News Releases

MONROE, La., Feb. 20, 2020 – As new technologies emerge and data continues to grow, CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) is taking a bold approach to protecting network traffic and blocking security threats with the launch of CenturyLink Rapid Threat Defense.

To learn more about CenturyLink security solutions, visit: https://www.centurylink.com/business/security.html.

“We have simplified how enterprises secure their networks with the creation of an automated software-based capability that identifies and stops malicious traffic before it puts our customers at risk,” said Chris Smith, CenturyLink vice president of Global Security Services. “Rapid Threat Defense is the seamless integration between security and the network to protect applications and data by disrupting the security threats that we face today, and more importantly, those we will face tomorrow.”

This network-based threat detection and response capability is powered by threat research developed by CenturyLink’s Black Lotus Labs, one of the world’s most advanced threat research units, to offer unique advantages:

• Customer-controlled: With Rapid Threat Defense, customers set policies based on threat criteria they specify, allowing for actions such as automatically blocking a malicious IP address at the firewall or blocking a malicious domain through DNS (Domain Naming Services) – even blacklisting a malicious domain altogether. 
• Reduced Workload: Rapid Threat Defense eliminates the “resource vortex” by reducing the workload imposed on security incident responders and analysts to detect and respond to daily threats.
• Seamless: Rapid Threat Defense offers a seamless security experience for customers struggling to integrate disparate security systems.

CenturyLink Rapid Threat Defense helps enterprises automate threat detection and response by deploying defensive actions based on Black Lotus Labs threat intelligence. Rapid Threat Defense is available via Adaptive Threat Intelligence and Adaptive Network Security – CenturyLink’s cloud-delivered firewall platform – upon its launch. Rapid Threat Defense will be integrated with Managed Premises Firewalls and Secure SD-WAN later in 2020.

“Seeing and mitigating credible threats before they become a problem is a huge advantage in a market with such a flood of potential attack alerts clouding our systems,” said Martha Vazquez, IDC senior research analyst, Worldwide Security Services. “Forward-thinking managed security service providers are moving from a reactive to a proactive posture by investing in the automation of their processes to enable timely mitigation.”

Key Facts

• CenturyLink tracks 3.6 million threats per day for a comprehensive understanding of the global threat landscape.
• CenturyLink feeds over 139 billion NetFlow sessions into our machine learning models daily to better identify malicious traffic.
• Companies using third-party services to integrate essential network security technologies report shorter response times—up to 49%—to remediate threats.
• CenturyLink is the second largest U.S. communications provider to global enterprise customers.

Additional Resources

• Read the 2019 CenturyLink Threat Report
• Learn more about Black Lotus Labs

About CenturyLink
CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) is a technology leader delivering hybrid networking, cloud connectivity and security solutions to customers around the world. Through its extensive global fiber network, CenturyLink provides secure and reliable services to meet the growing digital demands of businesses and consumers. CenturyLink strives to be the trusted connection to the networked world and is focused on delivering technology that enhances the customer experience. Learn more at http://news.centurylink.com/.

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Media Contact 
Tracey Lucas  
tracey.lucas@centurylink.com
720-888-4443