AUSTIN, Texas – May 30, 2018 – NSS Labs, a global leader and trusted source for independent, fact-based cybersecurity guidance, today announced that it is developing the next iteration of its Advanced Endpoint Detection (AEP) Group Test with results expected to be released in early 2019. As part of today’s announcement, the company is also issuing a call for industry engagement from both enterprises and AEP vendors to help shape and evolve its upcoming AEP Group Test and accompanying methodology.
Attackers increasingly are viewing the endpoint as their point of entry to compromise enterprises—it is estimated that 70% of successful breaches originate at the endpoint. New evasion techniques, exploits, and advanced malware leverage various threat vectors to exploit vulnerabilities within operating systems and applications on endpoints. Traditional antivirus (AV) and next-generation AV for the endpoint are no longer effective in protecting against modern threats.
Advanced endpoint protection (AEP) is a disruptive new technology that focuses on preventing cybercriminals from ever reaching or executing on the endpoint. AEP products employ sophisticated techniques such as machine learning, pattern recognition, or predictive algorithms to detect and block malware and to contain suspicious activities. Additionally, AEP products monitor processes running on endpoints, detect any communication with potentially malicious hosts, and conduct audits of file systems and registries.
Earlier this year, NSS Labs performed the industry’s most rigorous group test of leading AEP solutions. Products from 20 of the industry’s leading AEP vendors were examined for security effectiveness, total cost of ownership, and threat event reporting. Of the products that participated in NSS Labs’ 2018 AEP Group Test, 75% demonstrated more than 90% security effectiveness.
“NSS Labs began assessing AEP products two years ago and has conducted the largest and most comprehensive group tests in the industry for this evolving space,” said Jason Brvenik, Chief Technology Officer at NSS Labs. “In our 2018 test, nine of the products tested missed at least one evasion, and we saw that even minor changes to known attacks can allow them to easily bypass security. While emerging technologies show promise, the AEP space remains ripe for disruption and consolidation as new entrants challenge existing technologies. We encourage enterprises and vendors to collaborate with us as we continue to examine leading AEP products in the market.”
NSS Labs has a long history in testing enterprise-class security products. NSS Labs’ rigorous, group tests offer independent analysis of the top security technologies used today by Global 2000 companies. These tests provide the industry’s most comprehensive review of security effectiveness, performance, and total cost of ownership. Enterprises rely on NSS Labs group tests for fact-based, empirical data that they can use to inform their decision making. Within the last 12 months, NSS Labs has released group test results for several categories of mature and evolving cybersecurity products.
As with all NSS Labs group tests, there is no fee for participation, and the test methodology is available in the public domain to provide transparency and to help enterprises understand the factors behind test results.