FireMon, a provider of security management and risk analysis framework, now allows IT personnel to proactively predict and forensically record the flow of packets through network configurations and obtain detailed path analysis, thanks to the FireMon Access Path Analysis offered through its expanded Security Manager platform.

In addition to this, the new Security Manager platform provides detailed path analysis including routes, interfaces, firewall and NAT rules that a packet encounters while traversing the network and provides more extensive visibility and insight into the behavior of traffic on the network.

Users also benefit from expanded analysis/ reporting through a Web-based dashboard, powered by an innovative, new, domain-specific query language. With these capabilities, FireMon is poised to expand its capabilities to strengthen both operational effectiveness and security posture.

Other features included in the new Security Manager platform include FireMon Insight, which combines a powerful Web-based Dashboard with a new FireMon Query Language (FMQL) to enable an unprecedented ability to visualize the current state of network and security configuration.

The RESTful interface for Security Manager and a Device Pack Framework allow for the rapid development of support for new and custom devices. The integration enables a gateway for FireMon innovations to be leveraged by, and extended to affect, the security posture of next-generation network architectures such as software-defined networks (SDNs).

FireMon has been at the vanguard of integrating risk analysis with configuration management, enforcement and auditing of network devices, the company said. These new capabilities allow operations and security personnel to drill deeper and better understand network packet broker behavior and outlying device or policy factors that can affect security posture or performance.

With Access Path Analysis, the company provides customers with an integrated set of tools that allow them to fully understand their operational state and security posture, and proactively assess actual and specific risk to assets. Access Path Analysis uses the behavior of normal traffic as it traverses the network to understand what vectors and/or behaviors could allow malicious traffic to find critical assets.

"A sole focus on security events and forensic information only tells you where someone chose to attack, not where you are actually vulnerable," said Jody Brazil, president and CTO of FireMon, in a statement. "Additionally, the complexity of network and security configurations makes it difficult to accurately assess a company's security posture.”

“While there is no silver bullet to stop compromise, understanding the behavioral dynamics between traffic – both malicious and otherwise – and security infrastructure is a proven way to greatly reduce exposure and significantly limit the potential damage from compromise,” Brazil added. “With Access Path Analysis and FireMon Insight, we provide a better understanding of the existing security posture and the actionable details to improve it."