CrowdStrike Outage Updates , Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP) , Endpoint Security

Weingarten on What Makes SentinelOne's Defense Different

The global IT outage in July caused by a faulty CrowdStrike software update has prompted many security practitioners to take a closer look at the practices of their security vendors. SentinelOne's minimal reliance on the kernel, reduced dependency on cloud connectivity and use of behavioral AI for threat detection offer a security edge over CrowdStrike, said CEO Tomer Weingarten.

See Also: OnDemand | Stay Ready So You Don't Need to Get Ready: Strategies To Get Ahead of Threats & Drive a Proactive Posture

The Silicon Valley-based firm's reduced reliance on kernel operations and cloud connectivity minimize the risk of system disruptions and enhance security by limiting the attack surface, Weingarten said. In addition, SentinelOne's use of behavioral AI embedded in the endpoint allows for efficient threat detection without frequent updates, which Weingarten contrasted with competitors such as CrowdStrike (see: CrowdStrike Debuts Safeguards, Seeks to Blunt Outage Impact)

"What we do in the kernel is basically passive monitoring plus anti-tempering capabilities," Weingarten said. "Everything else is actually happening outside the kernel. And the reason for that is quite simple. Every small mistake that's happening at the kernel level results in a blue screen of death. It results in significant disruption to the machine. So, obviously, you would want to minimize the amount of operation that happens at that level of compute."

In this video interview with Information Security Media Group, Weingarten also discussed:

• The introduction of Purple AI and benefits for threat hunting;
• The acquisition of PingSafe and its impact on cloud security;
• The purchase of advisory and consulting services firm Krebs Stamos.

Prior to founding SentinelOne in January 2013, Weingarten served as vice president of products at Toluna Holdings, which delivers real-time customer insights. Weingarten previously co-founded Carambola Media, a publisher-focused platform that creates new ad revenue streams through content formats. He also spent two years at Mckit Systems, a provider of information and knowledge management systems.