Abstract: A network security system having a hierarchical configuration is provided. In one embodiment the present invention includes a plurality of subsystems, where each subsystem includes a plurality of distributed software agents configured to collect security events from monitor devices, and a local manager module coupled to the plurality of distributed software agents to generate correlated events by correlating the security events. Each of the subsystems can report the correlated events to a global manager module coupled to the plurality of subsystems, and the global manager module can correlate the correlated events from each manager module.

Abstract: An “unstructured event parser” analyzes an event that is in unstructured form and generates an event that is in structured form. A mapping phase determines, for a given event token, possible fields of the structured event schema to which the token could be mapped and the probabilities that the token should be mapped to those fields. Particular tokens are then mapped to particular fields of the structured event schema. By using the Naïve Bayesian probability model, a “probabilistic mapper” determines, for a particular token and a particular field, the probability that that token maps to that field. The probabilistic mapper can also be used in a “regular expression creator” that generates a regex that matches an unstructured event and a “parameter file creator” that helps a user create a parameter file for use with a parameterized normalized event generator to generate a normalized event based on an unstructured event.

Abstract: A selected time interval of previously stored security events generated by a number of computer network devices are replayed and cross-correlated according to rules defining security incidents. Meta-events are generated when the security events satisfy conditions associated with one or more of the rules. The rules used during replay may differ from prior rules used at a time when the security events occurred within a computer network that included the computer network devices. In this way, new rules can be tested against true security event data streams to determine whether or not the rules should be used in a live environment (i.e., the efficacy of the rules can be tested and/or debugged against actual security event data).

Abstract: A network security system is provided that receives information from various sensors and can analyze the received information. In one embodiment of the present invention, such a system receives a security event from a software agent. The received security event includes a target address and an event signature, as generated by the software agent. The event signature can be used to determine a set of vulnerabilities exploited by the received security event, and the target address can be used to identify a target asset within the network. By accessing a model of the target asset, a set of vulnerabilities exposed by the target asset can be retrieved. Then, a threat can be detected by comparing the set of vulnerabilities exploited by the security event to the set of vulnerabilities exposed by the target asset.

Abstract: A system for generating a parser and using the parser to parse a target file includes a target file description, an output format description, a Parser generator, a Parser, a target file, and a result object. The target file description and the output format description are included in one or more “properties files”, which are text files that include one or more name/value pairs (“properties”). The target file description and the output format description are input into the Parser generator, which outputs the Parser. The target file is input into the Parser, which outputs the result object. The target file description specifies one or more parsers and/or tokenizers that can be used to parse the target file. The parsers and/or tokenizers specified by the target file description are part of the generated Parser. These parsers and/or tokenizers make the Parser more flexible, which enables the Parser to parse semi-structured data.

Abstract: Device discovery can be made efficient using certain embodiments of the present invention. In one embodiment, the present invention includes accessing a message in a message log, wherein the message log associates a host identifier with the message, the host identifier being an identifier of a host that sent the message to the message log. Then a list of parsers associated with the host identifier associated with the message can be accessed and parsing the message using parsers from the list of parsers associated with the host identifier can be attempted. If the parsing is unsuccessful, a device type of an originator of the message can be discovered, and a parser associated with the discovered device type can be added to the list of parsers associated with the host identifier.

Abstract: Sensor device times can vary and may be set significantly wrong. In one embodiment, the present invention can adjust a sensor's time by receiving a raw security event from a sensor device, determining whether a timestamp included in the raw security event is within a timerange around a time known by the agent, determining whether a time offset is in a non-initialized state, and determining whether to adjust the timestamp by applying the time offset to the timestamp, the determination being based on whether the timestamp included in the security event is within the timerange around the time known by the agent and whether the time offset is in a non-initialized state.

Abstract: The present invention provides for the receipt of a request to modify a software agent's configuration at a server-based manager. A determination of the modifications to the software agent is made at the server-based manager. The requested modifications are then delivered to the software agent. The software agent interprets the requested modifications and implements them.

Abstract: The present invention provides for the receipt of a heartbeat message transmitted from a software agent within a host machine to a server-based agent manager. The server-based agent manager analyzes the heartbeat message to determine the identity of the sending software agent. The server-based agent manager then determines what information is to be included in a response message to the software agent. The server-based agent manager prepares the response message to be sent to the software agent. The server-based agent manager transmits the response message to the software agent over a bi-directional communication link between the software agent and the server-based agent manager. The software agent receives the response message; deserializes the response message; reviews the instructions within the response message; and performs operations necessary to carry out the instructions delivered in the response message.

Abstract: A logging system includes an event receiver and a storage manager. The receiver receives log data, processes it, and outputs a column-based data “chunk.” The manager receives and stores chunks. The receiver includes buffers that store events and a metadata structure that stores metadata about the contents of the buffers. Each buffer is associated with a particular event field and includes values from that field from one or more events. The metadata includes, for each “field of interest,” a minimum value and a maximum value that reflect the range of values of that field over all of the events in the buffers. A chunk is generated for each buffer and includes the metadata structure and a compressed version of the buffer contents. The metadata structure acts as a search index when querying event data. The logging system can be used in conjunction with a security information/event management (SIEM) system.

Abstract: A system can be configured using configuration objects that have the ability to refer to one another. In one embodiment, the present invention includes such a system having a plurality of objects used to configure the system, each object having a uniform resource identifier (URI), and an object reference table to enable the plurality of objects to reference each other without using URIs.

Abstract: A network security system can have a plurality of distributed software agents configured to collect security events from network devices. In one embodiment, the agents are configured to aggregate the security events. In one embodiment of the present invention, an agent includes a device interface to receive a security event from a network device, a plurality of aggregation profiles, and an agent aggregate module to select one of the plurality of aggregation profiles, and increment an event count of an aggregate event representing the received security event using the selected aggregation profile.

Abstract: A user interface for a network security console associated with multiple network security devices is disclosed. A graphical user interface (GUI) for use with an intrusion detection system, comprises a radar display that is configured to simulate a stream of time-based events chronologically. In addition, one or more playback controls are configured to control the stream during simulation. In further embodiments, the radar display includes a slider configured to allow a user to jump to events that occurred at a user-defined time.

Abstract: Clocks used by network security devices can be synchronized by a network security system. In one embodiment, the synchronization can include the network security system receiving a first stream of alerts from a first network security device having a first clock, each alert in the first stream representing an event detected by the first network security device and including a time of detection by the first network security device according to the first clock. Similarly, the network security system can receive a second stream of alerts from a second network security device having a second clock, each alert in the second stream representing an event detected by the second network security device and including a time of detection by the second network security device according to the second clock.

Abstract: Patterns can be discovered in security events collected by a network security system. In one embodiment, the present invention includes collecting and storing security events from a variety of monitor devices. In one embodiment, a subset of the stored security events is provided to a manager as an event stream. In one embodiment, the present invention further includes the manager discovering one or more previously unknown event patterns in the event stream.

Abstract: Patterns can be discovered in events collected by a network system. In one embodiment, the present invention includes collecting and storing events from a variety of monitor devices. In one embodiment, a subset of the stored events is provided to a manager as an event stream. In one embodiment, the present invention further includes the manager discovering one or more previously unknown event patterns in the event stream.

Abstract: A system and method for building merged events from log entries received from multiple devices. Multiple log events generally contribute to a single merged event. In the described embodiment, the mapping module receives log entries associated with specific merged events and maps them to fields in the merged event data structure in accordance with mapping properties. The described embodiments of the invention use regular expressions in the merge properties to describe values that are searched for in the received log entries. A described embodiment of the present invention gives the mapping module access to the event under construction. A new conditional operator, _oneOf, is introduced that selects the first token that is bound to a value out of a list of tokens.

Abstract: A query for security event can be represented as an event channel. The event channel may be displayed as a grid of events. In one embodiment, the events included in the event channel are dynamic and can change after initial observation. In one embodiment, the present invention includes creating an event channel defined by a timeframe and an event filter, the event channel including security events stored in an event database that satisfy the timeframe and the event filter. When a security event changes after the event channel has been created, one embodiment of the invention further includes observing a change to a security event stored in the event database, and dynamically updating the event channel based on the observed change.

Abstract: A logging system includes an event receiver and a storage manager. The receiver receives log data, processes it, and outputs a data “chunk.” The manager receives data chunks and stores them so that they can be queried. The receiver includes buffers that store events and a metadata structure that stores metadata about the contents of the buffers. The metadata includes a unique identifier associated with the receiver, the number of events in the buffers, and, for each “field of interest,” a minimum value and a maximum value that reflect the range of values of that field over all of the events in the buffers. A chunk includes the metadata structure and a compressed version of the contents of the buffers. The metadata structure acts as a search index when querying event data. The logging system can be used in conjunction with a security information/event management (SIEM) system.

Abstract: Security events generated by a number of network devices are gathered and normalized to produce normalized security events in a common schema. The normalized security events are cross-correlated according to rules to generate meta-events. The security events may be gathered remotely from a system at which the cross-correlating is performed. Any meta-events that are generated may be reported by generating alerts for display at one or more computer consoles, or by sending an e-mail message, a pager message, a telephone message, and/or a facsimile message to an operator or other individual. In addition to reporting the meta-events, the present system allows for taking other actions specified by the rules, for example executing scripts or other programs to reconfigure one or more of the network devices, and or to modify or update access lists, etc.