What is Next-Generation Protection?
Within Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE), Next-Generation Protection (NGP) refers to a collection of advanced features designed to combat sophisticated cyber threats that bypass traditional security methods.
These threats can include:
- Zero-day threats: Novel malware exploits that haven’t yet been identified by traditional antivirus signatures.
- Ransomware: Malicious software that encrypts a victim’s files and demands a ransom for decryption.
- Fileless attacks: Malware that doesn’t rely on traditional executable files, making them harder to detect.
- Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs): Targeted attacks by skilled attackers who employ various techniques to gain access and maintain persistence within a network.
Key Technologies in NGP
MDE’s NGP leverages several key technologies to address these evolving threats:
- Machine Learning (ML): MDE analyses vast amounts of data to identify patterns and anomalies indicative of malicious activity. This allows for real-time threat detection and proactive protection against emerging threats.
- Behavioural Analysis: MDE monitors application behaviour and system activity to detect suspicious processes that might not be flagged by traditional signature-based antivirus.
- Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR): MDE’s EDR capabilities provide deep visibility into endpoint activity, allowing security teams to investigate suspicious events, identify the root cause of incidents and take swift action to contain threats.
- Attack Surface Reduction (ASR): This feature restricts unauthorised activities and suspicious processes on endpoints, reducing the attack surface and potential vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit.
Benefits of NGP
- Enhanced threat detection: MDE’s NGP goes beyond signature-based detection, enabling proactive identification of zero-day threats and other sophisticated attacks.
- Improved response times: Faster detection of threats allows security teams to respond quickly and minimise the potential damage from cyber attacks.
- Reduced attack surface: ASR helps to limit potential entry points for attackers, making it more difficult for them to gain a foothold in your network.
How NGP integrates with MDE
NGP is not a separate product but rather a collection of features embedded within MDE. These features work together to provide comprehensive endpoint protection. Here’s an example:
- Machine learning algorithms analyse endpoint data and identify suspicious activity.
- Behavioural analysis examines application behaviour and flags potential threats.
- EDR allows security teams to investigate these flagged activities and determine if they are malicious.
- If malicious activity is confirmed, ASR can be used to isolate the compromised device or block unauthorised processes
