100% of Sophos XDR detections for adversary activities targeting Windows and Linux devices provide rich analytic coverage and achieve the highest possible ratings

OXFORD, U.K. — December 11, 2024 —

Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, today announced its strong results in the 2024 MITRE ATT&CK®Evaluations: Enterprise. Sophos XDR detected 100% of the adversary behaviors in attack scenarios targeting Windows and Linux platforms, mimicking malware strains from ruthless ransomware-as-a-service gangs LockBit and CL0P. Further, all of Sophos’ responses to these ransomware attack scenarios were marked “technique” – the highest possible rating that denotes who, what, when, where, why and how attacks were carried out.

Sophos XDR achieved:

  • ‘Analytic coverage’ ratings for 99% of sub-steps (79 out of 80) across three comprehensive attack scenarios
  • Highest possible (‘Technique’) ratings for 98% of sub-steps (78 out of 80)
  • Highest possible (‘Technique’) ratings for 100% of sub-steps in the Windows and Linux ransomware attack scenarios

“Attackers are relentless to innovate techniques to bypass trusted security defenses. This assessment from MITRE helps security buyers evaluate the effectiveness against today’s threats,” said Simon Reed, chief research and scientific officer at Sophos. “Sophos is committed to transparency and conducting third party measurement to help security buyers make informed decisions to strengthen their security posture. We’re proud of Sophos XDR’s ongoing excellence both in industry testing and real-world frontline defenses. We’re consistently evolving our solutions, just like attackers are constantly evolving their tactics, so our customers can stop known and unknown threats before they escalate into destructive attacks.”

MITRE ATT&CK Evaluations are among the world’s most respected independent security tests. This round of MITRE ATT&CK Evaluations: Enterprise evaluated the abilities of 19 vendors in detecting and analyzing attack tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) leveraged by real-world adversarial groups. In this cycle, MITRE also expanded ATT&CK Evaluations to include macOS attacks emulating tactics from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – where 19 out of 21 Sophos XDR detections were also categorized as “technique” – the highest possible rating.

Sophos XDR combines active adversary mitigations – including industry-first Adaptive Attack Protection that immediately activates heightened defenses when a hands-on-keyboard attack is detected, stopping the attack and providing defenders valuable additional time to respond; anti-ransomware technology; deep learning artificial intelligence; and exploit prevention to prevent and stop attacks. It is powered by Sophos X-Ops threat intelligence, a cross-operational task force of more than 500 security experts within SophosLabs, Sophos SecOps, and SophosAI.

Learn more about Sophos’ evaluation results at https://sophos.com/mitre.

Disclaimer: MITRE does not rank or rate participants

About Sophos

Sophos is a cybersecurity leader protecting 600,000 organisations worldwide with an AI-driven platform and expert-led services. Sophos meets organisations wherever they are in their security maturity and grows with them to defeat cyberattacks. Its solutions combine machine learning, automation, and real-time threat intelligence with frontline human expertise from Sophos X-Ops to deliver advanced, 24/7 threat monitoring, detection, and response.
Sophos offers industry-leading managed detection and response (MDR) alongside a comprehensive portfolio of cybersecurity technologies — including endpoint, network, email, and cloud security, extended detection and response (XDR), identity threat detection and response (ITDR), and next-generation SIEM. Alongside expert advisory services, these capabilities assist organisations in proactively mitigating risk and responding more quickly, with the visibility and scalability required to stay ahead of evolving threats.
Sophos enters the market with a global partner ecosystem, including Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs), resellers and distributors, marketplace integrations, and cyber risk partners, offering organisations the flexibility to select trusted relationships when securing their business.  Sophos is headquartered in Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.