Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

In my security research role at Corelight, I often have to go through large, complex data sets to detect subtle anomalies and threats. It reminds me of a famous quote by Abraham Lincoln: Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. For me, that means investing time up front to build tools that allow a large language model (LLM) to do the heavy lifting on key tasks, namely those that teams of analysts would have handled in the past.

Financial institutions, such as banks and trading houses, have a strong interest in recording key transaction activity within their networks. In the face of daunting data storage requirements, many are finding that Corelight’s network metadata—notably metadata produced by Zeek—is the key to a simplified tracking and storage process. Many of our customers used to rely on packet capture (PCAP).

The financial industry is known for its rigorous and sometimes quirky data retention requirements that can challenge even the most seasoned security expert. For example, FINRA Rule 4511 requires members to "preserve for a period of at least six years those FINRA books and records for which there is no specified period under the FINRA rules or applicable Exchange Act rules." Keeping six years of records: That's no small feat. But it's certainly doable.

In November 2024, I participated in SCinet with the Network Security team at SC24. My job was supporting Corelight sensors and threat hunting using the data the sensors produced. This engagement allowed for a very constructive comparison between the networking challenges at SC and Black Hat USA, where I had the honor of working in the Network Operations Center (NOC) a few months earlier. At SC, I felt immersed in the cutting-edge world of research computing with people showcasing the fastest everything.