Arc4dia Cyber Defense Argues That NSS Labs’ EDR Group Test Should be Reconsidered in Light of Industry Trends

Following caution result in tests, Arc4dia has issued its own cautionary tale of how NSS Labs’ current testing methodology may not target what clients are looking for – at a time when cybercrime costs are spiralling up to the trillions


MONTREAL, Nov. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arc4dia, one of the world’s leading cyber defense firms, which counts government agencies and multinational enterprises as its clients, has responded to its caution rating from NSS Labs with a detailed blog post, titled A Lamb Amongst the Sheep.

In the post, Arc4dia’s CEO Pierre Roberge argues that the cybersecurity community is not defining what it wants in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) testing. As a result, this lack of definition is leading to tests which don’t focus on what end-users of EDRs are seeking: protection from sophisticated cybercriminals.

Roberge points to the need to focus on malware hunting and detection, rather than forensic reporting – and the need for the cybersecurity guidance firm to revisit its scoring methodology to reflect what clients want: locating malware that other solutions do not find.

“Cybercrime costs global business $600 billion annually, and the criminal hackers who perpetrate these crimes are using ever more sophisticated technology to do so. Some are even security products – EDRs and AVs included – as entry hacking vectors. We believe our caution rating is a result of a flawed methodology with too much emphasis on reporting,” says Roberge.

“Breaches and cyber-attacks – such as those which hit Equifax in 2017 – can cause irreversible damage to a firm’s reputation while costing millions to repair. Prevention is better than cure, and that is what our EDR platform SNOW consistently delivers to our clients. It’s what they want; that NSS Labs does not properly weigh this suggests, to us, that the tests are not yet comprehensive.”

This was the first time Arc4dia had participated in NSS Labs’ EDR Testing, where they presented SNOW, the youngest EDR platform tested. Despite being marked down for reporting, SNOW passed the NSS test’s other malware detection categories with flying colours.

SNOW is Arc4dia’s proprietary cybersecurity solution, a comprehensive EDR platform which can be integrated into enterprise networks and mobile devices. The service combines next-generation technology with robust security analysis for a comprehensive defense against Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs).

SNOW reflects Arc4dia’s philosophy of an EDR which offers a small footprint and exposition vector, combined with a hidden, stealth approach to detecting malicious actors. By remaining hidden, SNOW decreases the chances of a potentially ruinous attack while acting as a fortified line of defense in collaboration with other cybersecurity products.

Arc4dia also criticized what it called NSS Labs ‘shame box’, where cybersecurity firms who did not participate in the test were placed. Roberge believes that this is a provocative approach which is unlikely to foster industry relationships while failing to address issues in the laboratory’s own testing methodology.

“EDR stands for Endpoint Detection and Response,” added Roberge. “Our focus is on catching malware before it can cause damage, rather than conducting post-mortem forensics as a part of an expensive clean-up. To that end, we believe that NSS Labs should reconsider their scoring methodology.”

The full, in-depth report – including a full evaluation and scores – on Arc4dia’s SNOW Self-Managed v12.18.0 EDR is available from NSS Labs. To find out more about Arc4dia Cyber Defense and its cybersecurity solutions, please visit https://www.arc4dia.com/. For all general and media inquiries, please contact Pierre Roberge by telephone at 1-819-671-6027 or email pierre@arc4dia.com.

About Arc4dia Cyber Defense
Since 2011, Arc4dia Cyber Defense has established itself as an industry leader in the cyber security industry. Its SNOW platform protects over $40 billion in assets globally for government agencies and enterprises in a variety of sectors. Arc4dia’s team is hand-picked from highly-skilled experts and represents over sixty years of combined counter-APT operations experience. For more information about Arc4dia Cyber Defense, please visit the company’s website.

Additional Resources

Contact: Pierre Roberge
Tel: 1-819-671-6027
Email: pierre@arc4dia.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at:
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7b010b34-3dab-4384-a799-251bed73f713

Pierre Roberge