NAC & SOC Relationship for Zero-Day Threat Detection & Response

Importance of Zero-Day Attack Prevention, SOC security, and NAC risk reduction for industries in protecting their network from unknown cyber attacks. Defenders must not be complacent; security is always an arms race, and attackers are continually searching for new ways to circumvent security. But here’s the good news—to be able to identify, contain, and manage zero-day threats, you can strengthen your cybersecurity strategy using Network Access Control (NAC) and Security Operations Centers (SOC).

What Are Zero-Day Threats?

A zero-day threat is a type of vulnerability in software or hardware that hackers are able to take advantage of before developers can develop a patch. Because the vendor is unaware of these vulnerabilities, they have zero days to patch them before attackers exploit them.

Here’s what makes zero-day threats so dangerous:

• No patch available: Because the vulnerability is so recent, security teams will not be able to immediately apply fixes.
• Hard to identify: These types of threats are very hard to identify using traditional anti-virus and firewalls.
• Big exploit value: Hackers frequently peddle these zero-day vulnerabilities on dark web marketplaces.

Such threats lead to data breaches, ransomware attacks, or even the total takeover of the system. So, how do NAC and SOC help? Let’s explore.

NAC Enhancements That Reduce Attack Surfaces

Network Access Control (NAC) provides the first line of defense against zero-day threats by restricting who can access your network and when, as well as what can communicate on your network. It is like a bouncer at a nightclub, only letting in individuals that it trusts and keeping unknown or suspicious agents out.

This is how NAC enhances security:

• Device Authentication: Only trusted devices will have access to your network. Automatic blocking of unrecognized devices.
• Role-Based Access Controls (RBAC): Employees, guests, and third-party vendors have different permissions based on what is needed.
• Quarantine Compromised Devices: NAC isolates a device before it spreads malware if the device shows suspicious activity.
• Endpoint Security Enforcement: Uses security compliance checks for all devices on network access.

NAC can reduce attack surfaces, helping contain threats before they exploit zero-day vulnerabilities.

How SOC Identifies & Responds

So while NAC prevents risky devices from connecting, a SOC (Security Operations Center) watches for unusual activity 24/7. A SOC is your cybersecurity HQ, where analysts are in the trenches spotting and responding to potential zero-day threats as they happen.

Here’s where SOC security comes into play:

• Threat Intelligence Feeds: SOC teams leverage real-time cyber threat intelligence to recognize up-and-coming zero-day threats before they cause damage.
• 24/7 Monitoring & Incident Response: Monitoring continuously identifies unusual activity so actions can be taken quickly.
• Threat Detection Automation: AI and Machine Learning analyze behavior patterns and raise flags about behavioral irregularities that may signal a zero-day exploit.
• Security Event Correlation: Links multiple data points to assess if an attack is in progress.
• Forensic Investigation: In the event of a zero-day attack, the SOC team performs forensic analysis to understand how it happened and what information could be compromised.

Detecting threats is only half the equation; the other half is responding quickly and efficiently before it does irreversible damage, which is where a SOC comes into play.

Zero-Day Security Solutions by PJ Networks

PJ Networks utilizes the best of both NAC and SOC security to implement our multi-layer Zero-Day Attack Prevention. Our solutions focus on:

• Next Generation Network Access Control: Access to your network passes through the gauntlet, which means malicious or unauthorized devices do not get a chance to share the same home as yours.
• Continuous Threat Detection: Our SOC team monitors for signs of suspicious activity to detect threats in real-time.
• Zero-Day Attack Simulation & Testing: We stress-test your infrastructure against potential zero-day exploits to help you be one step ahead of the threats.
• AI-Driven Threat Intelligence: Based on state-of-the-art AI & Machine Learning, we identify abnormal patterns before hackers exploit them.
• Incident Response & Recovery: Should a zero-day attack occur, we have response plans in place to contain, investigate, and remediate the impact in a timely manner.

PJ Networks combines NAC and SOC to build a proactive approach in accessing the network rather than holding out till a breach occurs.

Conclusion

It is not possible to stop Zero-day Attacks, but it is possible to stop Zero-day threats. This is where NAC Risk Reduction comes in: as well as SOC Security, they allow enterprises to detect and take action on a potential threat before it can escalate.

In response to this risk, you deploy solid network access controls backed up by 24/7 monitoring and AI-driven threat intelligence that essentially eliminates the risk of being blindsided for unknown vulnerabilities.

And we only do it with one of our fantastic solutions at PJ Networks. Want to improve your defense strategy? Let’s harden your network — before attackers come for it.