Following our exceptional performance in the previous AV-Comparatives Advanced Threat Protection tests for Enterprise and Consumer markets, Bitdefender has once again raised the bar in the cybersecurity space. In a recent comprehensive evaluation, Bitdefender not only achieved the highest protection rate but also maintained a false-positive rate among the lowest of 16 top-rated vendors in AV-Comparatives Business Security Test for August through November 2023. This demonstrates a commitment to delivering high-quality protection while reducing the burden of false alarms for security teams.

The Importance of Good Attack Protection

As 2023 showed us, cyberattacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and prevalent, posing a significant threat to businesses and individuals alike. Protection against common and emerging attack techniques is of the upmost importance, as the consequences of these attacks can be devastating. This year we witnessed numerous high-profile cyberattacks, including the Royal Ransomware operation which extorted over $275 million from businesses, and various other data breaches, which exposed sensitive data of organizations as well as their customers. These incidents underscore the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures to prevent unauthorized access, data exfiltration, and financial losses.

Organizations that have suffered from costly cyberattacks have learned that sound protection is far more cost-effective than remediation. The consequences of an uncontained malware outbreak extend beyond financial losses. They can also damage a company's reputation, erode customer trust, and disrupt operations.

With the latest AV-Comparatives Business Security Test, the independent evaluator delivers a summary of tests designed to mimic security threats organizations face in the real-world. These include threats a typical business user might encounter while accessing content on the world-wide-web, as well as malware that can reside on local systems or which can be introduced via removable devices. In the world of cybersecurity, these are known as initial access vectors – these are the cybercriminal’s primary entry point into your networks or systems. The results of these tests hope to highlight how well each vendor can protect organizations from these initial access vectors that, if left unprotected, or inadequately protected, can lead to costly security breaches.

The Detrimental Effects of False-Positives

Beyond evaluating each vendor on its ability to identify security threats, AV-Comparatives also considers the vendor’s capacity to filter out false-positives. The importance of minimizing false-positives in cybersecurity solutions cannot be overstated, particularly in the context of combating alert fatigue. False-positives are alerts generated that indicate a threat where none exists, and their frequent occurrence can lead to a 'cry wolf' scenario. Security teams inundated with these false alarms may become desensitized, potentially overlooking genuine threats. This behavior not only strains resources but also increases the risk of a real attack slipping through unnoticed. Efficient cybersecurity tools must strike a delicate balance—being sensitive enough to detect real threats while smart enough to discern benign activities. By reducing false-positives, cybersecurity solutions ensure that security teams remain vigilant and responsive to actual threats and helps them maintain an optimal level of security awareness. This balance is crucial to businesses, where the cost of missing a legitimate threat can be catastrophic.

The Test Results

In AV-Comparatives’ Real-World Protection Test, Bitdefender was one of only two of the sixteen vendors to achieve 100% protection rate, and of those two, Bitdefender maintained the lowest false-positive rate.

Figure 1: Bitdefender achieved 100% protection with negligible false-positive rate of only 2 out of 503 tests.

AV-Comparatives performed 503 tests between August and the end of November 2023 using samples such as real malicious URLs. In those tests, Bitdefender was able to block all 503 attacks, achieving 100% protection on the endpoints. Bitdefender is able to achieve this by implementing multi-layered protection. This includes not only next-generation antivirus but also incorporates seamlessly integrated reputation checks for IP addresses, URLs, and domains, as well as protection against threats that have not been previously identified. This combination gives businesses solutions to identify and intercept the majority of security incidents before they can cause any damage.

The importance of these results should not be minimized. By preventing these types of threats Bitdefender defeats threats before they move beyond the initial access stage and on to areas where attacks can do a lot more damage such as permitting external communication with threat actors (command and control), destroying or encrypting files (ransomware), or facilitating the exfiltration of sensitive data.

Figure 2: Bitdefender achieved 100% protection while only generating two false-positives.

Bitdefender achieved these outstanding protection rates while generating only two false-positives, among the lowest of all sixteen vendors evaluated. The detrimental effects of false-positives is well understood by security and operations teams, so it’s comforting to know that you don’t need to sacrifice excellent security to keep false alarms to a minimum.

The second part of the AV-Comparatives evaluation was the Malware Protection Tests, where solutions were gauged on their ability to identify threats that were already on the systems or those that were introduced through removable media. In these test cases, Bitdefender once again excelled by providing among the highest protection rates at 99.8% with zero false positives.

In this era many organizations have implemented a bring-your-own-device policy, and hybrid and remote work arrangements are common. It is extremely important for organizations to identify and block threats originating from unmanaged devices connecting - or having access - to corporate resources.

Figure 3: The Malware Protection Test saw Bitdefender achieve among the highest protection rates with zero false-positives.

Conclusion

Analyzing the results of the AV-Comparatives Business Security Test, it's clear that Bitdefender’s industry-leading protection rate is more than just a metric. It is concrete evidence that our solutions provide unwavering protection against modern cyberthreats. Equally important is our success in maintaining low false-positive rates, a critical factor for security teams with limited time and resources. This precision in distinguishing between actual threats and benign activities significantly reduces alert fatigue, ensuring teams are focused and responsive to genuine risks. Bitdefender has achieved absolute protection while minimizing distractions. This test further confirms our role as an invaluable ally in the fight against cybercrime.

These excellent results are not new for us. Our consistency in delivering best-in-class security is one of the greatest ongoing achievements of Bitdefender teams. This is reflected in our recent acknowledgment as a Leader in EPP by Forrester, the recognition as a 2023 Gartner Peer Insights™ Customers’ Choice for Endpoint Protection Platforms in EMEA, and various other independent evaluations such as MITRE and AV-Test. Bitdefender empowers businesses to operate with confidence, secure in the knowledge that their data and operations are safeguarded.