A traditional firewall can be configured to block a wide variety of malware and access control violations, but a threat not included on its blacklist is practically guaranteed to slip through the cracks. This inflexibility is proving to be a major issue at a time when hackers are constantly changing up their attack methods. Fortunately, a startup called Preempt Inc. says that it’s a come up with a way to help organizations address the challenge.

Its newly unveiled Adaptive Firewall pairs the static rule-based defenses found in traditional alternatives with a monitoring component that can actively search for threats in a company’s infrastructure. The software operates on multiple levels. Packet inspection algorithms analyze inbound traffic for malicious requests, while the users and devices inside the network are examined in the background to find more inconspicuous attack vectors. Preempt says that its system looks for unused Active Directory accounts, unpatched phones and other commonly overlooked risks that might give hackers an opening.

From there, the Adaptive Firewall stays on the lookout for new security holes that might form over time, as well as malicious activity within the tightened network parmiter. Suspicious actions are factored into a risk score determines how the system responds to unauthorized activity. A company can require users to periodically re-enter their login credentials when interacting with a sensitive application, or ask for extra verification if they’re suddenly they’re downloading a lot of data. In event of a more severe violation, the software immediately blocks access and notifies the IT department.

The granularity of the Adaptive Firewall’s controls should enable customers to maintain high security standards without making it overly difficult for users to go about their daily work. In a large organization, achieving such a balance can help the IT department avoid a lot of unnecessary complaints. Added up with the time that the system saves by automatically reacting to suspicious behavior instead of troubling administrators, that amounts to a significant reduction in overhead.

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