Cyberattacks are getting smarter. From phishing scams to stealthy memory-based malware, threat actors are constantly levelling up.
Why? Because the payoff is massive. Even with tighter security and smarter tools, attackers are still finding cracks to slip through.
Cyberattacks on the rise
Identity-based threats are climbing, and now, a whopping 75% of attacks are going after your PC’s memory with file-less malware.[1]
On the home front, South Africa was ranked number one in Africa for ransomware and infostealer attacks in the second half of 2024, according to ESET’s bi-annual Threat Report.[2]
To add to this, according to Microsoft, 400 million PCs risk losing updates as Windows 10 support ends in 2025.
Where to for endpoint security?
In the meantime, AI has arrived, expanding innovation as well as the attack surface.
With hundreds of models and AI features now in the mix, sensitive data is now at risk of exposure to applications like GenAI.
Given the challenges, it begs a question:
What does effective endpoint security look like today, and how can you build a hardware-optimised approach to improve overall security strategy?
Why your PC security needs an upgrade
No organisation can block every cyberattack.
Instead, blend a proactive defence strategy with the ability to adapt quickly when a breach occurs. To do this, you must hurdle over one major risk: The unknown.
Unknown vulnerabilities, unknown access, unknown intruders.
Truly secure technology today must be built to catch and address anomalous activity when it happens, wherever it happens, down to the BIOS and silicon levels.
Secure AI PCs
Some of the newest commercial AI PCs on the market are being built with one uncomfortable truth in mind: attacks will happen.
So instead of just locking the doors, these machines come with layered security measures, especially under the hood.
At device level, you’re looking at below-the-OS protection that picks up on tampering or suspicious changes to the BIOS.
Systems like Dell’s Secured Component Verification aim to flag supply chain risks early, while SafeBIOS keeps watch for anything that looks off during use.
On the hardware side, Intel chips add another layer of defence with things like root of trust, memory encryption, and secure configurations that work hand-in-hand with Windows 11.
Ecosystems against cyberattacks
Dell’s PCs are built to play nicely with a range of third-party security tools, using telemetry data to offer deeper visibility below the operating system.
That means platforms like CrowdStrike Falcon can tap into low-level insights from Dell and Intel without piling more work onto already-stretched IT teams.[3]
On the surface level, Intel’s Threat Detection Technology (TDT) helps spot file-less attacks (often hiding in memory) by offloading some of the scanning to the machine’s integrated GPU.
This speeds things up and reduces performance drag.
There’s also a growing shift toward running security tasks locally on AI PCs. Instead of relying solely on the cloud, companies like CrowdStrike are exploring how neural processing units (NPUs) can handle threat detection right on the device, making it faster and a bit more private.
Other developers are testing AI tools for everything from spotting deepfakes and phishing to preventing data leaks and securing file transfers.
Manageability
A secure fleet is a well-managed fleet. As such, Dell builds PCs with both security and manageability in mind.
Dell offers the most manageable commercial AI PCs, including a full suite of solutions that help IT admins simplify and streamline endpoint management.
This includes remediation with Intel vPro, e.g., management of out-of-band systems, offline PCs, or devices with an inaccessible operating system.
New research from MITRE Centre for Informed Defence proves that your choice of PC hardware plays a critical role in enabling security software and OS features to protect your assets effectively.
Secure against cyberattacks
Inevitable security exposures on outdated PCs. A growing attack surface as we explore the AI frontier.
Emerging technologies on the dark web. These factors create a perfect environment for adversaries to breach networks at speed and scale.
With Dell and Intel as IT and security partners, customers invest in technologies that:
- Reduce the attack surface.
- Improve threat detection and response.
- Enable recovery and remediation to get back to business as usual.
And because Dell and Intel deeply understand customer pain points around security, organisations not only gain access to advanced endpoint protections, they also benefit from streamlined procurement and intelligent integrations to alleviate operational burdens.
According to Gartner[4], the cost of IT and security is rising rapidly. But working with the right partners can improve your long-term cyber resilience.
Cyberattacks: The bottom line?
Upgrade to PCs that are future-proofed for the AI revolution:
PCs that are already re-architecting endpoint security as we know it.
References:
[1] CrowdStrike 2025 Global
Threat Report
[2] ESET’s bi-annual Threat Report
[3] CrowdStrike and Intel Research Collaborate to Advance Endpoint Security Through AI and NPU Acceleration
[4] Gartner Forecasts Global Information Security Spending to Grow 15% in 2025
