HP Announces First Notebooks With Sure Sense Malware Protection

Sure Sense uses deep-learning technologies to block malware, including previously unknown malware, in near-real-time, according to HP.

HP Inc. on Tuesday announced its first PCs to feature Sure Sense security software, which the company says can block previously unknown malware using artificial intelligence.

Among the first PCs to get Sure Sense are four notebooks in HP's EliteBook 800 series, which is targeted at mainstream corporate workers.

[Related: HP Unveils New Endpoint Security Service, Including For Non-HP PCs]

The notebooks are all in HP's sixth-generation of EliteBook 800 notebooks. They consist of three clamshell models--the 13.3-inch EliteBook 830 G6, the 14-inch EliteBook 840 G6 and the 15.6-inch EliteBook 850 G6—as well as a convertible model, the 13.3-inch EliteBook x360 830 G6.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP unveiled Sure Sense in March during the HP Reinvent 2019 global partner conference in Houston.

The debut of Sure Sense comes as existing cybersecurity offerings are having trouble keeping up with the vast amount of malware being created, said Andy Rhodes, global head for commercial personal systems at HP, in a previous interview with CRN.

"One small breach can be catastrophic. You've sort of got to fight fire with fire," Rhodes said. "Malware is being created with AI, so you need to attack it with AI."

Sure Sense uses deep-learning technologies to learn what malware looks like and shut the threats down instantly, according to HP. While traditional antivirus stops known malware by using malware signatures that have been previously registered, the deep-learning engine in Sure Sense can block even unknown malware by figuring out the attributes of malware and then spotting those attributes in near-real-time.

HP says Sure Sense is a lightweight agent that is installed notebooks, and is "over 99 percent effective for catching malware."

Sure Sense builds on HP's efforts to secure its PC portfolio against a variety of cybersecurity threats, including BIOS attacks (with Sure Start), browser malware (with Sure Click) and visual hacking (with Sure View).

HP's initiative to go deeper into security software is a smart one, said Juan Fernandez, vice president of managed IT services at Oklahoma City, Okla.-based ImageNet Consulting, in a previous interview.

"What they're doing with AI, that is just far beyond what we've ever seen before," Fernandez said. "This is the active mitigation of attacks on a machine in real time. It's a huge announcement for HP to get into that game. That's not a traditional HP play."

Other enhancements available in some of the new EliteBook 800 models include a privacy shutter on touch display models, outdoor viewable displays (with up to 1,000 nits of brightness) and improved battery life with up to 18 hours on a charge. The notebooks will include eighth-gen Intel Core “Whiskey Lake” processors with vPro and FHD displays, while some models will be configurable with a UHD/4K display and discrete AMD Radeon graphics, according to HP.

The new EliteBook 800 notebooks will also include connectivity improvements such as gigabit-class 4G LTE, WiFi 6 connectivity (up to 3X faster than the previous WiFi standard) and extended-range LAN, with up to 2X the typical range, HP said.

The HP EliteBook 800 G6 series clamshell notebooks will be available in May, while the EliteBook x360 830 G6 will be available in June. Pricing was not released.