Venak Security has published its Q4 2026 Zero-Day AV/EDR Evaluation, introducing a structured, transparent approach to assessing how leading endpoint security products detect, respond to, and prevent emerging cyber threats.
As artificial intelligence reshapes the threat landscape, security products face an increasingly important challenge: defending against malware that can be rapidly generated and adapted. To examine how effectively endpoint protection platforms handle these emerging threats, Venak Security conducted its evaluation using samples generated through its AI Malware Simulator platform.
The evaluation covered 16 endpoint security products, 20 AI-generated malware scenarios, and 320 individual test results across four threat categories: ransomware, infostealers, keyloggers, and point-of-sale (POS) reader malware.
All products were assessed using a common testing methodology, with results documenting whether threats triggered an alarm or were successfully blocked, when intervention occurred relative to execution, and whether data loss resulted.
Detection Is Not the Same as Protection
One of the evaluation’s most significant findings is that detecting a threat does not necessarily mean preventing its impact.
In several tests, products generated successful alerts or registered a block even though data loss had already occurred. These results highlight an important distinction between identifying malicious activity and stopping an attack before it causes damage.
For this reason, Venak Security reports detection outcomes, response timing, and data-loss results separately. A passing classification should not automatically be interpreted as evidence that an attack was fully prevented or that the system remained protected from harm.
Performance Across Threat Categories
Results varied considerably across the four malware categories. Across the 16 evaluated products, the report recorded the following passing results:
- Ransomware: 31 out of 80 tests
- Infostealers: 16 out of 80 tests
- Keyloggers: 32 out of 80 tests
- POS reader malware: 31 out of 80 tests
These results provide a comparative view of product performance under the specific scenarios and testing conditions used in the evaluation. They should not be interpreted as a universal measure of protection against all malware variants or real-world attacks.
Raising the Standard for Endpoint Security Testing
As AI-generated threats continue to evolve, evaluating endpoint security requires more than determining whether a product detects suspicious activity. It requires understanding how quickly the product responds, whether it prevents execution, and, most importantly, whether it stops an attack before damage occurs.
Through its Q4 2026 evaluation, Venak Security aims to bring greater transparency to AV/EDR performance, provide security professionals with more meaningful assessment criteria, and encourage continuous improvement across the endpoint security industry.
The objective is simple: measure not just whether security products detect threats, but whether they actually protect against them.
Testing Standards and Additional Information
The evaluation was conducted in accordance with the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO) testing standards.
AMTSO Test ID: AMTSO-LS1-TP214
For more information about AMTSO and its testing standards, visit:
https://www.amtso.org/tests/venak-security-q4-2026-zero-day-edr-test/
To learn more about Venak Security’s Q4 2026 Zero-Day AV/EDR Evaluation, including the testing methodology and results, visit:
https://venaksecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/Venak_Security_AV-EDR_Q4_2026.html
Thank you, Venak Security team.
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