HP’s business laptops are equipped with Wolf Security. A sticker and a logo make that clear, but the layman doesn’t know exactly what Wolf Security is or does. We start with the business version.

At launch we see the HP logo with a stylized wolf’s head underneath. The same logo can be found on a sticker on the laptop with the accompanying caption: “HP Wolf Security”. One thing we know for sure, something wolfish from HP has ambitions to protect our Elite Dragonfly G4. That’s good news: phishing and ransomware are still popular, and criminals in a dark corner of the internet want nothing more than you to click on the wrong attachment, only to digitally hold your company hostage a month later.

Protection is a shared responsibility. Microsoft has done a lot since Windows 10 with its excellent built-in Defender security, but by definition it mostly works at the OS level. Windows 11 has deeper integration with the (mandatory) hardware TPM module in laptops, where security keys are stored, among other things, but that’s over too. HP also sees its responsibility as a laptop manufacturer and tries to offer complementary solutions that are more firmly anchored in the physical device. In fact, they are many solutions that live together under the name of Wolf Security.

Free and for nothing

Most of these solutions come free with your HP laptop. Our Dragonfly comes with a Wolf Security for Business license, but you can find out exactly what that is. In general, we’re not a fan of bloatware that intrudes, but HP could give Wolf Security a little more focus when installing a new device. After all, this isn’t bloatware, it’s useful software, as we’ll see later, but you’ll have to find that out for yourself.

This journey of discovery begins with the HP Wolf Security dashboard, which you can access from the taskbar below. The dashboard is a bit like the start screen of a classic antivirus solution and is initially quite intuitive. You will see five main features of the tool, which will serve as a link to the relevant settings. You also get a brief summary of the possibilities of the individual functions at the touch of a button:

• Malware Prevention: Deep Learning AI detects new threats and stops known malware.
• threat analysis: Isolates malware installed through social engineering attacks or other methods, preventing PC infection.
• Login security: Helps prevent credential theft by blocking phishing attacks where the user is prompted for their password on a fake website.
• OS resistance: Repairs your operating system with minimal user intervention.
• application persistence: Monitors critical applications and alerts in case of an external threat.

Inconsistent terminology

Here you can activate the skills and then immediately increase the protection by one level. Unfortunately, HP relies on inconsistency here. The above names are unique but do not correspond to the actual product names behind them. threat analysis is actually sure click. This solution opens attachments or links in an email in a micro VM so no malware can infect the PC.

Malware Prevention then again sure sense: An antivirus solution that goes beyond Defender in Windows, as it can also detect unprecedented malware based on the behavior of malicious code. There are a number of solutions with securebranding, such as Clear beginning This keeps your BIOS intact and not in the dashboard, and Safely recoverthat under the name OS resistance Life.

Not all functions are available in the dashboard. Most options come with policy rules that you can set through an online portal. For example, you can control the behavior of threat analysis, specify which sources are trusted and which are not, and choose who can turn antivirus protection on and off. The portal is accessible via an HP ID, but can also be linked to Microsoft Active Directory.

you have to find it out on your own

This works quite well, but HP uses this in the Wolf Security Dashboard secureNames for the functions and not the names from the portal. In addition, the manufacturer nowhere correctly explains what the similarity is. For example, Wolf Security is far less easy to get started with than it needs to be.

In addition, some functions are only accessible through the BIOS. The details of Clear beginningAdjust functionality accordingly. You should also know this yourself: neither the dashboard nor the online portal will point you to the BIOS functions. In the BIOS itself, despite sometimes brief explanations, it is completely unclear which functions offer added value and why.

We tested Wolf Security from the perspective of an SMB or individual HP laptop buyer who might choose to get started with the solution. Without additional advice, we have the feeling that the customer is left to his fate. Several conversations with HP made us understand the purpose and value of Wolf Security’s capabilities, but we fear the information will not reach many. The result: a hard-working IT pro who proactively denies all HP requests before outfitting the laptop with his own solutions.

Good but easily overlooked

That’s a pity, because the added value is great despite the somewhat confusing structure. take now sure click (or threat analysis): Whenever we open a document such as a Word file or a PDF file, it happens in our trusted application. However, this app is surrounded by a blue border. This indicates that the application is actually running in an isolated virtual machine. Ditto for links opened in HP’s own isolated browser.

Functionality is not compromised here and the additional level of security that HP offers is significant. If you accidentally misclick, any malware will harmlessly explode in the isolated container. This is value for individual users, companies and all use cases in between.

The same applies to the possibility of easy recovery or the BIOS protection, which also prevents rootkits. HP even builds its own security chip into its laptops to provide all of these features. So you pay for it almost without even knowing it.

HP Wolf Security is a relevant security suite with many advanced features neatly supported by the hardware. No doubt many users today pay out of ignorance for an alternative solution that can do the same or less, as Wolf Security’s capabilities have not been clearly presented anywhere.

Trump card

With the sticker on the laptop, HP is taking a big step in the right direction and the solutions are already much better established than, for example, a year or two ago. However, there is still a lot to do. This is also our biggest criticism of the solution. It also offers quite handy and mostly easy to find security features that don’t bother you but still add value. A big highlight in our opinion is Sure Click and the VM isolation. HP can structure and play Wolf Security a bit better: In our opinion, the suite can be a valid reason to choose an HP notebook over an equivalent device from a competitor.

This article is part of it series on HP’s role in laptop security. HP has no control over the content of this review. Click here for more information on Wolf Security or here if you would like to contact HP regarding these solutions.