CONCEAL, a revolutionary phishing and ransomware protection platform that is backed by the former leaders of FireEye and Palo Alto Networks, today announced it has partnered with Barrier Networks, one of the UK’s leading security service providers, to bring its ransomware detection platform to the UK, helping protect organisations against today’s most lethal cyberattack.
In the last year ransomware attackers have continued to savage organisations, bringing down enterprises on a daily basis while sending others into insolvency. The biggest risk with the threat is how easy attacks are to execute – whether via tricking a user into opening a malicious link or targeting employees via social engineering – ransomware has become today’s cyber weapon of choice and criminals are netting millions with little effort.
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Conceal’s groundbreaking technology tackles this issue by providing organisations with protection against ransomware at the network edge. The platform is embedded into internet browsers and using AI it analyses URLs and stops users visiting malicious sites. This means even if a user is duped by a phishing email, they can’t reach a malicious web page or spoofed domain as the Conceal browser extension prevents them accessing the sites.
The partnership between Barrier Networks and Conceal means more businesses in the UK can take advantage of this unique ransomware protection, which already has a proven track record of stopping attacks in action.
Conceal is widely regarded as one of America’s most exciting cyber businesses and the company has many influential figures sitting on its board, including Dave DeWalt, the former founder and CEO of FireEye. In addition to this, Mark McLaughlin, the ex-CEO of Pala Alto Networks and Sir Chris Deverell, the former Commander of the UK’s Joint Forces, form as the organisation’s advisors. Conceal believes that by partnering with Barrier, it can bring its innovative platform to the UK market, with a specific focus on critical national infrastructure organisations that under increased attack from nation state actors.
“I have a long and trusted relationship with Barrier that goes back to our days of working together in the military. Ransomware attacks get worse every year and the threat will never disappear because it is so lucrative to attackers; businesses must be prepared. But this can’t be achieved when an organisation’s critical defences depend solely on employees not falling for phishing scams. Cybercriminals are too savvy and generative AI is making it easier than ever to craft highly sophisticated scams that can fool the most security-conscious users. While training employees on threats is vital, organisations need further assurance that malicious links won’t be opened and actioned. We provide this. Organisations can take the preventative security measures to protect their assets and employees, but we offer further insurance that even when convincing scams do reach employee inboxes, they can’t ever be acted upon,” said Gordon Lawson, CEO of Conceal.
Barrier Networks is one of the UK’s most advanced security service providers that utilises its background in military and defence to help secure critical industries. The organisation is based in Scotland and through its vast network in the industrial sector, it will offer these critical organisation’s with Conceal’s ransomware detection. This allows them to offer an enhanced service to tackle today’s most prominent threat, that has the potential to cause serious damage to industrial organisations.
“In the last few weeks the world has witnessed the very damaging and costly consequences of ransomware, and these incidents act as a wakeup call that no organisation is immune. Organisations must get ahead of this and prioritise their defences today. Good security hygiene is a critical part of this, but organisations must also utilise advanced technology platforms to bolster their defences. Our partnership with Conceal allows us to offer this enhanced protection to our customers. It’s time the world took a stand against ransomware, and by uniting our cyber expertise with Conceal’s revolutionary platform, we are in a much better place to win this fight,” said Ian McGowan, managing director of Barrier Networks.
