How Secure Web Gateways Fared in AV-TEST Benchmark

files and the full URLs, enabling more granular inspection and control.  For secure web gateway testing, the products achieved the following blocking and false positive rates (ordered by best detection rate):

DNS-Layer Protection Test

DNS-layer protection uses the internet’s infrastructure to block malicious and unwanted domains, IP addresses and cloud applications before a connection is ever established as part of recursive DNS resolution. DNS-layer protection stops malware earlier and prevents callbacks to attackers if infected machines connect to your network. DNS-layer protection with selective cloud proxy redirects only risky domain requests for deeper inspection of their web content, and does so transparently through the DNS response. For the DNS-layer protection testing, the products achieved the following blocking and false positive rates (ordered by best detection rate):

Note: Netskope, Palo Alto Networks and Zscaler do not have comparable DNS-layer protection offerings that add security to the recursive DNS process and policies that can be configured with a secure web gateway (or parallel offering).

Key Takeaways

In both test scenarios, Cisco Umbrella outperformed offerings from other vendors. In the secure web gateway test, Cisco Umbrella’s secure web gateway functionality (layered with DNS security) performed best and demonstrated a higher threat detection and lower false positive rate than other solutions. In the DNS-layer protection test, Cisco Umbrella functionality clearly outperformed competitors in malware and phishing protection as well as in false positive avoidance.

In some cases, DNS-layer protection is sufficient because it’s fast to deploy and provides a good base layer of security. Since many potential attacks can be blocked efficiently at the DNS-layer before a connection is even established, securing at this initial stage is vital to securing your business. When a connection is blocked at the DNS-layer, the attack stops there, which reduces the security burden on your security teams and security tools. Other cases require a secure web gateway for a deeper set of controls and a stronger level of protection. Sending all traffic to a full proxy gateway significantly improves overall security posture. As seen in the results, combining secure web gateway with DNS-layer security provides the highest level of security efficacy.

Efficacy Matters

The shift toward workforce distribution has accelerated the need to protect users anywhere–at home, on the go, on vacation, at a campus office and on any device. A recent Cisco survey found that 61% of organizations globally have experienced a jump of 25% or more in cyber threats or alerts since the start of the pandemic. It only takes one malicious threat to compromise your business. If your security is not effective, your business is not protected. Don’t settle for second-rate security. Cisco Umbrella, the gold standard in security efficacy, can help you ensure a worry-free, secure and effective defense with low latency.

For more information on specific configurations and detailed test results, click to read the full report by AV-TEST.

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