Zero to Neo

Our reports help you choose the best home anti-malware product that can protect you from ransomware and other types of attack

Choose the best home anti-malware solution

There seems to be no limit to the powers of cyber criminals. In 2021 the public became aware of the advanced capabilities of the NSO group, now infamous for helping governments spy on dissidents and others.

The SolarWinds attack compromised some of the largest organisations in the world (and my implication, their customers – and so on, down the supply chain). And the US’ largest oil pipeline company was breached, and its systems held to ransom.

Most analyses of these incidents recognise that endpoint security was attacked. As we alluded to in our annual report this year, breaches are a process. The initial stages of these famous attacks may not have involved a Windows PC but if your organisation grinds to a halt because everyone’s laptop is showing a red warning and a Bitcoin demand then the endpoint was compromised at some point. It needs protection, regardless of other security layers in play.

We include targeted attacks in our endpoint protection tests because hackers can use a variety of techniques to attack endpoints. Not all targeted attacks are as sophisticated and focussed as the automatic iPhone exploits used by the NSO Group. Sometimes a targeted attack can be as simple as someone using a basic tool downloaded from the internet. Your adversary might be your neighbour, rather than a government-backed organisation. In fact, that’s possibly more likely.

Protection is expected

It doesn’t really matter who represents a threat to you: a resourceful cyber ninja or an idiot colleague. When you or your business buys an endpoint protection product you expect it to stop attacks, sophisticated or otherwise. When you read the results in this report, remember that all it takes is one successful attack to ruin your day or your company.

We pride ourselves on a level of transparency that elevates our work above the less open reports available. But don’t just take our word for it. This report has gone through the AMTSO certification process to ensure that we say what we’re going to do; do it; and can prove it. Our results help vendors improve their products and buyers choose the best for their own needs.

Zero to Neo

Our reports help you choose the best enterprise anti-malware product that can protect you from ransomware and other types of attack. Attackers can have almost no ability, or nearly unlimited resources: Zero to Neo.

Choose the best enterprise endpoint solution

There seems to be no limit to the powers of cyber criminals. In 2021 the public became aware of the advanced capabilities of the NSO group, now infamous for helping governments spy on dissidents and others.

The SolarWinds attack compromised some of the largest organisations in the world (and by implication, their customers – and so on, down the supply chain). And the US’ largest oil pipeline company was breached, and its systems held to ransom.

Most analyses of these incidents recognise that endpoint security was attacked. As we alluded to in our annual report this year, breaches are a process. The initial stages of these famous attacks may not have involved a Windows PC but if your organisation grinds to a halt because everyone’s laptop is showing a red warning and a Bitcoin demand then the endpoint was compromised at some point. It needs protection, regardless of other security layers in play.

We include targeted attacks in our endpoint protection tests because hackers can use a variety of techniques to attack endpoints. Not all targeted attacks are as sophisticated and focussed as the automatic iPhone exploits used by the NSO Group. Sometimes a targeted attack can be as simple as someone using a basic tool downloaded from the internet. Your adversary might be your neighbour, rather than a government-backed organisation. In fact, that’s possibly more likely.

Protection is expected

It doesn’t really matter who represents a threat to you: a resourceful cyber ninja or an idiot colleague. When you or your business buys an endpoint protection product you expect it to stop attacks, sophisticated or otherwise. When you read the results in this report, remember that all it takes is one successful attack to ruin your day or your company.

We pride ourselves on a level of transparency that elevates our work above the less open reports available. But don’t just take our word for it. This report has gone through the AMTSO certification process to ensure that we say what we’re going to do; do it; and can prove it. Our results help vendors improve their products and buyers choose the best for their own needs.

Zero to Neo

Targeted attacks come in all levels of sophistication

Our reports help you choose the best SMB anti-malware product that can protect you from ransomware and other types of targeted attacks.

Choose the best SMB endpoint security solution

There seems to be no limit to the powers of cyber criminals. In 2021 the public became aware of the advanced capabilities of the NSO group, now infamous for helping governments spy on dissidents and others.

Targeted targets

The SolarWinds attack compromised some of the largest organisations in the world (and my implication, their customers – and so on, down the supply chain). And the US’ largest oil pipeline company was breached, and its systems held to ransom.

Most analyses of these incidents recognise that endpoint security was attacked. As we alluded to in our annual report this year, breaches are a process. The initial stages of these famous attacks may not have involved a Windows PC but if your organisation grinds to a halt because everyone’s laptop is showing a red warning and a Bitcoin demand then the endpoint was compromised at some point. It needs protection, regardless of other security layers in play.

We include targeted attacks in our endpoint protection tests because hackers can use a variety of techniques to attack endpoints. Not all targeted attacks are as sophisticated and focussed as the automatic iPhone exploits used by the NSO Group. Sometimes a targeted attack can be as simple as someone using a basic tool downloaded from the internet. Your adversary might be your neighbour, rather than a government-backed organisation. In fact, that’s possibly more likely.

Protection is expected

It doesn’t really matter who represents a threat to you: a resourceful cyber ninja or an idiot colleague. When you or your business buys an endpoint protection product you expect it to stop attacks, sophisticated or otherwise. When you read the results in this report, remember that all it takes is one successful attack to ruin your day or your company.

We pride ourselves on a level of transparency that elevates our work above the less open reports available. But don’t just take our word for it. This report has gone through the AMTSO certification process to ensure that we say what we’re going to do; do it; and can prove it. Our results help vendors improve their products and buyers choose the best for their own needs.

SE Labs Security Awards

Find out which products won in our annual awards

In this report, we reveal the SE Labs Security Awards for 2020-2021 and provide the latest security testing updates.

The third annual report from SE Labs charts the successes and failures of security companies, their customers and the criminals who keep relentless pressure on us all. Working from home is at its highest level in human history, which emphasises the need to secure all devices, everywhere.

Our annual awards recognise great performance in tests and in the real world.

Focus on endpoint protection results – 6 years of testing

After six solid years of testing endpoint protection we’ve produced a review that examines some of the trends and data points we’ve identified. How did your favourite anti-virus behave over the last few years?

What can we test, and how do we do it?

Meet the team behind SE Labs and find out which security solutions we test, and how we do it more realistically than anyone else.

SMB Ransomware Protection Tested

Red screens means red faces. Prevent, don’t pay!

Our reports help you choose the best enterprise anti-malware product that can protect you from ransomware and other types of attack

Choose the best home anti-malware solution

Ransomware is causing all the rage right now. It’s the type of threat that gets attention because a successful attack is extremely visible (the attacker needs you to know it’s worked, or you won’t pay!) Also, there is a direct and substantial cost attached to it. In addition to paying security specialists to help, there’s a fat ransom demand sitting on your screen.

While much hacking is subtle, stealing information silently, ransomware is in your face. It stops businesses in their tracks. It gets the attention of the finance directors. It provides powerful ammunition to security teams arguing for more resources. And, of course, it makes headlines.

Ransomware attacks used to be splashed around automatically. Anyone could be unlucky enough to click on the wrong link and face a red screen asking for a Bitcoin. And these ‘commodity’, untargeted ransomware attacks still exist. Some of the threats used in the making of this report are just such attacks.

We pride ourselves on a level of transparency that elevates our work above the less open reports available. But don’t just take our word for it. This report has gone through the AMTSO certification process to ensure that we say what we’re going to do; do it; and can prove it. Our results help vendors improve their products and buyers choose the best for their own needs.

Enterprise Ransomware Protection Tested

Red screens means red faces. Prevent, don’t pay!

Our reports help you choose the best enterprise anti-malware product that can protect you from ransomware and other types of attack.

Choose the best home anti-malware solution

Ransomware is causing all the rage right now. It’s the type of threat that gets attention because a successful attack is extremely visible (the attacker needs you to know it’s worked, or you won’t pay!) Also, there is a direct and substantial cost attached to it. In addition to paying security specialists to help, there’s a fat ransom demand sitting on your screen.

While much hacking is subtle, stealing information silently, ransomware is in your face. It stops businesses in their tracks. It gets the attention of the finance directors. It provides powerful ammunition to security teams arguing for more resources. And, of course, it makes headlines.

Ransomware attacks used to be splashed around automatically. Anyone could be unlucky enough to click on the wrong link and face a red screen asking for a Bitcoin. And these ‘commodity’, untargeted ransomware attacks still exist. Some of the threats used in the making of this report are just such attacks.

We pride ourselves on a level of transparency that elevates our work above the less open reports available. But don’t just take our word for it. This report has gone through the AMTSO certification process to ensure that we say what we’re going to do; do it; and can prove it. Our results help vendors improve their products and buyers choose the best for their own needs.

Ransomware Protection Tested

Red screens means red faces. Prevent, don’t pay!

Our reports help you choose the best home anti-malware product that can protect you from ransomware and other types of attack

Choose the best home anti-malware solution

Ransomware is causing all the rage right now. It’s the type of threat that gets attention because a successful attack is extremely visible (the attacker needs you to know it’s worked, or you won’t pay!) Also, there is a direct and substantial cost attached to it. In addition to paying security specialists to help, there’s a fat ransom demand sitting on your screen.

While much hacking is subtle, stealing information silently, ransomware is in your face. It stops businesses in their tracks. It gets the attention of the finance directors. It provides powerful ammunition to security teams arguing for more resources. And, of course, it makes headlines.

Ransomware attacks used to be splashed around automatically. Anyone could be unlucky enough to click on the wrong link and face a red screen asking for a Bitcoin. And these ‘commodity’, untargeted ransomware attacks still exist. Some of the threats used in the making of this report are just such attacks.

We pride ourselves on a level of transparency that elevates our work above the less open reports available. But don’t just take our word for it. This report has gone through the AMTSO certification process to ensure that we say what we’re going to do; do it; and can prove it. Our results help vendors improve their products and buyers choose the best for their own needs.

Endpoint protection needs your attention

How to get out more than you put in

Our reports help you choose the best enterprise endpoint protection for your organisation. Picking a suitable solution isn’t just a matter of scanning through testing awards. You need to look closely at what you need, what you already have and what is available.

Choose the best enterprise endpoint protection

If you were going to buy a new security fence, burglar alarm or CCTV system you would research the various options and consider how to deploy it in your very specific situation. The same should follow for endpoint protection systems. What do you really need? Are the candidates basically capable? And can you get the best out of them in your environment. We hope this report helps you answer some of these important questions.

We pride ourselves on a level of transparency that elevates our work above the less open reports available. But don’t just take our word for it. This enterprise endpoint protection report has gone through the AMTSO certification process. This ensures that we say what we’re going to do; do it; and can prove it. Our results help vendors improve their products and buyers choose the best anti-malware solution for their own needs.

Small business endpoint protection

How to get out more than you put in

Our reports help you choose the best enterprise endpoint protection for your organisation. Picking a suitable solution isn’t just a matter of scanning through testing awards. You need to look closely at what you need, what you already have and what is available.

Choose the best anti-malware solution

If you were going to buy a new security fence, burglar alarm or CCTV system you would research the various options and consider how to deploy it in your very specific situation. The same should follow for endpoint protection systems. What do you really need? Are the candidates basically capable? And can you get the best out of them in your environment. We hope this report helps you answer some of these important questions.

We pride ourselves on a level of transparency that elevates our work above the less open reports available. But don’t just take our word for it. This enterprise endpoint protection report has gone through the AMTSO certification process. This ensures that we say what we’re going to do; do it; and can prove it. Our results help vendors improve their products and buyers choose the best anti-malware solution for their own needs.

Read this SE Labs assessment of world-leading endpoint security products and discover how they handle well-known threats and targeted attacks.

Anti-virus needs your attention

How to get out more than you put in

Our reports help you choose the best home anti-malware solution. Picking a suitable solution isn’t just a matter of scanning through testing awards. You need to look closely at what you need, what you already have and what is available.

Choose the best home anti-malware solution

If you were going to buy a new security fence, burglar alarm or CCTV system you would research the various options and consider how to deploy it in your very specific situation. The same should follow for endpoint protection systems. What do you really need? Are the candidates basically capable? And can you get the best out of them in your environment.

For home users, a big question is: are you interested? Technically-minded folk may want powerful features that are irrelevant to people who just want to install something and forget about it. Or security experts might lock down their computers in clever ways and decide that basic anti-virus is good enough. When it comes to choosing personal security products, anti-virus needs your attention.

We hope this report helps you answer some of these important questions.

We pride ourselves on a level of transparency that elevates our work above the less open reports available. But don’t just take our word for it. This report has gone through the AMTSO certification process to ensure that we say what we’re going to do; do it; and can prove it. Our results help vendors improve their products and buyers choose the best for their own needs.

Read this SE Labs assessment of world-leading endpoint security products and discover how they handle well-known threats and targeted attacks.

Tested products from:

Avast
AVG
Avira
Kaspersky
McAfee
Microsoft
Norton LifeLock
Sophos
Webroot