BlackBerry delivers user behaviour AI for cyber security

Built on the BlackBerry Spark Platform, BlackBerry Persona Desktop is the first cybers ecurity solution to leverage biometric and behaviour-based machine learning models to create a real time trust score for laptop and desktop users.

With BlackBerry Persona Desktop, all actions are executed within the endpoint itself so there is no need to share data back to the cloud, meaning Persona is able to respond faster than other traditional solutions, and is the only solution available that offers protection within minutes of a compromise. BlackBerry Persona addresses these previously 'unsolvable' security challenges:

• Stolen Credentials - Persona protects an organisation when an employee’s credentials have been compromised. Persona is able to analyse a user’s interaction with their device and determine security risk. If the user exceeds the risk threshold, alerts are sent to the cloud and automated mitigation actions, such as prompting for second factor authentication, are taken.
• Insider Threats - Persona protects an organisation from rogue employees by continuously analysing their behaviour and determining if their actions seem malicious. If an employee’s usage patterns deviate from their usual behaviour, Persona will identify and flag the risk. Alerts and proactive actions will be taken, based on administrator-defined policy.
• Physical Compromises - Persona protects employees and organisations against attacks where the device has been physically compromised and/or stolen. If unauthorised users gain access to the endpoint, its biometric capabilities (e.g. keystroke, mouse) can sense a different user and send alerts or lock the device. Unlike other solutions, these actions happen automatically at the endpoint and don’t require network connection or interaction with the cloud.

“For organisations that are adopting a Zero Trust model, BlackBerry Persona removes the friction of unnecessary re-authentication by continuously verifying a user’s identity after log-in,” said Frank Cotter, Senior Vice President of Product Management at BlackBerry.

“With continuous authentication, BlackBerry Persona uses behaviour analysis to recognise software usage patterns and determine what behaviour is high or low risk in real time. We are committed to developing innovative ways to keep our customers safe and secure and are proud to be the first to bring a solution like Persona Desktop to market.”

“It has long been a puzzle why we place sophisticated endpoint security platforms on devices but allowed a simple username and password to easily bypass that protection,” said Frank Dickson, Program Vice President, Cybersecurity Products at IDC. “We have long advocated for embedded user authentication while not impacting user experience, applying modern technology to continually validate a user. Building authentication into the endpoint places a strong cybersecurity control at a critical control point; it’s a no brainer!”

BlackBerry Persona Desktop is available as part of BlackBerry Cyber Suite, a new unique offering combining EndPoint Protection (EPP), Mobile Threat Defense (MTD), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), and User and Entity Behaviour Analytics (UEBA) products in a single package.