The world's first zero-trust isolated environments platform. Enable unrestricted innovation and conduct high-stakes work without sacrificing speed for security. Deploy secure isolated labs and workspaces in seconds—protected by our patented anonymous attack surface, enterprise observability, and comprehensive data controls.
Legacy security architectures create friction and slow strategic initiatives. With 82 percent of breaches involving cloud assets and 75 percent of employees adopting unsanctioned tech, traditional perimeter-based approaches either leave you exposed or grind innovation to a halt.
Replica delivers full computing environments that empower organizations to conduct high-stakes work—securely and behind an anonymous attack surface. Our patented zero-trust isolated environments eliminate traditional trade-offs between security and speed.
Secure environments designed for innovation, mission-critical security, investigations, and operations.
Safely experiment with AI and test untrusted software, accelerate M&A workflows, enable secure third-party collaboration, and speed R&D innovation—all while protecting IP and maintaining compliance.
Uncover fraud and illicit activities by accessing hard-to-reach data worldwide. Gather evidence while maintaining compliance.
Access and analyze content across dark web sources, closed forums, and restricted platforms while maintaining complete anonymity and chain of custody.
Isolate, detonate, and reverse-engineer malware and adversary infrastructure in a fully contained, disposable environment, without risking corporate networks or endpoints.
Quickly gain control and oversight of technology and operations from mergers and acquisitions, ensuring seamless integration and maximized value.
Investigate threats across any platform anonymously – from mobile to restricted sources to closed forums. Automate collection and analyze safely without exposure.
Security without complexity. Operations without limits. Replica activates in seconds, eliminating IT bottlenecks and seamlessly integrating with existing security frameworks.
Replica enables high-stakes operations with uncompromising security, seamless collaboration, and full compliance, protecting critical assets while ensuring complete control.
Built to work with your existing tools.
Trusted by Industry Leaders to Power Secure Operations
06/09/2025
In cybersecurity, terminology can blur critical differences. “Virtual environments,” “secure desktops,” and “managed access” may sound similar, but the underlying architectures, and the risks they address, are profoundly different.
When mission-critical operations depend on trust, speed, and zero exposure, not all environments are created equal.
Not All Virtual Environments Are Truly Isolated
Some platforms offer cloud-based desktops intended for persistent use. These systems are often built on traditional VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) or browser isolation models, using shared hypervisors, persistent instances, and Remote Desktop Protocols (RDP) or Virtual Network Computing (VNC) for access.
While effective for basic workflows or identity abstraction, these models introduce significant security tradeoffs:
Regardless of whether you choose RDP or VNC, the following security best practices are crucial:
By understanding these security tradeoffs and implementing robust security measures, you can significantly reduce the risks associated with using both RDP and VNC for remote access
Replica takes a fundamentally different approach.
Replica’s Zero-Trust Isolation Model
Replica environments are built with true zero-trust principles from the ground up:
This isn’t just virtualization, it’s operational containment at scale.
Built to Scale with the Mission, Not the Machine
We’ve seen confusion arise when traditional desktop pricing models are used as a reference for secure environments. But Replica isn’t a desktop, it’s an execution layer built for comprehensive, high-intensity workflows that enable safe and contained collaboration.
Whether you’re:
Replica scales up or down instantly, without pre-allocated desktops or per-user licensing burdens. You only pay for what you use, when you use it.
Security That Empowers, Not Encumbers
Replica is purpose-built for:
With full observability, audit logs, and integration with SIEMs, proxies, and compliance tools, you don’t sacrifice visibility for protection, you gain both.
The Bottom Line
If your security needs go beyond identity management and into operational execution—Replica gives you the tools to operate confidently, without exposure. Not all environments are built for risk. Ours are.
See it in action. Get in touch →
In cybersecurity, terminology can blur critical differences. “Virtual environments,” “secure desktops,” and “managed access” may sound similar, but the underlying...
05/09/2025
MCLEAN, VA | August 5, 2025 — Replica Cyber, a leader in Zero-Trust Isolated Environments, today announced a major evolution of its flagship Replica platform that transforms how organizations accelerate high-stakes business operations. Building off its patented zero-trust environments which anonymize the attack surface, Replica now delivers instant, isolated workspaces for critical activities beyond security— from AI experimentation, isolated data sharing, full lifecycle M&A, secure engineering and development, threat operations and more—with unprecedented speed and protection. New features include mobile phone access, integrated business tools, and secure external collaboration capabilities. Unveiled during Black Hat USA 2025, the evolved platform addresses the core challenge facing modern enterprises: accelerating innovation and strategic operations without increasing security risk.
“Advantage in business or government is always a balance between risk and innovation,” said Kristopher Schroeder, CEO of Replica Cyber. “In working with our customers, we found that while Replica solves tough security challenges, it also unlocks broader business value. Whether integrating newly acquired tech, experimenting with next-gen AI, or disrupting emerging threats, the platform lets teams operate with confidence—without exposing networks, data, or intent. Once deployed, customers can pursue opportunities that were previously too risky.”
In this release, Replica introduces revolutionary secure file sharing through protected environments. These virtual environments enable collaboration with any external party—even non-Replica users, while allowing the owner to maintain control of their data. This breakthrough eliminates risky email exchanges and document sharing, opening secure collaboration possibilities that were previously impossible.
Built to solve critical cyber issues in national security, Replica is trusted by Fortune 100 companies and government agencies alike. The platform delivers transformative capabilities across three critical impact areas:
Partnerships to Increase Value for our Customers
Replica also launched the Replica partner program, a growing ecosystem that delivers best-in-class tools directly into secure environments. The program brings trusted solutions for secure development, threat intelligence, fraud detection, investigations, and more into isolated workspaces. At launch, Replica has partnered with ShadowDragon, Analyst1, SentinelOne, and Intel 471 with dozens of other tools previously deployed or available in Replica. The open architecture has always been designed to support future integrations as organizational missions evolve, and the Replica team will continue to pursue new partnerships that increase the value of the platform to our customers.
“Working inside the Replica platform gives our users protection when navigating sensitive and high-risk digital territory, allowing them to safely collect intelligence and conduct investigations while maintaining operational security and evidence integrity,” said Paul DiBello, SVP of Partnerships at ShadowDragon.
The Replica platform scales from small teams to enterprise-wide deployments and is available immediately as SaaS-delivered or private cloud, with flexible deployment options (including on-prem) to meet diverse organizational requirements.
The Replica team will be offering live demos and 1:1 meetings during Black Hat USA, August 2-7 in Las Vegas. For a custom demo, visit www.replicacyber.com/request-a-demo/ or learn about partnership opportunities at: www.replicacyber.com/become-a-replica-cyber-partner/.
About Replica Cyber
Replica Cyber delivers Zero-Trust Isolated Environments to global financial institutions, government agencies, and Fortune 100 companies. Founded by experts in cyber counterintelligence and mission-critical operations, the company holds 20 issued patents, delivering an anonymous attack surface for any work within the platform. As North America’s first B Corp-certified cybersecurity platform provider, Replica enables organizations to operate without detection, with full control and without compromise across the high-stakes digital missions that matter most.
About ShadowDragon
ShadowDragon provides comprehensive, cyber investigative resources and training for use by private companies, intelligence gathering professionals, law enforcement, and government. The U.S.-based company delivers open-source intelligence (OSINT) from over 500 networks including social media platforms, chat rooms, forums, historical datasets, and the dark web. The company monitors malware history, data breach dumps, and other areas for active cyber threats. These data collection and analytic tools help defend against malicious acts in the digital and physical world. For more information, visit the ShadowDragon Trust Center for details about the company’s approach to “OSINT for good.”
About Analyst1
Analyst1 is a premier cybersecurity solutions provider specializing in advanced threat intelligence. Founded by industry experts, the company’s cutting-edge Threat Intelligence Platform (TIP) leverages AI and machine learning to transform raw data into actionable insights. Trusted by government and commercial clients, Analyst1 empowers security teams to detect, assess, and respond to cyber threats efficiently. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Analyst1 continues to innovate, helping organizations stay ahead of evolving cyber risks. For more information, visit analyst1.com.
About SentinelOne
SentinelOne is a leading AI-powered cybersecurity platform. Built on the first unified Security Data Lake, SentinelOne empowers the world to run securely by creating intelligent, data-driven systems that think for themselves, stay ahead of complexity and risk, and evolve on their own. Leading organizations—including Fortune 10, Fortune 500, and Global 2000 companies, as well as prominent governments— trust SentinelOne to Secure Tomorrow™. Learn more at www.sentinelone.com.
About Intel 471
Intel 471 equips enterprises and government agencies with intelligence-driven security offerings powered by real-time insights into cyber adversaries, threat patterns, and potential attacks relevant to their operations. By integrating human-sourced intelligence with advanced automation and curation, the company’s platform enhances security measures and enables teams to bolster their security posture by prioritizing controls and detections based on real-time cyber threats. Organizations are empowered to neutralize and mitigate digital risks across dozens of use cases across our solution portfolios: Cyber Threat Exposure, Cyber Threat Intelligence, and Cyber Threat Hunting. Learn more at www.intel471.com.
MCLEAN, VA | August 5, 2025 — Replica Cyber, a leader in Zero-Trust Isolated Environments, today announced a major evolution...
The gap between zero trust aspirations and operational reality continues to challenge security leaders.
Over the last few years, “zero trust” has become cybersecurity’s most discussed framework. VPN replacements, browser isolation tools, and cloud firewalls all incorporate zero trust principles as organizations seek to modernize their security architectures. According to CISA’s Zero Trust Maturity Model (ZTMM), zero trust isn’t about implementing individual security controls—it’s a holistic framework that fundamentally reshapes how organizations approach trust in digital systems.
For cybersecurity leaders evaluating solutions, the question isn’t whether a tool supports “zero trust principles.” It’s whether their overall architecture addresses all five pillars and three cross-cutting capabilities that CISA defines as essential for comprehensive zero trust implementation.
Let’s examine what CISA requires—and how organizations can think about addressing these requirements across their entire operational environment.
Zero trust begins with strong identity verification. Every user and service must be authenticated and authorized under the principle of least privilege. This foundation is critical but represents just the starting point.
Every device must be assessed for security posture before gaining access. This includes patch levels, certificates, endpoint protection, and compliance with enterprise policies.
Networks must be micro-segmented, with no implicit trust based on location. Every transaction requires evaluation, not just the initial login event.
Applications must be protected at runtime. Access is controlled at the service level, and workloads require continuous monitoring.
Data must be classified, encrypted, monitored, and protected against exfiltration. The focus is on who accesses data, where it flows, and how it’s protected throughout its lifecycle.
Many zero trust implementations focus heavily on pillars 1 and 3—identity and network access. This approach addresses critical security needs and provides significant value. However, organizations often discover that once authenticated users begin working, new challenges emerge.
Consider these common operational scenarios:
In each case, identity verification and network access control provide essential security, but the operational challenges occur where the actual work happens—beyond the traditional security perimeter.
Many organizations address high-risk operational needs through disconnected “burner” devices or shadow IT practices that operate with limited governance and oversight. This approach provides network isolation but introduces its own set of challenges:
Operational Considerations:
Governance and Compliance Considerations:
Operational Security Considerations:
While burner devices address immediate network isolation needs, they present governance and operational challenges that modern enterprises must consider—particularly those operating under strict regulatory frameworks.
Replica’s architecture was uniquely built to isolate all layers—from OS, hardware, network, applications, to data—to inherently satisfy zero-trust principles. Our isolated environments provide controlled access to corporate networks while ensuring no code reaches the host device, enabling users to access the tools they need and reach data that is typically hard to access—whether geo-fenced, restricted, or potentially dangerous.
This creates a double safety net: environments maintain controlled connectivity with strict isolation principles, and no executable code ever touches user endpoints. Our approach extends protection to where work actually occurs.
Rather than stopping at access control, we address zero trust requirements throughout the operational lifecycle:
Identity: Enterprise SSO/MFA authentication provides access to pre-configured, purpose-built environments with role-based controls and least-privilege access to tools and data.
Devices: When work is delivered as a pixel stream, endpoint security concerns are fundamentally addressed. No code executes on user devices, which helps resolve BYOD risks, supply chain vulnerabilities, and unmanaged device concerns.
Networks: Each environment operates in complete micro-segmentation with policy-controlled data transfer. This design eliminates network pathways back to corporate systems, even under compromise conditions.
Applications & Workloads: Untrusted code, experimental tools, malware samples, and third-party applications run within isolated environments. This containment approach prevents lateral movement even if individual workloads are compromised.
Data: Replica’s proprietary system, Butler™, enforces strict file governance with chain-of-custody logging, controlled data egress, and forensic visibility. Data classification and protection policies are enforced at the environment level.
Combined with enterprise-grade logging, automated deployment, and centralized governance, this approach extends zero trust protection across all five pillars throughout the operational lifecycle.
Consider how this work-centric approach addresses enterprise operational requirements:
Threat Intelligence Operations: Security analysts can investigate dark web forums and malware samples within isolated environments. Corporate networks and identities remain protected while maintaining complete audit trails for evidence integrity and regulatory compliance.
Strategic Business Research: Investment teams can research acquisition targets using managed attribution techniques that prevent signal leakage. Sensitive documents can be shared in monitored workspaces with controlled data export capabilities, enabling external advisor collaboration without exposing corporate infrastructure.
Innovation & Development Testing: Development teams can evaluate experimental tools, AI platforms, open-source code, and third-party integrations in isolated laboratories. This approach helps protect intellectual property while maintaining compliance and eliminating production system risk.
Financial Crime Investigation: Fraud teams can access restricted financial platforms and conduct investigations with carefully managed digital personas. Investigators maintain operational anonymity while ensuring regulatory compliance and comprehensive audit capabilities.
CISA’s guidance emphasizes that zero trust is not a product but an architecture. Achieving comprehensive zero trust requires addressing all five pillars simultaneously across the complete operational environment.
Our isolated environment approach addresses operational realities by ensuring that:
For organizations conducting high-stakes digital operations—from cybersecurity investigations to strategic business initiatives—this architectural approach addresses operational realities that traditional access-focused zero trust cannot.
Comprehensive zero trust architecture, as defined by CISA, requires protection across all five pillars where work occurs—not just at the authentication boundary. Organizations are discovering that securing the access point, while essential, may not address all risks that emerge during actual operations.
As organizations evaluate their zero trust implementations, key considerations include:
The evolution from access-centric to work-centric security models represents a significant architectural shift. For organizations conducting sensitive digital operations, this comprehensive approach may be essential for meeting both security requirements and operational needs.
The Replica platform was built on a foundation of zero-trust principles and extends comprehensive protection to the point of execution rather than stopping at access control. Learn more about the platform here.
08/21/2025
Part 3 of our 5-part series on transforming financial institutions security for the AI era
March 2020 marked the moment financial institutions finally embraced what security innovators had long predicted: work happens everywhere, and security must follow. Overnight, COVID-19 forced financial institutions to abandon decades of network-centric security assumptions as entire workforces moved to home offices, personal devices, and cloud applications. Yet three years later, most financial institutions are still trying to secure a boundary that no longer exists, while their most critical work happens across distributed environments they struggle to control.
The erosion didn’t happen overnight—it’s been building for years. Deal notes now live in Slack channels. AI copilots draft internal research memos. Cross-border executive briefings happen on Zoom. Critical work runs in the cloud, on unmanaged devices, and through applications that never passed procurement review. Meanwhile, organizations continue investing in securing a network perimeter that no longer reflects where or how work actually gets done.
Modern financial institutions operate across multiple, overlapping boundaries that traditional security models can’t adequately protect. Companies now average 106 SaaS applications, while large enterprises operate around 275 platforms with IT controlling only 26% of software spending. This fragmentation creates visibility gaps across every critical business function.
The statistics reveal the scope of the challenge. Recent research finds 90% of SaaS apps and 91% of AI tools operating without proper oversight—a governance gap that identity management alone cannot address. More significantly, 82% of breaches now involve data stored in cloud environments, underscoring that risk lives in cloud workflows rather than at traditional network boundaries.
For financial institutions specifically, our customer assessments typically surface portfolios in the 110-130 SaaS application range, consistent with broader industry benchmarks, but with a high concentration of sensitive workflows involving regulatory data, competitive intelligence, and customer information that traditional perimeter security cannot adequately protect.
Identity management, single sign-on, and device posture controls moved security beyond simple IP whitelists and represented significant progress in access security. But identity access management authorizes access—it doesn’t govern the activity itself. It cannot constrain authorization sprawl inside SaaS applications, prevent prompt leakage during AI experiments, or protect investigators’ digital footprints during sensitive research.
For financial institutions where audit trails, attribution management, and chain-of-custody requirements are fundamental business necessities, activity-centric controls must complement identity-based access. The question isn’t whether users should have access to critical tools—it’s how they use those tools safely without compromising organizational security or revealing competitive intentions.
Nowhere is this limitation more acute than in offensive security operations, where teams must actively leave the perimeter to protect it.
Consider this scenario: Friday, 4:47 PM. Your threat intelligence team receives a tip—a new ransomware group is auctioning stolen data from a major bank on a dark web forum. The auction ends in 6 hours. Your team needs to investigate immediately: Is this legitimate? Is your institution mentioned in the leaked samples? Are your partners or customers exposed?
Without isolated environments, your security team faces an impossible choice. Using corporate infrastructure immediately burns your attribution, alerting threat actors to your surveillance. The forum itself might be a watering hole attack, designed to compromise investigating security teams. Using personal devices or commercial VPNs creates massive blind spots—no logging, no chain of custody, no ability to preserve evidence. Waiting to set up proper anonymous infrastructure takes days or weeks. By then, the auction is over and your opportunity to protect customers is gone.
Traditional perimeter security fails because it was never designed for offensive security operations. It can’t protect investigators who need to leave the perimeter to do their jobs. It can’t provide the attribution management required for covert operations. And it can’t maintain the chain-of-custody documentation that turns intelligence into actionable evidence.
An isolated, activity-centric approach fundamentally changes this outcome. Your threat team deploys isolated environments in under 60 seconds. Each analyst operates through completely anonymous infrastructure with randomized fingerprints that change per session. They can access criminal forums, download malware samples, and infiltrate threat actor infrastructure—all while maintaining forensic-grade logging and evidence preservation.
When an analyst clicks on a weaponized link or downloads a malicious payload, it detonates harmlessly in the isolated environment. The malware reveals its behavior while your corporate network remains untouched. Screenshots, network traffic, and behavioral analysis are automatically captured with full chain-of-custody documentation that financial institutions require.
Critically, these isolated environments create anonymous attack surfaces that are undetectable and unattributable to the organization. When investigators access criminal marketplaces, conduct dark web operations, or research potential threats, their activities appear to originate from completely separate digital identities with no connection to corporate infrastructure.
This transformation from defensive perimeter thinking to offensive capability enablement doesn’t just accelerate threat response—it fundamentally shifts the balance of power. Security teams can finally match the pace of modern threats while maintaining superior operational security to the attackers themselves.
Modern work-centric security recognizes a fundamental truth: your employees no longer work within your perimeter. They analyze threats from home offices, investigate fraud from coffee shops, and review acquisition targets on personal iPads. Rather than trying to extend your perimeter to every Starbucks WiFi and home router—an impossible task—work-centric security wraps high-risk activities in isolated, governed environments that travel with the user.
This isolation extends through multiple layers, creating secure workspaces that float above any underlying infrastructure. Ephemeral environments encapsulate everything from operating systems to network egress, ensuring malicious code never touches the endpoint device. Pixel-streaming keeps sensitive data off local devices while maintaining full governance and chain-of-custody documentation. Your threat analyst at 2 AM has the same secure infrastructure as in your SOC; your M&A team on personal devices maintains the same data governance as corporate workstations.
For operations requiring anonymity—financial crime investigators accessing criminal marketplaces, teams conducting confidential M&A research, analysts monitoring adversaries—the architecture provides complete attribution management. Managed identities with coherent device fingerprints, rotating geo-specific network egress, and time-zone discipline ensure organizational IP addresses and signatures never compromise sensitive activities.
This goes beyond browser isolation, which can’t handle thick client applications, AI platforms, or persona-sensitive intelligence sources. Financial institutions require environment-level isolation with attribution control and audit-grade observability—delivered wherever work actually happens, not where IT wishes it would.
The effectiveness of work-centric security should be measured through business acceleration, not conventional security metrics. Track provisioning in minutes instead of weeks, monitor user adoption to ensure enablement over constraint, and watch shadow IT disappear as teams get secure paths to the tools they need.
The transformation to work-centric security represents a fundamental architectural shift that requires proven isolation patterns, identity-aligned controls, and pragmatic rollout strategies. Financial institutions that delay this transformation will find themselves increasingly unable to compete—unable to safely pursue high-stakes activities, accelerate innovation, or gather competitive intelligence. Organizations that successfully implement work-centric security will define competitive advantage for the next decade, while those constrained by legacy perimeter thinking will watch opportunities move to competitors with superior architectural foundations.
The technical transformation to work-centric security requires careful planning and proven architectures. Our comprehensive guide “Reimagining Security for the AI Era” provides the detailed technical framework, implementation roadmap, and architectural blueprints that enable financial institutions to protect high-risk activities without constraining business velocity. Download your copy for complete specifications and proven deployment strategies.
Next week: “Measuring Security ROI: How Leading CISOs Prove Business Value” – We’ll explore the measurement frameworks and business case development strategies that help CISOs demonstrate quantifiable returns from security transformation investments.
