CS Mar Apr 2022

joint venture
ESET AND INTEL JOIN FORCES
MOVE AIMS TO ENHANCE ENDPOINT SECURITY WITH HARDWARE-BASED RANSOMWARE DETECTION
ESET has set out to integrate Intel
Threat Detection Technology
(Intel TDT) into its multi-layered
cybersecurity technology suite.
"Recognising the complex and evolving
nature of ransomware, an ever more
formidable threat to customers' work
and personal lives, ESET will enhance its
software-based detection technologies
with a ransomware detection only Intel
hardware can deliver," says the company.
With continuous progress in technological
innovations often bringing new
tools for the sustained growth and
security of SMBs, the integration of Intel
TDT aims to ensure that ESET endpoint
security software running on Intel-based
PCs can "deliver superior ransomware
protection", adds ESET.
States Elöd Kironský, chief of Endpoint
Solutions and Security Technologies at
ESET: "This collaboration recognises
the immediate boost in ransomware
protection that integrating Intel's
hardware-based ransomware detection
technology can deliver. Tapping into
telemetry at the CPU level is an effective
step we can take to enable improved
tracking of malicious encryption.
Basically, for ESET this means exposing
ransomware as it attempts to avoid
detection in memory. ESET has always
believed in the multi-layered approach
and, by adding the silicon layer, we
recognise that hardware-based security
is the next milestone in battling threats."
Due to the devastating impacts of
past ransomware attacks and the evergrowing
complexity of maintaining
secure endpoint defences, ransomware
remains a top concern right across the
industry. In order to better address this,
integrating ransomware detection
improvements to ESET endpoint security
solutions will seek to deliver enhanced
immunity to most detection bypasses.
"Furthermore, with Intel TDT machine
learning constantly evolving and
progressing, the ability of ESET endpoint
security solutions to detect derivative
variants of ransomware threats will
progress in lockstep," continues the
company.
PARALLEL BENEFITS
For ESET and its clients, the value
proposition of this collaboration is said
to lie in the parallel benefits of using
Intel TDT machine learning models to
assist with the detection of ransomware
and simultaneously offloading these
processing demands to the Intel
integrated graphics controller (GPU),
in the process keeping overall system
performance high.
"Low impact to system performance is
an area that ESET has always prioritised
within its multi-layered software
architecture," points out Kironský, "and
is a key selling point for many of our
clients. Leveraging tech that can help
us with prevention and protection,
while also preserving performance, is
a win-win choice."
The benefits of this integration will
become available later this year in an
upcoming release of ESET's endpoint
security products. In the first round of
releases, ESET will focus on endpoints
with 9th Gen and newer Intel Core and
Intel vPro Windows-based PCs, which
Elöd Kironský, ESET: his company
"recognises that hardware-based security
is the next milestone in battling threats".
are capable of leveraging Intel TDT "outof-the-box".
Adds Carla Rodriguez, senior
director Ecosystem Partner Enablement,
Intel Corp: "Ransomware impacts both
small businesses and large enterprises
and can result in economic fallout
on a global scale. ESET's ransomware
optimisations will work across both Intel
vPro Enterprise and our new Intel vPro
Essentials targeted for SMBs.
"This delivers a compelling hardware
and software bundle that delivers rightsized
security for businesses of any size
and delivers higher efficacy security when
ESET software is run on Intel-based PCs.
This is a major step forward to turn the
tide against ransomware."
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