IBM integrates threat data with security analytics dashboard

IBM has updated its recently acquired QRadar Security Intelligence Platform with new sources of threat information to help organisations proactively defend themselves from network threats.

The update is the first Big Blue has made to the Q1 Labs platform, it acquired in October last year, as a central part of the firm's new security division. The update is designed to analyse and provide more insight into the security threats affecting corporate networks.

The QRadar platform already integrates real-time security threat intelligence from more than 400 different sources but will now also link to the IBM X-Force threat feed, which monitors an average of 13 billion security events per day, for nearly 4,000 clients.

"We run security operations around the world and analyse the security threats they face, like malware, botnets and attacks at networks and applications," said IBM Institute of Advanced Security director, Martin Borett, in an interview with V3.

"We can then leverage this day-to-day information so we can better inform decision making. For instance, we could track a piece of malware around the world and get ahead of it before it hits Europe."

The IBM X-Force threat feed will be accessible to users in dashboards, and customers will be able to correlate the data with their own security and network activity using automated rules, according to IBM. The firm said it has also added search capabilities to the platform.

IBM said it has never used the threat intelligence it collects around the world for a security solution before.

In addition to adding more threat information, IBM has integrated the platform with the rest of its security portfolio, including the Security Identity Manager, the Security Access Manager, the Guardium Database Security, Security AppScan and Endpoint Manager.

"We are trying to give customers a holistic view of the security threats they are facing," said Borett.

"We have integrated all our security products with our recent purchase of the Q1 platform to do this."

Borett said the updates to the QRadar platform would be visible to customers over the next few months.