Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) News: 26 January 2021 -

Each business day, MSSP Alert broadcasts a quick lineup of news, analysis and chatter from across the managed security services provider ecosystem.

The Content: Written for MSSPs, SOC as a Service (SOCaaS), Managed Detection and Response (MDR), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) and MSP security providers — and those who need to partner up with such companies.
Frequency and Format: Every business morning. Typically one or two sentences for each item below.
Reaching Our Inbox: Send news, tips and rumors to [email protected].

A. Today’s MSSP and Cybersecurity News Alerts

1. Managed Antivirus for MSPs: Huntress is expanding beyond managed detection and response (MDR) and threat hunting services for MSPs. The latest move involves beta testing a managed antivirus service that leverages Microsoft Defender.

2. eXtended Detection and Response (XDR): Fortinet has announced FortiXDR -- which is designed to "reduce complexity, speed detection, and coordinate response to cyberattacks across the organization," the company says.

3. Partner Program - Automated Detection & Response: Illusive has rolled out its automated detection and response partner ecosystem program. The program combines llusive's offerings with automated response options across a variety of leading security products and partners, including Microsoft Azure Sentinel and Azure Active Directory and Crowdstrike Falcon.

4. Partnership - IoT Security: Kaspersky and Waterfall Security Solutions have partnered to secure industrial networks. The relationship involves Kaspersky Industrial CyberSecurity for Networks and Waterfall for Intrusion Detection Systems. The combined solution "enables a non-intrusive industrial network inventory, threat detection and hardware-enforced protection from network attacks," the companies say.

4. Funding - Industrial Control System (ICS) Security: Mission Secure has closed a Series B financing round from existing and new investors, brining total funding to date to $22.5 million. Mission Secure will use the new funding for R&D and to recruit 24/7 managed services experts. IREON Ventures Ltd., Energy Innovation Capital and Blue Bear Capital Partners led the Series B round.

5. Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR): Siemplify nearly doubled its customer base in 2020 -- including several Top 250 MSSPs. The SOAR software provider did not disclose actual revenue or profit figures, or the specific MSSP names.

6. Talent - Industrial Cybersecurity: Claroty has hired Simon Chassar as chief revenue officer (CRO). Claroty grew its annual recurring revenue (ARR) 64 percent in 2020 vs. 2019, though the company did not disclose actual revenue figures. Recent Claroty partners include Deloitte, KPMG, PwC, CrowdStrike, Check Point SoftwareTechnologies and Atos. Claroty expects to hire roughly 100 people in 2021, up from 80 hires in 2020, the company says.

7. Compliance - Government Security: Palo Alto Networks Cloud, Cortex XDR and Cortex Data Lake have been added to Palo Alto Networks Government Cloud Services, which has achieved Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Moderate Authorization. The sponsoring agency is the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Palo Alto Networks says.

8. Ransomware and Cyber Insurance Concerns: Former U.K. cybersecurity chief Ciaran Martin said companies paying hackers to recover from ransomware attacks are funding organized crime, and new laws may be needed to stop the practice, The Guardian reports.

9. 5G Network Security: Samsung 5G RAN solutions received a Common Criteria (CC) certification against the Network Device collaborative Protection Profile (NDcPP), an internationally recognized IT security standard.