TL;DR:
- Attackers leverage generative AI and social engineering to breach vulnerable endpoints.
- Endpoints overloaded with security agents are as unsecure as unprotected ones.
- AI and ML are crucial for identifying weak endpoints, patching, and enhancing detection.
- Forrester’s Endpoint Security Wave evaluates top providers, emphasizing advanced features.
- AI and ML boost endpoint security across the industry.
- Roadmaps of security providers include new applications for behavioral analytics and real-time authentication.
- AI-based indicators of attack (IOA) and compromise (IOC) play a pivotal role.
- CrowdStrike leads in AI-based IOAs; others like ThreatConnect also adopt AI and ML.
- Endpoint security providers face pressure to consolidate platforms and enhance functionality.
- Consolidation and Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solutions gain prominence.
- Forrester highlights trends: prevention focus, consolidation, and XDR adoption.
- CrowdStrike, Trend Micro, Bitdefender, and Microsoft stand out as market leaders.
- Each leader has unique strengths and challenges.
Main AI News:
In today’s ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, attackers are increasingly turning to generative AI, leveraging its capabilities to identify vulnerable endpoints and exploiting them with sophisticated social engineering tactics. The result? Unprecedented breaches that allow threat actors to bypass network defenses effortlessly.
One significant vulnerability lies in endpoints overloaded with an excessive number of security agents. Ironically, such endpoints, burdened with a multitude of tools, become as unsecure as those without any protection. To counter this growing threat, the urgent integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) into endpoint security is essential. These technologies play a pivotal role in identifying and fortifying the weakest endpoints, updating patches, and enhancing detection and response capabilities beyond current standards.
Endpoint security’s importance has reached a new zenith as it becomes the primary target of increasingly lethal and sophisticated attacks. It is timely that Forrester has published its Endpoint Security Wave for Q4, 2023, evaluating thirteen prominent endpoint security providers. Bitdefender, BlackBerry, Broadcom, Cisco, CrowdStrike, ESET, Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, SentinelOne, Sophos, Trend Micro, Trellix, and VMware are among the companies included in this comprehensive assessment.
Forrester’s report highlights the evolution of endpoint security vendors, moving beyond simple malware prevention to incorporate advanced features like behavioral analysis, vulnerability and patch remediation, and cutting-edge threat prevention for data, identity, and network security. These advancements have brought significant benefits to customers using these products.
AI and ML are heralding a much-needed boost to endpoint security across the board. Every provider evaluated in Forrester’s Wave is fast-tracking the integration of these technologies into their platform roadmaps, driven by the growing demand for enhanced security measures.
VentureBeat has uncovered insights into these roadmaps, revealing the inclusion of new applications and tools aimed at delivering incremental improvements in behavioral analytics, real-time authentication, bridging identity-endpoint gaps, and introducing AI-based indicators of attack (IOA) and indicators of compromise (IOCs).
IOAs are designed to detect an attacker’s intent and identify their objectives, regardless of the malware or exploit used in an attack. IOCs provide the forensics needed to substantiate a breach, and IOAs must be automated to deliver real-time data on attack attempts, facilitating a deeper understanding of attackers’ motives and thwarting intrusion attempts.
Among the providers profiled by Forrester, CrowdStrike stands out as the first to deliver AI-based IOAs. While not featured in the Wave report, ThreatConnect, Deep Instinct, and Orca Security also leverage AI and ML to streamline IOCs.
Vasu Jakkal, Corporate VP for Microsoft Security, Compliance, Identity, and Privacy, emphasized the effectiveness of AI in processing vast amounts of data to distinguish between good and malicious content. Microsoft, for instance, processes an astonishing 24 trillion signals every day, covering a wide spectrum of digital activity.
Endpoint security providers face mounting pressure from customers to consolidate platforms while delivering increased functionality at a lower cost. Simultaneously, there is a growing demand for substantial improvements in visibility and control.
A Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) responsible for safeguarding a large insurance and financial services firm notes that the first area to explore for consolidation opportunities is endpoint security. Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solutions offer potential consolidation benefits, addressing the long-standing request of CISOs.
Forrester’s Senior Analyst, Paddy Harrington, underscores the importance of a robust endpoint protection platform as the foundation for security operations. Harrington identifies three prominent trends shaping the endpoint security market:
- A Shift Towards Prevention: Security analysts are seeking more effective prevention tools to safeguard their time and reduce the cycle of responding to and recovering from attacks. Emphasizing prevention can enable analysts to allocate their time more efficiently.
- The Role of Toolkits: Consolidation has become a pivotal strategy in 2023, coinciding with rising interest rates and inflation. CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks have been early advocates of consolidation as a growth strategy. Including vulnerability and patch remediation in endpoint security reduces the need for multiple tools, aligning with CISOs’ consolidation objectives.
- Accelerating the Transition to XDR: EDR platforms that support data independence and portability are crucial for the long-term success of an endpoint strategy and any XDR platform. Seamless migration from EDR to XDR should not require reconfiguring endpoints, and broader coverage across different attack vectors simplifies incident correlation and accelerates resolution.
Forrester’s assessment of market leaders in the Endpoint Security Wave identifies CrowdStrike, Trend Micro, Bitdefender, and Microsoft as standout performers. Each company has its strengths and weaknesses, providing unique value propositions to its customers.
CrowdStrike is particularly well-suited for enterprises transitioning from EDR to XDR, offering a comprehensive set of prevention functions within a single endpoint agent. While its core capabilities are highly regarded, concerns exist about additional module pricing and integration challenges with recent acquisitions.
Trend Micro, a veteran in the endpoint security space, earns praise for its innovation and commitment to XDR. Known for being a reliable solution that “just works,” Trend Micro successfully supports features across both on-premises and cloud-native environments.
Bitdefender distinguishes itself with its prevention-focused approach, mobile threat defense expertise, integrated patching, and reliance on a single agent for all functions. However, its roadmap for XDR lacks the depth of some competitors.
Microsoft stands out as a strong fit for organizations with less experienced security staff, offering licensing frameworks like E3 and E5 for Defender for Endpoint. Microsoft’s robust endpoint security roadmap includes extending Defender functionality to operational tech (OT) and IoT devices, building an extensive partner community, and simplifying solutions for both SMBs and global enterprises. However, its licensing models are considered among the most complex in the industry, particularly for advanced features that require enterprise agreements.
Conclusion:
AI and ML are reshaping the endpoint security landscape, providing a significant boost in protection. The market is witnessing a shift towards prevention, consolidation, and the adoption of XDR solutions. Leading providers like CrowdStrike, Trend Micro, Bitdefender, and Microsoft are well-positioned to meet evolving security needs, but competition remains fierce as customers seek robust, streamlined solutions at lower costs.
