An endpoint is any physical device that connects to the internet in order to perform tasks, transmit data, or communicate with other devices. As you can imagine, this means that there are millions upon millions of endpoints connecting to the internet, being used in businesses, and unfortunately, being exploited by cyber criminals.
Here are a few examples of what an endpoint may look like:
Your business probably utilizes a majority of these endpoints every day. Your employees have their own desktop PC to use in the office, they might bring their personal laptop into work, and they send work related messages and files via smart phone. While the interconnected and efficient nature of these endpoints makes getting work done easier, it also drastically increases the attack surface of your business. This is why endpoint security is so important.
Endpoint security involves monitoring, detecting, and remediating any security vulnerabilities or flaws found on an endpoint to prevent external threat actors from using them in a cyber attack. A solid endpoint security plan should always include monitoring individual assets to detect and or root out any bugs or exploits that could be used as footholds into an organization.
When a vulnerability is found, it should be your organizations top priority to secure that endpoint and take the necessary steps to ensure it can't be used to impact the rest of the network. Endpoint security comes in a variety of different forms including endpoint detection response (EDR), endpoint protection platforms (EPP), and network traffic analysis tools (NTA). These strategies help you monitor and control how your endpoints are being used and what traffic is allowed inside and off the network.
Endpoint security isn't just one application or device that instantly secures all of your devices. It involved various internet and email filters, firewalls, and monitoring platforms to make sure all of your devices are protected. It used to be that one firewall or a simple anti-virus software was enough. As the world has moved more towards remote work and BYOD policies it's harder to secure every device accessing your network. This means that your organization must be focused and intentional regarding how your devices are used and what they have access to.
You can contact CorpInfoTech today to learn how our extended endpoint detection and response (XDR) services can help secure your organization from end to end!