Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
Today’s digital world enables us to work, connect, and innovate from anywhere. But that connectivity also creates a wealth of new opportunities for cyberattacks. Unfortunately, the prevention-based approach of traditional antivirus (AV) or next-generation antivirus (NGAV) tools is no longer sufficient to address today’s cyber threats; relying solely on prevention leaves critical gaps in an organization's security. An EDR solution bridges that gap.
What Is Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)?
Endpoint Detection and Response technology is designed to detect advanced threats through behavioral analysis, provide real-time visibility into endpoint activity, and enable both automated and manual threat response. This gives today’s businesses deeper visibility, continuous behavioral analytics, the ability to investigate and respond to advanced threats, and improved efficiency to reduce noise and streamline security operations. A robust EDR tool collects comprehensive telemetry from endpoints and leverages analytics to identify advanced threats and uncover malicious actions that may otherwise go undetected.
What is the difference between EDR and antivirus?
Endpoint protection has come a long way. For many years, AV, NGAV, and Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) solutions, which primarily focus on prevention, were sufficient to keep threats at bay. There are clear distinctions between these technologies, and a true EDR tool is necessary to protect against today’s complex cyber threats.
| Capability / Feature | Antivirus (AV) | Next-Gen AV / Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) | Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detection Approach | Signature-based detection of known threats | AI- and behavior-based detection against known and unknown malware | Continuous behavioral analysis and telemetry-based detection |
| Visibility | Minimal | Moderate – event-level visibility | Full endpoint visibility, context, and vulnerability assessment |
| Advanced Threat Protection | No | Partial – detects some unknown or fileless threats | Yes – detects fileless, zero-day, and living-off-the-land attacks |
| Attack Surface Reduction (ASR) | No | Limited | Application, script, and device control to prevent exploitation |
| Network Attack Protection (HIDS/HIPS) | No | Varies by vendor | Ability to monitor a single machine for suspicious activity and block malicious actions |
| Threat Hunting & Investigation | No | Basic or add-on | Built-in or managed threat hunting and incident correlation |
| Detection of Compromised Trusted Apps | No | No | Yes – identifies abnormal behavior in legitimate processes |
| Automation & Updates | Limited, signature-based | Prevention-focused | Advanced, context-aware |
| Reporting & Analytics | Basic logs | Event data and summaries | Detailed dashboards, analytics, and compliance insights |
What is the difference between EDR vs XDR?
While EDR focuses on identifying and responding to threats at the endpoint level, eXtended Detection and Response (XDR) broadens that scope by integrating signals from across the environment. The goal of XDR is to correlate data from multiple sources, thereby improving visibility and streamlining investigations across different security layers.
Both are critical to modern cybersecurity, but they serve different roles: EDR is the foundation for detecting and responding to endpoint threats, while XDR unifies telemetry from multiple security tools to deliver broader context and faster response.
| Capability / Feature | EDR | XDR |
| Scope of Protection | Endpoint devices | Multiple layers |
| Data Sources | Telemetry from endpoints | Integrated telemetry across domains |
| Detection & Correlation | Detects and investigates endpoint threats | Correlates events across multiple sources for a broader context and improved threat detections |
| Response | Endpoint-focused, automated or manual | Can inform cross-system response, but often relies on endpoints for action |
| Visibility | Detailed, endpoint-level insight | Broader, aggregated view across security layers |
How Does EDR Work?
A true EDR solution goes beyond stopping known threats; it continuously monitors endpoint activity, detects suspicious behavior, correlates alerts for higher operational efficiency, and automatically responds before attackers can cause damage. It’s designed to cover every phase of the threat lifecycle: prevention, detection, analysis, response, and recovery.
Continuous Monitoring and Telemetry Collection
A good EDR solution begins by collecting detailed telemetry from every endpoint, including processes, network connections, user actions, file changes, and system events. This constant visibility enables the system to automatically detect and respond to threats, thereby reducing false positives and alert fatigue and allowing teams to focus on real threats.
Behavioral and Context-Based Detection
Rather than relying on signatures or known patterns, EDR uses AI-driven behavioral analysis to identify unusual or malicious activity, even if the threat has never been seen before. This includes detecting fileless attacks, zero-day exploits, and misuse of legitimate tools like PowerShell, ensuring attacks are detected before they cause damage.
Threat Investigation and Correlation
When suspicious activity is detected, EDR solutions automatically correlate related events to provide a comprehensive view – what happened, how it spread, and which systems were affected. This reduces false positives and alert fatigue, and helps teams focus on threats that would have otherwise gone undetected.
Automated and Guided Response
A true EDR solution doesn’t just alert you to a threat; it acts. Automated response options such as isolating an infected device, killing malicious processes, or rolling back actions taken by attackers help minimize dwell time and prevent lateral movement.
Recovery and Continuous Improvement
Finally, EDR supports recovery and learning. Recording detailed incident data enables teams to refine detection rules, enhance their security posture, and prevent future attacks of the same kind.
A true EDR solution is always-on, behavior-driven, and automation-powered, transforming endpoint data into actionable insights to detect, respond to, and recover from threats. Next, we’ll examine the key capabilities that enable this.
What Are the Key Capabilities of EDR?
A good EDR solution combines multiple capabilities to simplify security operations and protect endpoints from today’s sophisticated threats. These features distinguish a true EDR from prevention-only or EDR-lite tools. Key capabilities include:
- Behavioral and Context-Based Detection: Identifies suspicious activity, fileless attacks, zero-day exploits, and compromised trusted applications.
- Automated Threat Response: Takes proactive action such as isolating devices, terminating processes, or rolling back malicious changes.
- Attack Surface Reduction (ASR): Controls applications, scripts, and devices to minimize exploitable vulnerabilities.
- Threat Hunting and Investigation: Supports automated threat hunting and correlates alerts into actionable incidents.
- Operational Efficiency Through Automation: Automates investigation steps and minimizes manual workloads, allowing teams to respond faster with fewer resources.
- Reporting and Analytics: Provides dashboards, logs, and metrics to help evaluate security posture and support compliance.
While EDR gives organizations the tools to detect and respond to endpoint threats, maximizing its effectiveness requires expertise and continuous oversight. Managed EDR combines the power of EDR with expert monitoring, threat hunting, and automated response, helping organizations strengthen their endpoint protection and reduce risk from advanced cyberattacks.
What Are the Benefits of Managed EDR?
While EDR tools provide the essential features for detecting and responding to threats, effectively using them requires continuous monitoring, expertise, and timely action. Managed EDR services help organizations that lack security staff or 24/7 monitoring resources by monitoring alerts, investigating incidents, and executing responses on your behalf.
With Managed EDR, you get benefits including:
- 24/7 Monitoring, Threat Detection, and Analysis
Security analysts continuously track endpoint activity, identify suspicious behavior in real-time, and provide actionable insights and reporting to reduce risk and strengthen the security posture - Proactive Threat Hunting
Analysts uncover emerging or hidden threats before they cause damage, leveraging insights from activity across all customer environments to identify patterns and stop attacks earlier. - Rapid Incident Response
Threats can be quickly contained and remediated by isolating endpoints, stopping malicious processes, or rolling back changes, thereby minimizing impact and preventing lateral movement. - Reduced Operational Burden
Day-to-day monitoring and alert triage are taken off internal teams’ plates, cutting alert fatigue and allowing staff to focus on high-priority alerts and strategic security initiatives.
How do I Choose an Endpoint Security Solution?
Choosing the right endpoint security solution goes beyond marketing claims and buzzwords. Many vendors claim to offer EDR, but it’s critical to understand what a true EDR solution delivers. Here are key factors to consider when evaluating your options:
- Look for Comprehensive Protection
Ensure the platform defends against known and unknown threats, including ransomware, zero-day exploits, and fileless attacks, combining prevention, behavioral detection, and automated response. - Ensure Continuous Visibility and Control
Select a product that offers real-time monitoring across endpoints and networks, allowing teams to identify and investigate suspicious activity before attackers can cause damage. - Assess Attack Surface Reduction Capabilities
Look for features like access controls, script management, and application lockdown that reduce opportunities for compromise and proactively prevent attacks. - Prioritize Automation and Intelligence
Prioritize tools with AI-driven detection and automated workflows that reduce false positives, accelerate response, and streamline security operations to maximize team efficiency. - Consider Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Support
Even strong platforms benefit from expert oversight. MDR adds 24/7 monitoring, proactive threat hunting, and rapid incident response to strengthen protection while reducing internal workload.
Modern endpoint security requires more than prevention; it demands visibility, automation, and continuous protection. By evaluating solutions critically, businesses can ensure their endpoints are fully protected.