Sophos has announced Intercept X, a next-generation endpoint security product that stops zero-day malware, unknown exploit variants and stealth attacks, and includes an advanced anti-ransomware feature that can detect previously unknown ransomware within seconds.
Sophos Intercept X installs alongside existing endpoint security software from any vendor, immediately boosting endpoint protection by stopping malicious code before it executes.
Sophos Intercept X combines four critical security components that IT administrators should expect from next-generation endpoint protection.
- Signatureless Threat and Exploit Detection: Anti-malware and anti-hacker defense that blocks zero-day, unknown and memory resident attacks and threat variants without the need for file scanning
- CryptoGuard: Anti-ransomware innovation that identifies and intercepts malicious encryption activity, blocks ransomware before it can lock and cripple systems and can roll back maliciously encrypted files to their pre-attack state
- Root Cause Analytics: A 360 degree visual analysis of attack events that shows where the attack came in, what it affected, where it may have stopped and recommended actions to prevent a similar attack in the future
- Sophos Clean: Powerful utility that hunts for and removes any trace of spyware and deeply embedded, lingering malware
Once the threat is neutralised, affected files can be rolled back to the pre-attack state, saving considerable time, resources and money.
“Using big data analytics along with our deep understanding of threat patterns, attack vectors and criminal motivations, we designed Intercept X from the ground up to recognize malicious behaviors and stop potential attacks much sooner in the kill-chain, without the need for updates or signatures,” said Dan Schiappa, senior vice president of the Enduser Protection group at Sophos.
“IT professionals know that there is no single equation that stops all attacks, so we developed Intercept X to combine several techniques for faster identification and response that are coordinated to better support IT professionals without the need for specialised security staff.”
Developed as a core component of Sophos’ synchronised security strategy, Sophos Intercept X is enabled with the Security Heartbeat to share threat intelligence with Sophos’ next generation XG Firewall and SafeGuard Encryption solutions for a coordinated and automated response to attack.
The product can be installed and managed remotely through the Sophos Central cloud-based management console that allows administrators to control and configure settings, distribute licenses, add new endpoints and track all activity. In addition, the single pane of glass dashboard designed for Sophos partners shows all Sophos Central services available to provide higher levels of customer protection while offering partners additional recurring revenue opportunities.
Tony Palmer, senior Lab analyst at ESG commented, “According to ESG research, many organisations have extensively adopted advanced prevention products, such as next-gen antivirus and even more are planning to ease their way into advanced detection and response. Unfortunately, many enterprises simply lack the right level of security analytics skills or staff to perform these tasks effectually, thanks to a global, problematic shortage of cybersecurity skills.
With Intercept X, Sophos looks to provide a fast-track to achieving advanced protection and response capabilities while minimising the need for specialised security consultants to administer it.
“Under the beta program, we deployed Intercept X to more than 2,000 endpoints spanning more than 70 customer networks. To date, we see that Intercept has stopped more than 18 new ransomware attacks and since deploying, we’ve had zero ransomware infections on our clients’ networks. We can’t imagine the mess these attacks could have caused for our clients. Sophos Intercept X is a must have for any business challenged by different ransomware variants and other threats on a daily basis,” said Emily Adams, IT security analyst at Flexible Systems, a Sophos Partner based in Hauppauge, New York.
Bob Appleby of PA Computer Connections, a US-based Sophos Partner, commented, “Installing Sophos Intercept X alongside existing endpoint protection is simple and effective. Having tested the product during the beta program we have found that it blocks threats faster and provides comprehensive and straightforward analysis of an attack, accelerating the time from first infection to remediation. This product significantly advances protection for customers with any flavour of endpoint protection currently in place.”
