Runtime Security vs. EDR/XDR – Key Differences and Use Cases

Why is Runtime Security Important?

Runtime security is a critical component of cloud-native application protection, ensuring that workloads remain secure while actively running in production environments. It is the last line of defense against vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and cyberattacks that can exploit weaknesses during application execution. Traditional security approaches, such as static analysis and pre-deployment scans, are no longer sufficient. Cloud-native environments, characterized by their dynamic, ephemeral nature, demand an adaptive and intelligent security approach to safeguard against modern attack vectors.

Modern cloud-native security requires an embedded, adaptive approach to stay effective—reactive and outdated methods fall short.

Unmanaged rules and manual configurations quickly become obsolete, exposing critical attack surfaces to vulnerabilities.

AccuKnox Runtime Security streamlines protection for dynamic cloud environments with:

• Intelligent Guardrails: Automatically adjust access policies at runtime to prevent misuse and exposure.
• 360° Infrastructure Mapping: Continuously discover and map ephemeral environments for complete visibility.
• Risk-Focused Alerts: Embedded analytics prioritize critical risks, cutting through alert noise for better focus.
• Auto-Remediation Playbooks: Automate response procedures to ensure consistent and reliable protection.

Runtime Security vs EDR/XDR Toolings

As per ArcticWolf, “EDR tools are limited in visibility, often miss early-stage threats, rely on understaffed teams for response, and can lead to alert fatigue and false positives. Organizations need more comprehensive solutions to address modern cybersecurity challenges effectively.”

As per Sangfor, “While XDR offers integration between security tools, it has key limitations, such as one-way communication, lack of granular response, indirect threat response, and gaps between products. These issues can slow down response times and leave organizations vulnerable to sophisticated malware like ransomware, which can bypass traditional XDR defenses.”

To fill in these gaps, a zero trust runtime security solution like AccuKnox Enterprise CNAPP is needed.

Coverage

Application/Runtime Protection vs Endpoint/Expanded Protection

• Runtime Security: Focuses on securing applications and workloads in real-time during execution (runtime). It monitors runtime environments such as containers, microservices, and cloud-native apps to detect and mitigate threats as they occur.
  • Protects against runtime vulnerabilities, attacks on active workloads, and misconfigurations at runtime.
  • Specifically designed for cloud-native and containerized applications.
• EDR/XDR: Primarily concerned with securing endpoints (EDR) or extended environments (XDR), including servers, endpoints, and networks.
  • EDR secures individual devices by detecting and responding to threats.
  • XDR extends protection to networks, cloud, and email security, providing a more holistic view across the IT environment.

Threat Detection Focus

Real-Time Attacks vs Endpoint and Cross-Layer Threats

• Runtime Security: Focuses on detecting threats in real-time during the application’s execution, such as memory-based exploits, unauthorized system calls, and abnormal process behaviors.
  • Protects against zero-day attacks, evasive malware, and application-layer threats.
• EDR/XDR: Primarily detects threats based on endpoint data (EDR) or aggregated data from multiple sources (XDR). EDR focuses on endpoint behavior, while XDR expands detection to include network traffic, cloud data, and other telemetry sources.
  • EDR may not be aware of attacks that originate outside the endpoint (e.g., lateral movement across networks).
  • XDR offers more visibility across different attack surfaces but may miss runtime-specific threats if they don’t interact directly with endpoints.

Response Actions

Isolate vs Mitigate on Active Workloads

• Runtime Security: Provides real-time remediation within the application’s runtime, such as stopping malicious processes, mitigating vulnerabilities on-the-fly, and blocking exploitation attempts in active workloads.
  • Runtime security tools often use techniques like in-line protection and container hardening to prevent attacks in real-time.
• EDR/XDR: EDR can isolate infected endpoints or kill malicious processes, while XDR provides broader response options across endpoints, network, cloud, and email layers.
  • However, EDR/XDR may not be able to stop exploits targeting active application behaviors or vulnerabilities that are outside the scope of endpoint protection.

Integration and Automation

Application-Level Control vs Endpoint-Centric/Comprehensive Response

• Runtime Security:: Often integrated with cloud-native and application-level tools (e.g., CI/CD pipelines, Kubernetes environments, etc.) to secure the runtime environments continuously.
  • Automation typically focuses on identifying runtime threats and remediating them within the application infrastructure.
• EDR/XDR: EDR systems focus on endpoint integration with antivirus and SIEM tools. XDR offers more complex integrations with multiple layers of security, including network and cloud services.
  • XDR offers automation to orchestrate responses across endpoints, network traffic, and cloud resources, but not necessarily at the application level.

Scope of Protection

Application/Workload-Level Security vs Endpoint/Environment Security

• Runtime Security:: Specifically designed to protect the security of running applications, microservices, and containers. It helps detect and prevent threats within the application and workload itself.
  • Focuses on protecting against runtime-specific vulnerabilities, such as container escapes, runtime code injection, and supply chain attacks.
• EDR/XDR: Focuses on endpoints (EDR) or across an organization’s entire security infrastructure (XDR).
  • XDR provides broader coverage for multi-layered IT environments, covering endpoint, network, and cloud, but lacks the fine-grained, application-layer protection offered by runtime security.

Which One Should You Choose?

• Runtime Security: is ideal for organizations with cloud-native applications, containers, microservices, and other workload-driven environments.
  • It’s particularly important for businesses deploying in dynamic environments where applications need real-time protection and attack mitigation.
• EDR/XDR: Suited for businesses that require comprehensive endpoint and cross-layer security, covering multiple attack surfaces like endpoints, networks, cloud services, and email.
  • While EDR/XDR can handle broad threats across various layers, they don’t provide the specific real-time protection for active workloads like runtime security does.

Can Runtime Security Replace EDR/XDR?

• No, runtime security cannot fully replace EDR/XDR. They serve different purposes:
  • Runtime security focuses on securing the active execution of applications and workloads.
  • EDR/XDR secures endpoints, networks, and provides visibility across the entire enterprise environment.
• However, integrating both solutions provides a more robust, multi-layer defense strategy, ensuring that both the application and endpoint layers are well-protected.

AccuKnox vs CrowdStrike 

What Can Happen if Runtime Security is Overlooked

Failure to implement runtime security can leave organizations exposed to significant risks, including:

1. Data Breaches: Runtime environments are attractive targets for attackers. Without robust protection, sensitive data can be accessed, leading to privacy violations, financial losses, and legal consequences.
2. Financial Losses: Cyberattacks exploiting runtime vulnerabilities can result in downtime, loss of customer trust, and costly recovery efforts. For enterprises, these impacts can total millions of dollars.
3. Reputational Damage: Security breaches can erode customer and stakeholder trust. Publicized incidents not only harm the organization’s reputation but may also deter future business opportunities.
4. Regulatory Non-Compliance: Many industries have strict compliance standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS). Runtime security gaps can lead to non-compliance, resulting in penalties, legal action, and loss of business licenses.
5. Increased Attack Surface: In cloud-native environments, the dynamic nature of microservices, containers, and Kubernetes clusters creates complex and evolving attack surfaces. Neglecting runtime security leaves these vulnerabilities exposed, making applications an easy target for exploits such as malware injection, privilege escalation, and lateral movement.

The AccuKnox Advantage

AccuKnox’s runtime security platform stands out for its cutting-edge features, leveraging eBPF-LSM technology for enhanced visibility and inline prevention. 

• Kubernetes Security: Full security coverage, including network micro-segmentation, workload hardening, and Kubernetes Identity and Entitlements Management (KIEM).
• Dynamic Policy Enforcement: Automatic Zero Trust policies adapt in real time to prevent unauthorized access.
• Proactive Threat Mitigation: Embedded analytics and auto-remediation playbooks reduce noise, focus on critical alerts, and ensure consistent protection.
• SIEM and SOAR Integration: Seamless integration is at the core of AccuKnox’s design, ensuring compatibility with CI/CD pipelines, public and private clouds, SIEMs, container registries, and compliance frameworks.
• Multi-Cloud and Multi-Cluster Support: AccuKnox’s platform ensures scalability and flexibility across diverse cloud-native environments.

AccuKnox and Xcitium for Unified XDR/EDR Security

The partnership between AccuKnox and Xcitium is transforming how businesses approach cybersecurity by providing a unified solution that protects endpoints, cloud workloads, and hybrid environments. This collaboration tackles the challenges of securing distributed IT infrastructures, where threats can strike across multiple platforms, often exploiting vulnerabilities that are unknown until it’s too late. Xcitium’s ZeroDwell containment technology offers a crucial advantage by preemptively isolating and neutralizing threats in real-time before they can affect critical resources, effectively stopping cyberattacks in their tracks. For instance, imagine a company with sensitive data scattered across multiple cloud environments—without real-time protection, the risk of exposure is high. By combining ZeroDwell with AccuKnox’s Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP), businesses can proactively mitigate threats, including those from Zero-Day vulnerabilities, while ensuring continuous application protection.

This integrated solution is a game-changer for businesses that often struggle with the complexity of managing multiple security tools. AccuKnox’s in-line runtime security ensures that threats are addressed before they can exploit weaknesses in the system, while Xcitium’s EDR and XDR technologies provide a broader layer of defense across all endpoints. The combination of these tools delivers a comprehensive security framework that streamlines operations and reduces alert fatigue, making it easier for security teams to focus on actual threats instead of drowning in noise.

The true power of this partnership lies in the seamless integration of these technologies, allowing companies to maintain a Zero Trust approach across all environments, ensuring that every access request is treated with skepticism until verified. With automation built into the solution, businesses can accelerate their cloud-native migration while ensuring that security remains tightly enforced. This holistic approach gives businesses the agility to innovate and scale, while also providing a robust defense against the evolving threat landscape. By working together, AccuKnox and Xcitium ensure that enterprises can secure their critical assets without compromise, delivering a solution that is both powerful and easy to manage.