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Introduction:
As governments worldwide accelerate digital transformation, the convergence of artificial intelligence, sovereign data control, and zero-trust security has become the defining challenge of our era. The traditional perimeter-based security model is obsolete, replaced by a paradigm where identity, network visibility, and proactive threat detection form the bedrock of cyber resilience. At Tech in Gov Canberra 2026, Technology Distribution Specialists (TDS) showcased a comprehensive technology stack demonstrating how SSH Communications Security, Profitap, EfficientIP, and GATEWATCHER collectively enable organisations to maintain data sovereignty, strengthen cyber resilience, and confidently embrace AI without compromising security.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand how zero-trust privileged access management (PAM) eliminates standing privileges and reduces attack surfaces in government IT and OT environments.
- Master the implementation of network observability frameworks that combine packet-level intelligence with AI-driven analytics for proactive threat hunting.
- Learn to secure foundational network services (DNS, DHCP, IPAM) as a critical layer of cyber resilience and zero-trust enforcement.
- Deploy network detection and response (NDR) solutions that automate threat detection, prioritise incidents, and accelerate response times.
You Should Know:
- Zero-Trust Privileged Access Management (PAM) with SSH Communications Security
Privileged access remains the primary attack vector in government breaches. SSH Communications Security’s PrivX™ PAM addresses this through a passwordless, just-in-time authentication model that eliminates standing privileges and enforces granular policy controls. Unlike legacy PAM solutions, PrivX was built from scratch with zero-trust architecture, meaning it does not assume trust based on a user’s location or network.
Step-by-Step Guide: Implementing Just-in-Time Privileged Access
- Assess Privileged Accounts: Inventory all administrative accounts, service accounts, and application-to-application credentials across IT, OT, and cloud environments.
- Deploy PrivX PAM: Install the PrivX server in a hardened, segmented network zone. Configure identity providers (Azure AD, Okta, LDAP) for federated authentication.
- Configure Just-in-Time Policies: Define access policies that grant temporary, time-bound privileges based on user identity, device posture, and contextual risk. Example policy: `Allow access to production servers only between 09:00-17:00, with multi-factor authentication, for a maximum session duration of 60 minutes.`
4. Enable Session Monitoring: Activate real-time session recording and audit logging. Configure alerts for anomalous privileged activities (e.g., lateral movement, unusual command execution). - Integrate with SIEM: Forward PrivX audit logs to your security information and event management (SIEM) system for correlated threat detection and compliance reporting.
- Automate Key Rotation: Deploy PrivX Key Manager to automate cryptographic key lifecycle management, reducing human error and preventing PAM bypass.
Linux Command Example: Auditing Privileged Access Logs
Review recent privileged session logs on PrivX server
sudo journalctl -u privx-session-manager --since "1 hour ago"
Extract failed login attempts from SSH logs
grep "Failed password" /var/log/auth.log | awk '{print $1,$2,$3,$9,$11}' | sort | uniq -c
Windows Command Example: Monitoring Local Admin Activities
Query security logs for privileged account usage (Event ID 4672 - Special Privileges Assigned)
Get-WinEvent -LogName Security | Where-Object { $_.Id -eq 4672 } | Select-Object TimeCreated, Message
Check for interactive logins by administrative accounts
Get-WinEvent -LogName Security | Where-Object { $<em>.Id -eq 4624 -and $</em>.Properties[bash].Value -eq 10 } | Select-Object TimeCreated, @{Name="User";Expression={$_.Properties[bash].Value}}
2. Network Observability and AI-Driven Analytics with Profitap
Network visibility is the cornerstone of effective security operations. Profitap delivers packet-based network intelligence that enables reliable data access, traffic optimisation, and robust traffic capture across physical and virtual infrastructures. With over 1,100 clients across 70 countries, Profitap’s unified observability platform drives comprehensive insight into all traffic, supporting industries including government, telecommunications, and finance.
Step-by-Step Guide: Deploying Network Observability
- Install Passive Test Access Points (TAPs): Deploy Profitap TAPs at key network segments (core switches, internet gateways, data centre uplinks) to capture traffic without disrupting network performance.
- Configure Network Packet Brokers (NPBs): Set up NPBs to aggregate, filter, and optimise traffic streams from multiple monitoring points. Define filtering rules to reduce data volume (e.g., exclude internal backup traffic, retain only north-south and east-west traffic).
- Deploy Zeek-Powered Sensors: Integrate Corelight’s NDR sensors to analyse optimised traffic flows. Zeek generates rich, structured network metadata—including DNS queries, HTTP requests, and SSL/TLS handshakes—enabling behavioural and machine-learning analytics.
- Enable AI-Driven Workflows: Activate Profitap’s AI analytics to detect anomalous traffic patterns, including data exfiltration, command-and-control (C2) communication, and lateral movement.
- Integrate with SIEM/XDR: Forward enriched network metadata to your SIEM, extended detection and response (XDR) platform, or data lake for correlated investigations.
- Implement Proactive Threat Hunting: Use Correlated logs and multi-layered detections to create custom searches for advanced attacks, identifying potential vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them.
Linux Command Example: Capturing Network Traffic with tcpdump
Capture all HTTP traffic on interface eth0 and save to a PCAP file sudo tcpdump -i eth0 -s 0 -w capture.pcap port 80 Capture traffic from a specific source IP and port for analysis sudo tcpdump -i eth0 -1 src host 192.168.1.100 and port 443 -c 1000
Windows Command Example: Using Netsh for Network Capture
Start a network trace on Windows netsh trace start capture=yes provider=Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-1etwork tracefile=C:\trace.etl maxsize=100 Stop the trace after capturing data netsh trace stop
- DNS, DHCP, and IPAM (DDI) as a Foundation for Cyber Resilience with EfficientIP
DNS is often the overlooked attack vector, yet it is the most commonly exploited protocol in modern breaches. EfficientIP’s SOLIDserver DDI solution centralises network data, enabling granular filtering, real-time threat detection, and automated responses across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. By combining IPAM’s centralised management with DNS’s ability to filter and secure communications, organisations can implement zero-trust strategies with confidence.
Step-by-Step Guide: Hardening DNS Security
- Disable Open Recursion: Configure your DNS servers to refuse recursive queries from external networks. This prevents DNS amplification attacks.
- Implement Response Rate Limiting (RRL): Apply RRL on authoritative and recursive servers to mitigate DDoS attacks. Start in monitoring or simulation mode before enforcing limits.
- Enforce DNSSEC: Deploy DNSSEC to prevent DNS spoofing and cache poisoning attacks. Sign your zones and configure trust anchors.
- Deploy EfficientIP DNS Security: Install SOLIDserver appliances to gain centralised visibility over all clouds, automate threat response, and block DNS-based malware activity.
- Configure Adaptive DNS Security: Define policies to detect and block data exfiltration via DNS tunnelling. Monitor for unusually large DNS queries or high-frequency subdomain requests.
- Integrate with Zero-Trust Architecture: Use IPAM as the network source of truth to enforce micro-segmentation policies and control access across AWS, Azure, and GCP environments.
Linux Command Example: Testing DNS Resolution and Security
Test DNSSEC validation for a domain
dig google.com +dnssec
Check for open resolver (should return REFUSED for external queries)
dig @your-dns-server google.com
Monitor DNS query rates to detect potential DDoS
sudo tcpdump -i eth0 port 53 -1n | awk '{print $3}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -1r | head -20
Windows Command Example: DNS Cache and Security Checks
View DNS resolver cache ipconfig /displaydns Flush DNS cache to clear potential poisoning ipconfig /flushdns Test DNS resolution with nslookup nslookup -type=NS example.com
- Advanced Network Detection and Response (NDR) with GATEWATCHER
Traditional security tools leave critical blind spots. GATEWATCHER’s AI-driven NDR platform provides complete visibility, early detection, rapid response, and proactive threat anticipation across IT, OT, and cloud environments. Recognised in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Network Detection and Response, GATEWATCHER empowers security operations centres (SOCs) with automated alert enrichment, incident prioritisation, and response automation.
Step-by-Step Guide: Deploying NDR for Proactive Threat Detection
- Deploy GATEWATCHER SENSORs: Install sensors across critical network segments to monitor all traffic (IT and OT) and enable dynamic communication mapping.
- Configure Deep Visibility: Enable advanced monitoring of network infrastructures to gain complete visibility and real-time analysis of communications.
- Integrate with Existing Security Stack: Seamlessly integrate GATEWATCHER with your SIEM, EDR, and firewall to deliver unified and effective protection.
- Enable AI and CTI Enrichment: Activate automatic enrichment of alert context using artificial intelligence and continuously updated cyber threat intelligence (CTI).
- Configure Automated Response: Define playbooks for automated attack response—including host isolation and IP blocking—to accelerate remediation and reduce response time.
- Prioritise Incidents: Enable incident prioritisation to filter false positives, enabling analysts to focus on critical threats.
Linux Command Example: Basic Network Traffic Analysis
Monitor active network connections for suspicious outbound traffic
ss -tulpn | grep ESTABLISHED | awk '{print $4,$5,$6}'
Identify processes connecting to known malicious IPs (use threat intel feeds)
sudo lsof -i | grep -E "([0-9]{1,3}.){3}[0-9]{1,3}" | awk '{print $1,$9}'
Capture and analyse DNS queries for potential data exfiltration
sudo tcpdump -i eth0 port 53 -v -A | grep -E "(A|AAAA|TXT|MX)"
Windows Command Example: Network Connection Monitoring
View active network connections and associated processes netstat -ano | findstr ESTABLISHED Find processes using suspicious ports Get-Process -Id (Get-1etTCPConnection -LocalPort 4444).OwningProcess Monitor DNS cache for anomalies ipconfig /displaydns | findstr "Record Name"
What Undercode Say:
- Key Takeaway 1: Sovereign AI Requires a Security-First Foundation – Governments must enforce sovereign controls across identity management, access, data handling, security, compliance, and auditability. The TDS technology stack demonstrates that AI adoption must be accompanied by zero-trust PAM, comprehensive network observability, secure DDI, and AI-driven NDR. Without these foundational layers, AI systems become prime targets for data exfiltration and model manipulation.
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Key Takeaway 2: Prevention is Outdated; Detection and Response are Paramount – The modern threat landscape demands that organisations assume breach and focus on rapid detection and response. GATEWATCHER’s NDR, combined with Profitap’s network observability, enables SOCs to move from reactive alert-chasing to proactive threat hunting. This shift is critical for government agencies managing sensitive citizen data and critical infrastructure.
Analysis: The TDS showcase at Tech in Gov Canberra 2026 represents a strategic alignment of technologies that address the full cybersecurity lifecycle—from preventing unauthorised access (SSH PrivX) to gaining complete network visibility (Profitap), securing foundational network services (EfficientIP), and detecting/responding to advanced threats (GATEWATCHER). This integrated approach is essential for government agencies navigating the complexities of AI sovereignty, where data must remain under national control while enabling innovation. The emphasis on passwordless, just-in-time access eliminates the risks associated with standing privileges, while AI-driven analytics reduce SOC workload and strengthen overall resilience. As cyber threats continue to evolve, this stack provides a scalable, future-proof framework for building trusted, secure, and observable digital infrastructure.
Prediction:
- +1 The convergence of zero-trust PAM, network observability, and AI-driven NDR will become the standard framework for government cybersecurity by 2028, with agencies mandating integrated solutions rather than point products.
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+1 Passwordless, just-in-time authentication will replace traditional password-based privileged access within government sectors, driven by SSH Communications Security’s PrivX and similar solutions, reducing credential-based breaches by over 80%.
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-1 The increasing sophistication of AI-powered attacks will outpace traditional signature-based detection methods, making NDR and behavioural analytics non-1egotiable for critical infrastructure protection.
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+1 DNS security will emerge as a top priority for government cyber resilience, with EfficientIP’s DDI solutions becoming a mandatory component of zero-trust architectures.
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-1 Organisations that fail to adopt integrated observability and response capabilities will face significant breaches, as attackers increasingly exploit blind spots in fragmented security stacks.
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