Broadcom launches Symantec CBX cloud security platform

Broadcom has launched Symantec CBX, a cloud-based extended detection and response platform that combines technology from Symantec and Carbon Black in a single offering.

The platform is aimed at organisations facing advanced cyber threats but lacking the staff or training to manage more complex security tools. Broadcom plans to make CBX available later this year through its Enterprise Security Group Catalyst Partner Program, with a migration path for existing customers.

CBX brings together Symantec prevention tools, Adaptive Protection, Data Security, Cloud SWG and Incident Prediction with Carbon Black's endpoint detection and response technology. The platform is designed to give security teams visibility across endpoints, networks and data from a single cloud-based system.

The launch reflects Broadcom's effort to more closely integrate the security assets it controls under the Symantec and Carbon Black brands. It is positioning the combined platform for organisations that have historically fallen between basic security products and the more demanding tools used by larger security operations centres.

Single view

A key feature is the Threat Tracer interface, which lets analysts follow an attacker's activity across different environments. It covers endpoint, network, email and cloud activity to help teams understand how an intrusion began, moved through systems and what data was accessed.

The platform also uses AI to correlate signals from multiple attack surfaces, including endpoint, network, data, cloud and identity. Instead of surfacing separate alerts, it links events into what Broadcom described as higher-confidence incidents, helping analysts move more quickly from triage to investigation and response.

Adaptive Protection is included to detect and block abnormal use of legitimate software in so-called living-off-the-land attacks, in which adversaries rely on tools already present in a system. CBX also uses Incident Prediction to forecast an attacker's likely next steps, with the aim of helping security teams intervene earlier in the attack chain.

Another feature, the SymantecAI Security Assistant, is intended to support analysts during investigations. Broadcom said the assistant is trained on threat intelligence, analytics, telemetry and documentation, and can help users classify attackers, match ransomware tactics, techniques and procedures, and identify remediation guidance.

Market focus

Broadcom is targeting what it sees as a large but underserved part of the cyber security market: organisations facing more sophisticated threats without the budgets or specialist personnel of larger enterprises. The company argues that many of these organisations can no longer rely on low visibility to avoid attack, as cyber criminals and state-backed groups widen their targeting.

That positioning also reflects pressure on security teams dealing with staff shortages and a growing number of tools that can be costly to deploy and maintain. By packaging web filtering, data security, prevention, detection and response into one platform, Broadcom is seeking to reduce the operational burden on smaller or less mature security operations teams.

Feris Rifai, President of Leap, a wholly owned subsidiary of TD SYNNEX, commented on the launch and its role in broadening access through the channel. "Organisations of all sizes are facing increasingly sophisticated threats, but many security teams are still challenged by limited resources," Rifai said. "Combining Leap's scale and expertise with solutions like Symantec CBX helps us expand access to advanced security capabilities in a way that is practical and approachable for our customers. By bringing together prevention, detection and response in a more unified experience, we're able to strengthen security outcomes across the broader IT ecosystem."

Distribution through channel partners will be central to the rollout. That approach may help Broadcom reach mid-market and smaller customers, which often buy security products through resellers and managed service providers rather than direct enterprise sales teams.

Jason Rolleston, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Enterprise Security Group, said the release marked a step in bringing the two security portfolios together. "This announcement marks a major milestone as we unite the strengths of Symantec and Carbon Black into a single, robust solution," Rolleston said. "CBX empowers organizations of all sizes with the advanced, yet intuitive capabilities to tackle modern threats with confidence and efficiency through industry-first technologies and intelligent automation. The platform extends enterprise-grade protection and real-time insights to organizations that have historically been under-resourced and can no longer rely on security through obscurity."