Breaking Down the Real Meaning of an XDR Solution
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Secure Web Gateways (SWGs) have become a cornerstone of enterprise security. They filter web traffic, enforce policies, and block known threats. But as attackers get smarter, many organizations are realizing one hard truth: a Secure Web Gateway alone is not enough.
In this blog, we’ll explore the limitations of Secure Web Gateways, explain how a secure web gateway works, and show how Fidelis NDR (Network Detection and Response) fills the blind spots, helping you build a more complete network security gateway strategy.
A Secure Web Gateway solution acts as a checkpoint for outbound web traffic. It prevents users from accessing malicious websites, blocks inappropriate content, and applies organization-wide security policies.
With cloud adoption, cloud based Secure Web Gateways (cloud security gateways) now extend these protections to remote users.
SWGs excel at:
But here’s the challenge: SWGs focus only on web traffic going in and out of the network. Modern attackers have evolved, and that’s where Secure Web Gateway limitations begin to show.
A cloud based Secure Web Gateway primarily monitors north–south traffic (user-to-internet). Once an attacker gains a foothold in your environment, east–west (internal) traffic goes largely unmonitored. Malware can move laterally between devices, establish command-and-control (C2) communications, or exfiltrate data using non-web protocols, all without triggering SWG alarms.
While many secure web gateways can decrypt TLS/SSL traffic, they are limited to web protocols. Encrypted traffic using DNS tunneling, SMB, SSH, or other non-HTTP channels often slips through undetected.
SWGs depend heavily on known signatures and threat intelligence. They can miss:
A Secure Web Gateway threat intelligence database focuses on URLs and files. It lacks deeper context around attacker behaviors, techniques, and the relationships between alerts.
An SWG may generate large volumes of alerts in limited context. Security teams can become overwhelmed, making it difficult to identify truly dangerous threats over time.
While an SWG is critical for protecting outbound web traffic, it cannot provide the deep, contextual network visibility needed for advanced threat detection and response.
This is where Fidelis NDR (Network Detection and Response) comes in.
Learn how Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) strengthens detection and response across your network.
Fidelis Network® (NDR) complements your secure web gateway solution with internal visibility, behavioral analytics, and automated response. Think of it as the other half of your network security gateway.
Fidelis NDR is a network detection and response platform designed to:
Fidelis NDR keeps an eye on every port, protocol, and type of traffic—not just outgoing web activity. By offering this kind of internal network visibility, it helps spot things like lateral movement, command-and-control traffic, and threats from within your organization. If malware avoids detection by your Secure Web Gateway, Fidelis can still reveal suspicious actions happening inside your network.
Fidelis NDR uses its patented Deep Session Inspection technology to examine complete sessions instead of just focusing on packets. It works on both encrypted and uncommon protocols. This method helps find hidden payloads inside encrypted tunnels or strange traffic. It also makes it possible to catch sneaky data theft or advanced hacker tricks that traditional SWGs often miss.
Fidelis NDR moves beyond signature-based methods by using advanced behavioral anomaly detection. This system looks for unusual changes in normal network actions. It helps uncover unknown threats, zero-day exploits, or strange user behavior. Attackers can’t avoid detection by dodging standard Secure Web Gateway signatures or skipping threat intelligence systems.
Fidelis NDR combines real-time threat insights with MITRE ATT&CK tactic mapping and past network data. It provides detailed context for each alert. This helps analysts figure out attack intent and scale faster, prioritize cases better, and avoid wasting time on false positives that come from standalone SWG alerts.
Fidelis NDR not finds threats but also takes action on its own. The system can cut off compromised devices, stop harmful sessions, or activate SOAR playbooks. This quick automation limits attacker presence much faster than Secure Web Gateways can manage by themselves.
| Use Case | SWG Limitation | Fidelis NDR Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Malware in the network | SWG blocks malicious websites but misses internal C2 traffic | Fidelis detects lateral movement and internal communications |
| Encrypted exfiltration | SWG only decrypts HTTP/HTTPS traffic | Fidelis inspects all ports and protocols, including DNS and SMB |
| Zero-day threats | Signature-based detection misses unknown attacks | Fidelis uses behavioral analytics and threat intelligence |
| Insider threats | SWG cannot see internal movement | Fidelis detects abnormal user behavior and lateral movement |
| Alert fatigue | SWG alerts lack context and prioritization | Fidelis correlates related alerts and prioritizes by risk |
Your cloud based Secure Web Gateway still plays an essential role. But pairing it with Fidelis NDR gives you complete coverage:
This combination allows you to:
Deploying Fidelis NDR alongside your existing secure web gateway solution is straightforward:
This layered approach ensures your cloud security gateway and NDR solution work hand-in-hand.
A Secure Web Gateway helps manage outbound web traffic and blocks known threats. However, it cannot protect against hidden and advanced attacks. Gaps in monitoring encrypted traffic, east–west traffic, and zero-day threats allow attackers to act without being seen.
Fidelis NDR (Network Detection and Response) addresses these weaknesses. It offers complete network visibility detailed session inspection behavioral analysis, and automated actions. When combined with your cloud-based Secure Web Gateway, Fidelis NDR builds a stronger defense to catch and stop attackers before they steal data or disrupt your business.
Merging the advantages of both solutions offers a complete network security gateway setup. It helps to close key gaps cut down on alert exhaustion, and speed up how incidents are handled.
See Fidelis in action. Learn how our fast and scalable platforms provide full visibility, deep insights, and rapid response to help security teams across the World protect, detect, respond, and neutralize advanced cyber adversaries.