Do You Need Both Antivirus and EDR?
Is an EDR more effective than antivirus? Do you need both antivirus and EDR? You’ll find the answers to these questions and more in this blog.
Is an EDR more effective than antivirus? Do you need both antivirus and EDR? You’ll find the answers to these questions and more in this blog.
Antivirus software is a crucial cybersecurity tool that helps protect computers, devices, and networks from malware and other harmful programs. It’s engineered to detect, block, and remove malicious software, like viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, spyware and adware using signature-based detection.
An antivirus program maintains a database of known malware signatures and codes. It scans all incoming files and systems as they enter your business network, comparing new codes against its database. When it detects a code resembling known malware, it quarantines and deletes the file, thus protecting your business system from malicious attacks.
It is because of the sheer number of threats evolving daily.
The focus of antivirus solutions is on the files that are being introduced to the system, and the number of new malware seen on a daily basis is greater than the number of any human signature writers can keep up with. As a result, antivirus software will fail to detect many of the new malware. As the head of your organisation you must ensure that you put in place extra measures to protect your systems and that’s where EDR can help.
EDR stands for Endpoint Detection and Response. It’s a type of cybersecurity technology that continuously monitors and responds to suspicious activity on endpoints (like computers, laptops, smartphones, and servers) within a network. It provides a more comprehensive and dynamic approach to protecting endpoint from cyberthreats than antivirus does.
In our new “work from anywhere” environment the number of endpoints have increased. Basically, the more endpoint devices you have, the greater the risk of a security breach. That’s because each endpoint is a potential entry point for malicious activity. If only one of your endpoint devices is compromised, it can give attackers access to your entire network and allow them to steal data or disrupt your operations. Therefore, it’s important to have security measures in place to protect all your endpoints.
EDRs are more advanced tools. While antivirus predominantly focuses on detection and prevention, EDR includes advanced threat protection, continuous monitoring and response capabilities. The most significant advantage to EDR is that the threat does not need to be precisely defined in the way that it does for antivirus software.
EDR is Essential to Protect your IT systems as they have several benefits such as:
The strong point of EDR solutions is the continuous data collection from endpoints. By constantly analysing processes, active files, and other system collection behaviours, EDR helps catch threats early, even if they’re just beginning to show signs of malicious activity.
2. Threat Detection
EDR surpasses antivirus capabilities using machine learning and behavioural analysis, EDR tools can identify unusual or malicious activities, like suspicious file changes or unexpected login attempts. EDR can recognise new or unknown attack methods.
3. Incident Response
When a threat is detected, EDR systems can respond quickly to contain it. They might isolate an infected endpoint from the network, kill malicious processes, or quarantine files to prevent the threat from spreading. This rapid response is crucial to minimise damage and protect your wider network.
4. Forensic Data Collection
EDR collects detailed data logs of endpoint activity, which can be used for forensic analysis after an incident. This is valuable for understanding how the attack happened, determining its impact, and improving defences to prevent future threats.
5. Automated and Manual Responses
EDR solutions can be configured to respond automatically to certain types of threats, like isolating a device if ransomware is detected. Security teams can also manually investigate alerts and decide on the best response if a threat requires more context.
Yes, Syn-Star recommends using both EDR and antivirus.
Endpoints are often targeted by cybercriminals, and without EDR, these threats can go undetected or get detected too late. EDR helps businesses catch and respond to threats in real time.
EDR solutions complement antivirus software by focusing on detection and response of both known and unknown threats. On top of that, EDR provides visibility into endpoint activity helping you investigate and respond to attacks before they cause any harm.
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Agnes Molnar
Agnes is Syn-Star’s expert content writer, she has Master’s degree in English Literature that provides a strong foundation in writing and critical thinking of everything she does.
Qualifications: Masters in English Literature
In-house training: HubSpot SEO, WordPress Training.
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Agnes Molnar
Agnes is Syn-Star’s expert content writer, she has Master’s degree in English Literature that provides a strong foundation in writing and critical thinking of everything she does.
Qualifications: Masters in English Literature
In-house training: HubSpot SEO, WordPress Training.
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