The Top 7 File Integrity Monitoring Solutions

AT&T Cybersecurity offers managed security services, focusing on network security, extended detection and response, and endpoint solutions. One their products, USM Anywhere, offers centralized security monitoring of networks and devices, whether they are in the cloud, onsite or located remotely.

USM Anywhere’s main functions involve the discovery, analysis, and detection of potential threats to your IT infrastructure. It provides intrusion detection, supported by AWS, Azure, and GCP, network intrusion detection (NIDS), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) capabilities, and host intrusion detection (HIDS). Another effective feature of USM Anywhere is the File Integrity Monitoring (FIM), which identifies changes in system files, folders, and Microsoft Windows registries. Known as syscheck, this process scans the host at defined intervals and stores checksums of watched files. It generates an event every time a checksum changes and, for systems using Windows, AlienVault HIDS agents can also forward object access audit events for more detailed analysis.

The USM Anywhere platform facilitates swift responses to detected threats, assessment of incidents, and provides detailed reports on the events. It allows businesses to thoroughly monitor their data and react quickly and effectively to threats. Its interface provides vital insights into your networks and devices, thereby, enabling the effective protection of your IT environment.

Cimcor CimTrak

Cimcor is an industry leader in the security, integrity, and compliance solutions sector. It is distinguished for its innovation in creating software for security, integrity, and compliance. Their product, CimTrak, focuses on the real-time monitoring and remediation of system changes, providing advanced file integrity monitoring that allows for continuous observation of system changes in real time.

CimTrak operates from a trusted baseline that incorporates best practices from authoritative resources like CIS Benchmarks and DISA STIGs, offering a robust baseline reference that can be restored at any given time. A unique feature of CimTrak is the provision of complete change details, which provides precise information to businesses about any changes made. Forensic details linked to changes include data about who made the change, what was changed, when, by which process, and how it was changed. This comprehensive reporting can aid in maintaining accountability within organizational operations.

CimTrak’s focus on integrity monitoring offers benefits including enhanced security and increased compliance. Its robust system of real-time monitoring and providing complete audit trails of changes gives businesses an extra edge in maintaining system security. As a result, organizations can prevent unauthorized changes from leading to security breaches, making CimTrak a proficient tool in the IT compliance and security landscape.

Netwrix is a data security provider that provides tools and solutions aimed at identifying and safeguarding sensitive data to reduce the risk of security breaches and minimize damage from cyberattacks. Their solution, Netwrix Change Tracker, evaluates all adjustments in real-time, filtering expected and planned changes to help IT professionals focus solely on potential threats.

Netwrix Change Tracker includes intelligent analysis of changes in real-time, prioritizing potential risks and negating time wasted on false alarms. It employs a cloud security database of over 10 billion file reputations gathered from original software vendors like Microsoft, Oracle, and Adobe, to ensure the accurate detection of improper alterations. It also offers extensive compliance functions and lets users monitor and compare the compliance scores of their devices over time, helping them identify whether scores are improving or deteriorating. This solution comes equipped with numerous predefined compliance report templates, benchmarks, and tracking mechanisms to assist businesses in maintaining and demonstrating their compliance.

Netwrix Change Trackers has an intuitive dashboard and allows users to easily track both planned and unplanned alterations for a selected device group, analyze trends in compliance reports, and identify potential issues with individual devices.

OSSEC is a multi-platform, open-source Host-based Intrusion Detection System (HIDS) that is scalable and suitable for various operating systems including Linux, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, MacOS, Solaris, and Windows. It provides an integrated solution for log analysis, file integrity monitoring, Windows registry monitoring, centralized policy enforcement, rootkit detection, real-time alerting, and active response.

The software includes Log-based Intrusion Detection (LIDs) which monitors and analyzes data from multiple log data points in real-time. It can also detect rootkits and malware at both process and file levels, and its compliance auditing capabilities enable system and application level auditing for standards such as PCI-DSS and CIS benchmarks. With OSSEC’s Active Response feature, systems can respond to attacks and changes through various mechanisms like firewall policies, integration with third-party platforms, and self-healing actions. Its File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) tool not only detects changes to the system, but also maintains a forensic copy of the data over time, while the system inventory feature allows it to gather system information, such as installed software, hardware, utilization, network services, and listeners.

OSSEC presents a comprehensive security solution that provides real-time alerting, rootkit detection, and active response to threats. Its capabilities extend beyond server protection to log analysis, providing detailed insights into firewalls, IDSs, web servers, and authentication logs.

Tanium Integrity Monitor is a cybersecurity and systems management solution that aims to efficiently monitor and record changes in files and registry across multiple operating systems, thereby simplifying regulatory compliance on a large scale. The functionality of this product is expanded with its Client Recorder Extension, which captures significant system events, offering a comprehensive and interpretable history.

Key features include its ability to automate the labeling of events to improve workflows, addressing the challenges of regulatory compliance and adhering to common standards. With multi-operations system support, the product is compatible with Windows, Linux, Solaris, and AIX operating systems, allowing for an integrated workflow, and reporting structure, no matter what systems are used within the business. Other features include dynamic data review and classification. This allows users to categorize events using predefined criteria or event information. Using watchlist templates aligned to specific standards, businesses can curate their own configuration or utilize pre-built templates that address regulatory frameworks.

Tanium Integrity Monitor offers a solution for organizations seeking to improve their IT hygiene, employee productivity, and operational efficiencies, without increasing risk or complexity. By providing comprehensive and real-time analytics of their devices, Tanium aids in reducing costs and mitigating potential risks.

Tripwire is an Oregon-based software company that offers Tripwire File Integrity Monitoring (FIM). This product tracks all changes within a system, alerting users in real time to unauthorized or suspicious file alterations. This subsidiary of Fortra is fully dedicated to ensuring security and compliance automation.

Tripwire FIM collects precise change data in real-time and adds intelligence to the auditing process. Automated remediation is a key feature of the software, and its compatibility with other security controls provided by Tripwire makes it a holistic solution for security management. The software has a unique feature to distinguish low-risk changes from high-risk ones, enabling IT teams to focus their efforts on changes that might introduce risks to an organization. The product is equipped with automated capabilities to detect configuration deviations from policy set points and can swiftly remediate them. It can integrate readily with existing change ticketing systems such as BMC Remedy, HP Service Center, or Service Now, promoting easy auditing.

Additionally, FIM’s integration with security configuration management (SCM), log management, and SIEM ensures comprehensive security control. File Integrity Manager offers a proactive approach to risk management, allowing IT teams to focus on significant security issues rather than routine changes.

Wazuh is a leading cybersecurity platform that aids businesses globally in maintaining their system security. The File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) module keeps track of changes to important system files and directories, making it an ideal tool for companies who wish to meet compliance standards while also defending against internal or external cyber threats.

The FIM module provides real-time system monitoring, alerting users to alterations in system files and directories the moment they occur. Upon detecting changes, Wazuh triggers alerts to let companies respond swiftly to potential threats. By monitoring permissions, attributes, ownership, and content of files and directories, as well as utilizing hash values for detecting modifications, the solution allows for the identification of unusual or malicious activities. Wazuh helps organizations align with compliance regulations such as GDPR, PCI DSS, HIPAA, NIST 800-53, and TSC, by allowing them to keep track of changes to major files and directories, while their scalability makes keeping track of files and directories, regardless of the data volume, possible.

Wazuh supports various operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and macOS, making it a suitable choice for businesses with diverse IT infrastructures. Its centralized dashboard allows for easy management and configuration of FIM policies, offering a clear and comprehensive analysis of alerts and simplifying administrative tasks.