Malwarebytes CEO to partners: 'We are in an end-point revolution'

Marcin Kleczynski also wants to see the vendor shake off its consumer tag

The cybersecurity industry is at the crux of a revolution as traditional cybersecurity vendors are failing in the face of increasingly complex cyberthreats, according to Marcin Kleczynski, Malwarebytes CEO.

The chief exec told assembled EMEA partners at an event in London that threats such as the WannaCry attack last year and Mirai malware are examples of the types of threats that adapt to the flaws in ever-evolving technologies.

Kleczynski (pictured) said that when Mirai malware came along a few years ago, it opened his eyes to the challenges posed to the cybersecurity industry as a whole.

"We are in an end-point revolution," he told partners.

"Mirai isn't a sophisticated attack in itself, it simply scans the internet looking for connected devices and uses default credentials to log into them, then points those assets at something," he told partners.

"We now live in a world where refrigerators, sensors and Barbie dolls are all connected to the internet. So imagine the possibilities of millions of these devices in the hands of adversaries without our even knowing.

"I don't think we as a security industry are established to fix those challenges."

Partners were also told that Malwarebytes' main differentiator from its competitors is the simplicity it brings to cybersecurity.

"We conclusively say to customers that ‘if you are under attack, press this button to fix it'," he said.

"First and foremost, with remediation we are first on the scene; we are the paramedics when other anti-virus fails, we come in to save the day and that gives partners leverage."

Kleczynski also told the audience that Malwarebytes will invest $5m in branding over the next 12 months.

"Today we are perceived as a consumer and remediation company, but I think we need to evolve that brand to be seen as enterprise, which is half our revenue, and protection, which is all of our revenue," he said.