How Zero Trust Admission Control and Proactive Defense Stop Threats Before They Escalate.
Brute-force attacks are relentless, like a burglar systematically testing every key to break into your network. Attackers target VPN gateways, repeatedly guessing likely usernames and passwords until they succeed—or until your system collapses under the strain. The result? Overloaded resources, disrupted service availability, and a potential gateway for malicious actors to wreak havoc.
“Brute force attacks are more than just a nuisance—they’re a direct assault on system performance and user experience. These attacks can overwhelm primary systems and authentication resources, locking out legitimate users and grind operations to a halt.”
The Challenge of Overloaded VPNs and Service Disruption
Brute-force attacks aren’t just a security concern—they’re an operational and financial risk. These relentless attempts overwhelm infrastructure, degrading service availability and disrupting business operations. A flood of login requests targeting a VPN gateway can lock out legitimate users—without the attacker ever needing valid credentials. It’s like a packed parking lot where a swarm of unauthorized cars take every space, leaving actual employees with nowhere to park. When VPNs slow down or go offline, productivity stalls, customer experience suffers, and operational resilience is put to the test.
“The flood of invalid attempts not only disrupts availability but also drowns security teams in false alarms and distracts their focus, making it harder to identify genuine threats. Organizations need proactive solutions to stop these attacks at the source and maintain uninterrupted service.”
The financial impact of these disruptions can be significant. Our commissioned study, conducted by Merrill Research, found that:
- 39% of organizations cite service interruption as the most worrisome impact of a DDoS attack.
- 32% identify financial loss as their primary concern.
Furthermore, the study found that 6 in 10 respondents reported DDoS attacks costing $100,000 or less per minute, while 4 in 10 indicated these attacks exceeded $100,000 per minute. While brute force attacks may not generate the same traffic volume as DDoS attacks, their ability to disrupt service availability can be equally damaging.
To ensure uninterrupted service and operational success, organizations must approach brute force mitigation with the same urgency as they do other network threats. Proactive defenses are essential to minimizing disruptions, protecting revenue, and maintaining customer trust.
How CORE’s Zero Trust Admission Control Transforms Network Security
A powerful capability of our CORE platform, Zero Trust Admission Control transforms how organizations defend against brute-force attacks. Instead of relying on detection alone, it enforces a “never trust, always verify” approach—requiring every user, device, and application to continuously prove their trustworthiness before accessing resources. This real-time, adaptive strategy goes beyond traditional methods, proactively mitigating threats while ensuring seamless integration with existing infrastructure. The result? Stronger security, reduced operational risk, and a cost-effective approach to safeguarding critical services.
Real-Time Mitigation in Action
Zero trust delivers real-time protection against brute force attacks by combining its layered strategies:
- Real-Time Detection: Flagging deviations from normal patterns or excessive login attempts instantly.
- IP Blocking: Malicious IP addresses are blocked immediately, ensuring no further attempts originate from the same source.
- Proactive Prevention: Brute force attempts are stopped before they can overwhelm VPNs, ensuring service availability and safeguarding legitimate users.
Who Benefits from Zero Trust Admission Control?
Zero Trust Admission Control is invaluable for any organization that depends on network devices such as VPN gateways, routers, or firewalls to maintain connectivity and security.
VPNs supporting remote work can be secured by identifying and stopping brute force attacks before they disrupt service availability. Routers, which serve as critical traffic gateways, benefit from continuous traffic verification and immediate threat blocking. Firewalls, often the first line of defense, are enhanced with real-time mitigation and adaptive security measures, providing an additional layer of proactive protection.
Service providers, including telecoms, ISPs, and hosting companies, gain significant value by ensuring stable, uninterrupted networks that meet customer demands. Self-hosting SaaS providers benefit from the ability to protect sensitive customer data and maintain uptime, reinforcing operational continuity and customer trust.
CORE vs. NDR: Efficiency Without Complexity
Network detection and response (NDR) solutions are popular for their ability to detect and respond to threats, with 9 in 10 organizations implementing or planning to implement them, according to Merrill Research. While nearly half highlight responsiveness as the main benefit, NDR systems often come with complexity and operational overhead.
Corero’s CORE platform offers a more streamlined alternative. With its Zero Trust Admission Control capability, CORE delivers real-time threat mitigation through continuous identity verification and adaptive proactive protection. Unlike other methods, CORE prevents access and maintains availability, keeping networks secure without the complexity of NDR systems.
How Corero Takes Action to Protect Your Network
Corero offers a unified solution to protect against evolving threats with the powerful combination of CORE and SmartWall ONE™. These two components work together seamlessly to provide comprehensive, real-time defense.
CORE acts as the intelligence hub, continuously analyzing traffic patterns, identifying threats, and delivering actionable insights. SmartWall ONE, the enforcement component of the solution, takes those insights and executes precise, real-time decisions to block malicious traffic while ensuring legitimate users maintain uninterrupted access.
By integrating CORE’s adaptive intelligence with SmartWall ONE’s enforcement capabilities, Corero delivers a proactive, end-to-end defense system. This combination not only safeguards service availability but also strengthens overall network resilience against even the most sophisticated attacks.
While NDR solutions focus on detection and alerting, CORE and SmartWall ONE prioritize proactive enforcement. This powerful combination ensures:
- Real-Time Mitigation: Threats like brute force, application, and DDoS attacks are blocked before they disrupt service availability, offering immediate protection over NDR’s reactive approach.
- Accuracy Without Overhead: SmartWall ONE enforces precise protection rules, eliminating false positives and ensuring legitimate traffic flows seamlessly.
- Simplified Operations: CORE automates threat detection and mitigation, reducing the need for manual intervention and avoiding the high alert volumes typical of NDR systems.
By integrating CORE’s adaptive intelligence with SmartWall ONE’s enforcement capabilities, Corero delivers a proactive, efficient defense system. This combination provides:
- Real-time mitigation of sophisticated threats.
- Uninterrupted service availability for users.
- A cost-effective, streamlined approach to network security.
Corero’s solution not only outpaces traditional NDR systems but also ensures unparalleled precision, efficiency, and adaptability to meet the challenges of today’s complex threat landscape.
“Organizations need solutions that go beyond blocking brute force attacks—they need proactive tools to stop these attacks before they disrupt operations."
Secure Your Network with CORE Today
Don’t wait for the next attack. With CORE and Zero Trust Admission Control, you can protect your network, ensure uninterrupted service, and stay ahead of emerging threats.
For more information, contact us today.
