Pioneered by BlackFog, ADX is a technique used to prevent unauthorized data from leaving a device. By targeting multiple parts of the kill chain, ADX effectively blocks the activation and spread of cyberattacks. Since cyberattacks, especially ransomware focuses on data theft for extortion this has become an important technique to thwart modern polymorphic attacks that cannot be stopped by traditional anti-virus solutions.

ADX works by investigating outgoing data on endpoint devices. This gives it a markedly smaller footprint than other solutions, such as firewalls or DLP, which examines incoming and outgoing traffic at the edge of the network. ADX solutions are lightweight enough to run on mobile devices and do not need to work on the corporate network. Instead of comparing traffic to a dictionary of attack signatures, ADX solutions use behavioral analytics to identify unusual behaviors on a user-centric basis. ADX limits the ability for users – including privileged users and administrators – to send sensitive data outside the network.

The goal of any cyberattack is data theft. Adding an ADX solution to a security strategy ensures that there is nothing for an attacker to gain. Without data exfiltration there is no breach, no ransom and no extortion. When cybercriminals can’t steal data, they move on to the next target.

We know that any cybercriminal intent on infiltrating a device or network will eventually find a way in, regardless of the perimeter defense solutions that are in place. ADX looks at the problem in a new way. By making the assumption that bad actors will get into the network, it focuses on preventing them from leaving with an organizations data. No data exfiltration means no successful cyberattack.

BlackFog provides on device data privacy, data security and ransomware prevention. BlackFog’s ADX technology prevents ransomware, spyware, malware, phishing, unauthorized data collection and profiling and mitigates the risks associated with data breaches and insider threats. BlackFog effectively eliminates that threat of extortion which has become the norm for successful ransomware attacks.

BlackFog’s unique Threat Hunting module provides threat intelligence for all organizations, where previously only organizations with large technology budgets and teams of experts were able to benefit from this type of threat intelligence. This module takes threat intelligence to a new level by providing detailed insights into each identified threat, enabling organizations to stay ahead of cybercriminals as the threat landscape evolves. With insights such as crowdsourced impact, confidence level and MITRE classification, BlackFog’s Threat Hunting capabilities are able to identify false positives, investigate threat origins and provide peer-based risk analysis.

BlackFog’s Breach Monitoring module allows an organization to monitor its exposure over the Dark Web with regular domain scanning. With more than 10 billion accounts exposed over the Dark Web, BlackFog ensures you are notified in real time when a breach has occurred. The module also enables benchmarking against industry peers and easy report generation.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is one of the most popular legacy approaches to keeping sensitive data secure for organizations. A traditional network approach developed in the 1990’s, it struggles to accommodate the needs of the modern remote workforce. ADX builds on the technology behind DLP while making it more relevant to today’s workforce and security threats. BlackFog sits on the endpoint, so it doesn’t matter where employees are based. Unlike DLP which requires a strict set of policies which are difficult to implement and change, BlackFog is easy to deploy, and fully automated.

BlackFog’s on device technology prevents ransomware, spyware, malware, phishing, unauthorized data collection and profiling and mitigates the risks associated with data breaches and insider threats.

Absolutely! 100% of BlackFog customers have not suffered a ransomware attack. It’s also worth mentioning that BlackFog regularly discovers ransomware threats during proof of concept trials, even with organizations that are deploying multiple cybersecurity solutions.

BlackFog has been around since 2015 and is the leader in ADX, a new category for anti data exfiltration technology. BlackFog has been endorsed by leading analysts and received several industry awards for its unique next generation technology.  Hundreds of global customers across all industry verticals trust BlackFog to secure their data and prevent cyberattacks.

ADX has been specifically designed to be a zero trust solution as it prevents any code from unauthorized data exfiltration. BlackFog effectively validates a zero trust architecture by ensuring every application is doing exactly what it says it should. In an ideal world this would not be necessary, but latent code can activate at anytime as we have seen time and time again. 

Many organizations are using 20+ cybersecurity tools to prevent attacks, yet many of them still make front page ransomware and data breach news. The goal of any cybercriminal is data theft and with 89% of ransomware attacks exfiltrating data in 2022, ADX has become an essential technology.

Every organization regardless of size, vertical or location has data worth protecting. Cybercriminals don’t discriminate and they often look for low hanging fruit, which is in many cases those businesses who don’t feel they are worthy of being a target.

This is exactly why you need to invest in cybersecurity. Cybercriminals are most often looking for low hanging fruit like smaller under-resourced organizations.

Defensive based technologies aren’t effective at preventing the types of attacks we see today. If a cybercriminal really wants to infiltrate a device or network, they will be successful. Preventing cybercriminals leaving with your data is critical in preventing a cyberattack.

We would suggest an audit of the tools you are currently using. If you are currently spending a portion of your budget on a traditional solution such as AV for example, it’s worth noting that AV is now embedded into every modern operating system, so it’s a very easy decision to cut this expenditure and focus on newer technologies like Anti Data Exfiltration.

BlackFog partners with MSPs and MSSPs globally. If your IT partner isn’t providing an anti data exfiltration solution for you, ask them what technology they are using to prevent data exfiltration.

EDR / XDR solutions provide necessary endpoint protection as well as threat detection, investigation, and response by using threat intelligence and data analytics. BlackFog works well alongside these solutions but also offers some advantages over these technologies. Here are some main points to consider.

1. AI powered EDRs can’t always provide persistent, protectable solutions for 100% threat detection whereas BlackFog uses behavioral analysis to identify and block suspicious activity before the attack begins.
2. With EDR /XDR not all responses are automated, so human input and response is required. BlackFog is a fully automated on-device technology, meaning the action is taken immediately by the agent on the device. No human intervention required.
3. Some EDR / XDR solutions do not provide cross platform protection and reporting. They also require “a push” to install updates, whereas BlackFog can work across most platforms with integrated reporting available from our Enterprise Console. Our updates are all done automatically via the on device agent.
4. Traditional EDR / XDR requires specialized and dedicated staff. BlackFog does not require specialized staff to monitor or react to threats or attacks, eliminating the need for dedicated resources. Our Enterprise Console provides a centralized, easy to use view of what is happening across all devices in the organization.
5. Most EDRs / XDRs are cloud based whereas BlackFog provides on device protection that does not require any cloud access to provide protection.
6. EDR / XDR is not designed to prevent data exfiltration. Insider threats such as employee mistakes, credential theft and rogue employees require constant monitoring and intervention. BlackFog’s core function is preventing data exfiltration through outbound traffic analysis, restricting data leaving the device under specific, suspicious circumstances.

While cyber insurance has become a ‘need to have’ for many organizations, it is only part of a cybersecurity strategy. Cyber insurance may help with the cost of remediation from an attack, but it doesn’t offer any protection. Cyber insurers are also suffering from an exponential rise in claims and the industry is changing quickly to adapt. Policies are harder to get, more expensive, and may not pay out on ransomware attacks. It’s also worth noting that many insurers are mandating certain technologies such as ADX in order to qualify for coverage.