CASE STUDY
THE BEAUTY OF DARKTRACE AI IS THAT IT LOOKS INWARDS – IT USES UNSUPERVISED MACHINE LEARNING TO GAIN A SENSE OF SELF . frustrating operational shutdowns . By neutralising both insider threats and external attacks before it ’ s too late , Darktrace Antigena has transformed the International Baccalaureate ’ s cybersecurity posture .
“ The sheer volume of data that Darktrace actively defends would take a team of 50 to 60 security professionals to do manually . What ’ s more , the speed and precision with which Darktrace identified genuinely threatening activity exceeds any human capability ,” said Jenkins .
Benefits
network perimeter , will fail to detect attacks that look unlike anything observed previously , even as threat actors continue to launch novel threats on a daily basis . Additionally , insider threats originate from within the perimeter , necessitating an entirely different security approach capable of detecting attacks carried out by authorised network users .
Finally , the IB did not believe its conventional security tools were sufficient to comply with the increasing regulatory requirements on data processing , most notably the EU ’ s General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ). GDPR requires organisations to notify both supervisory authorities and their clients of a data breach within 72 hours , under the penalty of multimillion euro fines . For international non-profits with finite security resources , responding to fast-acting threats before they have time to escalate into a breach is an especially daunting challenge .
Solution
Following the completion of a successful Proof of Value ( POV ), the International Baccalaureate deployed Darktrace ’ s Enterprise Immune System , including its cyber AI response solution , Darktrace Antigena . Powered by Artificial Intelligence , the Enterprise Immune System immediately began learning the normal ‘ pattern of life ’ for every user and device at the IB . Crucially , this AI-driven approach enables Darktrace to detect subtle deviations from normal behaviour that are indicative of a sophisticated , never-before-seen attack .
Whenever the Enterprise Immune System observes a serious threat to the IB ’ s network , Darktrace Antigena – the first enterprise-grade Autonomous Response technology on the market – surgically intervenes to contain the threat within seconds . Antigena works by restricting an infected device to its normal ‘ pattern of life ’, affording the IB ’ s security team time for more strategic work . Moreover , the technology works without interrupting business operations , unlike typical efforts to contain cyberattacks that result in lengthy and
The Enterprise Immune System has proven to be a game-changer for the IB ’ s security team , allowing it to reduce overhead costs as well as dashboard fatigue by defending the entire network form a single interface . Indeed , by deploying Darktrace in its many global offices , the IB has achieved unprecedented network visibility , gaining a deep understanding of the full sequence of events leading up to a security incident . Jenkins said that such comprehensive network oversight has rendered the IB ’ s cybersecurity a key ‘ differentiator ’ with respect to competitors .
After Darktrace AI alerts the IB to threatening behaviour , its security team can investigate that behaviour at any level of detail – both historically and in real time – using Darktrace ’ s highly intuitive user interface , the Threat Visualizer . These capabilities have helped the organisation comply with GDPR and protect students ’ sensitive data on behalf of parents and schools around the world .
We caught up with Richard Jenkins , Global Head of Security & Risk , International Baccalaureate , to find out more about the Darktrace solution and how it has enhanced business operations for the institution .
Can you tell us about your role and the scope of your responsibility ?
I am the Global Head of Information Risk , Security and IT Governance at International Baccalaureate . I am responsible for defining the Information Security Strategy and managing a global team who are at the forefront of protecting the IB ’ s assets from cyberattacks and data loss .
Why did you select Darktrace as the vendor and what were you looking to achieve ?
Cyberthreats have ramped up in sophistication and frequency in recent years – this is no longer a human-scale problem and we knew that we needed to
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