The latest iteration of Intercept X, the next generation anti-exploit software developed by the UK-based Sophos Group, features additional defences against scammers, hackers and damaging ‘zero-day’ attacks.
“Intercept X has introduced the concepts of ‘deep learning” and predictive protection which represent the future of IT security,” says Ross Anderson, a product development manager at local Sophos distributor Duxbury Networking.
“With these additional weapons against miscreants, Intercept X replaces traditional signature detection with the latest evolutions of machine learning along with behavioural analytics to firmly secure corporate networking endpoints.
“Deep-learning software mimics the activity in layers of neurons in the neocortex of the human brain where thinking occurs,” he explains. “Intercept X is now enabled to learn, in a very real sense, to recognise patterns in digital representations of sounds, images and other data. This results in a higher accuracy rate for the detection and remediation of both existing and zero-day malware which exploit previously unknown security vulnerabilities.”
Anderson says a key benefit for network managers and operators intent on ramping up endpoint security is Intercept X’s ability to deliver “predictive protection” as a defence.
“Predictive protection is one of the aspects of artificial intelligence which Intercept X takes to the next level by introducing an artificial ‘neural network’ capable of optimising the software’s behavioural analytics functions.”
Anderson says Intercept X includes a scalable “recognition model” that is intelligent enough to learn the entire noticeable threat landscape. Ransomware and malicious network attacks are thus identified immediately and stopped before they take can advantage of a network’s vulnerabilities.
“Intercept X denies attackers by blocking the exploits and techniques used to distribute malware, steal credentials and escape detection. At the same time the software’s detection and response technologies provide details of the attack dynamics and recommend follow-up action,” he adds.
Deployed through the cloud-based management platform, Sophos Central, Intercept X can be installed alongside existing endpoint security software from any vendor, immediately boosting endpoint protection.
In addition to deep learning, Intercept X also features Malicious Traffic Detection (MTD), Active Adversary Mitigations (AAM), Automated Malware Removal (AMR), Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Disk and Boot Record Protection (WipeGuard) and Ransomware File Protection (CryptoGuard). Sophos Clean, a malware cleaner, provides forensic-level remediation by eradicating malicious code and eliminating registry key changes created by malware.