Proofpoint Launches Closed-Loop Email Analysis and Response (CLEAR) Solution

The Sunnyvale, CA-based cybersecurity firm Proofpoint has announced it has launched a new Closed-Loop Email Analysis and Response (CLEAR) solution that can significantly reduce the time it takes to triage email-based threats.

The solution uses a complete closed-loop approach to automatically analyze suspicious emails reported by end users to security teams, identify real threats from false positives, and help security teams remediate threats.

Proofpoint CLEAR is the first joint solution developed by Proofpoint and Wombat Security Technologies since the anti-phishing vendor was acquired in Q1, 2018.

Even advanced technological defenses against phishing attacks are incapable of blocking all email threats. It is therefore inevitable that some malicious messages will be delivered to end users’ inboxes. Consequently, it is now vital for companies to provide security awareness training to employees to help them recognize and report email threats to their security teams.

Employees often err on the side of caution and report many benign emails to their security teams along with real threats. Sorting through those reported emails to find the real threats can take a considerable amount of time.  Security teams are often short staffed and pressed for time, so any solution that can automate time-consuming tasks such as phishing threat identification and mitigation is extremely beneficial. According to Proofpoint, the CLEAR system reduces the time from reporting threats to remediation from days to minutes.

Using the PhishAlarm email add-on, employees can report suspicious emails to their security teams with a single click rather than having to manually forward messages. As a result, employees are more likely to report suspicious emails quickly. It is at this point that Proofpoint CLEAR gets to work.

The solution incorporates Proofpoint’s leading threat intelligence alongside multiple intelligence and reputation systems, which are used to automatically assess the reported emails. The solution removes emails sent from whitelisted email addresses and phishing simulation platforms, and automatically determines whether an email poses a real threat. The real threats are then reported to the security team and can then be deleted or quarantined with a single click.

“Proofpoint CLEAR boosts the visibility of phishing campaigns and automatically processes employee-reported malicious messages, underscoring the positive and direct impact that informed employees can have on improving the security posture of an organization,” said Joe Ferrara, general manager of the Wombat Security division of Proofpoint.

Proofpoint CLEAR also incorporates data on the individuals who have fallen for simulated phishing emails and includes an auditable history of actions taken during the remediation process to provide a comprehensive review of organizations’ responsiveness to phishing attacks.

Author: Richard Anderson

Richard Anderson is the Editor-in-Chief of NetSec.news