The rising cost and risk of data breaches are concerning for all organisations. In 2021, the average cost of a data breach was around AU$3.35 million. With endpoints frequently pinpointed as the entry point for these security breaches, it is important to have a robust and sound approach to protecting your business endpoints.
Endpoint security is critical for every business in today’s digital age, as each device connected to your organisation is a potential attack vector. With the increasing number of employees working remotely or across multiple locations, more remote user devices are being used than ever before, accessing critical and sensitive business data at all times and from all locations.
Therefore, it is essential to ensure your endpoint security solutions are best-in-class and keep your critical business data secure.
What are the types of endpoint protection?
Endpoint security is the protection of devices being operated by an end-user, and includes devices such as laptops, desktop computers, smartphones, tablets, and other network access points such as logins.
Endpoint refers to the point where a user accesses data on a network, and as such can be particularly vulnerable to attack and security breaches.
There are a number of different ways endpoints can be protected, and most managed security services providers (MSSPs) will employ these methods in tandem:
- Anti-virus/anti-malware solutions: designed to prevent, detect, and remove viruses and harmful software such as adware, trojans, etc.
- Firewalls: monitor network traffic and build a barrier between internal and external networks, keeping unauthorised users from making connections to endpoints.
- Application monitoring and control: this puts restrictions on what applications users can install and run, using techniques like whitelisting and blacklisting. This separates accepted applications from potential threats.
- Network access control: monitor and enforce limits on network access, identity and access management, having oversight on what devices attempting to access the network, boosting network security
- Cloud perimeter security: endpoints aren’t limited to physical devices, they are also found in cloud-based infrastructure, so a security perimeter that enforces access privilege and application control is vital.
- Endpoint and disk encryption: adds an extra layer of security to data that is breached, by enabling encryption on devices, disks, flash drives, and so on, making data unable to be utilised by malicious actors if it is breached
- Data loss protection solutions: tools that ensure sensitive data does not get outside the network or to a user without access
- Proxy internet solutions: intermediary server that retrieves data from the internet on behalf of a user, preventing malicious actors from entering a private network
- Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR): tools that monitor and collect data from endpoints (devices) connected to the network and mitigate threats.
- Endpoint Configuration Management Solutions: tools such as Microsoft Intune allow systems administrators to manage and secure all endpoints in the network, and perform actions from a single console.
Best practices for endpoint security
Fortunately, endpoint security is possible with a well-developed strategy and the expertise of security specialists who can implement the following best practices for safeguarding your endpoints:
Identify all endpoints in your business
Start with the obvious but absolutely vital step of identifying all access points of your network, regardless of location or use, including company-owned and BYO devices, as well as printers, smart devices, etc. This enables you to track and monitor every device that connects to your business network and build a robust endpoint security system.
Update data access policies
Keeping critical data secure means only allowing authorised users access to data if the data access policy agrees with the request. Data access policies should be set up to ensure any attempts to breach security protocols will trigger an automated response to system admins that unauthorised access is being attempted. Enforcing least privilege access means It is only possible for users to access the apps and data on a device if they have the required privileges. Privileges should be assigned based on job function. In other words, users should only have the privileges they need to do their jobs.
Endpoint detection and response (EDR)
Endpoint detection such as antivirus software and firewalls are no match for advanced threats that emerge constantly. Newer, more advanced endpoint detection and response tools are becoming imperative in today’s fast-paced digital world as part of endpoint protection platforms (EPP). EPP is a suite of endpoint security technologies that include antivirus, threat intelligence, data encryption, and vulnerability management. These technologies include artificial intelligence and machine learning threat detection capabilities that can identify suspicious activity in real-time and alert security teams to act before threats become attacks.
Security awareness
Employers should take a proactive approach to security and ensure all employees are cybersecurity aware. This means they will be more alert of potential risks, less likely to cause a breach in your organisation's cybersecurity, and have clear guidelines on what they should do if there is an incident. Employees with mobile devices or businesses that use hybrid work models need to prioritise training regarding their company's overall security posture for endpoint devices.
Improve your enterprise endpoint security
As more organisations evaluate the necessity for employees to be in the office and embrace the modern workplace, the need to continually be vigilant regarding endpoint security remains. The endpoint detection and response experts at Linktech Australia have the knowledge and technology to ensure your organisation is safe from data breaches and your business can focus on what it does best.