Cisco Umbrella

Cisco Umbrella is a cloud-delivered security platform that offers a variety of networking and security services, primarily focused on providing secure internet access and ensuring threat protection for organizations, no matter where their users are located. Cisco Umbrella was originally developed as a DNS-based security solution (formerly OpenDNS), but it has expanded to provide a comprehensive suite of cloud security services.

Here are the key features and components of Cisco Umbrella:

1. DNS-Layer Security

  • DNS Filtering: Cisco Umbrella offers DNS-layer security by preventing connections to malicious domains before they are established. When a user tries to visit a website, the DNS request is checked against Umbrella’s database of malicious domains. If the domain is found to be malicious, Umbrella blocks the request, stopping threats before they reach the user’s device or internal network.
  • Global Threat Intelligence: Umbrella analyzes large volumes of DNS data to predict and block domain requests associated with malware, phishing, ransomware, and botnets. Cisco’s vast telemetry allows Umbrella to provide threat intelligence across the internet in near real-time.

2. Secure Web Gateway (SWG)

  • URL Filtering: Umbrella includes a Secure Web Gateway (SWG) that monitors and controls internet access, enforcing acceptable use policies and blocking access to harmful or inappropriate websites. This is useful for organizations that need granular control over which websites and web services employees can access.
  • Inline Threat Detection: SWG inspects web traffic for malicious content and behavioral anomalies, protecting users from advanced threats such as drive-by downloads or malware embedded in web pages.

3. Cloud-Delivered Firewall (CDFW)

  • Layer 3/Layer 4 Firewall: Cisco Umbrella includes a cloud-based firewall that provides visibility into traffic at the IP, port, and protocol levels. This firewall can enforce security policies, allowing or denying traffic based on organization-specific rules.
  • Application Control: In addition to basic traffic filtering, the CDFW can identify and control specific applications (e.g., Skype, Dropbox) to enforce corporate application usage policies. It helps block risky applications or restrict usage to authorized tools.

4. Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

  • SASE Architecture: Cisco Umbrella integrates with other Cisco security services to provide a SASE framework. This unifies networking and security services (such as SD-WAN, VPN, and firewall) in the cloud, ensuring consistent security and optimal connectivity for users, regardless of location.
  • Remote Workforce Support: Umbrella is ideal for remote work environments, offering secure internet access and protection without needing on-premises appliances. It allows seamless integration with Cisco AnyConnect VPN for securing remote connections to internal resources.

5. Cloud-Delivered Threat Intelligence

  • Cisco Talos Integration: Cisco Umbrella is backed by Cisco Talos, one of the largest commercial threat intelligence teams. Talos provides real-time updates to Umbrella’s threat intelligence, allowing it to block newly identified malicious domains and IPs swiftly.
  • Predictive Intelligence: Umbrella leverages machine learning and statistical models to detect emerging threats, even if they haven’t been directly observed before. This helps protect against zero-day attacks and novel threats.

6. Content Filtering

  • Umbrella allows organizations to block specific categories of websites (e.g., adult content, gambling, social media) to enforce acceptable use policies. This ensures productivity and compliance with regulations like CIPA (Children’s Internet Protection Act) for educational institutions.

7. CASB (Cloud Access Security Broker) Integration

  • Shadow IT Discovery: Umbrella includes some CASB-like capabilities for identifying and controlling cloud applications being used across the organization (also known as “shadow IT”). It can provide visibility into which cloud applications employees are accessing, helping businesses manage cloud service usage and mitigate risks.

8. Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

  • Cisco Umbrella can help enforce data loss prevention policies by monitoring data leaving the network and identifying sensitive information that might be exposed. This can prevent accidental or intentional leakage of corporate data to unauthorized locations.

9. API Integration and Reporting

  • Centralized Management and APIs: Umbrella provides a centralized management console for monitoring and configuring security policies. It also integrates easily with other Cisco products and third-party tools through APIs for better threat visibility and automated workflows.
  • Detailed Reporting: Umbrella offers detailed reporting and logging capabilities, allowing security teams to monitor DNS requests, blocked threats, and user activity in real time.

10. Security for IoT and Mobile Devices

  • IoT Device Protection: Cisco Umbrella is also effective in protecting IoT devices, which often have limited or no security capabilities. By monitoring DNS traffic generated by IoT devices, Umbrella can block malicious activities and identify anomalies in device behavior.
  • Mobile Device Security: With the proliferation of mobile workforces, Cisco Umbrella provides secure internet access for mobile devices by redirecting DNS requests through Umbrella’s global network, ensuring protection even outside corporate networks.

11. Deployment Models

  • Simple Setup: Umbrella is designed to be easily deployed across distributed environments. It requires minimal setup and can be rapidly implemented by redirecting DNS traffic or integrating with Cisco’s AnyConnect client for more comprehensive protection.
  • Scalability: As a cloud-delivered solution, Umbrella scales seamlessly to accommodate growing organizations and more remote users. Its infrastructure is globally distributed, ensuring low latency and high availability for internet-bound traffic.

Benefits of Cisco Umbrella:

  • Reduced Attack Surface: By blocking malicious domains at the DNS level, many attacks are stopped before they can even begin.
  • Improved Visibility: Umbrella provides deep visibility into internet traffic, including encrypted traffic, allowing better identification and response to threats.
  • Simple and Fast Deployment: With cloud-based infrastructure, there is no need for complex on-prem hardware, making Umbrella easy to roll out across any environment, even for remote workforces.
  • Predictive Security: Machine learning models and Talos threat intelligence help to block emerging threats proactively, including zero-day malware.
  • Global Coverage: Umbrella operates from data centers worldwide, providing low-latency and high-redundancy internet access security for users no matter where they are located.

Ideal Use Cases:

  • Small to Large Enterprises: Cisco Umbrella is flexible and scalable enough to be used by businesses of any size. It’s commonly used to protect remote workers, branch offices, and entire global networks.
  • Education and Government: Organizations needing to enforce acceptable use policies and protect against malware and phishing attacks, especially schools and libraries, benefit from Cisco Umbrella’s content filtering and compliance features.
  • Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Environments: Organizations using multi-cloud environments can leverage Umbrella to secure cloud-based resources and data traffic with consistent policies across cloud platforms.

Cisco Umbrella’s integration with other Cisco products, its ease of deployment, and comprehensive feature set make it one of the more popular choices for organizations seeking scalable, cloud-based internet security.