Report | Miercom AI-Powered Cyber Security Platform Assessment

Table of Contents

1.0 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................... 3
2.0 Test Summary ................................................................................................................... 6
3.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 8
4.0 Products Tested ................................................................................................................ 9
5.0 AI-Powered Cyber Security Platform Use Cases .......................................................... 10
5.1 On-Premise and Cloud Firewall Threat Protection Assessment ...................... 10
5.2 AI-Powered Security Policy Analysis, Automation and Active Implementation ... 12
5.3 AI-Powered Vulnerability Assessment and Remediation .................................... 14
5.4 AI-Powered Threat Analysis & Mitigation Recommendations ......................... 16
5.5 Collaborative and Delegated Security Administration .................................... 18
5.6 Cloud Service Providers Integration ................................................................. 20
5.7 Fast and Secure Internet Access for Remote Users ........................................ 22
5.8 Clientless ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access) .................................................. 25
5.9 Email Phishing Robustness .................................................................................. 27
5.10 Mobile Threat Defense (MTD) ............................................................................. 29
6.0 About Miercom .................................................................................................................. 31
7.0 Use of This Report ........................................................................................................... 31

1.0 Executive Summary

Cybersecurity is rapidly shifting and becoming more sophisticated, demanding continuous evolution and proactive measures to stay ahead of emerging risks. Most enterprises operate in a hybrid IT environment that requires consistent unified security across on-premises, cloud, remote, and mobile use cases. This includes implementing Zero Trust controls to bolster the organization’s security posture. Success factors that are often overlooked include security management ease of use, breadth of security platform capabilities, and end-user experience (UX). These play critical roles in mitigating risks, particularly those arising from human error, often preventable through proper configuration, policy enforcement, and access to effective AI-based tools.

A well-designed management interface enables swift adjustments to critical settings, empowering users to engage productively while upholding cybersecurity. It supports informed decision-making, appropriate remediation requests, and a stronger security posture with less frustration. Specialized AI-based assistants are playing an increasingly important role in making cyber security administration much easier and more effective. This detailed report evaluates the essential capabilities for an AI-powered cyber security platform to effectively protect digital assets—emphasizing Three Foundational Pillars necessary for the successful implementation of comprehensive and unified security.

• The Power of AI to Boost Advanced Threat Prevention: AI/ML is essential for modern threat defense, addressing complex security policies, continuous CVE alerts, and evolving AI-driven attacks. A core element of a cyber security platform is continuous verification of users, assets, applications, and devices, including cloud services and IoT. The platform must enforce least-privilege access, granting entities only the resources needed for their roles.
• Hybrid Mesh Firewalls and Diverse Deployment Enforcement Points: The flexibility to support traditional enterprise firewalls and hybrid mesh firewalls with diverse deployment models is essential. A cyber security platform should accommodate on-premises firewalls, virtual firewalls, cloud firewalls, and Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS) to ensure consistent policy enforcement across all assets and users, regardless of their location.
• Unified Management, User-friendly interfaces, and AI assistants: A cyber security platform should provide centralized management for seamless integration and control across security components. This unified approach streamlines policy orchestration across environments, minimizing misconfigurations and security gaps. With the emergence of specialized AI-based assistants, administrators can now more easily create, manage, and troubleshoot policies.

2.0 Test Summary

The AI-Powered Cyber Security Platform Assessment marks the performance of cybersecurity vendors based on Security Efficacy and Admin & User Experience. Check Point leads, demonstrating the highest Security Efficacy and best Admin & User Experience.

The AI-Powered Cyber Security Platform Implementation Scoring report assesses cybersecurity providers across a range of use cases relevant to security and policy management and user experience— including for hybrid mesh firewall and Zero Trust implementation.

5.0 AI-Powered Cyber Security Platform Use Cases

5.1 On-Premise and Cloud Firewall Threat Protection Assessment

Significance: Traditional NGFWs based on legacy threat protection engines struggle to defend against sophisticated cyber threats like unknown malware, zero-day phishing attacks, and advanced exploits.

Evaluation: This assessment evaluates the firewall’s ability to detect and prevent unknown malware by downloading malware samples from VirusTotal across multiple file types. It also assesses the firewall’s effectiveness in mitigating high and critical-severity Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs).

Observation and Rating:

• Check Point: Excels across all evaluated aspects. It delivers top-tier protection against malware—99.9%, phishing—99.74%, and intrusion attempts—98.0% block rate.
• Cisco: Faces significant challenges in administration and security with lower effectiveness in blocking threats.
• Fortinet: Delivers reliable security with a moderately efficient administrative interface.
• Palo Alto Networks: Offers a balanced experience, though with some additional configurations.
• Zscaler: Provides an average experience with some limitations in blocking intrusion attempts.

5.2 AI-Powered Security Policy Analysis, Automation and Active Implementation

Significance: Access control policy modifications are routine yet critical in security operations. Manual analysis and implementation can be time-consuming and prone to errors.

Evaluation: The AI Assistants were evaluated based on two key criteria: Policy Analysis and Policy Modification.

Observation and Rating:

• Check Point: Successfully analyzed the access control policy and automatically modified it to allow HR access.
• Cisco: Struggled with identifying the correct placement for new rules.
• Fortinet: Unable to verify whether access was already granted.
• Palo Alto Networks: Could not determine if access was already granted and struggled with rule placement.
• Zscaler: Does not currently offer an AI-powered assistant for firewall policy management.

5.3 AI-Powered Vulnerability Assessment and Remediation

Significance: Ensuring that security infrastructure can proactively identify and mitigate emerging threats is essential.

Evaluation: The test simulates a realistic security inquiry asking the AI Assistant to determine if the current environment is vulnerable to a sample CVE.

Observation and Rating:

• Check Point: Provided a complete and relevant response, offering clear remediation guidance.
• Cisco: Unable to provide any meaningful output.
• Fortinet: Included general guidance but lacked detailed verification.
• Palo Alto Networks: Provided instructions but failed to cover the entire environment.
• Zscaler: Lacks any AI Assistant functionality in this area.

5.4 AI-Powered Threat Analysis & Mitigation Recommendations

Significance: Ensuring security systems can identify and address unblocked threats is critical.

Evaluation: An administrator asks the AI Assistant to analyze log data for unblocked threats and provide actionable recommendations.

Observation and Rating:

• Check Point: Effectively identified threats and provided precise recommendations.
• Cisco: Limited visibility into potential threats.
• Fortinet: Offered general mitigation advice without specificity.

6.0 About Miercom

Miercom is dedicated to testing and evaluating network, cloud, and security solutions, providing objective assessments to guide organizations in their cybersecurity journeys.