How is Cryptosense Transforming Cryptography Lifecycle Management

Protecting data confidentiality and integrity is paramount when it comes to thriving in today’s digitally-enabled business landscape. Cryptography enables organizations to secure sensitive data in and out of trusted and un-trusted hardware, software, IoT devices, and systems through the use of cryptographic keys and codes. 

Implemented correctly, cryptography ensures resilient and reliable security. However, without proper visibility into how active keys, algorithms, and mechanisms are being used and managed, businesses are left vulnerable to greater risk of error, and consequently, the loss of protection. 

A pioneer in Cryptography Lifecycle Management (CLM), Cryptosense emerged in 2013 as a solution to help organizations enhance their cyber security posture by simplifying and streamlining the management of cryptography resources leveraged within their applications and infrastructure.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the Cryptosense CLM platform, and the key benefits and capabilities that make it a market leader. 

What is Cryptosense? 

Acquired by AI & quantum software company, Sandbox AQ, in 2022, Cryptosense is an enterprise SaaS company that provides visibility and actionable insights into cryptography that enable security professionals to protect against data breaches and ensure they remain compliant with the regulations in their industry. 

The feature-rich Cryptosense Analyzer Platform (CAP), unlocks the ability to scan applications, filesystems, hardware, and network protocols, giving a real-time view of cryptography use, vulnerability, and compliance on a single, unified platform. Available as a SaaS or on-premise product, Cryptosense Analyzer can be integrated with AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud and is compatible with Java, OpenSSL, and PKCS#11.

How did Cryptosense get its start? 

Cryptosense was founded by former academic researcher, Graham Steel, Ph.D. After 15 years of working closely with industry, Steel recognized the need for an automated tool to provide critical visibility on cryptography use and control the way that sensitive data was protected.

Since its launch in 2013, Cryptosense has become the leading CLM platform, securing the applications that handle 70% of interbank messages, core products of a global database vendor, the EU backend of the world’s largest ATM provider, and 45% of US credit card transactions.

In September 2022, Cryptosense was acquired by SandboxAQ, an enterprise SaaS company delivering the compound effects of AI and Quantum tech (AQ) to governments and the Global 1000. 

What are the key features of the Cryptosense Analyzer Platform? 

One of the most robust cryptographic lifecycle management solutions on the market today, the Cryptosense Analyzer Platform helps organizations strengthen their security posture by leveraging 4 key capabilities:

• Cryptographic Inventory, Monitoring & Management 

CAP analyzes and tracks business applications, filesystems, and hardware to assess how they are using cryptography throughout the enterprise – from encrypting data at rest or in transit, to signing and verifying code. The platform then uses the collected data to create a complete cartography of all cryptographic objects including keys, certificates, application and cloud cryptography, and secure hardware for full spectrum visibility, and access control. 

• Vulnerability Scanning 

The CAP includes a vulnerability assessment tool enhanced with machine learning capabilities that learns the behavior of devices under tests, adapting its attack search accordingly. With this tool, users are able to detect and assess a broad range of flaws including weak cryptographic keys, algorithms, passwords, password-based key derivation, incorrect parameter usage, and more.

• Risk Assessment & Remediation 

The platform enables risk analysis and risk modeling through the use of machine learning, formal and cryptanalysis, to highlight flaws, weak points, and potential attack sites in a company’s digital security. CAP then goes beyond risk assessment reporting to deliver detailed instructions on how the problems can be resolved (whether it be code changes, a library update, or changes to configuration files),  and the expertise and computing resources required for resolution.

• Compliance Management

Finally, the platform provides routine audit reports on data governance and compliance, enabling businesses to speed up compliance demonstration by as much as 80%. Additionally, the platform allows businesses to automate testing in CI/CD against pre-set policies, such as FIPS, PCI-DSS, and ENISA, or create customized compliance policies according to organization standards and requirements. 

What makes Cryptosense different from other CLM solutions? 

We mentioned earlier that Cryptosense is a pioneer in the emerging CLM industry, but what makes it a leading cryptographic management solution? 

Here are 3 key benefits that set Cryptosense apart: 

• Visibility & Accessibility. The biggest challenge to cryptographic management (and ultimately cyber security) stems from a lack of visibility into cryptographic resources. With the CAP, users are able to assess cryptographic use throughout the enterprise for 360° visibility on all resources on an easy-to-use, intuitive graphic interface. 

• Speed & Scalability. With Cryptosense, typically time-consuming, low-level checks can be fully automated, leaving in-house security teams with the time and flexibility to focus on more complicated technical checks. Furthermore, the platform is designed for scalability, with the ability to accommodate the collection and organization of large amounts of data with customizable data retention rules and multiple levels of hierarchy for structuring scan results and producing statistical summaries.

• Innovation & Transformation. The CAP promotes greater innovation and transformation projects such as adopting DevOps and cloud, reducing cryptographic outages caused by expired certificates, speeding up the development without losing control of data protection, and preparing to roll out post-quantum cryptography.

What types of organizations is the Cryptosense Analyzer Platform designed for?

Cryptosense’s solutions are primarily designed for mature companies, such as banks, healthcare, and sensitive industries where encryption control is a major issue. However, with the increasing use of cryptography and cryptographic operations in modern business, cryptographic lifecycle management is quickly becoming a critical practice for all enterprises that manage sensitive data. 

For companies looking to simplify cryptography management, eliminate the risk of human error and ensure fortified data integrity and protection against future threats – Cryptosense is the ideal solution. 

How can I learn more? 

This article is part of a larger series focusing on the technologies and topics found in the first edition of the Devoteam TechRadar. To see what our community of tech leaders said about the current position of Cryptosense in the market, take a look at the most recent edition of the Devoteam TechRadar.