Abstract: The disclosure provides an approach for remediating false positives for a network security monitoring component. Embodiments include receiving an alert related to network security for a virtual computing instance (VCI). Embodiments include collecting, in response to receiving the alert, context information from the VCI. Embodiments include providing a notification to a management plane based on the alert and the context information. Embodiments include receiving, from the management plane, in response to the notification, an indication of whether the alert is a false positive. Embodiments include training a model based on the alert, the context information, and the indication to determine whether a given alert is a false positive.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method for enabling enhanced firewall rules via ARP-based annotations is described. In an embodiment, a method comprises detecting, by a hypervisor implemented in a first host, that a first process is executing on the first host. The hypervisor determines first context information for the first process, generates a first request, encapsulates the first request and the first context information in a first packet, and transmits the first packet to a central controller to cause the central controller to update the controller's table to indicate that the first process is executing on the first host. In response to receiving a second packet from the central controller and determining that the second packet comprises a first response, the hypervisor extracts second context information from the second packet and, based on the second context information, determines that a second process is executing on a second host.

Abstract: Example methods and systems for context-aware intrusion detection are described. In one example, in response to determination that there is a matching intrusion detection signature based on packet flow information associated with a packet, a computer system may generate an intrusion detection alert that identifies the matching intrusion detection signature and the packet flow information. Further, the computer system may map the intrusion detection alert to contextual information, and generate a context-aware intrusion detection alert to trigger a context-aware remediation action based on at least the contextual information. The intrusion detection alert may be enhanced with context information associated with at least one of the following: the virtualized computing instance, a client device associated with the virtualized computing instance, and a user operating the client device.

Abstract: The disclosure provides an approach for rate limiting packets in a network. Embodiments include receiving, by a rate limiting engine running on a host machine, a network event related to a virtual computing instance running on the host machine, the network event comprising flow information about a network flow. Embodiments include receiving, by the rate limiting engine, context information corresponding to the network flow, wherein the context information comprises one or more of a user characteristic or an application characteristic. Embodiments include determining, by the rate limiting engine, a priority for the network flow by applying a rate limiting policy to the flow information and the context information. Embodiments include providing, by the rate limiting engine, the priority for the network flow to a multiplexer for use in rate limiting the network flow.

Abstract: Described herein are systems, methods, and software to manage communication rates between applications in a tiered application computing environment. In one implementation, a load service monitor load information associated with applications that each execute using one or more virtual nodes. The load service further determines that the load information associated with an application of the applications satisfy one or more load criteria and identifies at least one application that communicates requests to the application. Once identified, the load service communicates a notification to the at least one application to update a communication request configuration to the application.

Abstract: Behavior-based security in a datacenter includes monitoring user actions made by users in the datacenter. Behavior-based risk scores are computer for users based on their monitored actions. One or more firewall rules are generated for users based on their behavior-based risk scores. The firewall rules regulate the actions of the users.

Abstract: The disclosure provides an approach for remediating false positives for a network security monitoring component. Embodiments include receiving an alert related to network security for a virtual computing instance (VCI). Embodiments include collecting, in response to receiving the alert, context information from the VCI. Embodiments include providing a notification to a management plane based on the alert and the context information. Embodiments include receiving, from the management plane, in response to the notification, an indication of whether the alert is a false positive. Embodiments include training a model based on the alert, the context information, and the indication to determine whether a given alert is a false positive.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a simplified mechanism to deploy and control a multi-segmented application by using application-based manifests that express how application segments of the multi-segment application are to be defined or modified, and how the communication profiles between these segments. In some embodiments, these manifests are application specific. Also, in some embodiments, deployment managers in a software defined datacenter (SDDC) provide these manifests as templates to administrators, who can use these templates to express their intent when they are deploying multi-segment applications in the datacenter. Application-based manifests can also be used to control previously deployed multi-segmented applications in the SDDC. Using such manifests would enable the administrators to be able to manage fine grained micro-segmentation rules based on endpoint and network attributes.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the invention provide a novel architecture for providing context-aware middlebox services at the edge of a physical datacenter. In some embodiments, the middlebox service engines run in an edge host (e.g., an NSX Edge) that provides routing services and connectivity to external networks (e.g., networks external to an NSX-T deployment). Some embodiments use a novel architecture for capturing contextual attributes on host computers that execute one or more machines and providing the captured contextual attributes to context-aware middlebox service engines providing the context-aware middlebox services. In some embodiments, a context header insertion processor uses contextual attributes to generate a header including data regarding the contextual attributes (a “context header”) that is used to encapsulate a data message that is processed by the SFE and sent to the context-aware middlebox service engine.

Abstract: A simplified mechanism to deploy and control a multi-segmented application by using application-based manifests that express how application segments of the multi-segment application are to be defined or modified, and how the communication profiles between these segments. These manifests are application specific. Also, in some cases, deployment managers in a software defined datacenter (SDDC) provide these manifests as templates to administrators, who can use these templates to express their intent when they are deploying multi-segment applications in the datacenter. Application-based manifests can also be used to control previously deployed multi-segmented applications in the SDDC. Using such manifests would enable the administrators to be able to manage fine grained micro-segmentation rules based on endpoint and network attributes.

Abstract: Described herein are embodiments for transferring knowledge of intrusion signatures derived from a number of software-defined data centers (SDDCs), each of which has an intrusion detection system (IDS) with a convolutional neural network (CNN) to a centralized neural network. The centralized neural network is implemented as a generative adversarial neural network (GANN) having a multi-feed discriminator and a generator, which is trained from the discriminator. Knowledge in the GANN is then transferred back to the CNNs in each of the SDDCs. In this manner, each CNN obtains the learning of the CNNs in nearby IDSs of a region so that a distributed attack on each of the CNNs, such as a denial of service attack, can be defended by each of the CNNs.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the invention provide a method for performing intrusion detection operations on a host computer. The method receives a data message sent by a machine executing on the host computer. For the data message's flow, the method identifies a set of one or more contextual attributes that are different than layers 2, 3 and 4 header values of the data message. The identified set of contextual attributes are provided to an intrusion detection system (IDS) engine that executes on the host computer to enforce several IDS rules. The IDS engine uses the identified set of contextual attributes to identify a subset of the IDS rules that are applicable to the received data message and that do not include all of the IDS rules enforced by the IDS engine. The IDS engine then examines the subset of IDS rules for the received data message to ascertain whether the data message is associated with a network intrusion activity.

Abstract: The disclosure herein describes correlating file events with intrusion detection alerts for corrective action. A monitoring component receives file events from a thin agent. An analysis component analyzes the file events and metadata obtained from the intrusion detection alerts, such as attack type or file name, to correlate a set of file events to at least one detected action (intrusion) described in the alert. A recommendation component identifies one or more options, including one or more corrective actions, which are applicable for remediating the alert. The set of options includes a recommended action from two or more possible corrective actions. The set of options are output or displayed to the user. The user selects which option/action to perform in response to the alert. In some examples, an automatic response is performed without user selection with respect to selected types of alerts, detected action(s), selected file(s) or other user-generated criteria.

Abstract: Example methods and systems are provided for network diagnosis. One example method may comprise: detecting an egress packet and determining whether each of multiple network issues is detected for the egress packet or a datapath between a first virtualized computing instance and a second virtualized computing instance. The method may also comprise: generating network diagnosis code information specifying whether each of the multiple network issues is detected or not detected; generating an encapsulated packet by encapsulating the egress packet with an outer header that specifies the network diagnosis code information; and sending the encapsulated packet towards the second virtualized computing instance to cause a second computer system to perform one or more remediation actions based on the network diagnosis code information.

Abstract: The disclosure provides an approach for rate limiting packets in a network. Embodiments include receiving, by a rate limiting engine running on a host machine, a network event related to a virtual computing instance running on the host machine, the network event comprising flow information about a network flow. Embodiments include receiving, by the rate limiting engine, context information corresponding to the network flow, wherein the context information comprises one or more of a user characteristic or an application characteristic. Embodiments include determining, by the rate limiting engine, a priority for the network flow by applying a rate limiting policy to the flow information and the context information. Embodiments include providing, by the rate limiting engine, the priority for the network flow to a multiplexer for use in rate limiting the network flow.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the invention provide a novel architecture for capturing contextual attributes on host computers that execute one or more machines and providing the captured contextual attributes to middlebox service engines executing at the edge of a physical datacenter. In some embodiments, the middlebox service engines run in an edge host (e.g., an NSX Edge) that provides routing services and connectivity to external networks (e.g., networks external to an NSX-T deployment). Some embodiments execute a context header insertion processor that receives contextual attributes relating to network events and/or process events on the machines collected using a guest-introspection (GI) agent on each machine. In some embodiments, the context header insertion processor uses these contextual attributes to generate a header including data regarding the contextual attributes (a “context header”) that is used to encapsulate a data message that is processed by the SFE.

Abstract: Behavior-based security in a datacenter includes monitoring user actions made by users in the datacenter. Behavior-based risk scores are computer for users based on their monitored actions. One or more firewall rules are generated for users based on their behavior-based risk scores. The firewall rules regulate the actions of the users.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method for enabling enhanced firewall rules via ARP-based annotations is described. In an embodiment, a method comprises detecting, by a hypervisor implemented in a first host, that a first process is executing on the first host. The hypervisor determines first context information for the first process, generates a first request, encapsulates the first request and the first context information in a first packet, and transmits the first packet to a central controller to cause the central controller to update the controller's table to indicate that the first process is executing on the first host. In response to receiving a second packet from the central controller and determining that the second packet comprises a first response, the hypervisor extracts second context information from the second packet and, based on the second context information, determines that a second process is executing on a second host.

Abstract: Techniques for providing application-independent access control in a cloud-services computing environment are provided. In one embodiment, a method for providing application-independent access control is provided. The method includes obtaining a user identity for accessing the cloud-services computing environment and receiving a user request to perform a task using an application. The method further includes collecting process-related data for performing the task using the application and obtaining one or more network routing addresses. The method further includes determining, based on the user identity, the process-related data, and the one or more network routing addresses, whether the task is to be performed. If that the task is to be performed, the task is caused to be performed using the application; and if the task is not to be performed, the user request is denied.

Abstract: The technology disclosed herein enables the micro-segmentation of a network without agents. In a particular embodiment, a method provides, in a packet-handler controller of a virtual computing environment, determining one or more policies in a first format that identify one or more packet characteristics and how packets with the one or more packet characteristics should be handled within the virtual computing environment. The method further provides converting the one or more policies from the first format to a second format used by a domain controller for one or more computing systems outside of the virtual computing environment. Also, the method provides distributing the one or more policies in the second format to at least one of the one or more computing systems.