A new front has opened in the war against network intruders. With wireless network access becoming a de facto requirement in most every network, defenders now must worry not only about foreign entities hacking their way in, but also about someone in the parking lot getting a free pass through an improperly secured wireless access point inside the firewall.

Wireless discovery tools exist to locate wireless activity, but they generate massive amounts of multidimensional data, requiring significant expertise (and time) to correlate and interpret. These detection tools have limited capability to combine and rapidly analyze collected data, beyond a single time or location.

With the assistance of the Small Business Innovative Research program, Applied Visions, Inc. Secure Decisions Division has developed MeerCAT®, a visual analytics and reporting tool that helps an analyst make sense of all this wireless detection data. By presenting that data through a collection of interactive visual tools, MeerCAT helps the analyst understand what the data is trying to say. Its geographic visualization helps locate wireless assets and networks, and its presentation of encryption levels, behavior patterns, temporal patterns, vulnerabilities, and threats helps identify risks to authorized wireless devices and assess threats from unauthorized wireless devices. MeerCAT helps security professionals such as information security auditors, penetration vulnerability testers, and computer network defenders conduct post-hoc analysis of data acquired from a variety of detection sources, including wardriving tools like Kismet or NetStumbler, and wireless intrusion detection systems like Aruba.

MeerCAT®-FS is a version built for the Department of Defense that integrates with DoD’s own detection software, known as Flying Squirrel. As part of the Flying Squirrel Wireless Security Suite, MeerCAT-FS is used to identify suspicious Wireless Access Points in or near government facilities. It is available to the government for download with a DoD Common Access Card (CAC), and currently has over 9,000 downloads within the Department of Defense alone. MeerCAT has become a key component in the defense of critical government networks.

MeerCAT lets security teams assess suspicious access points popping up near critical networks, evaluate if security settings and movement of authorized devices conform to policy, and show movement of wireless devices both indoors and out. MeerCAT’s display of a device’s mission helps assess risk of wireless threats to organizational missions. With MeerCAT, organizations can be assured that this new front in the cyber war is well defended, and their networks are safe from intruders.

Video: http://securedecisions.com/products/meercat/#tour