With no cyber security solution able to consistently block 100% of all threats, a new Microsoft and KnowBe4 integration is enhancing defence in depth efficacy to further reduce e-mail-borne risks.
Speaking during a webinar hosted by KnowBe4 and Microsoft, in partnership with ITWeb, Stuart Clark, Vice-President of Product Strategy at KnowBe4, and Murali Natarajan, Principal Product Manager at Microsoft, outlined the integration.
They explained that Microsoft Defender ICES (Integrated Cloud Email Security) and KnowBe4 have partnered to create a unified security strategy that combines Microsoft's e-mail security infrastructure with KnowBe4's human risk management expertise.
Clark said: “The future of cyber security is about combining complementary capabilities, leveraging the best technology from whatever vendor you have chosen to meet your needs. This ensures you can maximise your investments and achieve defence in depth. Defence in depth matters because additional layers reduce the risk of threats reaching the user’s inbox. But technology alone can’t stop all threats, so at the final layer, we improve users’ ability to identify threats at the last layer, with human risk management and training.”
He said KnowBe4 was selected as an official launch vendor to participate in the new Microsoft Defender ICES ecosystem.
The integration brings together KnowBe4 Defend and Microsoft Defender for Office 365 into a unified platform that offers enhanced threat detection, improved user security and streamlined management. Microsoft's unified quarantine approach consolidates quarantined e-mails from both Microsoft Defender and KnowBe4 Defend into a single, familiar management console so that SOC analysts can search, preview, release and remediate e-mails from multiple detection sources without switching between platforms. They can apply consistent policies and retention rules across all quarantined messages, regardless of which system initially detected the threat.
Clark noted: “KnowBe4 Defend is an AI-powered threat detection tool that detects advanced e-mail attacks and also has the ability to engage and educate users. It reduces admin overheads, reinforces SAT programmes and helps to streamline data silos. Defend inspects all aspects of an e-mail – including where it comes from, the content, neurolinguistics and then empowers employees to become cyber security advocates by explaining why a particular e-mail could be considered a threat.”
Natarajan said: “Challenges with traditional e-mail and collaboration security solutions include inefficient tooling and manual processes that slow down SecOps teams, and the fact that many are reactive instead of proactive, with fragmented defence mechanisms. These challenges highlight the need for a streamlined, unified and adaptive approach to e-mail security that delivers a robust and adaptive response to a dynamic threat landscape. Microsoft Defender proactively disrupts attacks, empowers SecOps teams and drastically reduces response times. It differentiates itself with seamless integration with Microsoft’s XDR portfolio, and empowers end-users with attack simulation training. The integration with KnowBe4 gives organisations access to specialised capabilities and a unified defence experience to enable defence in depth.”
They highlighted that KnowBe4 Defend's specialised human risk intelligence and advanced behavioural analytics complement Microsoft's AI-driven threat detection to provide a cohesive defence fabric that is particularly effective against sophisticated social engineering attacks that might bypass traditional technical controls.
Share