Business Continuity: The True Measure of Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is about more than just stopping threats; it is a partnership between cybersecurity vendors and their customers to ensure business continuity remains uninterrupted. When a breach happens, a business's ability to securely deliver goods and services comes to a screeching stop.
Similarly, if the cybersecurity vendor themselves cause a widespread IT outage, it can be just as damaging to the business. When cybersecurity solutions disrupt your operations, they fail in their fundamental purpose by undermining the stability they're designed to maintain.
At BlackBerry, we believe that optimizing for business continuity is non-negotiable. Our Cylance® solutions are designed to protect your organization without causing disruptions because we know that keeping your business running is — why — you strive to keep it secure.
Kernel vs. User Space: Why It Matters
Understanding the difference between kernel and user space is not just crucial, it's empowering. It gives you the knowledge to evaluate the safety and reliability of endpoint security solutions, making you an informed decision-maker in your organization's cybersecurity strategy.
The kernel is the core of an operating system, managing critical hardware resources like CPU, memory, and I/O. While most applications run in user space, which limits their privileges and isolates failures, security tools often need kernel access to effectively monitor and control system behavior.
This deep visibility allows security applications to prevent malicious actions before they occur, but it also introduces risks; any failure at the kernel level can result in a complete system crash (e.g., a Blue Screen of Death).
Kernel-level drivers are usually certified through processes like Microsoft’s WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Labs) to ensure stability and security.
The approach of some vendors, which involves forcefully pushing critical logic updates that impact the operation of kernel space drivers directly to their global customer base, has proven risky – as most recently evidenced by the global BSOD incident linked to Channel File 291.
In contrast, our Cylance tools use both kernel and user space judiciously. While we hook the kernel for necessary visibility and enforcement, we keep the bulk of our security analytics and decision-making in user space, where the risk of catastrophic failure due to detection logic updates is eliminated or minimized.
Our approach better ensures that your systems remain stable, and your business stays operational without degrading attack resilience. We also have the appropriate QA processes, internal staged rollout/soak, external staged rollout, and customer-controlled workflows in place today to ensure that in the event something is missed in our rigorous process, the impact is manageable and controlled.
AI-Driven Security: Less Risk, Better Outcomes
At BlackBerry, our AI-driven approach is unmatched, as proven by numerous independent reports from the Tolly Group. Our advanced, predictive models allow us to prevent threats proactively, reducing the need for constant updates and minimizing the risks associated with frequent changes. This leads to cutting-edge security with minimal risk.
Cylance Reduces the Risk of Business Disruption
Recent failings in the industry underscore the dangers of an architecture that optimizes for only part of the desired outcome.
At BlackBerry, our approach to security is designed with one core principle: ensuring business continuity. We understand that the primary goal of deploying security solutions is to keep your operations running smoothly in the face of evolving threats.
Powered by our advanced Cylance® AI, BlackBerry solutions deliver robust, reliable protection that minimizes risk and ensures your business remains operational and secure.
For organizations that seek a security partner invested in their success, Cylance is more than just a solution—we're a committed ally in your journey.
We understand that your business' viability is paramount, and our approach reflects that priority by aligning cutting-edge protection with a deep respect for your operational needs. With BlackBerry, you're choosing a partner who values your business as much as you do, ensuring that our innovations work seamlessly to support and sustain your growth.
For more information about the BlackBerry approach, download the new white paper, Ensuring Business Continuity: A Comparative Look at Security Architectures.
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