Industry Voice: Redefining endpoint security with proactive tailored hardening

“Most attacks don't rely on malware, they use your own tools and applications against you,”

As cybercriminals grow more sophisticated, solution providers are facing a surge in attacks that exploit legitimate tools already present in business environments. In an exclusive interview with CRNtv, Martin Zugec, technical solutions director, Bitdefender, and James Johnson, regional director northern Europe and Middle East, Bitdefender, shared new research and strategies for defending against “living off the land” (LOTL) attacks.

“Most attacks don't rely on malware, they use your own tools and applications against you,” Zugec revealed, citing Bitdefender’s analysis of 700,000 incidents, where 84 percent of major cases involved LOTL techniques. “It is not the tool itself that is malicious. It is the intent behind the use of that tool that is malicious. And that is much harder to detect,” he added.

Johnson highlighted that the industry is leaning heavily on reactive models. “What we should be doing is going proactively into the environments and looking for places of vulnerability. With PHASR, everything is in the name: proactive hardening and attack surface reduction”, Johnson said.

With GravityZone PHASR, Bitdefender analyzes user and machine behavior, recommending which tools or functionalities can be safely blocked or restricted without disrupting business operations. “Simplicity is key, but also being proactive, looking far out of the environment at the threat actors and what they're doing to gain access,” Johnson concluded.

Learn more about GravityZone PHASR and Bitdefender’s approach to proactive security here.

This article is sponsored by Bitdefender.