HardenStance Report Finds Growing Telco Adoption of Consumer DNS Security
Report discovered via Awesome Annual Security Reports.
Summary
HardenStance estimates telcos spent $441 million on consumer security software in 2025. Its annual report finds growing DNS security adoption and calls for tighter integration of endpoint, router and network protections.
Key points
- HardenStance estimates worldwide telco consumer security software spending rose 6% in 2025 and forecasts growth to $604 million by 2030.
- Participating vendors reported 38 new network-based security contracts in 2025, compared with 16 endpoint security contracts and eight home router security agent contracts.
- Of the 38 network-based security contracts, 17 came from Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia Pacific, indicating adoption beyond North America and Europe.
- The report expects commercial scaling of prpl home router security agents in 2026, while RDK-B deployments expand into Europe.
- The research identifies limited technical integration between consumer security products and recommends orchestration that also incorporates signaling, voice and SMS firewall intelligence.
- DNS filtering offers rapid, broad consumer coverage, but the report notes that detection efficacy depends on continuously updated, curated threat intelligence.
- The sponsored study draws on vendor discussions conducted in late 2025; changing vendor participation and missing historical data limit comparisons of cumulative contract wins.
Article Details
- Publisher
- HardenStance
- Report Period
- 2025, with research conducted in the fourth quarter and publication in February 2026
- Scope
- Worldwide telco consumer security spending and vendor-reported contracts across endpoint security, home router security agents, and network-based security.
- Sample Size
- 12 participating vendors; participation and historical coverage vary by segment and year.
- Key Statistics
- HardenStance estimates worldwide telco consumer security software spending at $441 million in 2025, up 6% from 2024.
- Estimated 2025 spending comprised $298 million for endpoint security, $102 million for network-based security, and $40 million for home router security agents.
- Participating vendors reported 38 new network-based security contracts, 16 endpoint security contracts, and eight home router security agent contracts in 2025; coverage is incomplete.
- Vendors reported 80 network-based security contracts during January 2023–December 2025, compared with 70 combined endpoint and home router security contracts; historical participation gaps limit comparisons.
- Infoblox reported discovering 7.6 million new malicious domains in the fourth quarter of 2025, including 119,000 previously unqueried zero-day DNS domains, none persisting longer than 72 hours.
- Recommendations
- Integrate endpoint, home router, and network-based security to provide more seamless protection across devices, locations, and connection types.
- Include telco network firewall threat intelligence in user-centric security orchestration rather than treating these firewalls as isolated products.
- Continuously update and curate DNS threat feeds, enriching them with contextual intelligence to improve detection and blocking efficacy.
- Customize DNS threat intelligence weighting and filtering to operator requirements and local regulatory obligations.
- Account for potential disruption to legitimate services when pre-emptively blocking infrastructure identified as attacker-controlled.
MITRE ATT&CK
T1078.001 · Default AccountsThe report describes criminals accessing live camera feeds through factory default credentials, alongside other weaknesses, in an Italian surveillance operation.T1496 · Resource HijackingThe report describes cryptojacking that exploits vulnerable consumer devices and hijacks their processing power for cryptocurrency mining.T1595 · Active ScanningThe report describes Internet scanning to locate accessible cameras and botnet scanning for open ports, misconfigurations, and vulnerabilities.
People
Jacob SimsExpert on transnational and cybercrime quoted through The Guardian describing the industrialization of scam operations.Kevin BeaumontCybersecurity practitioner credited with coining 'cyberslop' to describe exaggerated or misleading claims about criminal use of AI.Patrick DoneganNamed in the report's copyright attribution.
Malware
Vendors
Akamaisponsors Akamai, Allot, Efficient IP, F-Secure, Gen Digital, SAM Seamless Network andAllotsponsors Akamai, Allot, Efficient IP, F-Secure, Gen Digital, SAM Seamless Network andBitdefenderSponsored by Bitdefender, Cujo AI, Enea, Infoblox and PowerDNSCujo AISponsored by Bitdefender, Cujo AI, Enea, Infoblox and PowerDNSEfficient IPsponsors Akamai, Allot, Efficient IP, F-Secure, Gen Digital, SAM Seamless Network andEneaSponsored by Bitdefender, Cujo AI, Enea, Infoblox and PowerDNSF-Securesponsors Akamai, Allot, Efficient IP, F-Secure, Gen Digital, SAM Seamless Network andGen Digitalsponsors Akamai, Allot, Efficient IP, F-Secure, Gen Digital, SAM Seamless Network andInfobloxSponsored by Bitdefender, Cujo AI, Enea, Infoblox and PowerDNSPowerDNSSponsored by Bitdefender, Cujo AI, Enea, Infoblox and PowerDNSSAM Seamless Networksponsors Akamai, Allot, Efficient IP, F-Secure, Gen Digital, SAM Seamless Network andWhaleboneWhalebone. As last year, McAfee and ESET were invited to contribute but declined.
Products
Allot DNS Secureuses entirely its own DPI or Deep Network Intelligence (DNI) while ‘Allot DNS Secure’Bitdefender Scam Protection Platformfurther in its AI assisted Bitdefender Scam Protection Platform. This detects and preventsNetwork SecureSource: HardenStance *Wins using Allot’s DPI-based ‘Network Secure’ solutions.OneAppoffers something similar that can be enabled via its own OneApp solution orprplnetwork-based ▪ In 2026, we should finally see open source prpl home routers being commerciallyRDK-Bendpoint security alternative, more mature, RDK-B ecosystem is extending its commercial footprint
Countries
Cambodia$66.8 billion. Cambodia’s $12.8 billion in scam income is reckoned to be worth 30.2%Italythousands of live video camera feeds throughout Italy. These cameras all had factoryKenyathe other end of the scale, scams account for 11.3% of GDP in Nigeria, 10.9% in Kenya,Laosof its GDP of $42.3 billion. And at $10.9 billion of a total of $15.8 billion Laos’ incomeMalaysia| | 2025 | F-Secure | CelcomDigi | Malaysia |Myanmararticle estimates that at $15.3 billion, scams accounted for 23% of Myanmar’s GDP ofNigeriathe other end of the scale, scams account for 11.3% of GDP in Nigeria, 10.9% in Kenya,Pakistan2.5% in Pakistan, 2.1% in Malaysia and 1.7% in Saudi Arabia.Saudi Arabia2.5% in Pakistan, 2.1% in Malaysia and 1.7% in Saudi Arabia.