Proofpoint CEO on Thwarting Post-Compromise Lateral Movement

See Also: Live Webinar | Navigating the Difficulties of Patching OT

The acquisition of Illusive in December will help Proofpoint both block identity attack paths when a user is compromised and identify the specific attacks an adversary plans to use via deception technology. Willy says Illusive remains undefeated across 150 different red-teaming attacks. Adding that signal to the ones Proofpoint already has will help customers spot attacker techniques inside their own four walls, he says (see: Proofpoint to Buy Deception Firm Illusive, Boost Offerings).

“We do some very extensive analysis when we make acquisitions, and Illusive’s tech stack is an excellent tech stack,” Willy says. “When you do proof of concepts against other players, we’ve seen a high win rate. We’ve talked to a lot of large customers who use Illusive and said that they’ve done detailed bake-offs. As a product itself, Illusive works very well independently on its own.”

In this video interview with Information Security Media Group, Willy also discusses:

• Why it’s so important to have visibility into compromised supplier accounts;
• What sets Proofpoint’s approach to supply chain security apart from rivals;
• How Proofpoint deals with being both a partner and competitor of Microsoft.

Willy has led Proofpoint since March 2022. He directs a global workforce of more than 4,000 employees focused on defending organizations from advanced threats and compliance risks by protecting their people. He has more than 25 years of leadership experience in sales, channel development, engineering, product management, customer success and worldwide go-to-market strategy across global markets. Prior to joining Proofpoint in December 2016, Willy led teams at Cisco, Webex, Juniper and Polycom.