Explore insights from Kobi Kalif, CEO and Co-founder of ReasonLabs, on democratizing enterprise-grade cybersecurity for consumers, the role of AI in cyber defense, and protecting digital identities.
Mr. Kalif, we’re delighted to have you. Could you please tell us a bit about your professional journey? What inspired you to co-found ReasonLabs?
Before co-founding ReasonLabs, I spent years in the industry within R&D roles, working to develop products and systems that protect people. I joined forces with Andrew Newman to build ReasonLabs on the common belief that every consumer deserves to benefit from enterprise-grade protection. Until that point, the best cybersecurity had always been saved for large companies because companies thought they suffered the more dangerous threat. We knew that to be false – malware doesn’t discriminate between large corporate networks and home users. This led us to create ReasonLabs and embark on the mission of protecting every home worldwide.
For those who might not know, can you give a brief overview of ReasonLabs and how your products cater to today’s cybersecurity needs?
ReasonLabs’ mission is to provide home users with the same level of cyber protection that the world’s largest enterprises have. Malware and cyber attackers do not discriminate between corporations and home networks and everyone should be protected from next-generation threats.
Our flagship product, RAV Endpoint Protection, is the first consumer-focused cybersecurity product featuring Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) technology. That plus our other products like RAV VPN and Online Security, combine to form a multilayered solution that safeguards home users’ privacy and digital identities.
How has AI changed the cybersecurity landscape, especially for consumers? Can you share some specific examples where AI has made a real difference?
Cyber-attackers leverage AI in all kinds of ways that affect consumers, but none more than with advanced phishing and social engineering attacks. It used to be fairly easy to recognize these threats, but AI has helped take them to new heights. From the security perspective, AI enables us to provide consumers with next-gen security, like our RAV Managed EDR technology. This EDR, with help from AI, helps us evaluate billions of data points and identify attacks against consumers in real-time, 24/7 protection.
Identity theft is a big concern for many people. How does ReasonLabs tackle this issue, and what innovative solutions have you come up with?
Identity theft is a huge problem that can wreak havoc on people’s lives. Providing identity theft defense is a core element in our cybersecurity suite and we do it through protection, detection, and remediation. Consumers can look to the RAV Online Security browser extension to find these services.
Concerning protection, the extension prevents data leaks and secures against phishing attacks. By working with RAV Endpoint Protection’s EDR technology, the extension can detect next-generation threats including ransomware that can lead to identity theft. Insurance is offered as a means of remediation to ensure there is recourse if something does ultimately happen.
During your time as CEO, what key developments have you seen in ReasonLabs’ products and services? Are there any innovations you’re particularly proud of?
There have been so many great milestones and developments that our team has achieved but two tend to stick out in my mind:
- We successfully brought the first EDR to home users, democratizing enterprise-grade cyber protection. EDR is a high-cost solution and we have developed proprietary means to deploy it to the masses. We have ultimately reduced this cost and made an even more efficient system compared to what other companies have.
- When we launched our Online Security product to enhance peoples’ browsing experience and help protect their identity. The identity features stretch beyond the digital world and into the physical one – alerting of leaks of personal information like Social Security numbers, credit card information, and more. This plus the EDR solution creates a much more robust layer of protection for our customers.
How does ReasonLabs stand out in the competitive cybersecurity market? What sets your products apart from others out there?
We are the only cybersecurity team that is providing families and individuals with next-gen cybersecurity and EDR technology. Our products are designed to enterprise standards and our team is led by some of the brightest minds in the industry.
What’s your strategy for steering ReasonLabs through the fast-evolving tech landscape? How do you make sure the company stays ahead of emerging threats and trends?
This is one of the main challenges that we face as new attack vectors emerge daily. Let’s take AI for example – with tools that utilize LLM models, image creation, and video creation that have appeared in the last couple of years, the landscape changes so fast and we need to make sure we develop solutions that can tackle those threats. We do this by looking at it from the customer’s perspective and prioritizing according to it.
Ultimately, our focus is on the new world – consumers have solid protection from malware that exists today, and there are lots of great solutions out there. But we put our focus on identity, AI, attack vectors that can lead to impersonation, and more. We try to think, what is the biggest concern today and what will be the biggest concern tomorrow?
In your opinion, what’s the biggest misconception people have about cybersecurity? How does ReasonLabs work to educate and raise awareness among its users?
In reality, people need to have multilayers of protection that serve different weak points. This includes an antivirus solution, but also a VPN for privacy protection, identity threat defense, parental controls, etc. One solution will not do enough in today’s digital-first world.What advice would you give to our readers to help them protect themselves against cyber threats? Are there any specific practices or tools you recommend?
There are a few steps you can take to protect your digital lives from advanced cyber threats. The first is always to educate yourself. Everyone should invest some time in reading about the risks associated with phishing, malware, ransomware, and more. It’s never been easier to protect your digital life and it starts with education.
Second, awareness should be a point of emphasis. If you are unsure, don’t click on it. Check the link or file with advanced security products like RAV Endpoint Protection or Online Security. Make an assessment first.
Finally, use products like ours to make sure you surf the web safely and your identity remains protected at all times.
Kobi Kalif
CEO and co-founder of ReasonLabs
Kobi Kalif is the CEO and co-founder of ReasonLabs, a provider of enterprise-grade cybersecurity protection to home users all around the world. Kobi is an entrepreneur and engineer with more than 15 years of experience in cybersecurity and research & development. Before acting as ReasonLabs’ CEO, he worked at various startups and enterprises leading development teams and serving as a VP of R&D. Outside of leading his team of cyber defenders, Kobi enjoys playing basketball and spending time with his two kids. He resides in Tel Aviv, Israel
