Cobalt Iron
Compass

One morning, employees at a finance company receive an email that seems to be from the IT department. It asks them to update their data backup software, claiming it’s crucial for the day’s operations. The email looks official, with the company’s logo and the IT head’s signature. However, when employees click on the provided link, they unknowingly give access to a sophisticated entity trying to encrypt their data and demand a ransom.

This is just one type of cyber attack that threatens businesses. Many companies face similar subtle attacks that disrupt their operations and damage their reputation. But for Cobalt Iron’s clients, such attacks against the backup environment are avoided thanks to Compass, Cobalt Iron’s strong defense system. Compass keeps a close lockdown and watch on a company’s backup landscape, making sure nothing unusual has access to it.

Guarding the Gateway Through Zero- Access® Architecture

Securing sensitive data is all about preventing unauthorized access. This is where Zero Access®, an advanced security approach compared to zero trust, comes in. Zero Trust prevents unauthorized access; Zero Access eliminates it. Zero Access is implemented through Compass’ unique architecture to eliminate logins and access for customer operational management of components of the data protection infrastructure, effectively blocking out potential threats.

The Compass Zero Access architecture removes common access points to the backup environment, including the operating system, backup server software, backup storage repository, and ancillary tools and databases. Compass eliminates these common enterprise access points, replacing them with a robust, automated security infrastructure.

In addition to its Zero Access architecture, Compass also leverages customer firewalls along with its own automatically managed firewalls. This layered defense strengthens the gateway against unauthorized access attempts.

Within this fortified environment, connectivity between Compass components follows strict protocols, requiring prior awareness by the receiving component as well as preshared credentials before any connection takes place. This safeguards secure communication, preventing unauthorized access attempts from the start.

The essence of Compass’ Zero Access architecture is to create a secure sanctuary for company data. It keeps cyber threats at bay and instills a sense of security for enterprises, ensuring the safety and integrity of their data.

“Compass is all about delivering business value and outcomes, not just being another tool in the bag. Cobalt Iron designed Compass software to simplify complexity, completely secure the backup environment, and empower teams to innovate,” says Greg Tevis, vice president of strategy at Cobalt Iron.

Multidimensional Data Protection

Data is the lifeblood of the digital world, and protecting it is a top priority. Compass, through a combination of its ultrasecure architecture, advanced encryption, vigilant monitoring, and robust security protocols, secures copies of company data.

One of the key elements of this strategy is a process of checking data integrity at the block and object levels during data ingestion and recovery. This process verifies the integrity of data blocks and objects, ensuring they remain unaltered between backup and recovery.

Compass also employs a multilayered encryption approach. It starts with client-side encryption to safeguard data from the source. In-flight encryption secures data during transit, to-storage encryption shields data while it is being written to storage, and at-rest encryption protects it when stored. This four-pronged encryption strategy creates a comprehensive defense against data access or exfiltration.

To further enhance security, Compass uses TLS 1.2 and 1.3 protocols and ciphers for secure intercomponent communications and data transmission, making data interception futile for cyber adversaries.

Compass’ security architecture is dynamic and continuously evolving to address emerging threats. New countermeasures are swiftly integrated into the solution, enabling a rapid response and automating security updates. The business outcomes for companies are an ever-improving security posture and lowered risks.

Compass is all about delivering business value and outcomes, not just being another tool in the bag. Cobalt Iron designed Compass software to simplify complexity, completely secure the backup environment, and empower teams to innovate

Compass-protected data immutability is another critical aspect of the solution’s protection. Once data enters the Compass environment, it becomes unalterable by design and inert, guarding against unauthorized modifications, deletions, or executions.

Compass extends its data protection to address data governance and regulatory compliance, aligning with frameworks like GDPR to help customers demonstrate compliance with data locality and other compliance and audit mandates.

This comprehensive approach to data protection confirms that data remains secure, unaltered, and accessible only to authorized entities, creating a strong defense against the ubiquitous cyber threats in today’s digital landscape.

A Case Study on Compass’ Response to Cyber Attacks

A Compass client faced an Active Directory breach that severely disrupted its operations. Compass insights and analysis identified possibly contaminated systems and files as well as safe recovery points. And, with consultation from Cobalt Iron’s support team, the client quickly began recoveries from the secured, clean backups in Compass.

Thanks to Compass, the malicious software couldn’t access the backed-up data, preventing data corruption or unauthorized recoveries. The synergy between the client, Compass, and Cobalt Iron’s support team facilitated a rapid restoration of clean data and improved security monitoring.

A similar threat emerged several weeks later, with an attacker threatening data deletion and ransom demands. With confidence from previous interactions, the client immediately began recoveries from Compass. Using Compass, the team locked down user ID access and enforced mass password changes. Despite the chaos, data backed up with Compass remained secure and ready for restoration.

Cobalt Iron’s Compass is a proactive cyber security solution, safeguarding business data in an ever-changing digital landscape where data integrity and resilience are critical.