Today’s companies rely on endpoints more than ever before because of the transition to remote workplaces. Even organizations that are making the move back to the office still depend on endpoints as a key part of a hybrid work environment.
However, endpoints can be a security weak spot. Forbes warned that endpoints create vulnerabilities for companies that are using the cloud. For example, ransomware can encrypt data at the endpoint, which can then be uploaded onto cloud drives, leading to a wider breach.
Companies need to adopt endpoint security to stop hackers in their tracks and prevent threats that breach endpoints from moving laterally across the system.
Why Endpoints Are a Key Security Vulnerability
Endpoints create many challenges for a company’s security strategy. By nature, endpoints are geographically dispersed. Devices may be located at employees’ homes, branch offices, or in the field — as in the case of IoT devices — making it difficult for your company to gain visibility into them. Some endpoints may be corporate owned, while others may belong to employees, further interfering with visibility.
Cybercriminals exploit the vulnerability of endpoints through unique attack vectors. For example, some hackers steal and modify code-signing certificates so they can disguise malware as a legitimate program and distribute it through endpoints.
Bad actors can also take advantage of weaknesses in endpoint access management. Many organizations fail to configure their endpoint networks for privileged access management (PAM) or use the same password for multiple devices, making endpoints easy to breach.
Reducing the Attack Surface
The proliferation of endpoints has radically expanded the attack surface. Endpoints present hackers with many opportunities to gain access to company systems and spread malware or steal data.
With endpoint security, companies can shrink the attack surface by controlling access to remote and IoT devices. Endpoint security detects and blocks attacks before they successfully gain entry and then move across the network.
For instance, an endpoint detection and response (EDR) solution provides greater visibility into your distributed architecture so you can get ahead of hackers, as well as threat investigation capabilities.
Adopting a Zero Trust Approach Through Endpoint Security
Companies with many endpoints need to use endpoint security to support a Zero Trust approach. Protection measures for endpoints should follow the Zero Trust principles of “never trust; always verify” by preventing unauthorized access.
Endpoint security can control access, authenticating every attempt to use a device. By stopping a breach at the point of entry, endpoint security takes a preventative approach, which is the hallmark of Zero Trust.
An endpoint protection platform (EPP) scans every file that enters the network through the endpoint to ensure that it doesn’t contain malware that could spread to other devices, the cloud, and on-premises systems.
Designing a Roadmap to Better Endpoint Security
Developing a successful security strategy means taking endpoint security into account and determining how it fits into a Zero Trust architecture.
Cisco Secure Endpoint provides you with a simplified way to build this architecture. Secure Endpoint uses threat intelligence powered by cloud-based analytics to detect and block threats automatically and immediately, preventing breaches.
As a Cisco Platinum Partner, Dynamix Group provides our clients with leading endpoint security solutions and ongoing support. We can get your company started by conducting a free Cisco Security Audit.
During the audit, we gather intelligence about your security strategy, including how effectively you are protecting your endpoints, and then generate a report that can be used to develop next steps.
Reach out to the Cisco experts at Dynamix who can help you with a Security Audit.