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Why You Must Join the Next Generation: NGAV

Next generation antivirus (NGAV) differs from the traditional antivirus solutions we’ve been using for years by incorporating many additional controls, functions, and features. NGAV has the ability to learn behavior at the endpoints. They identify anomalous behavior without any download or matching to virus signature database. Advance to an Autonomous Breach Protection solution with managed detection and response (MDR) that covers your users, hosts, files, and network. 

Traditional antivirus has lost its effectiveness as operating systems, software, computer networks, and digital threats have become more sophisticated. The rapid growth in the number of threats is continuous and includes new malware and creative variations, which makes traditional signature-based approaches ineffective.  

The 2020 pandemic has made us rethink many things about how our companies do business. It has instilled the need for a closer look at the kinds of attacks occurring across the world. Modern attacks possess a considerable threat to organizations that do not have advanced protection in place:  

While 21% of emails featured simplistic attacks (a link to a malicious executable), most include advanced capabilities such as malicious macros and exploits or redirection to malicious websites – a challenge met easily with an Autonomous Breach Protection solution. 

Taking a close look at how these attacks would be blocked by appropriate enhanced controls verifies that they should be regarded as a serious risk potential: 

This graphic of Attack Blocking Methods illustrates that only around 10% would be blocked by traditional antivirus solutions, using the old signature-based architecture. 

EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response): Autonomous Breach Protection Gartner’s 2017 Market Guide for Endpoint Detection and Response Solutions considers endpoint detection and response (EDR) as a basic security capability, part of what should be considered the foundation of any solution. Autonomous Breach Protection more accurately identifies suspicious and unauthorized activities, preventing the behaviors outright and enabling more proactive response and remediation to advanced malicious threats than ever before. 

To help NGAV solutions identify threats that slip past traditional AV, EDR/MDR provides a holistic approach to data collection, which in turn powers machine learning, predictive analytics, and behavior monitoring, showing a complete picture of the environment. Together, these technologies help companies to monitor events and identify patterns that may be suspicious, turning them into attack visualizations that power Autonomous Breach Protection. 

EDR can help discover even the most minute changes in files, registries, and networks. Being able to do that helps uncover malicious activity hidden in plain sight. With that insight EDR helps responders contain the identified threats and block emerging, never-seen-before attacks that will often otherwise slip through most NGAV solutions. 

So what exactly are some differences that you gain with NGAV? 

  • No signatures 
  • No weekly updates 
  • No recurring scans 
  • No performance overhead 

NGAV solutions that are most effective will use innovative technologies to prevent the rapidly changing tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by the bad guys today to breach organizations, including traditional malware, zero-day attacks and even advanced malware-free or file-less attacks. 

Replace Outdated Antivirus 

Organizations gain an unprecedented level of visibility into attempted attacks with ability to easily search for the forensics of the attack and have a fully managed detection and response team backing them. This provides the details and context necessary to offer Autonomous Breach Protection, see what’s happening on the endpoint, and know how to remediate. 

Is now a good time to replace your traditional AV? Call or email FIPCO’s Rob Foxx at 800-722-3498 ext. 249 or itservices@fipco.com today to take advantage of these services and ensure the safety and soundness of your business.  

Foxx is FIPCO – Information Security and Audit Advisor.