Vendor: ESET
Protection Under Realistic Attack
Security products are often judged by what they claim to do. This report examines how they actually
behave when subjected to realistic attack conditions. SE Labs’ approach is to replicate credible adversary
behaviour and observe how products respond to it, across the full attack chain.
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Measured Protection Against Realistic Cyber Attacks
That attack process includes the initial compromise and could potentially involve lateral movement, persistence, and data exfiltration or ransomware. Our objective is to measure protection as it is experienced in practice, not as it is defined by feature lists or controlled demonstrations.
Each product is exposed to the same threats, under the same conditions, with outcomes recorded and verified. This allows for direct comparison, and we can share the technical details to help improve the products afterwards.
Proving the Work
We don’t really think most people care about the deep details, but we include them anyway because we’ve put a lot of effort into doing our due diligence for this test report. We’ve been thorough, ticked all the boxes that the industry requires of us, and ticked some extra ones we think are critical.
The standard of our testing is world-leading and we want to prove to you that you can trust this test report – which is why there are explanations and charts for every part of the test. Even for bits you probably don’t care about.
Which solutions to trust?
Effective endpoint protection must do more than respond to known threats. It must adapt quickly, stop attacks early and resist attempts to bypass defences. While no product is perfect, some provide a much higher level of protection than others. This report makes those differences clear.
How we test
We tested a variety of anti-malware (aka ‘anti-virus’; aka ‘endpoint security’) products from a range of well-known vendors in an effort to judge which were the most effective. Each product faced the same threats. Specifically, these included a mixture of targeted attacks that used well established techniques, as well as public email and web based threats that were live on the internet at the time of the test. The results indicate how effectively the products were at detecting and/or protecting against those threats in real-time.
Choose your reports and reviews carefully
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.
All reports
01/2026 - 03/2026
Security Evaluation Test Report: Enterprise Endpoint Security (Protection)
Protection Under Realistic Attack
Security products are often judged by what they claim to do. This report examines how they actually
behave when subjected to realistic attack conditions. SE Labs’ approach is to replicate credible adversary
behaviour and observe how products respond to it, across the full attack chain.
Loading…
Measured Protection Against Realistic Cyber Attacks
That attack process includes the initial compromise and could potentially involve lateral movement, persistence, and data exfiltration or ransomware. Our objective is to measure protection as it is experienced in practice, not as it is defined by feature lists or controlled demonstrations.
Each product is exposed to the same threats, under the same conditions, with outcomes recorded and verified. This allows for direct comparison, and we can share the technical details to help improve the products afterwards.
Proving the Work
We don’t really think most people care about the deep details, but we include them anyway because we’ve put a lot of effort into doing our due diligence for this test report. We’ve been thorough, ticked all the boxes that the industry requires of us, and ticked some extra ones we think are critical.
The standard of our testing is world-leading and we want to prove to you that you can trust this test report – which is why there are explanations and charts for every part of the test. Even for bits you probably don’t care about.
Which solutions to trust?
Effective endpoint protection must do more than respond to known threats. It must adapt quickly, stop attacks early and resist attempts to bypass defences. While no product is perfect, some provide a much higher level of protection than others. This report makes those differences clear.
How we test
We tested a variety of anti-malware (aka ‘anti-virus’; aka ‘endpoint security’) products from a range of well-known vendors in an effort to judge which were the most effective. Each product faced the same threats. Specifically, these included a mixture of targeted attacks that used well established techniques, as well as public email and web based threats that were live on the internet at the time of the test. The results indicate how effectively the products were at detecting and/or protecting against those threats in real-time.
Choose your reports and reviews carefully
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.
All reports
06/2025 - 08/2025
Security Evaluation Test Report: Enterprise Endpoint Security (Protection)
Is This Enterprise Report Too Complicated?
Security testing can be easy to explain but hard to execute. Testing can simplify life for organisations needing to buy cyber security products. It helps to create shortlists of competent products worth considering. It can also help explain why security is needed. A good test can demonstrate the sorts of threats real targets face and then show a solution.
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Security testing can be easy to explain but hard to execute
But apparent simplicity is often the product of massive complexity. Security products and attacks are very complicated.
This report simplifies an extremely thorough test to make life easier for businesses and individuals
that need to buy cyber security protection but without the need to fully understand the nuts and bolts of it.
Proving the Work
We don’t really think most people care about the deep details, but we include them anyway because we’ve put a lot of effort into doing our due diligence for this test report. We’ve been thorough, ticked all the boxes that the industry requires of us, and ticked some extra ones we think are critical.
The standard of our testing is world-leading and we want to prove to you that you can trust this test report – which is why there are explanations and charts for every part of the test. Even for bits you probably don’t care about.
Which solutions to trust?
Effective endpoint protection must do more than respond to known threats. It must adapt quickly, stop attacks early and resist attempts to bypass defences. While no product is perfect, some provide a much higher level of protection than others. This report makes those differences clear.
How we test
We tested a variety of anti-malware (aka ‘anti-virus’; aka ‘endpoint security’) products from a range of well-known vendors in an effort to judge which were the most effective. Each product was exposed to the same threats, which were a mixture of targeted attacks using well-established techniques and public email and web-based threats that were found to be live on the internet at the time of the test. The results indicate how effectively the products were at detecting and/or protecting against those threats in real-time.
Choose your reports and reviews carefully
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.
Is This SMB Report Too Complicated?
Security testing can be easy to explain but hard to execute. Testing can simplify life for organisations needing to buy cyber security products. It helps to create shortlists of competent products worth considering. It can also help explain why security is needed. A good test can demonstrate the sorts of threats real targets face and then show a solution.
Loading…
Security testing can be easy to explain but hard to execute
But apparent simplicity is often the product of massive complexity. Security products and attacks are very complicated.
This report simplifies an extremely thorough test to make life easier for businesses and individuals
that need to buy cyber security protection but without the need to fully understand the nuts and bolts of it.
Proving the Work
We don’t really think most people care about the deep details, but we include them anyway because we’ve put a lot of effort into doing our due diligence for this test report. We’ve been thorough, ticked all the boxes that the industry requires of us, and ticked some extra ones we think are critical.
The standard of our testing is world-leading and we want to prove to you that you can trust this test report – which is why there are explanations and charts for every part of the test. Even for bits you probably don’t care about.
Which solutions to trust?
Effective endpoint protection must do more than respond to known threats. It must adapt quickly, stop attacks early and resist attempts to bypass defences. While no product is perfect, some provide a much higher level of protection than others. This report makes those differences clear.
How we test
We tested a variety of anti-malware (aka ‘anti-virus’; aka ‘endpoint security’) products from a range of well-known vendors in an effort to judge which were the most effective. Each product was exposed to the same threats, which were a mixture of targeted attacks using well-established techniques and public email and web-based threats that were found to be live on the internet at the time of the test. The results indicate how effectively the products were at detecting and/or protecting against those threats in real-time.
Choose your reports and reviews carefully
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.
All reports
01/2025 - 03/2025
Security Evaluation Test Report: Enterprise Endpoint Security (Protection)
Can Your Endpoint Protection Stop a Real Hacker?
In the enterprise security space, bold claims are everywhere. Most vendors say their endpoint protection stops ransomware, blocks phishing, and detects advanced threats. But when the stakes are high, how many tools can actually deliver? Will your endpoint protection stop a real hacker?
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To find out, we test like hackers
At SE Labs, we don’t rely on vendor claims. We Test Like Hackers.
That means replicating real-world attacks using threat intelligence and offensive tools. We create phishing emails, customise exploits, build backdoors and more. We don’t cut corners. We mimic genuine adversaries to see how well products perform under realistic, high-pressure conditions.
Endpoint Protection Stop a Real Hacker?
Why do we go to all this trouble? Because businesses need answers grounded in reality, not synthetic benchmarks or scripted demos. We copy the bad guys to discover the truth.
In this comparative report, we put leading endpoint products through rigorous testing. Each product faced the same attack scenarios, allowing us to observe how early they detected threats, whether they blocked them effectively, and how well they protected the system overall.
Which solutions to trust?
If your organisation depends on endpoint security to protect sensitive data, this report will show you which solutions are worth your trust, and which ones may leave you exposed.
We should be able to rely confidently on the security products that everyone tells us we need. The endpoint protection products in this report have undergone the most strenuous testing available, and they’ve come out well. They’ll provide you with strong protection while you use your computer to do something useful, fun or both.
How we test
We tested a variety of anti-malware (aka ‘anti-virus’; aka ‘endpoint security’) products from a range of well-known vendors in an effort to judge which were the most effective. Each product was exposed to the same threats, which were a mixture of targeted attacks using well-established techniques and public email and web-based threats that were found to be live on the internet at the time of the test. The results indicate how effectively the products were at detecting and/or protecting against those threats in real-time.
Choose your reports and reviews carefully
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.
Can Your SMB Endpoint Protection Stop Real Hackers?
In the small business security space, bold claims are everywhere. Most vendors say their endpoint protection stops ransomware, blocks phishing, and detects advanced threats. But when the stakes are high, how many tools can actually deliver? Will your SMB endpoint protection stop real hackers?
Loading…
To find out, we test like hackers
At SE Labs, we don’t rely on vendor claims. We Test Like Hackers.
That means replicating real-world attacks using threat intelligence and offensive tools. We create phishing emails, customise exploits, build backdoors and more. We don’t cut corners. We mimic genuine adversaries to see how well products perform under realistic, high-pressure conditions.
SMB Endpoint Protection Stop Real Hackers?
Why do we go to all this trouble? Because businesses need answers grounded in reality, not synthetic benchmarks or scripted demos. We copy the bad guys to discover the truth.
In this comparative report, we put leading endpoint products through rigorous testing. Each product faced the same attack scenarios, allowing us to observe how early they detected threats, whether they blocked them effectively, and how well they protected the system overall.
Which solutions to trust?
If your organisation depends on endpoint security to protect sensitive data, this report will show you which solutions are worth your trust, and which ones may leave you exposed.
We should be able to rely confidently on the security products that everyone tells us we need. The endpoint protection products in this report have undergone the most strenuous testing available, and they’ve come out well. They’ll provide you with strong protection while you use your computer to do something useful, fun or both.
How we test
We tested a variety of anti-malware (aka ‘anti-virus’; aka ‘endpoint security’) products from a range of well-known vendors in an effort to judge which were the most effective. Each product was exposed to the same threats, which were a mixture of targeted attacks using well-established techniques and public email and web-based threats that were found to be live on the internet at the time of the test. The results indicate how effectively the products were at detecting and/or protecting against those threats in real-time.
Choose your reports and reviews carefully
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.
Cyber Security Protection has Evolved
Top-tier anti-virus solutions are undeniably ‘next-generation’. This term was introduced nearly a decade ago by newcomers to the industry: a marketing device designed to compete with almost unassailable anti-malware brands.
“Stop using that tired old anti-virus and try the new, improved approach! No more mistakes. No updates. Full protection!” Problem solved. Except in 2024 I don’t think anyone would claim that malware is a thing of the past.
Cyber security protection has evolved and the leading vendors have embraced advanced technologies to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated threats. Traditional anti-virus relies solely (or mostly) on signature-based detection. That’s not enough to defend against modern-day attacks like ransomware, file-less malware and zero-day exploits.
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Cyber security protection has evolved
Next-generation anti-virus is now the benchmark for the best security solutions. These systems go far beyond the old-fashioned model of looking for known malware signatures. Instead, they use a combination of machine learning, artificial intelligence and behavioural analysis to monitor how programs and processes behave in real-time.
How we test
We tested a variety of anti-malware (aka ‘anti-virus’; aka ‘endpoint security’) products from a range of well-known vendors in an effort to judge which were the most effective. Each product was exposed to the same threats, which were a mixture of targeted attacks using well-established techniques and public email and web-based threats that were found to be live on the internet at the time of the test. The results indicate how effectively the products were at detecting and/or protecting against those threats in real-time.
Choose your reports and reviews carefully
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.
Cyber Security Protection has Evolved
Top-tier anti-virus solutions are undeniably ‘next-generation’. This term was introduced nearly a decade ago by newcomers to the industry: a marketing device designed to compete with almost unassailable anti-malware brands.
“Stop using that tired old anti-virus and try the new, improved approach! No more mistakes. No updates. Full protection!” Problem solved. Except in 2024 I don’t think anyone would claim that malware is a thing of the past.
Cyber security protection has evolved and the leading vendors have embraced advanced technologies to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated threats. Traditional anti-virus relies solely (or mostly) on signature-based detection. That’s not enough to defend against modern-day attacks like ransomware, file-less malware and zero-day exploits.
Loading…
Cyber security protection has evolved
Next-generation anti-virus is now the benchmark for the best security solutions. These systems go far beyond the old-fashioned model of looking for known malware signatures. Instead, they use a combination of machine learning, artificial intelligence and behavioural analysis to monitor how programs and processes behave in real-time.
How we test
We tested a variety of anti-malware (aka ‘anti-virus’; aka ‘endpoint security’) products from a range of well-known vendors in an effort to judge which were the most effective. Each product was exposed to the same threats, which were a mixture of targeted attacks using well-established techniques and public email and web-based threats that were found to be live on the internet at the time of the test. The results indicate how effectively the products were at detecting and/or protecting against those threats in real-time.
Choose your reports and reviews carefully
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.
Lift your org’s security into the top 1%
Back to security basics, lift your org’s security into top 1%. It’s a shocking statistic, but most businesses don’t have a cyber security plan. Given the lack of general interest in cyber security, it’s no wonder that ransomware and less obvious threats are running riot through computer systems all over the world.
The same old cliched advice still applies to everyone:
- Apply security patches when available.
- Back up your important data.
- Use multi-factor authentication.
- Use endpoint protection.
If that sounds painfully basic and boring, I’m sorry. But it’s still the best advice out there. You don’t need AI, blockchain or other magical concepts to raise yourself to the top 1% of secure internet users.
If you want to know which endpoint protection to use, this report will help you or your business choose. There is, of course, more to cyber security than choosing an ‘anti-virus’ program though!
Loading…
Choose your reports and reviews carefully
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.
Lift your org’s security into the top 1%
Back to security basics, lift your org’s security into top 1%. It’s a shocking statistic, but most businesses don’t have a cyber security plan. Given the lack of general interest in cyber security, it’s no wonder that ransomware and less obvious threats are running riot through computer systems all over the world.
The larger the organisation, the more complex its security needs, but at the very core the same old cliched advice still applies to everyone:
- Apply security patches when available.
- Back up your important data.
- Use multi-factor authentication.
- Use endpoint protection.
If that sounds painfully basic and boring, I’m sorry. But it’s still the best advice out there. You don’t need AI, blockchain or other magical concepts to raise yourself to the top 1% of secure internet users.
If you want to know which endpoint protection to use, this report will help you or your business choose. There is, of course, more to cyber security than choosing an ‘anti-virus’ program though!
Loading…
Choose your reports and reviews carefully
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.
