Malwarebytes Managed Endpoint and anti Ransomware Protection

One of the valuable tools in our arsenal against malware and other threats is Malwarebytes. This has matured and evolved over the years and makes a great tool alongside the traditional antivirus products to provide protection for your devices — and most importantly for your computer systems users.

In the latest iteration of the product, we can offer Malwarebytes as a cloud managed or co-managed service which is highly effective, efficient, economic and easy to deploy and maintain (everything you want in a security service).

Different levels are available as follows:

For a home computer / non commercial use - Use the free version direct from the Malwarebytes website to scan and clean your computer.

For a professional computer / low risk environment - The first commercial version of Malwarebytes starts with the same functionality of the free version and adds centralised management and reporting so that scans and remediations can be centrally administered and demonstrated.

For a standard professional desktop / laptop / server - Go for Malwarebytes Endpoint Protection which adds proactive response and protection to intercept and prevent infection or suchlike in the first place.

For a higher risk professional desktop / laptop / server environment - We recommend the advanced Endpoint Detection and Response which does everything the Endpoint Protection does but adds advanced computer behavioural analysis to detect abnormal activity (such as that from a ransomware attack) and allows for computer isolation and rollback to contain a compromise to the smallest possible area; allowing for strategic remediation, rather than full scale network rebuilding that is often needed in case of a wide-scale attack, with associated costs.

For a full comparison of the differences in the higher products please see our guide attached here.

Managed & Co-Managed Monthly Pricing is as follows:

• Malwarebytes Incident Response (reactive scan and clean only for desktops):
  £1.68 per Workstation

• Malwarebytes Endpoint Protection (proactive real-time protection):
  £3.06 per Workstation and £12.56 per Server

• Malwarebytes Endpoint Detection & Response (adding enterprise-class features):
  £3.82 per Workstation and £15.70 per Server
  
  NB: Workstation means PC / Laptop with desktop operating system such as Microsoft Windows 10, Windows 11 or MacOS.

  All pricing is ex VAT Monthly on an initial 12 Month subscription.

FAQ:

Q. Why put Malwarebytes alongside another (very good and well respected) virus scanner already on our systems?
A. This has a simple answer which is Defence in Depth and difference in focus. No single product will give protection against all risks or catch everything. With two solutions that sit alongside each other nicely you have greatest chance of reducing risks of Malware or other bad actors (like ransomware gangs) getting into your network and wreaking havoc. Note that your endpoint security should and will run alongside other protections such as firewall, gateway, external and cloud level protections all of which add up to provide the greatest possible degree of defence against bad actors. Malwarebytes have a good interactive map of detections that other systems have missed which can be found at https://www.malwarebytes.com/remediationmap

Q. I’m getting worried - should I be worried?
A. Yes, we should all be worried about IT security and its effects on and risks to businesses. Onega are a firm believer in and have the trademark on ‘Sleep Easy IT’ which is achieved through having suitable and well aligned systems and processes with business needs. This does however require a level of maturity in a business and recognition that it is better to invest in defence than to pay for remediation (if at all possible). A very good reference that we’d urge everyone to listen to is the BBC’s File on Four episode which dives into Ransomware and explains the potential impact of this on a business and all the clean up costs that are not often considered that go alongside an attack.

Q. Should all my computers be covered?
A. Yes - any computers used on or connected to the Internet should be covered by good security such as comes from Malwarebytes. The way attackers often work is that they will attack a less secure or older edge network (and employee home computers that connect to VPN or otherwise access resources) to then gain access to a core network where your larger assets are. Securing the edge is thus vital to reduce risks.

Q. Should I have the same level of protection on each device?
A. This is something that we can discuss with you to get to the right balance on. For core and connected servers, we would recommend the highest possible levels of protection and this can be combined with standard levels on less critical assets. This is a matter of common sense to find the right balance. It is always best to prevent than need to remediate issues though and thus we’re likely to recommend in all but very limited circumstances to start with the proactive response solutions which give real time protection.

Q. Why would I need the Enterprise Class protection of the Endpoint Detection and Response option?
A. This comes into its own with massive ROI in larger networks where the risks and cost of downtime can grow exponentially. It is always best to have the highest level of protection but also a need to balance that with common sense so we can discuss the right balance for your needs to help calculate what the right stance should be.

Q. Can Malwarebytes protect my Mac or Linux computer / server?
A. Yes, the good news is that Malwarebytes can now protect your Apple computers and also many flavours of Linux for near full IT estate coverage.

Many thanks to EFF Via Flickr for use of the banner image on the header of this page.