When it comes to endpoint security, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint stands out as a popular choice. It’s the fastest-growing endpoint protection platform, boasting over 19% market share, and for good reason — Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides comprehensive coverage against a wide range of cyber threats. However, like many endpoint solutions, it faces challenges with the ever-evolving complexity of ransomware attacks. 

The ransomware challenge and a call for enhanced security measures 

According to the Verizon 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), roughly one-third of all breaches involved ransomware or some other extortion technique. This isn’t surprising given that ever evolving and evasive ransomware techniques consistently bypass traditional solutions, thereby increasing their rate of success.  

Ransomware attacks are increasingly becoming more frequent and sophisticated, leading to unprecedented damages post-breach. In 2023 alone, ransomware-related costs exceeded USD 30 billion, setting a historic high.  

The IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report for 2023 provides further alarming insights. It reveals that only one-third of reported breaches were initially detected by the organization’s internal security teams and tools. Surprisingly, attackers themselves disclosed 27% of breaches, often involving ransomware, with an average cost of USD 5.23 million per incident. 

One significant concern is the delay in identifying and containing breaches disclosed by attackers. On average, it took 233 days to identify and 87 days to contain these breaches. This is substantially longer—80 days more (or 28.2%)—than breaches discovered by the organization’s security teams. 

The rise of ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) has lowered entry barriers for cybercriminals, while fileless and in-memory attacks continue to evade traditional endpoint protection solutions. These tactics allow threat actors to infiltrate company systems and remain undetected until the opportune moment to launch their attacks. Once activated, the extortion process begins, often leading to severe and sometimes irreversible consequences. 

Endpoint defense evasion is well-documented

To combat these evolving threats, organizations must adopt enhanced security measures that go beyond traditional endpoint protection, ensuring a robust and multi-layered defense strategy.  

Cybercriminals are using more evasive tactics to deploy ransomware and other malicious software, effectively bypassing traditional endpoint protection measures. And so, companies relying primarily on Microsoft Defender for Endpoint security may find themselves inadequately equipped to stop advanced ransomware attacks without a critical ransomware defense layer. 

The 2024 Picus Security Red report highlights a concerning trend: over 30% of analyzed malware incorporates defense evasion techniques, creating a significant security gap. As Microsoft Defender’s market share continues to grow, threat actors are increasingly designing their attacks to bypass this widely used solution. 

Given the rise of these targeted and sophisticated threats, it’s clear that relying on a single security solution is no longer sufficient. Instead, security teams must implement a multi-layered defense strategy, creating a robust security obstacle course that protects critical assets from potential threats. 

By adopting this comprehensive approach, organizations can better anticipate and mitigate the risks posed by evolving cyber threats, ensuring a stronger and more resilient security posture. 

Elevating security with Morphisec and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint 

Morphisec enhances Microsoft Defender for Endpoint by implementing Defense-in-Depth, effectively reducing the blast radius of attacks. This proactive approach lowers your organization’s cyber risk exposure, prevents advanced threats, and ensures top-tier anti-ransomware protection. 

Seamlessly integrated with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Morphisec offers full visibility into the attack chain and delivers high-priority alerts directly to the Microsoft Defender console, aiding security analysts in event prioritization. 

Morphisec delivers high-priority alerts directly into the Microsoft Defender console, including attack details and analytics.

Download the “Fortify Your Endpoints Against Ransomware and Advanced Threats” white paper for a complete breakdown and integration details. 

Morphisec’s Anti-Ransomware Assurance 

Morphisec Anti-Ransomware Assurance, powered by Automated Moving Target Defense (AMTD), takes the capabilities of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to the next level by adding an essential security layer for comprehensive ransomware defense.  

This integration fills existing security gaps and strengthens the last mile of defense with the highest level of anti-ransomware assurance available. Key benefits include: 

1. Advanced Anti-Ransomware Defense: Morphisec goes beyond conventional protection to prevent even the most sophisticated ransomware from bypassing endpoint protections, offering a multilayered defensive strategy to stop ransomware at multiple stages. 
2. Enhanced Operational Efficiency: The seamless integration with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, along with early threat prevention and accurate threat classification, reduces the time and costs associated with technical resources and minimizes the overall financial impact. 
3. Improved Cybersecurity Posture: Morphisec helps boost audit scores and achieve compliance, which can lead to reduced cyber insurance premiums and an optimized overall cybersecurity posture. 
4. Continuous Monitoring and Ransomware Exposure Management: Ensures that Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is operational and effective, providing clear prioritization for remediating software vulnerabilities. 

By combining Morphisec with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, organizations can achieve a powerful and integrated defense system that significantly reduces the impact of ransomware attacks, helping maintain a strong security posture and providing peace of mind with a fortified last line of defense.

Morphisec is proud to be a member of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association. You can find Morphisec listed in the Azure Marketplace and it’s available in the Microsoft App Store. 

By integrating Morphisec with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, we deliver a robust and unified defense system that effectively reduces the impact of ransomware attacks. This powerful partnership empowers organizations to maintain a strong security posture against increasingly sophisticated threats, providing peace of mind with a fortified last line of defense. 

Download the solution brief to learn more about this game-changing integration. 

About the author

Brad LaPorte

Chief Marketing Officer

Brad LaPorte is a seasoned cybersecurity expert and former military officer specializing in cybersecurity and military intelligence for the United States military and allied forces. With a distinguished career at Gartner as a top-rated research analyst, Brad was instrumental in establishing key industry categories such as Attack Surface Management (ASM), Extended Detection & Response (XDR), Digital Risk Protection (DRP), and the foundational elements of Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM). His forward-thinking approach led to the inception of Secureworks’ MDR service and the EDR product Red Cloak—industry firsts. At IBM, he spearheaded the creation of the Endpoint Security Portfolio, as well as MDR, Vulnerability Management, Threat Intelligence, and Managed SIEM offerings, further solidifying his reputation as a visionary in cybersecurity solutions years ahead of its time.