineering, database and security specialists. The company’s long-standing alliances with leading technology companies enable it to deliver the promise of high-end technology, efficient operations and responsive customer service.

For more information, visit the TKC Global Web site at http://www.tkcglobal.com/

About Lumeta Corporation

Lumeta empowers large enterprise and government agencies with global network visibility, allowing them to understand how network change affects security, availability, and compliance. Lumeta’s IPsonar is the industry’s only network assurance solution that discovers and maps every asset on a network, including assets not currently under management. This capability enables IT professionals to analyze the connectivity between assets and networks, uncover risk patterns, and automate the enforcement of network policies. With this level of network assurance, IT organizations can harden security, improve business continuity, and deploy new services without impacting its ability to deliver existing services.

For more information, visit the Lumeta Web site at www.lumeta.com.

Lumeta, the Lumeta logo, IPsonar and the IPsonar logo are trademarks and service marks of the Lumeta Corporation. Other product and company names appearing in this document may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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Somerset, NJ – November 24, 2009 – Lumeta Corporation, the leading provider of network discovery solutions for enterprise and government agencies, today announced the successful conclusion of its 2009 Lose to Win challenge, a healthy living program in which Lumeta employees lost a combined total of over 400 pounds.

For every pound that employees lost from January through Mid-November, the company donated $10.00 to the Somerset Food Bank of New Jersey. Employees also brought in non-perishable food goods and personal cash donations – for a total donation of $4,175, plus a large quantity of food. In addition, employees were offered cash incentives for the weight they have lost.

The program’s genesis came out of a corporate offsite management meeting in December 2008. Employees were initially joking about how much they were eating – three big meals plus continual snacks every day. But when they began thinking about how they could make the company a better place to work and be a better global citizen, the ensuing discussion resulted in the “Lose to Win” as a contest.

“I’m very proud of what the company has accomplished with the “Lose to Win” challenge,” said David Hickey, CEO of Lumeta. “Everyone involved has a much more positive self image, and the program has brought employees closer together. We’re proud that our efforts will not only benefit our own health, but will also benefit the Somerset Food Bank of New Jersey. ”

To make a donation or learn more about the mission of the Somerset Food Bank of New Jersey, please visit: http://www.somersetfoodbank.org/

About Lumeta Corporation
Lumeta empowers large enterprise and government agencies with global network visibility, allowing them to understand how network change affects security, availability, and compliance.

Lumeta’s IPsonar is the industry’s only network assurance solution that discovers and maps every asset on a network, including assets not currently under management. This capability enables IT professionals to analyze the connectivity between assets and networks, uncover risk patterns, and automate the enforcement of network policies.

With this level of network assurance, IT organizations can harden security, improve business continuity, and deploy new services without impacting its ability to deliver existing services.

For more information, visit the Lumeta Web site at www.lumeta.com.

Lumeta, the Lumeta logo, IPsonar and the IPsonar logo are trademarks and service marks of the Lumeta Corporation. Other product and company names appearing in this document may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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Both of these standards call for accurate device and connection inventories, active monitoring, proactive network audits of configurations, devices, address space and perimeters to validate security controls across the network. This increased focus in understanding the true and current state of the network as it pertains to active discovery is what Lumeta has been evangelizing for nearly a decade.

More and more organizations are recognizing the need network discovery, visibility, and situational awareness tools to reach their network security goals. It’s becoming an accepted guideline to ask “what don’t I know about my network?” Implicit in that assumption, is the belief that the majority of large global networks have some unknown devices, unmanaged connectivity, or misconfigured access controls which aren’t managed/secured by the already robust systems that many of these organizations already have in place.

At Lumeta, we see the threats born from lack of network visibility on all kinds of networks every day. We believe that you cannot secure what you don’t know about and we’ll continue to advocate that the first step toward real network security and complete network management is for the network to be fully mapped and actively understood.

With its extendable and flexible alerting management system, IPsonar now can be used to proactively highlight IT policy violations in real-time through actionable data as it’s discovered on the network. Lumeta IPsonar generates these real-time network discovery events in a variety of industry standard formats, including the Trusted Computing Group IF-MAP and Syslog.

The press release is available here: http://www.lumeta.com/news/pr090809.asp

Additionally, the latest release of the IPsonar product includes greatly enhanced mapping down to the end-node device.

Also Available on YouTube.