Why EDR Alone Can’t Stop Modern Attacks

The EDR Security Gap

EDR is essential for spotting endpoint threats in real time, yet attackers increasingly bypass those controls—moving laterally across networks, cloud workloads, and identity systems where EDR agents aren’t present. To gain full-stack visibility and stop attacks before they spread, you need AI-driven detection that complements your EDR.  

How Attackers Evade EDR

1. Living-off-the-land (LotL) attacks 

Threat actors use built-in tools like RDP and PsExec to blend into normal operations, avoiding EDR alerts.

2. Compromised credentials 

Stolen or weak credentials allow attackers to move across hybrid environments without triggering endpoint-based detections.

3. Unmanaged & cloud-based threats 

EDR only protects managed devices, leaving cloud workloads, SaaS applications, and IoT devices vulnerable.

Real-World Example of an Attack Bypassing EDR

In this Volt Typhoon scenario, EDR agents see only endpoint actions—while lateral movement through cloud and identity systems remains invisible. Vectra AI’s network and identity analytics would flag each stage as attackers traverse hybrid environments.

EDR Secures Endpoints—Vectra AI Secures What Comes Next

EDR is vital for endpoint protection, but it doesn’t monitor what happens once attackers pivot off those hosts. To catch credential abuse, lateral movement, and cloud-native techniques, you need continuous threat detection across network, cloud, and identity layers.

EDR solutions rely on agents installed on endpoints, meaning they only detect threats where agents are deployed. However:

• What if the attacker moves to a system without an agent? Unmanaged devices, IoT assets, and legacy systems remain unprotected.
• What if the attacker doesn’t use malware? Fileless attacks and credential abuse won’t trigger traditional EDR alerts.
• What if the attack spreads beyond endpoints? Lateral movement across network infrastructure and cloud workloads often goes unnoticed.

How Vectra AI Fills the Gap

EDR detects endpoint threats, but Vectra AI uncovers the full attack lifecycle, spotting malicious behavior in network traffic, cloud workloads, and identity systems with high confidence and low false-positive rates. Here’s how:

• See beyond endpoints: Detects threats in network traffic, cloud workloads, and SaaS applications—without relying on endpoint agents.
• Expose identity-based attacks: Identifies credential abuse, privilege escalation, and lateral movement that bypass EDR.
• Enhance EDR & XDR: Works alongside existing security tools to provide full visibility and AI-driven attack detection.

With Vectra AI, you can spot and stop threats before they escalate. No matter where attackers hide.

How Vectra AI Complements EDR

While EDR focuses on endpoint threats, Vectra AI extends protection across the entire attack surface. Here’s how they compare:

Vectra AI doesn’t replace EDR—it strengthens your security stack by detecting the attacks that EDR misses.