CyberRatings.org Unveils Significant Performance Gaps in SSE Security Products

Insights from CyberRatings.org on Security Service Edge Evaluation

In a revealing report released on July 16, 2025, CyberRatings.org, a non-profit organization focused on evaluating cybersecurity products, underscored significant performance gaps within Security Service Edge (SSE) solutions. The evaluation's findings highlighted a remarkable range in security effectiveness among vendors, revealing figures as low as 2.95% and soaring up to 100%. This stark contrast serves as a wake-up call for businesses relying on SSE capabilities to protect their digital assets.

Key Findings

The recent SSE evaluation highlights that only a select few vendors, namely Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, Versa Networks, and Zscaler, received a "Recommended" rating. Meanwhile, the products offered by Cisco, Cloudflare, and Skyhigh were categorized as cautionary due to failures in critical testing scenarios. The disparate performance among these providers points to a critical need for better transparency and efficacy in security solutions provided by these platforms.

Remarkably, despite notable interest from the market, two major players – Cato Networks and Netskope – were excluded from this test due to their high barrier for entry and unresponsiveness to procurement inquiries. Vikram Phatak, CEO of CyberRatings.org, indicated that such barriers hinder customers from benefiting from independent evaluations, which are essential to ascertain product efficacy and identify potential vulnerabilities that may not be visible in day-to-day operations.

The Importance of Independent Testing

The complexity inherent in Security Service Edge systems, which function across ever-changing cloud environments, makes it challenging for organizations to maintain visibility over their operational effectiveness. CyberRatings advocates for frequent independent testing as a safeguard against unnoticed vulnerabilities arising from product updates. With the landscape of cloud-delivered products continually evolving, neglecting regular evaluations could leave organizations exposed to silent security flaws.

Specific tests conducted during this evaluation included an array of scenarios that significantly impact security effectiveness, including malware detection, known vulnerability exploits, and evasion techniques. Evasion strategies, utilized by cybercriminals to breach defenses, had a pronounced effect on the overall security scores. While many products efficiently blocked recognized threats, a few failed to detect evasions entirely, exposing enterprises to concealed forms of attacks.

Methodology Behind the Evaluation

CyberRatings.org's methodology was comprehensive, including the assessment of 6,184 malware samples actively used by global threat actors and examining 205 exploits derived from recognized vulnerabilities. Additionally, the evaluation incorporated 1,154 evasion techniques across various categories, along with a significant number of legitimate files tested to measure false positives, thereby ensuring operational integrity wasn't compromised by security protocols.

The study rendered a clear message: organizations must commit to ongoing third-party evaluations to diagnose performance issues effectively, reinforce policy enforcement mechanisms, and secure tangible results from security measures in place.

CyberRatings.org collaborates with NSS Labs for independent testing, leveraging advanced tools like Keysight's CyPerf and TeraPackets Threat Replayer to verify the performance and security functionality of the evaluated solutions. Detailed comparative reports and comprehensive product assessments are made publicly accessible on their official website.

Conclusion

As the cybersecurity landscape rapidly evolves, the findings from CyberRatings.org's SSE evaluation emphasize the criticality of transparency, regular testing, and accountability among solution providers. Businesses must prioritize the enforcement of independent testing strategies to ensure they are not left vulnerable amid sophisticated evasion tactics deployed by malicious actors. To learn more about the evaluation findings and explore methodologies, visit CyberRatings.org.

For further inquiries, please contact CyberRatings.org for more insights and deeper discussions on maintaining cybersecurity in today's digitally reliant world.