Fleet Makes Vulnerability and Compliance Remediation a Data Problem With Open-Source, Cross-Platform Scripting

New capabilities simplify enterprise workflows, reducing delays and cross-team interdependencies by using data and open standards to solve IT and security issues on any platform

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Open-source endpoint security company Fleet today announced new script execution capabilities based on osquery, a lightweight security agent currently in use by top enterprises. New Fleet APIs allow for simpler remediation of vulnerabilities and other endpoint compliance issues on macOS, Windows, VDIs, Linux workstations, OT devices, data centers, and cloud servers in AWS, GCP, or Azure.

Unlike proprietary platforms that can create a blind spot for IT, Fleet lets teams customize their approach to patching and remediation to be more granular. Available via opt-in configuration, this new capability encourages IT and security teams to simplify their stack and go to other teams less, saving time and reducing complexity.

"Before, we had to be really conservative on any of the asks to the infrastructure teams putting in the fixes," says Austin Anderson, Senior Manager on the cybersecurity team at an electric vehicle manufacturer. "Now we can build it exactly the way we want it."

“Keeping up with the latest issues in endpoint security is a never-ending task, because engineers have to regularly ensure every laptop and server is still sufficiently patched and securely configured. The problem is, software vendors release new versions all the time, and no matter how much you lock it down, end users find ways to change things,” said Nico Waisman, CISO of Lyft. “This means you need a reliable way to run scripts, so you can fix these issues and get through your audits. Seeing this exposed with osquery opens up some interesting options, especially for teams trying to maintain less stuff.”

Fleet enables security engineers and IT admins to safely execute shell scripts via its command line (CLI) or REST API. They do this by writing a simple SQL query to discover which hosts have issues, triggering a script, and then checking the UI or running the query again to confirm, like an automated unit test. Traditionally spread out across multiple systems, Fleet lets people do all of this in one place, limiting sprawl and making it easier to show progress towards security goals.

Fleet's user interface and REST API make it extremely easy to use, even for engineers new to endpoint management. The underlying technology is based on osquery, which began as an open-source project co-created by Zach Wasserman, CTO and co-founder of Fleet, at Facebook in 2014. Today, osquery has a well-established enterprise user base and a thriving community of people who rely on it every day in production environments. A Linux Foundation project, it has become an open standard that gives users more flexibility in integration with other applications and extensive interoperability using SQL queries that they can copy/paste from a blog or push to a git repo.

Open-source tools like Fleet and osquery are under extra scrutiny, since all of the source code is public and auditable. This makes them more reliable and less prone to vulnerabilities than proprietary platforms, since changes go through public load tests and public code reviews. Open source tools also provide scope transparency, which assures users that there isn't any hidden or malicious code that can compromise their privacy.

"The world of IT and security is overflowing with proprietary software, each with its own abstractions and special sauce. It’s easy to get stuck," said Mike McNeil, CEO and co-founder of Fleet. "I'm pretty technical, and the developer experience in this space makes my brain hurt. It's not fair to the engineers, it's risky for the business, and it prevents learning. With Fleet, you can read the source code, and everything is built on top of documented, open APIs (read, write, and execute) that you have direct access to. You can make it do whatever you need.”

About Fleet

Fleet is a platform for IT and security teams with thousands of endpoints. Based on osquery, the leading open-source security agent, the company behind Fleet is dedicated to opening up IT and security through a living, breathing API, while maintaining scope transparency through open-source software. Organizations like Fastly and Gusto use Fleet for vulnerability management, endpoint operations, device trust, HIDS, FIM, posture assessment, device management, and more. Backed by Sid Sijbrandij (NYSE: GTLB, GitLab), Dylan Field (Figma), Mike Arpaia (osquery), CRV, and other smart people, Fleet is an all-remote company with 47+ team members on four continents. For more information, visit fleetdm.com, or read the open-source company handbook.