Proofpoint announces new risk profile and training customisation features

Cybersecurity and compliance company Proofpoint has announced two people-centric features that enhance how organisations protect their most attacked people from malicious URLs, while increasing the effectiveness of security awareness training content.

In an industry-first, Proofpoint's newly announced adaptive security controls can dynamically isolate URL clicks in corporate email and cloud collaboration URLs based on the risk profile of the recipient, as well as the riskiness of the URL itself.

These security controls are integrated with Proofpoint's award-winning Targeted Attack Protection (TAP) intelligence.

Also announced today are new Proofpoint security awareness training customisation features that enable security teams to more effectively educate end-users and change behaviour by tailoring their interactive training modules based on Learning Science Principles and training best practices.

Proofpoint cybersecurity strategy executive vice president Ryan Kalember says, "Cybercriminals relentlessly target the people who will provide the most lucrative payout, and that's why we are committed to delivering innovative people-centric security and training solutions that ensure an organisation's most attacked people are protected.

"Targeted email attacks with malicious links continue to dominate the threat landscape, with malicious links outnumbering malicious attachments more than five to one.

"Proofpoint can isolate URLs based on a user's risk profile, allowing security teams to leverage the power of isolation where it's most needed, while still delivering a good end-user experience."

These people-centric innovations are featured in both Proofpoint Email Isolation, which isolates both links in corporate email and personal webmail, and Proofpoint Browser Isolation, which isolates risky browsing behaviour on corporate devices for all websites.

Both products leverage Proofpoint Isolation technology, which fetches content and executes it within Proofpoint's cloud, while allowing the user to view a safely mirrored image of the site, assuming zero trust of all content.

Each solution also enables isolated use of cloud collaboration tools such as Dropbox and Microsoft SharePoint to help dramatically lower an organisation's attack surface.

Both Proofpoint Browser Isolation and Email Isolation integrate Proofpoint Targeted Attack Protection intelligence to help security teams detect, mitigate, and block advanced threats that target users through email.

In addition to blocking attacks that leverage malicious attachments and URLs, TAP also detects threats and risks in cloud applications.

The Proofpoint Attack Index within TAP provides organisations with visibility into their most targeted users based on four factors: threat actor sophistication, spread and focus of attack targeting, type of attack, and overall attack volume.

In addition to URL isolation innovation, Proofpoint has also released people-centric enhancements to its Security Education Platform.

These features allow security teams to more effectively educate end users and change behaviour by personalising their training with customised content.

Guided by a Learning Science Evaluator, each module in the self-service Proofpoint Customisation Centre can be customised to meet the specific needs of individual departments, roles, and regions.

Administrators can now alter training module text, including quiz questions and text across all supported locales.

All edited content is automatically reviewed by the Learning Science Evaluator, which digitally assesses content alterations and alerts administrators when training does not follow principles designed for maximum learning retention.

This solution enables customers to quickly and easily modify and assign content.

Proofpoint's on-demand customisation functionality is available at no additional charge to Security Education Platform customers across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.