Elastio vs. Halcyon
Halcyon stops ransomware on the endpoint and captures encryption keys. Elastio detects corruption in your data regardless of how it got there. They cover different surfaces — and work best together.
- Core question
- Halcyon asks "Can we stop ransomware before it encrypts our files?" Elastio asks "Has the attacker compromised my data?"
- Surface
- Halcyon covers the endpoint. Elastio covers the data.
- Off-endpoint attacks
- When encryption happens on a server without an agent, via stolen cloud credentials, or by an insider, Halcyon's key capture has no key to capture. Elastio detects the corruption inside the files regardless of how it got there.
- Codefinger-style attacks
- In January 2025 attackers encrypted S3 with AWS's own SSE-C using compromised credentials. No ransomware binary executed and no endpoint was involved. Elastio inspects the data directly, not the process that encrypted it.
- Data coverage
- Halcyon: endpoint only. Elastio: live data, replicated data, backup data, and cloud storage (S3, Blob, object stores).
- Last Known Clean
- Halcyon does not identify a Last Known Clean recovery point. Elastio does, continuously maintained.
Two questions. Two products.
Halcyon and Elastio each answer a fundamentally different question about what happened during an attack.
Halcyon stops ransomware on the endpoint. Elastio ensures the data is not impacted even when the endpoint is not.
Halcyon's key capture works when ransomware runs on a protected endpoint. When the encryption happens somewhere else — a server without an agent, stolen cloud credentials, an unmanaged host — there is no key to capture and no rollback to run.
Attackers used compromised AWS credentials to encrypt S3 bucket data using AWS's own SSE-C encryption with an attacker-held key. No ransomware binary executed. No endpoint was involved. Data was encrypted and marked for deletion in seven days. There was no key for any endpoint agent to capture.
Reported by Halcyon RISE Team, January 13 2025. Confirmed by AWS Security Blog, January 2025.
Elastio inspects the data directly, not the process that encrypted it. Whether encryption happened on the endpoint, in the cloud, via stolen credentials, or by an insider, Elastio detects the corruption inside the files. The source of the attack is irrelevant.
Capability comparison
Side-by-side view of what each product covers — across endpoint protection, data-layer detection, and data surface coverage.
After a breach, three questions get asked
Halcyon answers the first. Elastio answers the second and third. Together they give a CISO the complete picture: what happened on the endpoints, whether the damage reached the data, and which recovery point is confirmed clean. Boards, regulators, and insurers ask all three.
Common questions about this comparison
What is the core difference between Elastio and Halcyon?
Halcyon asks "Can we stop ransomware before it encrypts our files?" Elastio asks "Has the attacker compromised my data?" Halcyon covers the endpoint. Elastio covers the data.
When does Halcyon's encryption key capture fail?
Halcyon's key capture works when ransomware runs on a protected endpoint. When encryption happens somewhere else — a server without an agent, stolen cloud credentials, or an unmanaged host — there is no key to capture and no rollback to run.
What was the Codefinger attack and why is it relevant?
In January 2025, attackers used compromised AWS credentials to encrypt S3 bucket data using AWS's own SSE-C encryption with an attacker-held key. No ransomware binary executed. No endpoint was involved. Data was encrypted and marked for deletion in seven days. There was no key for any endpoint agent to capture.
How does Elastio handle attacks that bypass endpoint protection?
Elastio inspects the data directly, not the process that encrypted it. Whether encryption happened on the endpoint, in the cloud, via stolen credentials, or by an insider, Elastio detects the corruption inside the files. The source of the attack is irrelevant.
Can Halcyon detect insider-executed encryption?
Insider-executed encryption detection is outside Halcyon's scope. Elastio detects insider-executed encryption without requiring mass file operation patterns.
What does Halcyon do that Elastio does not?
Prevents ransomware from executing on endpoints using AI trained on ransomware behavior, captures encryption keys in memory during an active attack, decrypts files after encryption without paying the ransom, monitors for data exfiltration, and hardens endpoint agents against being disabled by attackers.
Can Elastio and Halcyon work together?
Yes. Halcyon covers the endpoint. Elastio covers the data. Together they give a CISO confirmed answers on both.
All product capabilities are current as of March 2026 and sourced by public documentation. Elastio is not affiliated with or endorsed by Halcyon.