8 Best Advanced Threat Protection Tools

The need for better, more advanced cybersecurity tools is apparent with the ever-changing cyber threats. Cybersecurity threats are becoming more sophisticated, more challenging to detect, and even more challenging to pursue. As organizations' endpoints continue to draw further apart with the introduction of remote work, their cybersecurity departments are being stretched thin.

For such an advanced problem, you need advanced protection. Or, to put it simply, organizations need to employ "advanced threat protection" (ATP) tools.

Advanced threat protection (ATP) tools are aimed at protecting your organization's endpoints from more advanced and sophisticated cyber security threats. Taking a proactive, protective approach to cybersecurity keeps the network safe from these threats and reduces the damage that cybersecurity attacks do to an organization's endpoints. ATP solutions are, therefore, more geared towards preventing an attack from occurring entirely than taking care of the threat after it is detected, and this includes both known and unknown attack vectors.

If you're looking for a dependable ATP tool to use in your organization, take a look at the list we've compiled below. Here, we'll go over some of the best ATP tools available, their features, and their pros and cons, so you can make an informed decision. The top advanced threat protection (ATP) tools are listed below:

1. IRONSCALES

2. Microsoft Defender for Office 365

3. Palo Alto Networks WildFire

4. FireEye Network Security

5. Palo Alto Networks VM-Series

6. Morphisec Breach Prevention Platform

7. Check Point SandBlast Network

8. RSA NetWitness Logs and Packets (RSA SIEM)

Figure 1. Best Advanced Threat Protection Tools

1. IRONSCALES

IRONSCALES is a popular choice for email security solutions in the industry. They help defend your emails from more sophisticated and advanced email phishing attacks such as BEC (Business Email Compromise), internal and vendor impersonations, supply chain attacks, Account Takeover (ATO), and other financial frauds.

According to IRONSCALES, traditional technologies such as Secure Email Gateways cannot defend against these advanced threats. IRONSCALES on the other hand uses a combination of AI and human insights to protect your email from compromise.

Key features of IRONSCALES are as follows:

• It is fast to deploy (deploy in just 2 clicks)

• It is equipped with a smart dashboard that offers a simple user interface

• It utilizes both artificial intelligence and human thinking to combat advanced threats

• Features a fully autonomous AI analyst "Themis" that will automatically respond to reported emails and provide AI-powered incident suggestions

• Helps prevent malware, ransomware, ATOs, zero-day attacks, BEC, spear phishing, credential theft, supply chain attacks, time-delayed attacks, and internal phishing

• Become a part of the IRONSCALES community where you can keep track of the latest discovered threats

• Automated 90-day scans of your mailboxes to uncover any anomalous behavior or idle threats in your inbox

• 24/7 customer support

Some advantages of IRONSCALES are listed below:

• It is easy to use and quick to deploy

• Offers advanced threat protection against several sophisticated attacks

• Allows moderators to react quickly to phishing emails targeting the organization

• It further offers a security awareness training solution so admins and users can learn more about cyber threats

• Competitively priced solutions for all types of organizations

The main disadvantage of IRONSCALES is that their training features group phishing simulations rather than individualized training which some users may prefer.

IRONSCALES offers three types of dedicated monthly subscription plans. Plans geared for Business include a "Starter" package that is free (up to 500 mailboxes), "Email Protect" starting at $6/mailbox, and "Complete Protect" starting at $8.33/mailbox. For "Enterprise" and "Government & Education" email security, you can request a customized quote instead. IRONSCALES further offers a 14-day free trial version to its new clients.

2. Microsoft Defender for Office 365

The Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is a type of cloud-based ATP service that allows you to scan and filter emails for threats such as malware, zero-day threats, and other phishing attacks. It has features for finding and responding to threats that target the endpoints, documentation, and cloud applications of an organization. It can further trace URLs to help you block potential sources of threats and see where they are coming from.

Key features of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 are given below:

• The "Safe Attachments" feature allows Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to check the attachment contents of your incoming emails by opening them in a virtual environment to ensure they aren't malicious.

• "Safe Links" features allow you to verify the authenticity of a URL before you open it. URLs are further identified as blocked, malicious, or safe.

• The "Spoof Intelligence" feature allows you to take enhanced protective measures against phishing attacks. You can further set up spoof filters that will allow you to distinguish between legitimate emails and unauthenticated emails from internal and external domains.

• Anti-phishing capabilities protect your organization from phishing attacks

• Offers protection for teams that collaborate using SharePoint, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams by blocking potentially malicious files from accessing your team sites.

Some advantages of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 are listed below:

• Easy-to-use program with reliable cybersecurity features

• Easily compatible with macOS, iOS, Android, Windows servers, and Linux

• Offers excellent threat analytics and hunting capabilities

The disadvantage of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is that while Microsoft Defender for Office 365 offers excellent protection for your email and collaboration tools, it is not recommended for use as a standalone defense and should be used alongside a more advanced defense layer for your endpoints.

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is available in 2 plans. Plan 1 offers protection against advanced threats such as phishing, malware, spam, and BEC threats that may target your emails or collaboration tools (Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive). You can get Plan 1 for $2/user per month.

Plan 2 is more sophisticated in its approach. It has the same features as Plan 1, plus advanced threat hunting, automated investigation and response, attack simulation tracking, and cross-domain XDR. You can get Plan 2 for $5/user per month.

3. Palo Alto Networks WildFire

Palo Alto Network WildFire is mostly a cloud-based service that gives NGFWs the ability to check for malware in a sandbox. Palo Alto Networks' advanced threat protection capabilities provide multi-layer protection against known and unknown threats at every phase of a potential cyber attack. Palo Alto's ATP features an intrusion prevention system (IPS), deep learning, and machine learning models to block these threats effectively.

Key features of Palo Alto Networks' WildFire are as follows:

• WildFire deploys analysis environments (including the OS) to identify potentially malicious files

• Any unknown samples or blocked samples are forwarded for WildFire analysis to effectively block files that match antivirus signatures. Samples are further labeled as malicious, phishing, unwanted, or benign/safe.

• WildFire digs into the session information including source IP/port, destination IP/port, filename, targeted user, URL, etc.

• It extracts HTTP/HTTPS URLs contained in email messages for separate analysis to uncover any exploits or potential phishing activity.

• Wildfire tends to form an extension of its NGFW (next-generation firewall) that will further decode files that have been encoded (or compressed) up to four times. If the files are unknown or seemingly suspicious they are forwarded to WildFire for analysis.

• WildFire helps uncover zero-day malware in web traffic, emails, and FTP traffic.

Soma advantages of Palo Alto Networks' WildFire are given below:

• An easy-to-use interface that has the necessary capabilities to effectively stop malware and zero-day threats.

• It offers scalable, stable protection against more sophisticated and advanced threats.

• Allows for quick and detailed analysis of files, URLs, or email links.

The main disadvantage of Palo Alto Networks WildFire is that it falls on the pricier end of ATP tools making it more suited for larger enterprises

The WildFire service is included in Palo Alto's NGFW and does not require a dedicated WildFire subscription. The firewall itself tends to forward files for WildFire analysis. The pricing model of the NGFW will depend on the model you purchase. The PA-220 is available for $1,660 whereas the PA-220R is available for $4,882.

4. FireEye Network Security

FireEye Network Security can protect your business from advanced, targeted, and evasive attacks that could be dangerous. It allows for quick resolution of cybersecurity incidents, backed by actionable intelligence and evidence. FireEye Network Security, at its core, uses dynamic machine learning, artificial intelligence, and multi-vector virtual execution (MVX). MVX allows for capture and confirmation, or zero-day and advanced threat variants.

Key features of FireEye Network Security are listed below:

• It allows for accurate and actionable threat detection using its MVX engine, machine learning, and AI capabilities that will track down advanced, targeted, and evasive cyberattacks

• It offers a wide attack surface coverage perfect for all types of network environments

• It offers a modular and scalable security architecture

• It is available in some deployment options; as an integrated standalone hardware appliance, as a virtual appliance, or deployed via the cloud

• Built-in TLS decryption for visibility into encrypted traffic

The primary advantages of FireEye Network Security are as follows:

• FireEye's advanced threat protection solution features up-to-date intelligence against new and emerging threats

• It offers visibility into both encrypted and unencrypted traffic

• It allows for more granular protection using its URL filtering capabilities

• It offers scalable security features for all types of environments

Some disadvantages of FireEye Network Security are given below:

• FireEye offers very limited documentation available for customers on how to deploy this technology

• It may prove to be expensive for some clients

5. Palo Alto Networks VM-Series

Palo Alto Networks' VM-Series is a virtualized form factor of its next-generation firewalls that you can deploy in some public and private cloud computing environments, including VMware, Cisco ACO, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, etc. Most of the time, this type of firewall is used to watch and filter traffic for virtual machines in a virtual environment.

Key features of Palo Alto Networks' VM-Series are given below:

• It helps stop advanced threats that may target public cloud environments using full traffic visibility and control.

• Helps successfully combat zero-day threats in a virtualized and private cloud environment firewalls

• Allows you to simplify hybrid network security (for both on-premise and cloud deployment) which may otherwise be challenging

• Offers protection against container network security attacks such as cryptojacking, and ransomware

Advantages of Palo Alto Networks' VM-Series are listed below:

• Allows for comprehensive packet inspection

• Offers cybersecurity filtering capabilities for known and unknown exploits including zero-day attacks

• Offers complete application-level visibility into network traffic

• Offers consistent security policies across hybrid environments

• Scalable security that matches your rapidly changing cloud requirements

The main disadvantage of Palo Alto Networks' VM-Series is that the setup may be complicated for some, you can expect a learning curve.

There is no single pricing model for the Palo Alto VM Series virtual but it will rather depend on the number of firewalls and virtual CPUs (vCPUs) per firewall you deploy. You can calculate your credits with Palo Alto's credit estimator.

6. Morphisec Breach Prevention Platform

With the Morphisec Breach Prevention Platform, you can protect your most important systems from threats that are both advanced and disruptive. You can deploy the Morphisec ATP tool for endpoint breach prevention, server, and cloud workload breach prevention, vulnerability management, and effective incident response.

Key features of the Morphisec Breach Prevention Platform are as follows:

• Morphisec offers a unique mix of Next Generation Antivirus (NGAV), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), and Extended Detection and Response (XDR) to protect your assets from cyber-attacks

• It further uses its own patented Moving Target Defence (MTD). Where NGAV, EPP, EDR, and XDR can prevent attacks from recognized signatures, the MTD will allow you to detect and prevent more disruptive advanced attacks including supply chain attacks, zero-day attacks, and ransomware attacks.

• It offers a more proactive approach to stopping advanced attacks and preventing in-memory fileless attacks.

The primary benefits of the Morphisec Breach Prevention Platform are listed below:

• It offers advanced security threat protection against zero-day, ransomware, and other advanced attacks.

• It features a lightweight architecture that deploys rather quickly for use.

• It has a zero trust command at control time so evasive threats do not gain access to your systems

The disadvantage of the Morphisec Breach Prevention Platform is that dashboard and alerts could be improved.

7. Check Point SandBlast Network

Check Points claims its SandBlast technology offers the best zero-day protection in the industry, including the best malware catch rate at record speed. It uses a combination of evasion-resistant threat emulation, artificial intelligence engines, and threat extraction to remove threats from your email and web downloads.

Key features of the Check Point SandBlast Network are given below:

• Check Point's SandBlast allows you to steer clear of ransomware attacks, trojans, phishing, and social engineering attacks

• It offers a streamlined security management system

• Uses up-to-the-moment threat intelligence for blocking cybersecurity attacks

• Uses threat emulation (converting newly identified attacks into known signatures) paired with AI to counter unknown attacks before they become widespread

• Offers email protection against viruses, phishing attacks, and malware

The main advantages of the Check Point SandBlast Network are listed below:

• Can be deployed as on-premises physical or virtual appliances, or as a cloud-based service

• Offers quick and competitive zero-day catch rate

• Offers fully automated policy configuration that does not affect your business agility or productivity

The main drawbacks of the Check Point SandBlast Network are as follows:

• Initial configuration may be challenging for users.

• The annual pricing may prove to be costly for some

8. RSA NetWitness Logs and Packets (RSA SIEM)

NetWitness SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) is an advanced threat detection and response solution that allows you to manage your security data on a single, unified platform. It further allows for advanced analysis for triaging alerts and incidents.

Critical features of RSA NetWitness Logs and Packets are as follows:

• It offers simplified log management for quicker threat detection and investigation

• Provides real-time visibility into network traffic and response

• Advanced threat protection using behavioral analytics, data science, and threat intelligence

• It allows you to capture data from logs, packets, NetFlow, endpoints, and all types of computing platforms (physical, virtual, and cloud), all for more enhanced visibility.

Some benefits of RSA NetWitness Logs and Packets are listed below:

• Automated response capabilities to threats

• Offers deeper visibility into activity across your endpoints for a more pervasive response

• Offers both vertical and horizontal scaling

The main disadvantage RSA NetWitness Logs and Packets is that initial setup and configuration may be complicated for new users.

Which ATP tool is the Best for Data Security?

The Morphisec Breach Prevention Platform is one of the best tools you can deploy for data security capabilities. It has some incredible features that make it our top choice:

• It uses a combination of NGAV, EDR, and XDR to protect your data assets from compromise

• It further has its own MTD feature which allows protection against unknown signatures and attack vectors

• It offers a proactive approach to data security

Which ATP tool is Best for Cybersecurity?

Palo Alto Networks WildFire is our top choice when it comes to a firm's cybersecurity needs. When it comes to cybersecurity solutions, Palo Alto is seen as one of the top companies. Their Wildfire services are no different. Here are some of the features that make it well worth the cost:

• It ensures data protection from known and unknown threats

• Can offer automated protection at scale, across all your networks, endpoints, and cloud locations

• Offers quick deliveries so your threat intelligence software is up to date on the latest and emerging threats

• WildFire uses a mix of machine learning, dynamic and static analysis, and virtualized environments to uncover sophisticated and evasive threats

What is an Advanced Threat Protection Tool?

Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) is a group of cybersecurity solutions that keep your network safe from threats that are sophisticated, new, and evolving. As hackers come up with new ways to break into your network security and the cybersecurity landscape changes, you must use more advanced security solutions.

The exact nature of the ATP you use may differ from one to the next, depending on the vendor you choose. Similarly, the method used by an ATP to protect your network may differ depending on its cybersecurity makeup. Generally, you should always try to find a tool that offers malware detection, protection against zero-day threats, cloud security, email security, and endpoint security, which work in tandem for more comprehensive threat protection.

What are the Threats that ATP Tools Can Prevent?

An Advanced Threat Protection Tool (ATP) can protect your network and its endpoints from the following cyber attacks:

• Malicious Code: ATP can keep your network safe from malicious code (called "malware"), unwanted files or programs, and other things that could hurt your data assets. Malicious code may include viruses, worms, and Trojan horses that try to compromise your network through evasive means.

• Bot Attacks: Bot attacks send so many requests to your website, app, or device that they stop it from working. ATP will help counter these botnet attacks without letting them affect the flow of your business's critical traffic.

• Social Engineering: Social engineering attacks use manipulative means to break into your network. Phishing attacks are one of the most common forms of social engineering attacks. ATP allows you to safely uncover phishing attacks by analyzing the domain reputation, IP address, and other technical details of incoming emails

• DDoS Attacks: A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is usually aimed at making your online service unavailable to users. ATP will help stop this by keeping an eye on traffic, looking for threats in real time, and recognizing zero-day attacks.

• MitM Attacks: The most common type of cybersecurity attack is a man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack, which allows a third party to eavesdrop on information shared between two targets. ATP prevents this by deploying email filters and filtering suspicious traffic

How can Security Threats be Prevented?

There are several preventive steps you can take to protect your network and its devices from cybersecurity threats:

1. As a preliminary, ensure that your organization has a security policy in place

2. Install a sound antivirus solution

3. Use 2FA for all user emails and use stronger passwords

4. Deploy sound firewalls to filter traffic coming into and moving out of your network

5. Use IDS/IPS to keep track of unwanted packets flowing into your network

6. Use ATP tools to counter more sophisticated threats

7. Keep your security software up to date at all times

8. Use tracking logs to quickly identify suspicious activity across your network.

Is ATP an antivirus?

No, an Advanced Threat Protection tool is not an antivirus. An antivirus is geared towards protection against viruses on your computing devices and networks. An ATP tool, however, offers a much more comprehensive approach by integrating antivirus capabilities along with malware detection, zero-day threat detection, email content analysis, and traffic filtering to protect your networks. ATPs are the preferred choice when you want to protect your network from a wider range of threats, particularly advanced threat variants.