2023 In Product: 5 Major Moments

The cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving, with new threats emerging every day. In 2023, Abnormal continued to innovate and grow to outpace attackers, releasing several new products and features to help our customers stay ahead of the curve. From our new QR code detector to advances in Security Posture Management, Email Productivity, and beyond, our AI-powered threat intelligence provides our customers with the tools to protect their organizations from the latest threats while increasing security team productivity.

These new offerings deliver enhanced protection against sophisticated and novel threats and help to improve overall security posture across the email platform and cloud ecosystem. Here, we'll take a closer look at these major moments and dig into exactly how they help our customers achieve their security goals.

Abnormal’s QR code detector is a powerful new tool that helps protect users from malicious QR codes embedded in emails. QR codes have become ubiquitous—from restaurant menus to billboards—meaning the general public is more comfortable scanning an unknown code these days than in years past. Attackers have taken notice, using QR codes in phishing emails for nefarious ends. Cybercriminals can use QR codes to redirect users to malicious websites, steal sensitive information, or even infect devices with malware.

The QR code detector can help organizations protect themselves from these threats by detecting malicious QR codes in emails. The detector uses advanced machine learning algorithms to identify suspicious QR codes, and it can be easily integrated into an organization's existing email security infrastructure.

In 2023, Abnormal also launched Email Productivity for Google Workspace (EPR)— giving Google users enhanced control over their inboxes by filtering out time-wasting emails in an adaptive manner. Unlike traditional email filters that rely on static rules and keywords, EPR for Google Workspace leverages advanced machine learning algorithms to intelligently identify and categorize emails based on individual user preferences and behavior.

With EPR, Google users can bid farewell to the constant bombardment of irrelevant and distracting emails that disrupt their productivity. The product seamlessly integrates with Google Workspace, analyzing incoming emails in real time and automatically sorting out graymail. This allows users to focus on emails that truly matter, enhancing their overall productivity and efficiency.

Abnormal's integration with CrowdStrike is a powerful two-way partnership that provides customers with comprehensive threat detection and response. The Abnormal platform uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to identify and block malicious emails, while CrowdStrike's Falcon platform provides endpoint protection and threat intelligence. When these two solutions are integrated, customers gain unparalleled visibility into potential risks and the ability to respond swiftly and effectively.

One of the key benefits of the Abnormal Security and CrowdStrike integration is the ability to easily import CrowdStrike indicators into Abnormal to detect and investigate threats. This integration allows customers to leverage the strengths of both solutions, ensuring that they are comprehensively protected against the latest threats.

Over time, app permissions, user privileges, and email tenant policies can drift—leaving security gaps that must be addressed before they can be exploited by attackers. (Worse yet, changes to user privileges may even be an indication of an attack in progress.) Abnormal’s Email Security Posture Management (SPM) protects beyond the inbox, by monitoring configuration and permission changes in the email platform.

With Email Security Posture Management, customers get a unified view of changes to these various configurations—from an unknown application being granted OAuth access via a possible consent phishing attack to a user suddenly becoming a Microsoft admin to a mail tenant’s conditional access policy being changed. By surfacing these high-impact changes, Abnormal customers can take immediate action when a change appears to be suspicious or invites excess risk. Through integration with Abnormal’s Account Takeover Protection solution, many of these events are surfaced in Abnormal Cases, aiding investigation by highlighting actions taken by a compromised user.

As the communication landscape expands, threat actors follow in kind, reaching their tentacles into the integrated collaboration apps users frequent to stay connected with teammates and share sensitive company data. Organizations need to effectively address the threats facing not only email, but all of the communication and collaboration applications that supplement the cloud email platform. This requires more comprehensive security platforms that can protect users across the entire ecosystem, rather than point solutions built for each individual application.

With the release of Email-Like Account Takeover and Email-Like Security Posture Management, Abnormal delivers a platform to help customers protect the entire communication landscape. Abnormal ensures security teams can detect and stop the most sophisticated attacks by delivering greater visibility and context into potential account compromise and surfacing changes to key user privilege changes across not only email but common collaboration applications like Slack and Zoom.

Needless to say, 2023 was a year of significant strides for Abnormal and our customers. Each product addition and feature release reflects our dedication to providing cutting-edge solutions, empowering our customers to navigate the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape with confidence. As we move forward, the commitment to innovation and customer security remains at the forefront of our mission. Here's to a future where cybersecurity is not just a defense but a strategic advantage in the face of emerging threats.

Interested in learning more about how Abnormal can protect your organization from new and emerging threats? Schedule a demo today!