How can we reconcile the requirements of the Raiffeisen Bank International Group, the regulatory demands of the financial sector and day-to-day IT operations? Akcenta, in collaboration with ORBIT has strengthened its position identity and application security, as well as monitoring of your environment.
„IT security is not just a matter of a single tool. We needed to reconcile the requirements of the RBI group with the day-to-day operation of our systems and whilst keeping the layout clear and “easy to manage.’"
Accents provides companies with services in the areas of currency exchange, hedging against exchange rate risk and payment processing. Among the changes following 2021, when the company became part of the group RBI (Raiffeisen Bank International), was also co-ordination of several layers of IT security, which are linked in practice.
There was no single technology that served as the common thread running through these changes. ORBIT’s task was to strengthen the security of Akcenta’s IT environment across identities, applications, endpoints and operational supervision.
Active Directory: less scope for attack
The first step was strengthen identity protection, domain infrastructure and end points in accordance with RBI requirements. An initial analysis revealed that the Active Directory environment was too disparate and hierarchically unstructured to allow for the implementation of uniform security policies; however, Akcenta’s in-house IT team subsequently rectified this.
This was followed by Hardening Active Directory, domain members, domain controllers and end devices. ORBIT also assessed the impact of the new rules on day-to-day operations to ensure that the higher level of protection did not complicate users’ day-to-day work or the management of the environment.
The result is a more standardised security system, which provides better protection for user identities, limits potential attack vectors to the domain infrastructure and complies with the RBI’s group security requirements.
API gateway: more secure access to applications and APIs
Akcenta also wanted to modernise the user authentication process whilst ensuring the secure operation of its API services. ORBIT therefore assisted with the deployment of an API gateway platform that provides centralised management of identities and access rights.
At the same time, we have modernised the infrastructure on which the API services are built. The result is centralised identity management, more secure access to applications and readiness for the further development of API services.
How we connected the API gateway to the API environment
- Implementation and configuration of an API gateway
- integration with the Tyk API Gateway
- Support for authentication and authorisation using OIDC, JWT and mTLS
- deployment in Test, Pre-Prod and Prod environments
- developing middleware for functionality not supported by the open-source version of the Tyk API Gateway (the biggest challenge of this phase of the project)
- integration with monitoring and logging
„The customer has acquired a highly secure and a fully monitored API infrastructure with centralised identity management that operates reliably throughout all phases of deployment.“
ORBIT LogControl: a better overview of security incidents
Akcenta needs comply with the DORA requirements and the RBI Group’s internal rules on security monitoring. This is linked to the need to have a good an overview of what happens in what is happening in its IT environment.
ORBIT has therefore launched a service LogControl, which centralises the collection and analysis of logs from various systems. Thanks to this, the security team has gained a better overview of security incidents and a tool for their ongoing evaluation.
The result is a better overview of security events in Akcenta, a faster response to potential incidents and an environment tailored to meet the regulatory requirements of the financial sector.
How ORBIT LogControl works
ORBIT LogControl is a SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) service that provides collection, storage and the analysis of security incidents from various systems. It helps organisations detect suspicious activity, comply with regulatory requirements and continuously monitor their cyber security status.
In the Akcenta environment, the implementation comprised:
- collection of logs from selected systems,
- configuration of alerts and security monitoring,
- integration with the RBI logging infrastructure via Heavy Forwarder (the biggest challenge of this phase of the project),
- training for administrators and operational support,
- the preparation of operational documentation.
Security as a gradually assembled whole
Highlights of the project series has strengthened several layers of security, which complement one another in a regulated financial environment. Active Directory hardening has strengthened the protection of identities, the domain infrastructure and endpoints; the API gateway has centralised access management; and LogControl has provided a better overview of activity within the environment. Together, they have created a more robust foundation for the protection of user accounts and security monitoring of operations.
Benefits for IT teams
- standardised security for Active Directory, the domain infrastructure and endpoints
- centralised identity management and more secure access to applications
- a better overview of security events and a faster response to potential incidents
Benefits for management
- better preparedness for DORA requirements and the RBI Group’s internal rules
- a better overview of the security status across key parts of the IT environment
- a modern technological foundation for the further development of digital services
Benefits for ordinary users
- more secure access to internal systems and applications
- a more standardised method of identity verification
- better protection for accounts and end devices
„It wasn’t just about meeting the requirements. We wanted an environment that would be sustainable for our teams in the long term, whilst also being ready for further development. It was important to us that the individual steps fitted into the broader security architecture.“
DO YOU ALSO NEED TO ALIGN SECURITY REQUIREMENTS ACROSS DIFFERENT PARTS OF YOUR IT ENVIRONMENT?
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