FICO leverages its patented fraud detection and streaming analytic technologies to detect cyber security threats as they occur

FICO (NYSE: FICO), the predictive analytics and decision management software company announced the availability of the FICO^® Cyber Security Analytics solution. This solution leverages decades of research in streaming analytics technologies, as well as new advances in self-learning models, to detect emerging and evolving cyber threats in real time.

“As the leading provider of fraud detection solutions for financial institutions worldwide, FICO sees firsthand how today cyber security breaches becomes tomorrow’s payment card fraud and account compromise headlines,” said FICO CEO Will Lansing. “We have adapted our real-time streaming analytics technologies to provide a unique analytic layer of event detection and monitoring. Our solution can help organisations of all kinds protect their data assets and stop damaging data breaches and theft attempts in their tracks.”

FICO’s approach diverges from today’s signature-based threat detection solutions, which require the identification of a threat, and the translation of that threat’s “signature” into rules before the threat can be controlled. Using signature-based solutions, the average time to discovery of data theft threats is measured in months, during which time affected companies experience significant data losses due to innovative malware, botnets or other advanced data theft attempts – including those perpetrated by rogue insiders.

FICO’s solution utilises self-learning analytics and anomaly detection techniques that monitor activity across multiple network assets and real-time data streams in order to identify threats as they occur. These analytics immediately detect anomalies in network traffic and data flows, while also quickly recognising new “normal” activity, thus minimising false-positive alerts.

“Current cyber security solutions leave a wide gap in coverage,” said Doug Clare, vice president for cyber security solutions at FICO. “It’s like having a burglar alarm that doesn’t go off until after the burglar’s done his work, left the premises and crossed the county line. FICO will fill that gap, using our arsenal of streaming analytic technologies to detect and stop malicious network activity right at the point of inception.”

Like the FICO^® Falcon^® Fraud Manager solution that protects more than 2.5 billion payment cards worldwide, FICO^® Cyber Security Analytics will be continually enhanced through insights derived from data contributed by a consortium of the solution’s users. This approach allows users to securely share cyber-attack data and benefit from continually refined analytic models, without the direct exchange of detailed network, personal or sensitive information.

“Connecting fraud and cyber assets, as well as operations and investigations, is rapidly emerging as tomorrow’s best practice,” said Brian Riley, senior research director at CEB TowerGroup. “FICO’s deep commitment to credit analytics will surely help the payments industry connect the disciplines of fraud detection and cyber protection.”

FICO Cyber Security Analytics can be used independently, or in conjunction with existing cyber security infrastructures, signature-based threat detection systems, and SIEM (security information and event management) tools.