Is Cylance Antivirus Worth All the Talk?

A product of Cylance Inc, the antivirus was created based on artificial intelligence, using AI-based mechanisms to identify threats as opposed to the traditional file signature. Saying that the Cylance antivirus stands out from the crowd is an understatement, and the fact that blackberry acquired the company for a whopping $1.4 billion just shows what kind of antivirus it is.

You must be aware of the impressive software that is the Cylance antivirus, and if not, you have just landed on one of the best antiviruses in the market.

Stick around, and let us give you an all-around review of the Cylance antivirus review, looking at the antivirus’s strengths and pitfalls.

What We Like

Quick installation
Machine learning
Cloud-based technology
Efficient security
Automatic updates

What We Don’t Like

Upgrades at times problematic

How the Cylance Antivirus Works

Navigate to the Cylance website and first create an account first, you will have to create an account online on the Cylance website. After making the appropriate payments, you can download your installer for the antivirus for the PC or MAC. You will have first to select the appropriate plan, after which you will get a token to help you activate the product.

It is easy and fast, and you are ready to start using the antivirus.

You can now log into your Cylance account and start exploring. Most of the software’s functions will be found on the web console.

The antivirus uses a cloud service, meaning it is quite lightweight and, in turn, easy and fast to install. It will take less than 200MB of space on your device.

Another thing that adds to the lightweight and efficiency of the security provided by Cylance is the lack of resource logging. The antivirus is a strict antivirus only app.

This means it will not come with what other tops of the line antiviruses come with, including a file shredder, banking protection, password managers, and spam blocking.

The initial aim of the developers was to create an antivirus that would require minimal interaction with the user, run in the background, and at the same time, provides efficient security for your device. Cylance does not need a lot of configuration or tweaking to have it working right, as it does not come with any requirements for such.

The antivirus also comes with the option of sending a message via an email in the form of a token to any person you would want to download and install the software.

Oddly, however, the antivirus does not come with an interface rather, click on the software’s notification area icon. You have the chance to view a couple of events and another for potential threats.

How the antivirus works are although it lacks a traditional interface, it will immediately start running in the background after you activate it. Cylance will run in both the background and notification area, as this is how it will inform you of any necessary issues and actions taken.

By right-clicking on the icon and selecting an item from the content menu, you can disable it.

However, the interface does not look like anything you’re used to and will need some familiarizing first before you are completely comfortable with it. It can be found online on the website.

Due to the constant evolution of malware, antiviruses had to move from the original idea of scanning files and either fixing or deleting them to something more attuned to newly evolved threats.

New methods of malware detection have come to the market, including heuristic analysis, sandboxing techniques, and behavioral analysis. With Cylance antivirus, it can be considered the latest antivirus software evolution, as it uses both machine learning and Ai technology to get and remove viruses.

Machine learning is especially amazing, as it means the antivirus will not be fooled twice. Once it discovers a new way for malware to enter your system, it educates itself and comes up with effective ways of countering such intrusions. Combined with AI, it means the antivirus is somewhat self-evolving dependent on the situation presented to it.

This makes the Cylance antivirus truly impressive, as you don’t have to be worried about such issues as zero-day threats, which have been a way for hackers to get into well-protected systems and hack their information.

Cylance Antivirus Review 2020: Cylance Performance on Industry Tests

Although the antivirus has become hugely popular, it is a first for the parent company that it has not undergone enough tests, nor does it have a history of results based on industry-standard tests.

The antivirus also comes with quite the unique detection methodology not yet incorporated into most of the testing techniques currently in play.

The company, however, did commission an AV test, which showed the product as effective; however, a few competitors in the market contested the method used to test the antivirus.

When it comes to SE lab tests, the Cylance antivirus was also not a part of their tests; however, the company did commission a test meant to show the antiviruses predictive detection capabilities. They went about the tests by installing an un-updated version of the antivirus three years ago.

The antivirus was subjected to threats, including WannaCry, BadRabbit, and Petya. This malware was released to the antivirus at different times, which allowed a predictive metric to be created. The results showed that the antivirus AI detection system was up to the task. The report showed that the Cylance antivirus was able to detect malware two years after creating the machine-learning model even when un-updated.

When it came to tests based on the NSS labs, a fortune 500-based test predicts which security software the companies will go for based on the strength of their security. In these tests, Cylance did pretty well, especially in the Advanced Endpoint Protection test.

The NSS lab tests concluded that out of twenty antiviruses tested, Cylance was among the best in terms of both security and ricing.

It is great to see such results across the testing board, which guarantees that the Cylance antivirus is impressive.

Testing the AI on the Cylance Antivirus

As previously stated, this is the only antivirus to make use of AI. By introducing the antivirus to several rootkits and malware types plus an EICAR test file on a virtual machine, the strength of the AI was taken for a test ride.

As soon as the malware types were introduced to the antivirus, they immediately appeared on the antivirus online panel.

In the case of zero-day threats, where the antivirus was introduced to simulated malware with root rights, the antivirus noticed suspicious activity and immediately moved to block them, showing the antivirus’s strength and how much of an endpoint-based antivirus.

Independent Lab Tests

As the antivirus is still new in the market, there is little data to show how the antivirus performed on independent lab tests. However, this does not mean that independent labs have not carried out some tests on the antivirus.

The Cylance antivirus has seen some independent tests to ascertain the strength of the AI system found on the antivirus. The test’s main aim was to see the effectiveness of the AI tech and machine learning as opposed to the main ways of protection sported by most antivirus companies.

The results showed that the AI system in the Cylance antivirus protected the system up to 90% of threats thrown to it. There were a couple of false positives; however, the general outcome was that the antivirus was impressive.

The antivirus that incorporates machine learning also means that the antivirus will improve overtime, as the antivirus will use the information it gathers to increase its effectiveness and response precision.

Cylance for Home Use – Cylance Pricing

Cylance came in as a company more focused on business endpoint protection. It has been around since 2012, and at some point, it was brought to normal consumers at an affordable price.

The antivirus comes in three different pans, each with a different number of licenses.

The single license Cylance antivirus will cost you $29 annually, while other popular products such as Bitdefender will run up the cost to around $39 annually.

The other plan is the household tier, which will allow the user up to 5 licenses meaning the protection of five machines. This you can get at the cost of $39.99 annually for both windows and mac.

The third plan for the antivirus is the ten device family pack, which can be bought at $49.9 annually.

Compared to their antiviruses, the Cylance antivirus is quite affordable. It will save you a couple of bucks and provide that high-end level of protection and security for your computer and computer systems.

Cylance Security

The Cylance antivirus was created with security in mind. It is why the developers made it their prime position to focus on the effectiveness of the security through a lightweight and small antivirus without all the features of a common antivirus, but a security system like no other.

Malware Protection

Certain tests are relied on to measure the strength of an antivirus in the case of malware. These tests include the AV-Comparative tests and the AV-Tests. Cylance, on its part, has not been tested in any major labs since 2015, so it may be a bit hard to tell.

However, on a small-scale test, where the antivirus was introduced to20 virus samples, it was able to detect all the twenty! There was, however, one false positive report. Oddly enough, the false positive that was registered earlier was a harmless file that did not pose any threat to the computer system.

Thanks to the AI and machine learning capabilities that come with the antivirus, the security is adaptable. It will catch more viruses with the chance to evolve and add new threats to its directory.

With most of the behavioral detection software, there is a chance to quarantine a file if it happens to be in the same location as an infected file. Cylance on its part although it did exhibit a false positive, it was one of the rare times it did with the numerous tests it did.

Ransomware Protection

The modern world has become more dependent on the net for virtually all aspects of their lives. This has led to the creation of ransomware hackers who will target sensitive information and encrypt it. To get it back, you will have to pay a significant amount to get your data decrypted.

These attacks have been seen on huge companies, where significant data losses have resulted in huge data losses and payouts.

Currently, ransomware protection is a prime feature of antiviruses, as hackers have evolved to target small businesses and individuals.

The Cylance antivirus does a great job of dealing with ransomware, detecting, and deleting affected files.

It functions quite differently from its counterparts, making it quite hard to measure its functionalities against competition; however, its effectiveness was impressive.

The fact that the antivirus works in the background is a bonus, as you will hardly notice it.

Phishing Protection

Currently, one of the most common ways for you to get malware into your computer or get other kinds of online attacks is through phishing websites. You will get conned out of your details and financial information. As a business organization, you will find yourself losing huge sums of money paid to fake sites that represent legitimate organizations.

Phishing sites are a huge concern, and almost every internet user has fallen for it one way or another, with those that get malware in the form of ads being the least affected.

The antivirus showed great efficiency when working with data without the need for extra software like password managers.

Most of the time, users are lured to phishing sites through false or fake information and are asked to provide certain data of interest to the hacker. Most of the time, phishing links will mimic the original.

The Cylance antivirus will motor your online activities while in the background, and assess any downloads you introduce to the computer.

Online Dashboard

The antivirus comes with an online dashboard, where users can interact with the antivirus. Because it only has a notification option on the desktop, it comes as quite a relief for users who want to interact with the antivirus.

On navigating through the online dashboard, you will get access to a couple of options, including a list of all devices that are associated with the account. You can access technical information associated with each device once you navigate to it.

In case you want to release files from the quarantine folder, you will have to go to the system path, and undo the quarantined file extension. You can then move the files back to their original positions.

Ease of Use

Where else will you get an antivirus that will only need installation without the need for further interaction?

This antivirus will work in the background and have the least impact on your processor, and the least need for supervision.

The Cylance antivirus will provide an ease of use to a level you will forget you have on your computer.

What Cylance Lacks

The antivirus lacks most of what other antiviruses have in terms of features. Although it is efficient when it comes to security, some added features will not harm. Most other antiviruses come with significant additions that make them even more attractive to potential clients.

Such things as VPN, parent control, and virtual keyboards that help prevent against key loggers are vital additions that would make the Cylance antivirus stand out even further from its competition. The fact that one has to purchase a VPN service aside from the antivirus is an added disadvantage.

The Cylance antivirus will not sufficiently protect you against malware URL. This is because hackers can change the IP and URL constantly, leaving antiviruses chasing ghosts. However, this does not mean that the antivirus will not check for ransomware and provide sufficient protection from such; however, it shows that you may be left vulnerable to certain attacks as phishing sites.

The antivirus tested exceptionally for both the phishing and ransomware attacks, showing it does perform well on both fronts. Lack of malware carrying URL protection just means that URL malware is a weak spot for the antivirus, and hackers can challenge.

Also, the antivirus lacks a dashboard that may be unappealing to some users, as people prefer adding their little tweaks on everything, and lacking the opportunity for this may result in reduced purchases. You cannot press a scan button to get the antivirus started, as it is completely automatic. It also does not have local settings except for turning the notifications on or off.

In addition to this, the online version of the interface is quite complicated to work with, coming with several instructions for performing simple tasks such as removing files from quarantine. This makes the antivirus quite easy and hard to work with at the same time! Those into fully automatic features will have an easy time, while those looking for an interaction with the antivirus will not be as lucky.

However, the company in creating the antivirus had an idea for almost automatic software that will not require user interference to work at its best capacity. This is an advantage for novice computer users, as it prevents all the hassle associated with setting up the antivirus to its prime performance conditions and the constant interactions and scheduling that comes with other antiviruses.

Another thing the antivirus lacks is the layers of security other antiviruses provide. Most antiviruses will come with additional features such as Wi-Fi scanners and keyloggers protections things that don’t come with the Cylance antivirus.

The antivirus also lacks a free plan as part of its payment plans, meaning you only have the option of purchase. However, it has a thirty-day money-back guarantee, giving you enough time to think about whether you want the antivirus.

Does The Antivirus Do The Job?

The antivirus does the job, and although the way it is made lacks all the layers of protection associated with your top antiviruses such as Bitdefender (review), its security system is one for the books!

In all the tests, it was introduced to it performed well, and that is something being that it is relatively new compared to its competitors.

If you are looking for an automatic antivirus that will require your input list, plus will not bombard you with notifications, then the Cylance antivirus is the one for you. Its light features and security mechanisms make it worthwhile software for both beginners and expert users.

However, you may choose to look for other antiviruses if what you are looking for is more user interaction and features. Other companies like Kaspersky will give you several features that may add to some functionality above security.

Customer Support

The antivirus comes with a capable support team that will provide you with advice and tips 24 hours a day. The company has also invested in a couple of avenues for reaching out to them, including ticket support, email support, and phone support

Here you can get a ticket that can be used to access some help from the support team. This can be done through email, phone support, where you will wait for your turn and contact them according to when your ticket stipulates.

The antivirus does not support live chat support, which is an added negative, as it means you have to go through a phone or email. You will have to wait to be served as opposed to living chat capabilities.

It is also easier to explain a problem on live chat as the tech support team can be shown exactly what you are talking about by showing the camera to the screen.

However, the antivirus also comes with an impressive online library, where they have useful information that may go a long way in solving a user’s problem. The library is user friendly and easy to navigate, meaning that users can solve their problems without much support.

Conclusion

If you are looking for that cutting AI revolution, the Cylance antivirus is the one for you. However, the internet comes with a huge number of antiviruses, and experimenting with most of them can be the best way to go. However, what Cylance offers is unique compared to its competitors, from a lightweight software and new security type of system where you use machine learning and AI technology.

Most of the competition will use other kinds of security, such as sandboxing; however, they will offer much more in terms of features, although at a higher price than Cylance.

It is important to know what you want to be able to make the distinction, plus the Cylance antivirus will give you a thirty-day money-back guarantee, enough time to make up your mind about the antivirus.