Endpoint Security Demands a Defense-in-depth Strategy

Cybercriminals utilise compromised endpoints as a major access point to breach a network, so undoubtedly, endpoints are the weakest link in the security chain. Endpoints have a lower security posture, partly due to out-of-date anti-virus or internet security solutions or because they are shared.

Is Endpoints a Weak Spot?

Two-thirds of companies are compromised by exploits that instigate with an endpoint. Cybercriminals are increasingly employing advanced persistent threat (APT) tactics, in which an attacker utilizes a compromised endpoint to spread laterally throughout a network by exploiting known vulnerabilities, upgrading privileges, and continuously hacking while inside. Endpoints are typically compromised by either malware or non-malware attacks.

• Malware includes viruses and other rogue applications that are deployed on an endpoint and can damage it or give an unauthorized person access to it.
• Non-malware assaults take use of flaws in program or apps that are already deployed on an endpoint, including a word processor or web application.

What is Endpoint Security?

Endpoint security is a key line of defence that prevents criminal hackers from obtaining network access, exfiltrating data, causing reputational or financial harm, damaging infrastructure, or even demanding a ransom. Endpoint security techniques may be used by organisations to resist vulnerabilities at various phases of an endpoint threat:

Prevent attacks from gaining access to endpoints: Prevent known threats from reaching endpoints and disrupting them before they may infiltrate an endpoint.

Identify hazards before they do harm: Identify existing dangers that successfully acquire access to an endpoint and find new threats on a regular basis.

Protect your organisation from the propagation of an endpoint assault by implementing the following measures: Reduce the impact of infected endpoints. Keep it contained as you investigate the root cause and apply what you've learned to avoid and detect future attacks.

Challenges in Securing Endpoints

Infrastructure specialists safeguard the most important data and infrastructures. However, this generally entails a known number of systems and software that are continuously handled by competent IT personnel.

Endpoint security, on the other hand, is a more chaotic system with a greater number of moving pieces. IT teams that handle endpoint security typically deal with greater volume and variations than teams that control infrastructure security.

According to the Ponemon Institute's report, The Cost of Insecure Endpoints, 63% of companies said they can't monitor off-network endpoints, which costs them more than $6 million each year to address the resulting risks. According to the survey, 80 percent of companies had an unorganized endpoint security policy.

Best Approach - Defense-in-depth

Defense-in-depth is a security method that involves stacking several protective measures to produce a resilient and redundant system. Since endpoints have several levels of protection, each layer provides a separate sort of security that protects the endpoint even if one or more of the controls fails. This strategy reduces the danger of a single point failure and is frequently utilised to handle a wide variety of potential vulnerabilities across physical, technological, and administrative levels.

Technology to consider in Endpoint Security Strategy

Privilege Management: Privilege management tools gives the granular control over what users can do via their endpoints, including installing programs and changing configurations, as well as accessing and interacting with web applications.

Antivirus (AV): Antivirus technologies are often installed directly on an endpoint, scanning the system continuously for known virus or malware signatures. The finest antivirus software updates its list of known infections on a regular basis, quarantines suspicious files and apps, and prevents users from accessing harmful websites.

Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP):Several antivirus software has developed into endpoint protection platforms. Similar to AV, they’re designed to prevent malware attacks and other malicious activity.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR): EDR systems are an analytical surveillance endpoint protection technology that continually collects and analyses data from all endpoints maintained by an organisation.

Endpoint Management: A solid endpoint management system may assist keep authorized devices secure and update them in a timely manner to reduce the impact of a zero-day attack.

Penetration Testing/Scorecards: Typically performed by an outside vendor, the goal of penetration testing is to disclose the organization's vulnerabilities so that they may be addressed before a bad actor attempts to exploit them.

CD Bytes!

One of the biggest challenges to effective endpoint security is the users. The proactive goal of endpoint security is to lock down entry points cyber criminals might use to access an enterprise network. Cloud Destinations can assist you with implementing robust Endpoint Security with EDR and different platforms. Please reach out to info@clouddestinations.com for any business queries.

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