
SMB has always been a network file sharing protocol. Likewise: Likewise is a multi-protocol, identity aware network file sharing protocol that was purchased by EMC in 2012.Tuxera SMB: Tuxera is also a proprietary SMB implementation that runs in either kernel or user-space.MoSMB: MoSMB is a proprietary SMB implementation by Ryussi Technologies.NQ: NQ is another portable file sharing SMB implementation developed by Visuality Systems.Samba: Samba is an open-source implementation of Microsoft Active Directory that allows non-Windows machines to communicate with a Windows network.CIFS: CIFS is a common file sharing protocol used by Windows servers and compatible NAS devices.Many people mistake CIFS as a different protocol than SMB, when in fact they use the same basic architecture. For example, Common Internet File System (CIFS) is a specific implementation of SMB that enables file sharing. Just like any language, computer programmers have created different SMB dialects use for different purposes. Microsoft continues to make advancements to SMB for performance and security: SMB2 reduced the overall chattiness of the protocol, while SMB3 included performance enhancements for virtualized environments and support for strong end-to-end encryption. Need help figuring things out? Ask Varonis. Weird network traffic and suspicious port connections on your network are signs you might have been breached.
