5 Best Ransomware Protection Software for 2023

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Strong ransomware protection has become a must-have tool to protect companies of any size against malicious attacks and data loss.

Ransomware is the leading cybersecurity threat today. Annual attacks are in the hundreds of millions. The ransomware industry is currently a thriving criminal enterprise due to its lucrative potential, powerful encryption techniques, and the rise of ransomware as a service (RaaS).

RaaS eliminates the technical barrier to entry, allowing anyone with a few dollars to access what was once a complex process. The result is an ever-increasing threat landscape with no sign of slowing down.

5 Best Ransomware Protection Software

We evaluated several options in the market to determine the five best ransomware protection solutions on the market. Each of them have merits, and ultimately the best option for you will be determined by your organization’s needs and budget. This guide can help you with that analysis.

Bitdefender: Best Overall

Bitdefender is the best overall ransomware protection software for enterprises based on its performance on the latest MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK Evaluations 2022 for Wizard Spider and Sandworm Adversaries. It had the best combination of analytic, telemetry, and visibility coverage for both adversaries of all solutions tested.

Bitdefender’s anti-ransomware for businesses provides extensive ransomware protection in multiple forms. From the GravityZone Platform, anti-ransomware actively blocks malicious software and automatically creates backups of target files to be restored after a malware attack is blocked.

The solution also features patch management, which allows organizations to keep operating systems (OSs) and applications up to date across the entire install base.

Crucially, Bitdefender anti-ransomware secures endpoints, making them a safe gateway to access high-value servers and other sensitive areas where important information is kept.

Key features

  • Adaptive technology
  • Automated backups of target files
  • GravityZone Patch management module

Pros

  • High detection count on the MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK Evaluations 2022
  • The vendor has a stellar history in cybersecurity and holds 440 patents
  • Mature platform with the ability to protect endpoints
  • Patch management and file backup features
  • Easy to maintain security posture at scale
  • Adaptive technology
  • Ransomware mitigation feature for business continuity

Cons

  • Resource intensive

Pricing

There are several GravityZone product iterations available depending on the size of your organization and its cybersecurity needs. Pricing information is available after signing up for a free 30-day trial.

Cybereason: Best for Fast Deployment

Cybereason Defence Platform is an anti-ransomware solution that offers superior protection and fast deployment. The software employs multiple layers of security, including static signatures to identify and prevent popular ransomware variants and a threat intelligence database, to ensure comprehensive protection against advanced threats.

Additionally, it features a behavior-based detection system to detect and neutralize malicious activity before it can cause any damage.

Most importantly, Cybereason garnered impressive results in MITRE testing for Wizard Spider and Sandworm adversary groups in 2022.

Key features

  • Artificial intelligence (AI) on the endpoint
  • Visibility from the kernel to the cloud
  • Multilayered protection

Pros

  • Low-code and no-code options for fast deployment
  • Deploys decoy files to trick ransomware
  • Fileless protection
  • Signature-based ransomware detection and prevention
  • Behavioral threat prevention
  • Includes self-learning and becomes more accurate with time
  • Easy-to-understand user interface

Cons

  • There is room for improvement in the reporting features.

Pricing

Pricing information for Cybereason is available upon request. Prospective customers can sign up for a free demo.

SentinelOne: Best for Enterprises and IoT

SentinelOne is the ideal anti-ransomware solution for enterprises needing complete protection from advanced security threats. Its proprietary static AI at the endpoint prevents malicious activity in real time, while its patented behavioral AI offers a failsafe if an attack slips through to the system.

In addition, its robust ability to detect and defuse zero-day, fileless, and nation-grade attacks makes it one of the best anti-ransomware protection software available. SentinelOne also has capabilities explicitly designed to protect internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as rogue device discovery, vulnerability hygiene enforcement, and device policy segmentation—giving users top-level ransomware prevention no matter their setup.

Similar to Cybereason, SentinelOne performed well in MITRE Engenuity testing for Wizard Spider and Sandworm adversary groups.

Key features

  • Static and behavioral AI
  • Device policy segmentation
  • Vulnerability hygiene enforcement
  • Rogue device discovery

Pros

  • Comprehensive prevention and detection suite for all types of threats
  • Explicitly designed for IoT discovery and protection
  • Behavioral AI to detect malicious activity in real time
  • Static AI protection at the endpoint
  • Intuitive user interface

Cons

  • Occasional false positives have been reported.

Pricing

SentinelOne offers a free demo, and pricing is available upon request.

Check Point: Best for Endpoint Protection

Check Point’s anti-ransomware technology is a purpose-built engine designed with enterprises in mind. This advanced ransomware protection software utilizes multiple layers of defense to identify and mitigate even the most sophisticated and evasive zero-day threats.

Harmony Endpoint, Check Point’s leading endpoint protection solution, incorporates anti-ransomware technology while introducing comprehensive threat prevention and remediation against all malware variants. With industry-leading network protections consistently verified daily by Check Point’s experienced research team, Harmony Endpoint ensures safe data recovery and business continuity for organizations of all sizes.

The vendor has consistently scored well in MITRE Engenuity testing against various adversary groups over the years.

Key features

  • Complete endpoint protection
  • Threat prevention and remediation for all malware variants
  • Network protections verified daily
  • Multiple layers of defense to identify and mitigate zero-day threats

Pros

  • Multilayered defense against sophisticated ransomware threats
  • Real-time monitoring and threat detection
  • Advanced data recovery capabilities
  • Consistent daily threat verification by Check Point’s research team

Cons

  • More expensive than other options in the market

Pricing

Check Point pricing information is available upon request. Prospective customers can sign up for a free demo.

Cynet: Best Value

Cynet XDR is an anti-ransomware platform that offers the best value for its cost and evaluates well on MITRE Engenuity evaluations.

It provides extended visibility and protection across endpoints, networks, and users, adapting to new ransomware techniques with its in-depth, knowledge-based AI capabilities. It also has a broad range of ransomware protection features, such as:

  • Detecting and blocking memory strings associated with ransomware
  • Protecting OS password vaults from ransomware attacks
  • Preventing unapproved apps from accessing important company assets
  • Detecting ransomware exfiltration by planting decoy files

Furthermore, it offers automated investigation and remediation features such as in-built remediation playbooks and customized playbooks that can be tailored to clients’ needs.

Key features

  • End-to-end protection
  • Natively automated
  • Memory strings detection
  • OS password vault protection
  • Prevention of unapproved app access to important assets 
  • Ransomware exfiltration detection through decoy files
  • Automated investigation and remediation features 

Pros

  • Fast and easy initial setup
  • Automated detection and remediation
  • Knowledge-based AI
  • Zero resource drain
  • Real-time memory and file protection
  • Decoy files to trick and detect ransomware
  • Low maintenance burden

Cons

  • It doesn’t have the most intuitive user interface.

Pricing

Cynet offers a free demo and a 14-day trial, and pricing information is only available upon request.

5 Key Features to Look For in Ransomware Protection 

When selecting the best ransomware protection, it’s important to consider your individual security goals and the features that best meet those needs.Here are some of the key features to look out for when making your decision:

1. MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK evaluations

MITRE created ATT&CK (Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge) in 2013 as a knowledge base around behavior and techniques across the adversary life cycle, validating it through biannual testing with multiple cybersecurity vendors participating.

As the need for ransomware protection software has increased, evaluations based on the ATT&CK framework are one of the key features to look for.

ATT&CK covers two pillars: ATT&CK for Enterprise, which addresses behavior against IT networks and cloud, and ATT&CK for Mobile, which focuses on behavior against mobile devices.

Participating vendors have their solutions tested with results categorized under Analytic Coverage, Telemetry Coverage, and Visibility to offer customers a high level of trust that anti-ransomware tools effectively combat each of these threatening scenarios.

It’s worth noting that MITRE evaluations aren’t the only anti-ransomware evaluators. Many other third-party cyber frameworks, models, tools, and services are available that complement ATT&CK and allow potential customers to measure the security posture of anti-ransomware protection solutions. Some examples include The Diamond Model of Intrusion Analysis and the Lockheed Martin Cyber Kill Chain.

2. Vendor experience and track record in cybersecurity

When choosing anti-ransomware software, it is vital to consider the vendor’s experience and track record in the cybersecurity space. A good vendor will have a history of developing robust, reliable anti-ransomware protection and have structures in place to detect new threats as they emerge.

It should have teams dedicated to security research and development to protect customers against ransomware and other threats.

It’s also crucial for enterprises to review evidence of previous customer deployments, verifying products’ abilities to block and protect against ransomware threats effectively.

Critical-infrastructure organizations should prioritize purchasing anti-ransomware protection software from reliable suppliers with proven track records in cybersecurity that offer comprehensive training, so the users know how to use the product effectively.

You should also consider your ransomware protection in the context of your full network security stack. For example, it may be worth investing in ransomware insurance in case an attack is able to breach your defenses.

3. Cost vs. feature stack

Depending on the size of your organization and the number of computers that need to be protected, various options are available in terms of the cost structure and features delivered.

While comparing anti-ransomware solutions, it’s always worth exploring the pricing and features offered, keeping in mind future needs and scalability as the organization grows. This may require conducting some extensive conversations with each solution’s sales team to get a clear sense of total cost of ownership (TCO) for your specific package, but the additional time spent upfront will be worth it in the long run.

Explore the best network security companies to trust with your organization’s data.

4. Vendor support options and product documentation

As anti-ransomware security becomes an increasingly important priority in today’s world, knowing what support options and product documentation you have for the ransomware protection software you choose is essential.

A reputable vendor should offer an array of omnichannel customer service options that are both reliable and convenient, ranging from user forums, to live chat services, to email ticket systems. You need to be able to reach your vendor fast in times of crisis.

Access to thorough product documentation is also critical—instructions should be clear, succinct, and unambiguous with minimized onboarding complexity to save valuable time.

5. Friendly reporting features

Anti-ransomware protection software must provide quick and straightforward ways to assess risk. One of the most essential features to consider when evaluating anti-ransomware solutions is their friendly reporting capabilities. The reports must be precise and accurate to effectively inform security teams and decision-makers without overcomplicating matters.

By providing detailed yet understandable analytics, anti-ransomware software allows users to rapidly understand issues as they arise and put proactive measures in place swiftly.

How We Evaluated Ransomware Protection Software

The 2022 MITRE ATT&CK evaluations for Wizard Spider and Sandworm adversary groups were the most important criteria when we looked at the best ransomware protection software for 2023.

MITRE allocates no scores or rankings, and while many product vendors try to spin claims based on the results, we examined MITRE ratings in an unbiased manner as a third-party technology advisor.

To evaluate these programs, we looked at two main results from testing:

  • Analytic Coverage: The proportion of sub-steps that included a detection with additional context.
  • Visibility Coverage: Showing how the vendor compared against adversaries.

After evaluating these two points, we looked at each vendor’s telemetry coverage, which was considered last because it simply demonstrates that data was collected somewhere, somehow. It isn’t always actionable, and analysts sometimes have difficulty identifying it as a threat behavior. In addition, not all vendors allow testers like MITRE to view the underlying telemetry triggering detections.

MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK Evaluations 2022Wizard Spider + Sandworm Adversaries
  Adversary Substeps
Participant Analytic Coverage Visibility Coverage Telemetry Coverage
Bitdefender 106 of 109 106 of 109 3 of 109
Cybereason 108 of 109 109 of 109 1 of 109
SentinelOne 108 of 109 108 of 109 0 of 109
Check Point 103 of 109 103 of 109 3 of 109
Cynet 102 of 109 107 of 109 11 of 109
Source: MITRE Engenuity

We then assessed the vendors using the following additional criteria:

  • Proven track record in cybersecurity research and development
  • Evidence of customer deployments showing products’ ability to protect against ransomware threats
  • Comprehensive training for users, so they know how to use the product effectively
  • Cost structure and features offered versus future needs and scalability
  • Omnichannel customer service options that are reliable and convenient
  • Product documentation with minimized onboarding complexity
  • Detailed yet understandable analytics to allow users to understand issues as they arise rapidly

Bottom Line: Employing the Best Ransomware Protection Software for Your Business

A robust anti-ransomware solution is no longer a nice-to-have but a must-have. The best ransomware protection software will effectively defend against an ever-evolving threat landscape.

In an increasingly dangerous world where criminals are now more organized than ever, businesses must be proactive in protecting themselves against ransomware threats. The five tools in this survey are a great place to start.

Even the best ransomware protection services can fail sometimes. It’s critical to have a backup plan. Use this 7-step ransomware incident response plan to help keep you prepared for the worst.

Kihara Kimachia
Kihara Kimachia
Kihara Kimachia is a writer and digital marketing consultant with over a decade of experience covering issues in emerging technology and innovation. In addition to appearing regularly in Enterprise Networking Planet, his work has been published in many leading technology publications, including TechRepublic, eSecurity Planet, Server Watch, Channel Insider, IT Business Edge, and Enterprise Storage Forum.

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