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Application Detection & Response (ADR) protects applications from within, monitoring runtime behavior to spot and stop threats in real time. Unlike WAFs or EDR, ADR closes the “patch gap,” blocks zero-days, and reduces false positives, giving organizations proactive, adaptive defense as attackers move faster with automation and AI. By applying AI to defense as well, ADR learns normal behavior, adapts in real time, and stays effective even against novel or automated attack techniques.

What is Application Detection & Response (ADR)?

Application Detection & Response, or ADR, is a new category of cybersecurity that focuses on protecting applications from within. Unlike firewalls or endpoint tools that guard the perimeter, ADR operates at the application layer with lightweight, runtime monitoring, watching how it behaves in real time. By doing this, it can spot and stop malicious activity the moment it happens, before damage is done. Think of it as an immune system for your applications: constantly scanning, learning what “healthy” looks like, and responding instantly when something goes wrong.

Why Do Modern Applications Need ADR?

Applications have evolved from monolithic programs sitting in a single environment into microservices, APIs, and third-party integrations running across distributed cloud infrastructures. Modern applications are now both cloud native and increasingly AI native, combining rapid scalability with complex, automated decision-making layers. Each advancement accelerates innovation but also adds complexity and potential blind spots.

Traditional defenses weren’t built to monitor this level of interconnectivity, leaving organizations exposed. At the same time, attackers are faster, smarter, and increasingly using automation and AI. Application Detection & Response addresses this new reality by providing deep visibility into what’s happening inside applications, where attackers often hide in plain sight.

How Is ADR Different from Other Security Tools?

To understand ADR’s value, it helps to compare it to the tools most often used to secure applications.

Tool	Primary Focus	Where It Falls Short
WAF (Web Application Firewall)	Blocks malicious requests at the application perimeter	Can’t see what happens inside the app once traffic is allowed in; rules are reactive and often outdated
Vulnerability Management	Scans for known CVEs and misconfigurations	Overwhelms teams with alerts; lacks runtime context to show which vulnerabilities are actually exploitable in production
DAST and API Security	Test endpoints and traffic flows for weaknesses	Miss deeper logic, chaining behavior, and execution flows attackers use to exploit APIs and microservices
ASPM / Shift-Left Tools	Identify risks early in development	Lack production visibility and runtime protection; generate theoretical risks that increase alert fatigue
RASP (Runtime Application Self-Protection)	Embeds security logic inside applications	Require heavy agents and code instrumentation; often limited in response options compared to agentless approaches
Other ADR / CADR Solutions	Focus on application-level threat detection	Often stop at surface-level monitoring; lack execution modeling, attack-path simulation, and automated response integration

Tool:
WAF (Web Application Firewall)

Primary Focus:
Blocks malicious requests at the application perimeter

Where It Falls Short:
Can’t see what happens inside the app once traffic is allowed in; rules are reactive and often outdated

Tool:
Vulnerability Management

Primary Focus:
Scans for known CVEs and misconfigurations

Where It Falls Short:
Overwhelms teams with alerts; lacks runtime context to show which vulnerabilities are actually exploitable in production

Tool:
DAST and API Security

Primary Focus:
Test endpoints and traffic flows for weaknesses

Where It Falls Short:
Miss deeper logic, chaining behavior, and execution flows attackers use to exploit APIs and microservices

Tool:
ASPM / Shift-Left Tools

Primary Focus:
Identify risks early in development

Where It Falls Short:
Lack production visibility and runtime protection; generate theoretical risks that increase alert fatigue

Tool:
RASP (Runtime Application Self-Protection)

Primary Focus:
Embeds security logic inside applications

Where It Falls Short:
Require heavy agents and code instrumentation; often limited in response options compared to agentless approaches

Tool:
Other ADR / CADR Solutions

Primary Focus:
Focus on application-level threat detection

Where It Falls Short:
Often stop at surface-level monitoring; lack execution modeling, attack-path simulation, and automated response integration

ADR closes these gap by analyzing live application behavior at runtime, simulating how attackers would exploit vulnerabilities, and responding in real time. By tying detection to actual execution flows and automating in-app defenses (like dynamic WAF rules), ADR complements existing tools rather than replacing them.

What Type of Threats Can ADR Detect That Other Tools Often Miss?

Traditional tools focus on known signatures, suspicious IPs, or obvious exploits. But many attacks don’t look malicious at first glance. Because ADR watches behavior, it can even detect threats that don’t match a known behavior pattern.

Business Logic Attacks

Business logic attacks exploit the intended functionality of an application rather than a coding flaw. ADR can spot abnormal workflows, such as bypassing approval processes, that traditional tools would treat as legitimate.

Insider Threats

Insider threats occur when valid users misuse their privileges in harmful ways. Since ADR monitors actual behavior rather than just access rights, it can detect unusual patterns even if the activity comes from a trusted account.

API Misuse

APIs are often exploited when integrations behave in unexpected or unauthorized ways. ADR tracks service-to-service communication and can block abnormal calls or sequences before they escalate into a breach.

Zero Days and Unpatched Vulnerabilities

Zero-day exploits and unpatched vulnerabilities don’t rely on known signatures, making them invisible to traditional defenses. ADR identifies these attacks by detecting runtime behavior that deviates from established baselines, even without prior knowledge of the vulnerability.

How Fast Are Attackers Exploiting Vulnerabilities Today, and Why Does This Matter?

Not long ago, companies had days or even weeks to patch vulnerabilities before attackers struck. That’s no longer the case. Studies show the average time to exploit a new vulnerability has dropped from 63 days in 2018 to as little as 22 minutes. That means by the time a security advisory is issued, attackers may already be inside your system. This speed is driven by automation, bots, and AI tools that scan the internet for openings around the clock. Without runtime protection, organizations are losing the race against machines.

Graphic illustrating time to explit vulnerability in days

What Is the “Patch Gap,” and How Does It Put Applications at Risk?

The “patch gap” is the window of time between when a vulnerability is disclosed and when an organization deploys a fix. Even the most efficient security teams can’t patch instantly. They need to assess risk, test changes, and roll out updates safely across environments. In the meantime, applications remain exposed.

ADR is designed to cover this gap. By monitoring runtime behavior, it can detect and block exploit attempts immediately, buying teams the time they need to patch properly without exposing the business to unnecessary risk.

How Does Miggo’s ADR Approach Protect Applications from Within?

Miggo’s ADR is embedded directly inside applications, giving it a front-row seat to every request, workflow, and interaction. Instead of relying on external signals, it sees what the app itself sees. That allows it to catch threats that perimeter defenses miss, such as an attacker chaining together legitimate requests in malicious ways.

What makes Miggo unique is its three-layered approach:

AppDNA: Maps what applications actually do at runtime, not just what the code says they should do, eliminating blind spots in production
Predictive Threat Intelligence: Uses AI-driven simulations to anticipate how attackers will exploit logic, APIs, or workflows before they strike
AI-Native, Real-Time Response: Goes beyond alerts with automated defenses, from custom WAF rules to in-app blocking of live attacks

By combining these layers, Miggo provides both detection and response from within the application itself, cutting off suspicious activity at the source without the heavy instrumentation of older tools.

How Does ADR Build Baselines of Normal Application Behavior?

Instead of relying on pre-set rules, ADR learns from the application itself. It observes traffic, workflows, and user interactions over time, then builds a baseline of what “normal” looks like. This adaptive learning means ADR grows smarter as it monitors, reducing false positives and staying aligned with the application as it evolves. Unlike static security controls, ADR keeps pace with agile development and cloud-native architectures.

Can ADR Block Attacks in Real Time, or Is it Only for Detection?

ADR is designed for both. Detection is critical for visibility and investigation, but real protection requires action. Miggo’s ADR can automatically block suspicious behavior as it happens, closing off attack paths before they lead to data theft or downtime. Importantly, it can do this with precision, ensuring that legitimate user activity isn’t disrupted. This balance of speed and accuracy is what makes ADR a game-changer compared to tools that only alert after the fact.

How Does ADR Future-Proof Application Security as Threats Evolve?

Attackers are becoming faster, more automated, and increasingly powered by AI. Static defenses simply can’t keep up. ADR, by contrast, is built on adaptability. Because it monitors behavior rather than signatures, it doesn’t need to know about an exploit in advance to defend against it. As applications become more complex with microservices, serverless functions, and AI-driven processes, ADR will continue to provide visibility and protection at the runtime layer.

AI is changing both sides of the cybersecurity equation. Attackers use AI to automate reconnaissance, generate exploits, and accelerate attacks. ADR counters this by applying AI and machine learning to defense. By analyzing patterns of normal and abnormal application behavior at scale, AI-driven ADR systems can adapt faster, reduce false positives, and recognize novel attack techniques without relying on pre-written signatures. This makes ADR not just reactive, but predictive, evolving in step with how applications and threats change.

For organizations, this means ADR is more than just another security tool. It’s a foundation for the next era of defense. By embedding intelligence directly into applications using a lightweight, agentless approach, it shifts the balance of power back toward defenders.

Reach out to our team to learn how our solutions can provide the visibility and control you need to secure your data against hidden threats.

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Application Detection & Response (ADR)

TL;DR

What is Application Detection & Response (ADR)?

Why Do Modern Applications Need ADR?

How Is ADR Different from Other Security Tools?

What Type of Threats Can ADR Detect That Other Tools Often Miss?

Business Logic Attacks

Insider Threats

API Misuse

Zero Days and Unpatched Vulnerabilities

How Fast Are Attackers Exploiting Vulnerabilities Today, and Why Does This Matter?

What Is the “Patch Gap,” and How Does It Put Applications at Risk?

How Does Miggo’s ADR Approach Protect Applications from Within?

How Does ADR Build Baselines of Normal Application Behavior?

Can ADR Block Attacks in Real Time, or Is it Only for Detection?

How Does ADR Future-Proof Application Security as Threats Evolve?

Continue Reading

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AI Runtime Security

Reachability Analysis

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Zero Day

The ABCs of Application Runtime Security

Cloud Native Application

Preemptive Exposure Management

Application Detection & Response (ADR)

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