If you’re a CTO (chief technology officer) or an IT director, you already know what endpoints are. For the rest of us, endpoints are the devices that connect to a network. These devices include everything from mobile phones to Wi-Fi access points. And more than ever, endpoints aren’t limited to using local apps or installed software.
Instead, they connect to networks to access cloud-based software and web-based apps. In a cloud-first world, there are layers of network connections to grapple with. Your company’s network interfaces with the hosts of the cloud-based apps your employees use. Plus, you’ve got home networks, public Wi-Fi, and outside networks used by remote workers.
Protecting your network isn’t enough. Neither is installing anti-malware and monitoring software on the endpoints your business controls. You’ve got to rethink endpoint security, and here’s why.
Unknown Software Vulnerabilities
In a cloud-first world, there are connected endpoints your company can manage and those you can’t. Think bring your own devices (BYOD) and servers from companies hosting web-based apps. But even on business-owned assets, some variables may be challenging for your IT team to control. Employees may use personal USB devices on those assets or unknowingly compromise the device by clicking on a malicious link.
Beyond this, there are software vulnerabilities developers don’t know about. Yet, cybercriminals have discovered these exploits and are making the most of them. There isn’t a security patch and monitoring tools won’t alert you.
According to threatlocker.com, an endpoint protection platform is essential for a robust defense strategy. A platform lets you control what applications are approved to run and how various apps integrate. Endpoint protection also prevents software from infiltrating network files, OS registries, and command prompts. Protection platforms stop unapproved or unrecognized scripts from running while restricting access to sensitive networked resources.
The Human Factor Is the Weakest Link
Because cyberattacks exploit technology to carry out nefarious acts, it’s easy to look at the tech first. However, 74% of data breaches can be traced back to a human factor. Clicking on phishing links and becoming prey to social engineering tactics are examples. Other potential scenarios include downloading sensitive data onto a personal device or lost and stolen endpoints.
Say you have a team of remote workers. You issue each of those employees a company laptop. It’s not outside the realm of possibility for one of those devices to go missing. A remote worker could misplace it or leave it in a vehicle that’s later stolen. Another possibility is the employee leaves your organization but doesn’t return the device or delays the return.
Meanwhile, an unauthorized person could use the device to access your network. On the device, there could also be data transferred from cloud-based apps and company resources. Multi-factor authentication protocols combined with zero trust architectures shield your network from these scenarios. So does enacting tougher data encryption measures and limiting what employees can download or store locally.
Zero trust architectures require authentication every time access to a web-based resource is requested. These resources include connecting to your company network remotely. It doesn’t matter if it’s coming from a device your organization owns. Without authentication through biometrics or another multi-factor method, access isn’t granted.
The Complexity of Threats is Increasing
Would you think a social media app notification could be the start of a successful cyberattack? Or an email that appears to be coming from the company’s CEO? Simultaneously, it’s not the organization’s website or servers that are the primary targets. It’s the IoT devices and other endpoints used by employees.
Cybercriminals no longer have to target the servers in your network operations center to find a way in. They realize people use the same cloud-based apps on multiple devices, including the ones they own. A personal smartphone an employee connects to their work email account is game.
Maybe they also use professional social media apps on their phones and company laptops. It’s the web-based app accounts cybercriminals can target, in addition to the endpoint. Making your approach to endpoint security more robust starts with recognizing all devices as threats.
Under this umbrella are internal endpoints, even if you think they’re locked down. Any cloud-based app, including integrated plug-ins, launched from endpoints could become an exploit. And you may not always be able to control what personal accounts employees sync on those devices.
More Devices, More Threats
The use of IoT devices is on the rise. At the end of 2023, there were 16.6 billion connected IoT devices. This number is expected to increase to 18.8 billion when 2024 wraps up. Plus, 51% of enterprise IoT users are projected to up their smart gadget budgets.
While the increased adoption of IoT devices may mean advances in business productivity, it also means cyberthreats will rise. Each of these devices is an endpoint waiting to become a backdoor to your network. Preventing access through these endpoints will require more than monitoring.
It means a combination of data encryption, constant firmware updates, tight authentication methods, and zero trust approaches. Security can’t be lax as organizations become more dependent on IoT devices running cloud-based apps controlled by other mobile devices. Every connection and every device must be treated as a constant, emerging threat.
Rethinking Endpoint Security
There was a time when endpoint security was manageable at a device level. You installed anti-malware software and kept up with software updates. If a device became infected or compromised, you could isolate it quickly. But with the rise in the number of endpoints and cloud-based resources, those days are over.
More than ever, it’s critical to approach endpoint security from a holistic, integrated view. You can no longer assume devices and the access requests that come from them should be trusted. There are too many unknown and unmanageable variables in the picture. Endpoint protection platforms are a tool you can use to establish a stronger defense against the growing complexity of threats.
