VIAssist helps you analyze network traffic and security event data by providing integrated visual representations of your data.

The Problem Best practices in computer network management dictate vigilant monitoring of the network for suspicious activity. A wealth of tools exist for capturing and logging all of the low-level events that may provide evidence of such activity, from free open-source tools to costly and complex commercial products. This information must then be analyzed to determine if any of those potentially suspicious events signify actual security risks. If such risks are identified, then further analysis must be carried out to determine the nature of the attack, and the harm that may have been caused.

The challenge is that, in the course of normal operation, a computer network of even moderate complexity can produce an overwhelming number of alerts and reports of suspicious activities, making it difficult for an analyst to discover attacks amidst the network noise.

The VIAssist Solution VIAssist converts all of that network data into a collection of graphical representations – charts, graphs, and a variety of other graphical techniques – to make it easier for an analyst to see patterns, trends, and other clues in the data. This technique, known as visualization, takes advantage of the innate ability of humans to perceive patterns in pictures that they might otherwise miss when looking at raw data.

What makes VIAssist unique is not the individual visualizations themselves, but how they all work together. In fact, VIAssist works with visualization tools from a number of commercial and open-source sources, including Inxight Software and Advizor Solutions. These tools are familiar to analysts, and each provides its own value – the added value of VIAssist is to present several visualizations at once, and synchronize them all to a single common data source.

VIAssist’s other strength is in handling the sheer volume of network analysts must manage. It does this through a set of tools that enables the analyst to filter data based upon various criteria. This filtering allows the analyst to focus on specific data, to the exclusion of the mass of “noise” that can often obscure security risks.

Finally, VIAssist includes a rich report-generating capability allowing the analyst to create comprehensive written reports and PowerPoint presentations to communicate findings to colleagues and supervisors.

VIAssist was demonstrated at the 2006 Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration, where it was named one of the "Top Technology Trials" for that important annual international military exercise. You can read about it here (see page 5).