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The XTD difference: Going beyond MTD & EDR

Exploring the differences in modern cybersecurity products.

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Overview

Cybersecurity is a complex operation often involving multiple solutions to protect data, IT infrastructure, employees, and consumers alike.

Verimatrix’s XTD solution is an important piece of that puzzle.

How does XTD compare to mobile threat defense (MTD) or endpoint detection and response (EDR)? All three solutions are important for protecting against online cyber threats, but they have different focuses and capabilities. Let’s explore all three.

	MTD	EDR	XTD
Purpose	Provides real-time protection against threats and allows organizations to remotely manage and secure their mobile devices.	Provides continuous monitoring of endpoint devices and can detect and respond to a wide range of security threats, including malware, ransomware, and advanced persistent threats.	XTD helps prevent, detect, respond and predict cyber attacks originating from the mobile app to the edge and specifically multi-vector threats.
Devices protected	Managed laptops, smartphones, tablets	Managed endpoint devices	Unmanaged devices; Any device with an app
Vendors	Zimperium	Crowdstrike

What is MTD?

Mobile threat defense (MTD) is a type of security measure specifically designed to protect mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets from online threats, including malware, cyber attacks, and other types of malicious activity.

MTD was developed for managed devices and thus the solutions in the market have a big downside: an agent needs to be installed onto the device. This is not a problem for an organization that manages its devices and forces the installation on the employees’ devices.

However, for consumers, are you willing to ask “Mister Customer” to install a security agent to use Netflix or even a banking solution? The answer is no. Thus, you need some type of zero injection technology to make installation and telemetry possible. Most MTD solutions on the market don’t have this, so they cannot easily detect threats from unmanaged consumer devices.

MTD solutions can include mobile antivirus software, mobile device management (MDM) systems, and mobile threat prevention (MTP) systems, and they generally focus on providing real-time protection against threats and allowing organizations to remotely manage and secure their mobile devices. MTD solutions do not include EDR-like capabilities as a default.

Zimperium is an example of a cybersecurity vendor offering MTD solutions.

What is EDR?

Endpoint detection and response (EDR), on the other hand, is a broader term that refers to the detection and response to security threats that occur on endpoint devices such as laptops, desktops, and servers. EDR solutions typically provide continuous monitoring of endpoint devices and can detect and respond to a wide range of security threats, including malware, ransomware, and advanced persistent threats.

EDR systems can also provide valuable insights into the root cause of security incidents and can help organizations to identify and remediate vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.

One of the core capabilities of EDR is behavioral analysis, which involves monitoring the activities of devices and users on the network in order to identify and flag any unusual or suspicious behavior.

This can include monitoring network traffic, analyzing logs and event data, and monitoring the behavior of specific processes or applications. By analyzing this data, EDR systems can detect potential threats and alert security teams to take action to prevent an attack.

Additionally, EDR systems may use machine learning algorithms to identify and flag potential threats based on historical data, which can improve their ability to detect cyber attacks.

CrowdStrike is an example of a cybersecurity vendor offering EDR solutions.

What is XTD?

Extended threat defense (XTD) is a new type of threat defense solution that secures companies from risks originating from the mobile app to the edge; specifically multi-vector threats not covered by existing cybersecurity solutions.

How is XTD different?

One key difference between MTD, EDR and XTD is the scope of protection each provides.

MTD	EDR	XTD
Protects company employees’ mobile devices also known as managed mobile devices. MTD is useless for consumer devices and to some extent unmanaged devices.	Provides protection for a wider range of endpoint devices. EDR solutions tend to be more comprehensive in their approach to security, offering continuous monitoring, incident response capabilities, and the ability to identify and remediate vulnerabilities.	Uses behavioral analysis like EDR, a core technology for detection, combined with other elements of both EDR and MTD, especially where numerous unmanaged consumer devices are connected to the enterprise via the app. Telcos, ecommerce providers and banks are examples of the types of businesses ideally suited to benefit from XTD.

Final thoughts

Cybersecurity solutions such as mobile threat defense, endpoint detection and response, as well as extended threat defense, are vital in today’s unprotected world. They help to safeguard enterprises from a wide range of threats originating from mobile apps, APIs, websites, smartphones, IoT and other devices. They provide organizations with the visibility and control they need to secure their connected enterprise. By investing in all three types of cybersecurity solutions, or even just XTD, businesses can have peace of mind knowing that they are able to prevent and fight back against the latest online threats.