For over half a century, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company has been a pillar of reliability and excellence in the stock transfer industry, consistently ranked among the top five largest transfer agents in the United States. Serving a substantial client base and managing over 1,100 public and private issues with more than 2 million shareholders, Continental Stock's commitment to security is paramount. Their objective is to maintain the highest standards of security to protect sensitive information and ensure the robustness and resilience of their systems..
In an industry where security and trust are not just valued but required, Continental Stock faced a challenge of enhancing their security posture to protect against evolving threats. The complexity of managing a large volume of sensitive transactions necessitated a comprehensive security upgrade. The company needed to ensure their systems could withstand potential threats while maintaining operational efficiency.
To tackle this challenge, Continental Stock partnered with RightBrain Networks (RBN) for a strategic enhancement of their cloud operations. The collaboration was structured in two phases:
The initial phase focused on meeting the Center for Internet Security (CIS) basic standards to harden their application servers. RBN utilized Amazon Inspector to identify potential vulnerabilities and recommend tailored enhancements. This critical step set the stage for a comprehensive security upgrade, ensuring that Continental Stock’s systems were fortified against potential threats.
Building on the foundation laid in Phase 1, RBN’s engineers crafted scripts to remediate the identified security issues within the Amazon Linux Operating System. These scripts were applied across all application servers at Continental Stock. To ensure ongoing vigilance, Amazon Inspector was configured for regular assessments, with findings integrated into a seamless notification and response system.
Utilizing AWS Lambda in conjunction with Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS), any detected vulnerabilities triggered automated responses. For instance, if a Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) was identified, AWS Lambda would engage AWS Systems Manager to execute necessary security updates, maintaining the servers' integrity and defense without manual intervention.
The collaboration between Continental Stock and RightBrain Networks, underpinned by sophisticated AWS tools, has significantly fortified the security of Continental Stock's cloud environments. This strategic approach has not only expedited security remediations but has also elevated overall security integrity, leading to more efficient audits and a robust audit trail of system-level changes.
Today, Continental Stock continues to leverage its enhanced security framework to provide unmatched services to its clients. The integration of continuous monitoring and automated response mechanisms ensures that Continental Stock remains a leader in the stock transfer industry, ready to face future challenges with confidence and resilience. This partnership exemplifies their unwavering commitment to security, trust, and excellence, ensuring that they remain at the forefront of their industry.
