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CASE STUDY

Why a Credit Union Protecting $400 Million in Assets Relies on our Managed Detection and Response

Southeast Financial Credit Union (SEFCU), located in Franklin, Tennessee, was established in 1936. Its membership base includes over 36,000 members, including over 600 select employee groups like AT&T. Serving their members, 200 employees, and 13 branches, they protect assets totaling $400+ million.

Security is an essential element for SEFCU employees and members. The credit union offers its members an abundance of online services, including 24-hour website services for members to pay bills, transfer funds within their accounts, apply for consumer, mortgage, or home equity loans, and order checks or gift cards. These services require 24x7 monitoring and security for their IT team and members to have peace of mind.

Challenges

• Trouble finding a solution with a feasible price point that was scalable.

 

• Increased risks and ransomware attacks year-over-year within the financial sector—looking for a proactive solution.

 

• The internal IT team was spread thin and lacked the proper resources and support due to size.

 

• SEFCU did not have access to timely threat information to review its environment properly.

Results

• C1 and Adlumin’s Managed Detection and Response Team reduced SEFCU’s alerts by 65%.

 

• Access to 24x7 security and an extended security team with Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Services.

 

• User and Entity Behavior Analytics highlights all potential threats by mapping behavior patterns for every member and employee.

 

• Reduced reaction time between suspicious activity and a potential attack with threat intelligence.

 

• SEFCU closed gaps between security assessments and significantly reduced risk with Continuous Vulnerability Management (CVM).


Lack of IT Support and Management

Prior to Adlumin, SEFCU lacked the proper support due to the size of its team and visibility into its network. They worked closely with C1 to find a more robust security operations platform that would best fit their needs. In addition to the rising threats and attacks on the financial sector, they were looking for a solution to help them stay proactive.

 

In Search of 24x7 Transparency with a Security Operations Platform

adlumin_logo_full_color_Horizontal_RGBC1 introduced Adlumin’s Security Operations Platform and Adlumin’s MDR Services to SEFCU by “demonstrating the benefits of addressing risk by complementing a skilled but smaller IT staff with a dedicated cyber team at less the cost of badged employees,” says Frank Bryant, Senior National Account Manager at C1.

 

One of the essential security aspects SEFCU considered when finding a provider was 24x7 monitoring, and Adlumin’s MDR Services provide just that. SEFCU receives 100% extended detection and response (XDR) capabilities shedding light on their security journey, with a comprehensive team whenever needed. The credit union was stretched to its limits and found it challenging to manage the ever-changing financial sector’s threat landscape.

Southeast Financial Credit Union
“[Adlumin and C1] gave me peace of mind that someone is always watching, even when we can’t.”
Andy Lockhart
Andy Lockhart
Director of Information Technology, SEFCU

SEFCU Armed Themselves: Increase in Attacks for Financial Sector

It’s no secret that the financial sector is experiencing a significant increase in cyberattacks, propelling organizations like SEFCU to become more cyber-aware. C1 and Adlumin’s experts understand the pain points specific to the financial industry, which helped tailor and advise the perfect security operations mix for SEFCU.

When developing their security operations criteria, Lockhart said, “all [risks] were keeping me up at night. Especially when it comes to ransomware and other cyberattacks.” Adlumin’s Security Operations Platform identifies threats, automatically remediates rules and systems, and provides compliance reporting that every credit union needs.

“We have observed a dramatic increase in cyber awareness from our customers, specifically those in the financial sector, that has created the need for a more comprehensive monitoring solution that addresses threats embedded in event-driven data," says Bryant.

Closing the Attack Reaction Time Gap

Cybercriminals are known to leave breadcrumbs before an actual attack occurs. Knowing this, SEFCU was looking for a way to regularly review their environment to identify vulnerabilities from lack of software updates, patches, misconfigurations, open ports, and unnecessary services running.

The goal is to identify and patch these vulnerabilities before cybercriminals can access them, which is why they implemented Continuous Vulnerability Management. This cloud-based solution remediates and minimizes the window of opportunity for attackers by assessing and tracking vulnerabilities on all of SEFCU’s enterprise assets.

To further their solution, SEFCU now has a dedicated MDR team that gives them visibility beyond its boundaries by providing continuous monitoring, detection, and response 24x7. Adlumin’s Security Operations Platform delivers analysis and recommendations for any (if they arise) confirmed incidents and proactive security actions by providing high-confidence alerts.

For example, SEFCU utilizes User & Entity Behavior Analytics, which monitors "normal" activity employees or customers participate in daily. If any abnormal behavior is detected or if deviations from the "normal" activity patterns occur, activity is immediately flagged.

“By providing AI and other threat-hunting techniques, Adlumin is giving our customers visibility into potential compromises that would have been overlooked otherwise," says Bryant.

Cost-Effective Solution and a Peace of Mind

A vast majority of smaller credit unions choose the Security Operations Platform and MDR Services for access to cyber security experts, the size of their current team, and cost-effectiveness. MDR services deliver proactive security benefits scaled for businesses of all sizes, including SEFCU.

Lockhart describes how Adlumin and C1 meet SEFCU’s needed features and capabilities: “We don’t have to worry about who’s doing what without our knowledge.” He continues stating that Adlumin and C1 have “exceeded expectations.”

Working through the Advantage Partner-Led Program, SEFCU receives support from C1 and Adlumin. “It is [Adlumin and C1] a trusted partnership with passionate security professionals," says Bryant. Adlumin offers customers the choice of staying protected through a trusted Partner, managing the Security Operations Platform themselves, or engaging through Adlumin’s MDR Security Team.

SEFCU took control of its environment and let Adlumin and C1 assist them with improving their operations and cyber security posture. With the Security Operations Platform and MDR Services, SEFCU does not have to pick and choose capabilities; everything they need is included to take command of their security.
Adlumin Security Operations Platform

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