Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Is anti-virus enough? Security professionals say preventative measures are much stronger

Add as a preferred source on Google

As cyber threats become more and more ubiquitous, there is declining confidence in traditional detection-based software like anti-virus. Instead, the industry is moving towards more preventative measures, instead of eliminating threats once they’re already detected.

The results come from Bromium’s Enterprise Security Confidence Report, wherein the security group surveyed 125 professionals to determine the state of cyber threats and the security industry.

Recommended Videos

The overwhelming pace of hacks and data breaches has led to anti-virus software losing a lot of trustworthiness, said Clinton Karr, senior security strategist at Bromium. “Information security professionals are turning instead to technologies that provide proactive protection, such as threat isolation, as the foundation of their security architecture.”

The survey found that a staggering 92% of respondents are losing confidence in legacy solutions like anti-virus and whitelisting, which don’t hold as much clout as before. “That confidence has now been decimated,” said Bromium’s survey. Meanwhile, 78% of those interviewed said that anti-virus software is not effective against general attacks.

Many of the infosec professionals surveyed said they believe endpoint threat isolation solutions to be the most effective. Other respondents said they are placing their faith in intrusion detection or prevention solutions. Elsewhere 27% of respondents said that network sandboxes are effective. “Detection-based solutions cannot provide the adequate level of protection,” said the survey, showing that the demand for security products and what they offer has changed drastically in recent years.

At the end of the day, a robust and diverse info security configuration is the key to staying safe. It’s important to be able to deal with issues as they arise, but you need to be able to stop them from ever getting into your system as well.

Jonathan Keane
Jonathan is a freelance technology journalist living in Dublin, Ireland. He's previously written for publications and sites…
macOS clipboard app Maccy has a fake out there stealing passwords
PamStealer malware is disguising itself as Maccy to target Mac users
Depicting of the Maccy clipboard app for macOS on a laptop with letters inb the background.

A fake version of Maccy, a popular clipboard manager for macOS, is being used to deliver a newly discovered Mac malware strain called PamStealer. Researchers at Jamf say the malware impersonates the real open-source app, but its actual purpose is to steal data and capture a victim’s login password.

PamStealer arrives as a disk image containing an AppleScript file that impersonates Maccy. Once the user opens that file, macOS launches it in Script Editor, where the on-screen instructions tell them to press Command-R. To someone expecting a normal app installer, that may look like an odd setup step. In reality, that action runs hidden malware code and starts the attack.

Read more
A new technology teaching drones to feel pain could stop your self-driving car from harming itself
Drones first, autonomous cars next. A pain-sensing system that detects failure before it happens has real stakes for self-driving vehicles.
Transportation, Vehicle, Car

When you sprain your ankle in the middle of a run, your body sends a pain signal to your brain, forcing you to stop. Essentially, the ability to sense pain stops you from pushing through the injury and causing further self-harm.

Researchers at Delft University of Technology and Wageningen University have applied this exact concept to drones, giving them a digital equivalent of a nervous system that recognizes a faulty part and triggers a pain-like warning signal. What's even more interesting is that the technology could find use in self-driving cars.

Read more
Claude Fable 5 is leaving subscriptions, but maybe not for good
High demand is pushing Claude Fable 5 out of subscriptions for now
Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5 Official Render

Anthropic’s most advanced publicly available Claude model is still leaving standard subscription access after July 7, but the company is now trying to calm fears that the move is permanent.

Fable 5 recently returned to Claude after drawing scrutiny from the U.S. government. Anthropic said it would be included on Pro, Max, Team, and select Enterprise plans for up to 50% of weekly usage limits through July 7. After that date, the model is set to move to usage-credit billing, meaning users will pay for access outside their regular plan limits.

Read more