Malware solution helps reduce threats at government agency in Italy

The weakest link: individual users

Malware attacks have wreaked havoc across the globe as cyber criminals take advantage of what is often the weakest link in enterprise security: users. Because the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL) in Italy provides insurance-related online services and processes a considerable amount of sensitive data, cyber security is of paramount importance.

When malware countermeasures at INAIL were proving to be ineffective, the agency turned to DXC Technology to develop a new strategy.

Better resiliency to malware attacks

DXC deployed an innovative cyber security solution for the government agency that significantly strengthens the organization’s resiliency to malware attacks. The system lets INAIL employees self-test suspicious email attachments in a user-friendly manner, which has resulted in lower support costs and increased productivity, among other benefits.

DXC already had a strong presence at the agency, including an active engagement to help improve the security of INAIL’s IT infrastructure. The key requirements for the malware solution: It had to be easy for employees to use, and it had to be possible to deploy it quickly within INAIL’s existing ecosystem.

DXC’s product expertise in malware and security operation systems served as a foundation to develop an on-premises answer that lets INAIL respond quickly to threats. Deep domain knowledge in malware and familiarity with the best opensource enterprise security software allowed DXC to develop an approach that has proved to be a good fit for the agency.

Identifying and responding to suspicious email attachments

DXC built the system on Cuckoo Sandbox, open-source software that provides powerful malware analysis but was originally designed to be used by highly technical security experts. To make Cuckoo work for INAIL, DXC developed a sandbox broker framework to load balance multiple sandbox instances, and a way to profile customer submissions through authorization keys. DXC also implemented an email interface featuring a simplified malware analysis workflow that could serve nontechnical users.

DXC deployed two versions of the solution: Maya, an external integration layer for technical users, and Horus, an easy-to-use, self-service malware analysis solution provided to INAIL’s 11,000 users.

Horus uses a simplified alert system to identify suspicious email attachments that users can forward to a central Horus address for analysis. It generates a report that rates the potential threat on a scale of 0 to 10. At the same time, it sends a feed to INAIL’s security team so they can take appropriate action.

Automation has been built into the solution. When a user submits a malware report, it enables immediate protection of other users. The tool also gives the INAIL security team visibility into malware attacks that are targeted specifically at the agency and have not been identified as global threats by security vendors.

Better security, lower costs

Adoption of the DXC solution has provided many benefits to the agency. Since Cuckoo Sandbox is open source and has an active user community, INAIL doesn’t have to pay licensing and support fees. And the system allows INAIL to more easily share security threat information with Italy’s Public Administration Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-PA), a government agency charged with dealing with cyber attacks.

This has boosted INAIL’s visibility and reputation as a leader in cyber security, and it supports the agency’s strategic goal of becoming a national services provider for other public entities in Italy.

The introduction of the malware solution has also improved security awareness among INAIL employees. Users are no longer seen as a weak link and are actively involved in protecting the agency from malware attacks.

INAIL has benefited from fewer security help desk calls and improved employee efficiency. By avoiding time spent on analysis and recovery related to malware, the system has reduced total costs associated with security incidents.

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