Cloud TAP Arrives for Traffic Packet Captures

Netskope customers now have the option for traffic packet captures for Netskope Intelligent SSE for egress traffic from remote users or offices to the Netskope One cloud platform. Key to enabling this new capability is the NewEdge private network where Cloud TAP is available across the globe in data centers. Networking, infrastructure and operations, and security teams often require the following using network and cloud TAPs: 

• Traffic visibility for troubleshooting
• Performance monitoring and user experience
• Advanced threat and C2 callback detection 
• Discovery of assets 
• Compliance use cases. 

The shift to cloud-hosted platforms for security service edge (SSE) data and threat protection creates a blind spot when hosted on public cloud infrastructure. However, capabilities including Cloud TAP, dedicated egress IP addresses, localization zones, and regional or location specific data sovereignty are uniquely enabled with the NewEdge private network. While network TAPs are popular on-site with physical networks you manage, the dynamic changes with cloud-hosted SSE and SASE environments beyond your domain of direct control and access. Given Netskope has full control and manages NewEdge data centers, enabling Cloud TAP and other unique features is made possible.

More than just traffic packet capture, or PCAPs, Cloud TAP also enables integration with third-party security and networking solutions including network detection and response (NDR) and network performance monitoring (NPM) solutions with some partner integrations ready to use with the new availability of Cloud TAP. Encrypted traffic and session keys are captured and stored in customer-owned cloud infrastructure that also hosts tools to decrypt, play, and to create PCAPs, plus third-party sensors for traffic visibility and analysis. NDR and NPM integration is supported both by providing the encrypted traffic and session keys to these integrated solutions or decrypting the traffic with session keys and then providing the traffic to integrated solutions.

Cloud traffic related to SSE also brings new traffic analysis opportunities as it includes web, SaaS, IaaS, and access to public facing private applications. Cloud TAP can enable the analysis of genAI application prompts from users not seen in log events or transaction events. This opens new areas of traffic analysis as SaaS use continues to grow accelerated by AI capabilities. Netskope already enables the safe use of genAI applications, plus data protection and DLP for items like source code as input to ChatGPT being one of the leading use cases. Cloud TAP adds to these adaptive access and real-time coaching capabilities bringing full light to user prompts into genAI applications. 

Cloud TAP traffic packet captures for egress traffic from users and offices sent to the Netskope One platform is also complemented with Netskope Client traffic packet capture capabilities for individual endpoint analysis. The new arrival of Cloud TAP also coincides with the Netskope Proactive Digital Experience Management (DEM) Enterprise announcement as a key milestone to integrate the acquired Kadiska technology combining real user experience monitoring (RUM) with end-to-end network and application performance visibility.

Cloud TAP has been tested through multiple early access and beta programs with customers, technical alliance partners, and solution providers. Cloud TAP leverages cloud scale and performance for desired traffic packet captures and supports customer environments on AWS, Azure, and GCP for object stores and tools. Cloud TAP filters allow for a refined selection of traffic to capture for specific users or tunnels and point-of-presence (POPs) within NewEdge. If you would like to know more, please view the data sheet here and contact your Netskope representative.

Learn more about the other exciting features from Netskope’s recent platform announcement, including:

• Proactive DEM Enterprise
• C2 Beacon Detection
• Cloud Risk Exchange Updates

Additionally, join us at SASE Week 2024 to explore the latest in SASE and Zero Trust, and learn how to enhance your organization’s security and network transformation strategy.