AppGuard

About AppGuard

AppGuard is a cybersecurity firm that provides endpoint protection software based on a zero-trust, prevention-first philosophy. The company was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia. It operates as a subsidiary of the Japanese company Blue Planet-works, which acquired the AppGuard business and its intellectual property in 2017.

The core technology for AppGuard was invented by Dr. Fatih Comlekoglu, the company's current CEO. Before the acquisition by Blue Planet-works, Dr. Comlekoglu was the Chief Software Architect at Blue Ridge Networks, Inc., where he developed the technology. He holds two U.S. patents for antimalware defense and applied cryptography, which are utilized in the AppGuard product. His background includes roles as a lead system architect at MCI Communications, a lead software architect at StorageTek, and a senior consultant at the World Bank.

AppGuard's business model is centered on providing an additional layer of security that complements existing antivirus (AV), endpoint detection and response (EDR), and extended detection and response (XDR) tools. Rather than detecting threats, AppGuard's software focuses on prevention by controlling application behavior and blocking malicious actions before they can cause harm. This is achieved through patented technologies like Adaptive Policy Enforcement, which uses containment, isolation, and inheritance to block suspicious processes without needing to recognize the specific attack. This approach is designed to be effective against zero-day exploits, fileless malware, ransomware, and other advanced threats that traditional detection-based systems might miss.

The company's products, AppGuard Enterprise and AppGuard Server, are designed for both desktops (Windows and Linux) and servers, and can be managed centrally. A key feature is its lightweight footprint, using significantly less CPU and memory than many alternatives, and its ability to operate for long periods without policy updates, making it a "set and forget" solution. This reduces the burden of alert fatigue on security operations personnel. The software works at the kernel level to enforce its policies, blocking actions like code injection and registry overrides. AppGuard serves a wide range of clients, from small businesses to large enterprises and government and military organizations. Its clients have included major international airlines and government entities.