The State of Endpoint Security in the Modern Threat Landscape

As the threat landscape has continued to rapidly evolve, so have the resource needs for all organizations. The combination of new technology and the surge in cyberattacks is creating risks for businesses on multiple digital fronts. These trends suggest that endpoint security, in particular, remains a critical battleground for protecting organizations from costly breaches. Historically, most attackers have infiltrated organizations through their networks - the sheer number and variety of endpoints today has made them a prime target for cyber criminals. The proliferation of endpoints due to hybrid work models and the Internet of Things (IoT), coupled with the rising sophistication of generative AI, has enabled attackers to orchestrate more complex and effective attacks. While larger enterprises may have the resources and expertise to build a holistic defense strategy against today's threats, the same cannot be said for many small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Managed Service Providers (MSPs) must urgently adapt and implement layered security solutions to help SMBs tackle today's endpoint security challenges. Here are some key trends, challenges and recommendations for organizations to consider in order to protect their digital environments effectively.

Trends and Challenges in Endpoint Security

As malware, ransomware, phishing attacks and Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) continue to target endpoints, the following trends illustrate the difficulties administrators face when securing their endpoints and how advancing technologies can help to optimize security and minimize risk on endpoints: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML): Although it feels like generative AI tools have been around for a while now, AI and ML technologies have now been improved to analyze vast amounts of data, better detect anomalies and automate responses to threats on the endpoint. As AI and ML technologies have become more sophisticated, they've also become more accessible to bad actors. The technology can and has been utilized for various cybercrimes like phishing and social engineering schemes which subsequently allow attackers to gain access through endpoints. Zero Trust Architecture: Zero trust is becoming the cornerstone network security model for securing all layers of IT infrastructure. Implementing zero-trust principles in endpoint security ensures that only authorized users and devices can access critical resources, allowing for more granular security controls. Moreover, endpoint protection tools are increasingly becoming compliant with zero trust by providing more useful data about device posture when it comes to the process of granting access to an organization's network or the internet itself. To effectively combat threats, an integrated platform that combines the rich telemetry of both endpoint and network security tools provides the most holistic protection in a zero-trust security model. Increasing Complexity of Managing Multiple Devices: Due to the continued prevalence of remote work and the increasing popularity of bring your own device (BYOD) models, organizations are challenged with managing a diverse range of devices that are both on- and off-premises today. Ensuring consistent security policies across all these devices can be complex and operationally inefficient, leading to many unmanaged devices and missed threats. Administrators need solutions that are both easy to deploy and manage, bringing together what has traditionally been comprised of many monitoring silos to unified platforms with various security controls suitable for a variety of endpoints. Increasing Sophistication of Threats: One of the prime examples of the increasing sophistication of attacks can be demonstrated in how the threat landscape is changing from file-based to fileless threats. Instead of the traditional means of delivering viruses in executables, fileless attacks leverage native utilities - essentially turning the operating system against itself. This means anti-virus solutions are no longer adequate in protecting the endpoint, and features like advanced cloud sandboxing are needed to prevent these signature-less threats.

Recommendations for Securing Your Organization's Endpoints

As cyber threats continue to evolve, endpoint security remains a critical component of an organization's overall security strategy. While endpoint security management may feel overwhelming at times, the following recommendations can help fortify defenses and minimize attack surfaces and risk, allowing organizations to protect their endpoints and maintain a secure adaptive environment in the face of today's threats. Integrate Endpoint Tools with Zero Trust Network Solutions: Adopting Zero Trust principles involves continuous monitoring and verification of users and devices. Choose tools and solutions that support zero trust architectures, integrating the data consumed by both security layers and providing the most robust security for your endpoints and networks. Mitigate Risks with Content Filtering at the Endpoint: While it may seem like low-hanging fruit, the truth is many breaches start with user-behavior errors. Organizations can narrow their attack surfaces by employing content filtering tools at the endpoints. By simply restricting access to inappropriate and known risky websites, organizations can protect users from getting compromised. By having a content filtering service on the endpoint(s), threat protection policies can protect users both inside and outside the office network. Look for Endpoint Solutions that Provide a Layered Defense: To counteract fileless attacks, organizations need to leverage endpoint solutions that can provide a layered defense for threats that bypass typical security controls. While some threats may pass undetected, there are many tools that can detect and stop threats at each step of the attack chain. Key functionalities to look for include cloud sandboxing, granular logging, threat hunting, forensics, remote shell, host isolation and more. When these features are configured and used in tandem, they can prevent, detect and stop a variety of advanced threats. Invest in Managed Detection and Response (MDR): Even the most advanced, best-of-breed EDR and endpoint protection tools still require around the clock monitoring and incident response actions to instantly mitigate threats. MDR services provide a combination of technology and human expertise to monitor your endpoints and beyond for threats. Many of these MDR services will operate 24/7 to provide the around-the-clock visibility needed to detect threats. An MDR can significantly reduce the impact of threats and provide deeper visibility with granular protection for an organization.

Protect Your Endpoints Today

The explosion of endpoints and rapidly developing technologies have resulted in new challenges when it comes to managing your organization's endpoint security. Despite these challenges, there are many solutions and strategies evolving just as rapidly to protect an organization's endpoints. SonicWall Capture Client is powered by a unified dual engine and provides all the needed advanced capabilities for organizations to stay ahead in the modern threat landscape. Capture Client packages the best of enterprise-grade protection at the endpoint with other powerful and integral features like NGAV, content filtering, advanced cloud sandboxing and more. Together, Capture Client is an endpoint solution that is cost-effective, consolidates tools and is a key component to a layered cyber protection and threat prevention strategy for an air-tight defense. On top of Capture Client, if you are looking for a MDR service to bolster your service offerings and/or protect your organization on and beyond the endpoint, SonicWall MDR provides the 24/7 cybersecurity experts to monitor, hunt and respond to threats. Navigate the evolving threat landscape with confidence and ease of mind. To discover a truly unified dual-engine endpoint security solution and our MDR service offerings, start a free trial or speak to our team today.