CDR is an emerging technology in cybersecurity. CDR stands for “Content Disarm & Reconstruction”. It ensures that malicious content (such as macros, embedded objects and actions) is removed from files. All this happens without affecting the usability and appearance of the file. The user himself does not even notice it. The purpose of CDR is the same as that of antivirus, which is to prevent files with malware from causing damage. It does work in a different way. Unlike antivirus, there is no preventive scan for the presence of known malware, instead proactively immediately removes all potentially malicious content from the file.
Here are three reasons why CDR is the future of cybersecurity:
1. Antivirus does not cover all cyber attacks
Advanced threats are constantly evolving. Research shows that an average of 10 million new malware threats are registered per month. Many common cybersecurity technologies, such as anti-malware and antivirus solutions, can only detect known threats and cannot detect or protect corporate networks from covert or zero-day attacks, meaning a vulnerability has been discovered but no patch has been developed for it. In fact, 80% of successful breaches are new or unknown zero-day attacks that are not recognized by traditional signature-based detection solutions.
2. Human error is a major risk
The vast majority of data breaches are caused by human error. Despite all the awareness training of organizations, employees still often fall for the tricks of cybercriminals. Employees who go wrong and accidentally click on the wrong link with all the consequences that entails can also experience mental problems as a result. The burden of cybersecurity shouldn’t be entirely on employees. CDR allows employees to focus more on their own work.
3. Cybercrime is increasing and costs are increasing
The increasing use and dependence on data by both companies and individuals entails a proportional increase in cyber attacks. Cyber attacks are not only increasing in quantity, but also in quality. Cyber attacks are becoming increasingly complex and difficult for traditional security systems to find (in time). The file types that are abused are based on standards that have not changed for a long time, which gives cybercriminals more options to look for vulnerabilities in them. Because of the way CDR works, that complexity doesn’t matter, files are completely cleaned. The consequences of a malware attack are significant. Many businesses experience data loss, service interruption and damage to the reputation of the company or organization and loss of revenue. By 2022, the cost of cybercrime will increase by 40%, estimated to reach approximately $11.5 trillion by 2023. A company where a malware attack has successfully taken place incurs an average of $ 2.6 million in damage.
Finally, CDR is part of a good cyber defense system. It is not a complete replacement for other cybersecurity measures, but a (necessary) addition.
