SAN DIEGO, Calif., March 24, 2026 – ESET, a global leader in cybersecurity, today announced that it has received ©Intel vPro Certified App status for ESET PROTECT cybersecurity solutions. This certification validates that ESET PROTECT meets the rigorous efficiency and performance targets set for ©Intel vPro platforms, including enhanced user experience, extended battery life, preserved CPU usage and background performance for business customers.
“At ESET, we believe that world class protection must never come at the cost of performance,” said Juraj Malcho, CTO at ESET. “Reaching Intel ©vPro Certified App status reflects our dedication to innovation by engineering highly efficient security solutions. Through our collaboration with Intel, we’ve been able to elevate the performance and energy efficiency of ESET PROTECT by leveraging the advanced features of Intel’s hardware technologies.”
Since 2022, ESET and Intel have closely collaborated to deliver advanced ransomware protection through ©Intel Threat Detection Technology (Intel TDT) to customers around the world,
and—together—the companies have worked to enable Intel-powered AI PC users to take advantage of Intel’s hybrid processor architecture to access advanced protection and performance benefits. To gain Intel vPro Certified App status, ESET fine-tuned its products to efficiently run on Intel vPro. These efforts have delivered an 86% reduction in background activity, lowered CPU utilization by 72%, and increased power efficiency by 66% on Intel vPro powered PCs1.
As the latest chapter in the collaboration, ESET is in advanced evaluation of detection capabilities for ©Intel Threat Detection Technology – Deep Learning & Trace based Execution Context Tracker (©Intel TDT-DTECT). Intel TDT-DTECT presents a novel approach to detecting malicious activity by leveraging advanced AI techniques to analyze runtime x86 machine code execution, captured directly from the CPU. This method bypasses traditional security strategies that rely on file scanning, behavioral indicators, or cloud sandboxing, focusing instead on the actual instructions executed by the processor in real-time.
“Intel TDT-DTECT introduces a new approach to threat detection by applying AI to processor-level execution tracing, available uniquely with Intel” said Dennis Luo, Sr. Director and GM, Worldwide AI PC Developer Relations at Intel. “We’re working closely with ESET as they are implementing TDT-DTECT to offer commercial users an effective solution to counter advanced malware threats in today’s evolving cybersecurity landscape.”
Intel TDT-DTECT exemplifies a paradigm shift by embedding detection capabilities at the hardware execution level, enhancing security beyond conventional software-based methods. By innovating on top of Intel TDT-DTECT, ESET customers will gain better visibility and overall performance in the following areas:
- Polymorphic Malware Detection: Tracking malware families that constantly regenerate binaries or packers.
- Loader and Sideloading Identification: Detecting sophisticated loader frameworks designed to blend in with legitimate processes.
- Fileless and Memory-Resident Threats: Identifying in-memory payloads that leave no filesystem footprint.
- Distinguishing Legitimate vs Malicious Use: Differentiating benign and malicious execution paths of legitimate binaries.
- Early-Stage Behavior Monitoring: Capturing subtle initialization routines such as API hashing and sandbox checks that typically precede attacks.
These capabilities enable enhanced detection, threat hunting, and intelligence sharing, helping security teams intervene early and proactively.
Visitors to RSAC 2026 are able to hear more about this strategic partnership at ESET’s Booth N-5253 where Intel Corporation’s Global Lead for Security Partner Enabling, Client Computing Group, Tyler Welt, will present with ESET’s Vice President of Enterprise, SMB and MSP, Michal Jankech on the companies’ collaboration and latest innovations. Learn more at https://www.eset.com/us/business/rsac/.
©Intel, the Intel logo and other Intel marks are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries.
1Based on ESET internal testing comparing Q2’26 Release Presets to the prior versions from Sept. 2025 in a fully configured live IT environment. See http://www.Intel.com/vPro for details. Results may vary.
