4 companies bringing proactive threat detection to cybersecurity

Being proactive, rather than reactive, allows us to mitigate and prevent breaches before they happen.

The innovation cycle in the antivirus space is long, and that gap between innovation is where attackers pull ahead. Here at PolySwarm, we are busy creating the first instance of a threat detection marketplace, based on the concept of the THREAT BOUNTY, providing incentives for security experts to detect threats— but we’re not the only ones thinking about news systems for threat detection.

There are a number of companies providing new solutions in the proactive threat intelligence space, creating products that enterprises need to keep their business safe. Today, we’re highlighting four of these companies.

1. EndGame

This innovative organization is helping you reimagine your endpoint protection. They explain on their website: “Endpoint protection platform replacing AV, NGAV, anti-exploit prevention, IOC search, and IR, reducing cost and complexity of your endpoint environment.” The hallmarks of this product include:

• Speed: stopping attacks or breaches before they happen
• Simplicity: doing more with what you already have
• Scalability: one endpoint agent across all of your endpoints

Their platform is made possible with machine learning and natural language processing techniques, allowing companies to stop targeted attacks, find patterns in malicious behavior, and reduce their operational costs. This makes them the “only endpoint solution that prevents, detects and responds to attacks.”

2. Bromium

Bromium’s protection starts at a step before detection using application isolation. This technology keeps every threat contained in its own micro-VM. Bromium explains:

“When a user visits a web page, opens a document, or downloads an email attachment, Bromium creates a new micro-VM. The user experience and application performance aren’t affected. From the user’s perspective, everything works exactly the same way as it would on a regular machine. However, each task and process runs inside its own micro-VM, and is safely contained there.”

In this way, you can protect against your greatest threat: human risk. If an employee clicks on a phishing link, for example, the malware only affects that micro-VM, not the underlying technology and network. Removing the malware is then as easy as “closing the task.” Your security team will also receive Breachless Threat Intelligence™ and complete kill-chain analysis reports to spot vulnerabilities and improve protection moving forward.

3. Cylance

Like every other proactive threat intelligence company mentioned here, Cylance is using evolving technology to take malware detection to the next level. Their tech of choice, their so-called artificial intelligence (AI), which seems to be working out for them. Their 2017 Cylance Threat Report found that 70 percent of malware blocked by their product went undetected by other solutions.

Their predictive threat intelligence product, that uses AI, machine learning and algorithmic science, creates a “seamless and and silent pre-execution attack prevention that is 99.9% effective with zero reliance on signatures, the cloud, or reputation lookups,” according to their website.

How does it work? Each file is scanned, at which point 2.7 million points are considered. The machine learning technology generates a maze, and as the various points are detected within the file, the file then moves either right or left within the maze, and each dead end equates to a score. As hackers change the the file to avoid detection, the score continues to worsen — making it significantly harder to complete the attack.

4. Crowdstrike

This cloud-based threat intelligence platform offers a variety of solutions for businesses looking to support their in-house security efforts — or better yet, replace their outdated solutions that are no longer effective: “Go beyond malware. Boost your endpoints. Simplify your security.”

Their cloud-delivered endpoint protection, which is the umbrella for a number of products, uses machine learning to block malware. Their behavioral analytics also help you prevent modern malware-free attacks; if an attack does happen, you’ll have access to a full timeline of details and insight that will help you protect your business now and in the future.

Their innovations have been recognized within the industry, and they were most recently featured as a “Visionary” vendor in the 2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant (MQ) for Endpoint Protection Platforms.