All Press ReleasesSE LABS Ⓡ, the cyber security testing authority, announced today the results of its latest comparative endpoint security reports. These tests evaluate how security products perform both against widespread public malware, and more targeted attacks designed to reflect the techniques used by real adversaries.
While across all three categories, Enterprise, SMB and Home, products were generally highly effective at dealing with public malware, the tests also showed a clear divide between products that stopped targeted attacks outright and those that allowed some attacks to progress after the initial compromise.
In the Enterprise test, half of the products provided complete protection against targeted attacks, while others missed between two and six attacks. While in the SMB test, half of the products stopped all targeted attacks, while others were compromised by between one and seven. The Home test results showed that more than half of the products provided complete protection, but some were breached by between one and five targeted attacks.
“Endpoint security products performed strongly overall this quarter, particularly against public malware and common web-based threats,” said Simon Edwards, CEO and founder of SE Labs. “But the targeted attack results show why early intervention matters. Some products recognised malicious activity after an attack had started, but by then our attack testers had already gained momentum. The best results came from products that blocked threats at the first realistic opportunity, before the attack could develop into a wider compromise.”
SE Labs’ reports emphasise that detecting a threat is not always enough. In several cases, products recognised parts of a targeted attack but did not prevent the attack from continuing. Once the initial malicious file was downloaded and executed, some attacks were able to progress through later stages, including post-escalation activity. This highlights the importance of fast, decisive protection at the start of the attack chain.
False positives were not a significant issue across the three sectors. Most enterprise products correctly allowed legitimate applications and websites, all SMB products achieved 100% Legitimate Accuracy Ratings and Home products also performed strongly, with several correctly classifying all legitimate files and websites as safe.
Enterprise Endpoint Protection
In the Enterprise Endpoint Protection test, products from Broadcom, ESET, Kaspersky, CrowdStrike and Microsoft achieved 100% Total Accuracy Ratings by protecting against all threats and correctly handling legitimate applications and websites. Products from Sophos, WatchGuard and Trellix also achieved AAA awards, while Deep Instinct D-Client received an AA award.
SMB Endpoint Protection
In the SMB Endpoint Protection test, ESET Endpoint Security, Kaspersky Small Office Security, and Microsoft Defender Antivirus achieved perfect Protection Accuracy Ratings by blocking all threats. Bitdefender Small Office Security, Sophos Endpoint and Webroot SecureAnywhere Endpoint Protection also achieved AAA awards, with all products in the SMB test receiving SE Labs’ highest award rating.
Home Anti-malware Protection
In the Home Endpoint Protection test, products from Kaspersky, Norton, McAfee, Microsoft and Avast achieved the strongest results, combining effective protection with accurate classification of legitimate applications and websites. Products from Scanguard, Panda, Sophos, Malwarebytes and Webroot also achieved AAA awards.
All three Security Evaluation Test Reports are available for free download from SE Labs’ website:
