Endpoints develop, evolve, become smarter, and more advanced as the years go by. This rapid growth, however, is accompanied by new and more advanced security challenges. These threats range widely from data loss and theft to drive-by downloads, with phishing and malvertising being at the top of the list.

Endpoint threats have already evolved, and anyone who doesn’t keep up will find themselves as victims, to all sorts of cyberattacks. About 68% of organizations fell victim to attacks on their endpoints in 2019, costing them an average of nearly $9 million. Challenges like this have made it necessary to understand endpoints, and how to safeguard them from all forms of attacks.

Before exploring how to secure endpoints, it’s crucial to understand what they are and why they matter.

Endpoints are remote computing devices—like laptops, smartphones, or tablets—that connect to and interact with corporate networks. Often called end-user devices, they provide remote access to a company’s digital resources.” What this means is that the device you have antivirus software, for instance, installed on, is the endpoint.

Examples of endpoints/end-user devices include:

· Desktops

· Laptops

· Smartphones

· Tablets

· Work stations

· Internet of things(IoT) devices

· Servers

· Virtual environments

Increased use of these devices to access network resources off work premises has made it prone to attack.

Why are Endpoints targeted?

Attackers target endpoints to breach corporate networks, using them as entry points. The increasing use of end-user devices like laptops, mobile phones, etc. By organizations all over the world to access their resources / their network remotely is also increasingly exposing endpoints to cyber threats and attacks. In other words, work mobility and employees working from home opens up a window for attacks on the corporate network.

In the past, most cyberattacks on corporate networks came on directly through the network, and it makes one wonder why hackers go through the trouble of targeting endpoints to gain access to the network. Cybercriminals target endpoints for several reasons, including their access to valuable data:

1. An endpoint is where cybercriminals execute their codes and exploit vulnerabilities – Attackers can gain access to a network through activities on endpoints connected to them. They do this via phishing, and possibly hacking weak websites that you’ve accessed.

2. Cybercriminals can use endpoints as a gateway to access the information and assets on an organization’s network. They can then hold stolen data for ransom, leak it, or sell it on the dark web.

3. Cybercriminals can take control of the endpoint, and use it to carry out a DoS attack.

As the name implies, endpoint security is simply the act of securing endpoints. It is an umbrella term that covers all of the practices, safety measures, and processes involved in endpoints. It is the practice of securing end-user devices like laptops, desktops, mobile devices, etc. From exploitation by malicious users or cybercriminals.

An endpoint is an extremely vulnerable point of entry or doorway for cybercriminals. When endpoints connect to corporate networks, they create potential entry points for cyberattacks. This is the very reason why endpoint security is necessary. Endpoint security protects these ‘doorways’ or ‘gateways’ from threats posed by cyberattacks.

To understand how endpoint security works, it helps to break down its key components:

· Real-time threat detection, using machine-learning

· Advanced anti-malware software, to prevent, detect, and respond to malware on endpoints

· Proactive web security

· Integrated firewall

· Phishing prevention, using email gateways

· Prevention of data exfiltration and loss, through encryption of endpoints, disks, and email.

Organizations use two main solutions to protect endpoints: Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP) and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR).

Endpoint Protection Platforms prevent threats by scanning incoming files, detecting malicious activity, and providing tools to investigate and respond to cybersecurity incidents. EPPs run on endpoints to detect threats, investigate incidents, and block file-based or signature-based malware.

The most common Endpoint Protection Platform(EPP) is the traditional antivirus software. The antivirus scans incoming files for malicious codes, to see if they match threats in the Threat Intelligence Database.

An Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) has the main objective of monitoring endpoints. It continuously monitors all applications and files coming into the endpoint. It also allows users to detect, investigate, and respond accordingly to advanced cyber threats.

An Endpoint Detection and Response(EDR) solution involves surveillance, analytics, evaluation, and response to cyberattacks. It allows security teams to continuously record and store endpoint data. Security systems analyze stored data to detect threats and identify solutions.

EDR solutions consist of a wide range of services. Not only do they detect file-based attacks, but they also detect ransomware, fileless malware, polymorphic attacks, and other advanced, persistent cyber threats.

Endpoint Security Threats

As mentioned before, endpoints are susceptible to a wide range of threats, so much so that it’s almost impossible for them to be completely secure or protected. Leaving the others aside, here are 3 major endpoint threats, and their remedies.

Once downloaded, malicious code leaves your device vulnerable to further attacks.

· Ransomware

· Unauthorized access to your data, applications, and sensitive information

· Installation of malware that conducts unauthorized financial transactions

· Creation of a gateway that allows the attacker to add or modify user accounts, increase privilege levels, and install additional malware

The best way to prevent this attack is to use updated software, remove unnecessary plugins, and install reliable and powerful ad blockers.

How does Endpoint security work?

Endpoint security protects network endpoints and end-user devices in cyberspace. As said earlier, endpoint security is an umbrella term consisting of all the services, physical and virtual, used to protect network endpoints from exploitation and attacks. These services usually include firewall services, antivirus software, web filtering, and email filtering.

However, over the last couple of years, endpoint security has evolved from limited and obsolete antivirus software into more sophisticated and comprehensive, next-generation defense systems. This defense system includes services like next-gen antivirus, threat investigation, EDR, DLP, EPP, and other endpoint protection tools.

Next-generation endpoint security primarily performs the following functions:

Beginner’s knowledge of the terms endpoint security and network security would make the two seem to mean the same thing, but they actually don’t. The similarities between them often make people confuse one for the other. Ideally, they both protect the network, but here’s how they’re different:

Endpoint security prevents cyberattacks on the network by protecting endpoints. When endpoints are secure, then there’s one less way of attackers accessing the network and causing damage.

Endpoint security differs from the traditional anti-virus in more ways than one. Though quite similar, there is however a line of differentiation between them. Traditional antivirus programs differ from endpoint security software in the following ways:

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