CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

BlackCloak vs Malwarebytes

BlackCloak protects the personal digital lives of executives with cybersecurity, concierge support and incident response. Malwarebytes sells antivirus, VPN, identity theft protection and scam detection software for personal devices such as computers, tablets and phones. CISO Tribune files both under MDR and managed SOC. This page sets the two records side by side: what each sells, where it is based, who owns and funds it, the customers it names and its recent news, each fact numbered to its source.

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  • BlackCloak
  • Malwarebytes
BlackCloak vs Malwarebytes: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
BlackCloakBlackCloak protects the personal digital lives of executives with cybersecurity, concierge support and incident response.blackcloak.ioMalwarebytesMalwarebytes sells antivirus, VPN, identity theft protection and scam detection software for personal devices such as computers, tablets and phones.malwarebytes.com
What it sells
  • Digital Executive Protection Platform[2][5]A platform built to address the gap between corporate security and the personal digital lives of executives.
  • Impersonation Protection[2]Lets executives authenticate calls, texts, and video messages in real time.
  • Physical Risk Reports[5]Reports that provide a shared intelligence picture on physical risk to executives.
  • Premium Security[4][5]Antivirus designed to protect personal devices and data in real-time.
  • Browser Guard[4][5]Blocks unwanted and unsafe content while browsing.
  • Privacy VPN[4][14]A VPN for staying secure and private on Wi-Fi or hotspots.
  • Identity Theft Protection[4][5]Scans the dark web and other sources for personal information.
  • Mobile Security[4][5][7]Malware detection before installation on Android devices.
  • Android Virus Scan[7]A free Android virus scan for malware, spyware, keyloggers and more.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesSanta Clara, United States[3]
Founded
Not stated on its pages2008[2][4]
Ownership and funding
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
  • September 10, 2026BlackCloak launched Perimeter, a physical security offering that extends its digital protection to the physical world around where executives live, work and travel.[4]
  • October 5, 2026Malwarebytes launched Scam Link Check, a free web tool that lets anyone check whether a website link is safe before clicking it.[19]
  • July 22, 2026Malwarebytes appointed Michael Weissman to its Board of Directors and hired Joey Klein as Senior Vice President of Product.[20]
  • July 22, 2026Malwarebytes appointed Netspend CEO Michael Weissman to its board.[10]
  • June 3, 2026Malwarebytes launched a free reverse phone check for consumers to identify potential scam numbers.[9]
  • May 6, 2026Malwarebytes appointed Chung Ip as Chief Financial Officer.[18]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[11]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
From its own pages, the company sells mainly to organisations whose executives and board members are targeted in their personal digital lives. It says requests from executives for personal digital protection are rising, driven by peer incidents and family safety concerns. Its individuals site says it protects high-net-worth individuals, their families, and family offices. That site also describes partnerships for consultants, advisors, financial institutions and law firms working directly with high-net-worth individuals.From its own pages, Malwarebytes sells mainly to individuals and families who want to protect personal devices. Its pages also reference security for personal and business devices and for a team's devices. Malwarebytes offers protection for Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Android, and iOS devices.
Last verified
September 30, 2026November 9, 2026

Where they overlap

  • BlackCloak and Malwarebytes are both filed under MDR and managed SOC.

Where they differ, field by field

  • BlackCloak's primary category is Digital risk protection; Malwarebytes's is EDR and XDR.
  • BlackCloak is also filed under Incident response and forensics and Mobile security. Malwarebytes is also filed under Identity threat detection and response.
  • BlackCloak lists Digital Executive Protection Platform, Impersonation Protection and Physical Risk Reports. Malwarebytes lists Premium Security, Browser Guard, Privacy VPN, Identity Theft Protection, Mobile Security and 1 more.
  • Malwarebytes is headquartered in Santa Clara, United States.
  • Malwarebytes was founded in 2008.

What it sells: BlackCloak

What Digital Executive Protection Platform does[2][5]
The platform delivers against four pillars of protection: Privacy & Identity Defense, AI Threat Protection, Executive Threat Intelligence, and Personal Security Operations. It is powered by a Threat Intelligence Engine that gathers insights from open, deep, and dark web sources. Protection is delivered to executives and their families via the BlackCloak app.
What Impersonation Protection does[2]
BlackCloak Impersonation Protection lets executives authenticate calls, texts, and video messages in real time. Executives can send an out-of-band authentication request and authenticate the source of calls, texts, video chats and emails.
What Physical Risk Reports does[5]
Intelligence from OSINT, deep and dark web sources specific to each executive is gathered. Threat credibility and likely intent is assessed by BlackCloak experts. Early warnings for security teams are provided in a downloadable report.

What it sells: Malwarebytes

What Premium Security does[4][5]
Malwarebytes Premium Security is an antivirus solution designed to protect personal devices and data in real-time. Malwarebytes says Premium Security stops sophisticated cyber threats that traditional antivirus tools often miss.
What Privacy VPN does[4][14]
Malwarebytes Privacy VPN helps people stay secure and private when using Wi-Fi or hotspots. Malwarebytes Privacy VPN can be used on iPhones and iPads, as well as Android, Windows, and Mac. Malwarebytes Privacy is a no-log VPN that never tracks, stores, or shares any of your network data.
What Identity Theft Protection does[4][5]
Malwarebytes Identity Theft Protection scans the dark web and other sources for personal information. It provides live agent-supported identity recovery, credit monitoring, and reporting, backed by up to $2 million in identity theft insurance.
What Mobile Security does[4][5][7]
Malwarebytes Mobile Security detects before installation some of the most harmful malware, including trojans, spyware and ransomware. Malwarebytes Mobile Security is free to download on both Google Play and the App store.
What Android Virus Scan does[7]
Malwarebytes offers a free Android virus scan to protect a phone from hackers and cyber threats like malware, spyware, keyloggers and more. Malwarebytes alerts people before they install and run potentially harmful software or apps on an Android device.

Questions about BlackCloak and Malwarebytes

What do BlackCloak and Malwarebytes sell?
BlackCloak sells Digital Executive Protection Platform, Impersonation Protection and Physical Risk Reports. Malwarebytes sells Premium Security, Browser Guard, Privacy VPN, Identity Theft Protection, Mobile Security and 1 more.
Are BlackCloak and Malwarebytes in the same category?
They share MDR and managed SOC. BlackCloak's primary category is Digital risk protection and Malwarebytes's is EDR and XDR.
Where are BlackCloak and Malwarebytes headquartered?
Malwarebytes is headquartered in Santa Clara, United States.
When were BlackCloak and Malwarebytes founded?
Malwarebytes was founded in 2008.
Who are BlackCloak and Malwarebytes sold to?
From its own pages, the company sells mainly to organisations whose executives and board members are targeted in their personal digital lives. From its own pages, Malwarebytes sells mainly to individuals and families who want to protect personal devices.
What have BlackCloak and Malwarebytes announced recently?
September 10, 2026: BlackCloak launched Perimeter, a physical security offering that extends its digital protection to the physical world around where executives live, work and travel. October 5, 2026: Malwarebytes launched Scam Link Check, a free web tool that lets anyone check whether a website link is safe before clicking it.

About BlackCloak

BlackCloak protects the personal digital lives of executives with cybersecurity, concierge support and incident response. BlackCloak says executives and their families are targets at home, where corporate security cannot reach.[1][2][6]

The Digital Executive Protection Platform delivers against four pillars of protection: Privacy & Identity Defense, AI Threat Protection, Executive Threat Intelligence, and Personal Security Operations. The platform is powered by a Threat Intelligence Engine that continuously gathers insights from open, deep, and dark web sources. BlackCloak provides aggregated, anonymized insights to the customer team to track progress and measure risk reduction.[1][2]

BlackCloak finds, removes, and hides executives' exposed personal data from broker sites, and monitors for breaches across open, deep, and dark web sources. BlackCloak offers data broker removal to minimize publicly available personal data. BlackCloak detects data exposure using known executive data such as email, addresses and names. BlackCloak automates takedown and opt-out requests. Executives can track progress through a live activity feed on the BlackCloak app.[2]

BlackCloak monitors and analyzes content across multiple channels to detect disinformation campaigns or personal reputational threats before they escalate. BlackCloak monitors eight types of intelligence channels, including news, social media, court filings, and AI-generated content. BlackCloak says deepfake attacks can bypass email filters and awareness training. BlackCloak Impersonation Protection lets executives authenticate calls, texts, and video messages in real time. Executives can send an out-of-band authentication request and authenticate the source of calls, texts, video chats and emails.[2]

BlackCloak offers Physical Risk Reports that provide a shared intelligence picture. For these reports, intelligence from OSINT, deep and dark web sources specific to each executive is gathered. BlackCloak experts assess threat credibility and likely intent. Security teams receive early warnings with context in a downloadable report.

BlackCloak continuously monitors personal devices such as laptops, mobiles, and tablets in the background, securing them with enterprise-grade EDR. Executives install the BlackCloak app on their personal devices. BlackCloak performs security checks across six areas: passcode, biometrics, encryption, OS updates, breach status, and botnet activity. BlackCloak backs EDR and home network scanning with expert-led incident response from its in-house, US-based security operations center. BlackCloak manages detection, remediation, and incident response end-to-end.[2]

BlackCloak works with the customer team to identify who needs protecting and aligns with their assistants to book a confidential Privacy & Exposure Review. BlackCloak gives the customer team a dashboard with aggregated, anonymized metrics on risk exposure reduction that can be used to present to the board. CISOs and security teams have a dedicated account manager for questions on SLAs and billing and on the security of protected executives. BlackCloak operates outside of the customer's corporate cybersecurity technology stack. BlackCloak says it cannot see into executives' personal accounts or browsing history.[2][6]

BlackCloak on the record

Sources

BlackCloak full record

  1. [1]blackcloak.ioBlackCloak · blackcloak.io · undated page, accessed September 30, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]BlackCloak | Digital Executive Protection | Personal CybersecurityBlackCloak · undated page, accessed October 30, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]BlackCloak | Cybersecurity for High-Profile & HNWIsBlackCloak · undated page, accessed October 30, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]BlackCloak Launches BlackCloak Perimeter™, Unifying Cyber and Physical Security for Executive ProtectionBlackCloak · published September 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Product - BlackCloak | Protect Your Digital Life™BlackCloak · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]BlackCloak | Blog | Breaking Down BlackCloak | Concierge ServiceBlackCloak · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A

Malwarebytes full record

  1. [1]threatdown.comMalwarebytes (ThreatDown) · threatdown.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Malwarebytes announces acquisition of leading online privacy company cyrus 301908393Malwarebytes via PR Newswire · prnewswire.com · published August 24, 2023 · Tier A
  3. [3]CompanyMalwarebytes · malwarebytes.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]All-in-One Protection: Antivirus, VPN & Scam Guard | Best AntivirusMalwarebytes · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Scam detector | Real-time free scam detection for iOS and AndroidMalwarebytes · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]How to Speed Up Your Computer | MalwarebytesMalwarebytes · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Android Virus Scan | Scan your Android phone for virusesMalwarebytes · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Malwarebytes Appoints Chung Ip as Chief Financial OfficerMalwarebytes · published May 6, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Malwarebytes Launches Free Reverse Phone Check to Help Consumers Identify Potential Scam NumbersMalwarebytes · published June 3, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Malwarebytes Strengthens Consumer Growth Strategy with Appointment of Netspend CEO Michael Weissman to BoardMalwarebytes · published July 22, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Malwarebytes for Teams Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier C
  12. [12]Antivirus with VPN | MalwarebytesMalwarebytes · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Malwarebytes tools & solutionsMalwarebytes · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Ad Blocker for iPhone | Ad Blocker for iOSMalwarebytes · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]VPN for crypto | MalwarebytesMalwarebytes · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Antivirus for Gaming | Antivirus for Gaming PCMalwarebytes · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Malwarebytes Brings Real-time Scam Detection and Threat Intelligence to AI Conversations with Claude ConnectorMalwarebytes · published April 29, 2026 · Tier A
  18. [18]Malwarebytes Appoints Chung Ip as Chief Financial OfficerPR Newswire · published May 6, 2026 · Tier A
  19. [19]Malwarebytes Launches Free Scam Link Check So Anyone Can Verify a Link is Safe Before They ClickMalwarebytes · published October 5, 2026 · Tier A
  20. [20]Malwarebytes Strengthens Consumer Growth Strategy with Appointment of Netspend CEO Michael Weissman to BoardPR Newswire · published July 22, 2026 · Tier A

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