Security threats are constantly evolving. And as a result, endpoint protection needs to evolve too. The workload on IT security teams is increasing while the number of qualified candidates is declining. As a result, organizations are more vulnerable to attack. To stay ahead of the game in 2022, there are some new requirements for endpoint security that can help your organization stay secure and efficient.
In order for companies to stay protected against new and emerging threats, they need to make sure they have the most up-to-date endpoint security solution on their network. In this article, we explore how you can prepare your network for the latest endpoint security recommendations in 2022.
1. Endpoint Protection Tools That Mitigate Attack Surfaces
For a large enterprise network, nearly any connected device, from smartphones to printers, can be considered an endpoint and viable attack surface. The best security tools recommended by Gartner endpoint protection will take into account the wide range of connected devices in your environment and will seek to mitigate attack surfaces in the most effective way.
By continuously scanning network-connected devices, endpoint protection will look for any network vulnerabilities and assess risk based on the individual characteristics of each device. For example, it can help ensure that each device has its latest security patches installed and user privileges are properly configured.
There is a wide range of attack surfaces across many different devices, so a strong endpoint protection software will have an in-depth database of mitigation techniques for each threat scenario that it detects.
2. Applying AI to Identify Malicious Behaviors & Prevent Attacks
Artificial intelligence in endpoint security is a crucial element for detecting, diagnosing, and responding to emerging threats quickly. As the number of connected devices increases, endpoint security platforms need to be able to not only spot threats but predict how they will behave. By having more advanced machine learning capabilities, endpoint security software can offer more contextually tailored protection.
Machine learning capabilities enable endpoint security software to focus on specific types of threats, like ransomware, advanced threats, and others. Artificial intelligence-driven detection capabilities help eliminate false positive errors that could negatively affect endpoint security results.
Behavioral model analysis with artificial intelligence capabilities enables endpoint protection software to analyze behavioral patterns. This helps software detect malicious behavior and identify the use of multiple devices in one attack.
3. Deploying Cloud-Based Security Solutions to Better Detect Threats
Some organizations are opting for a more flexible approach to endpoint security by moving workloads to the cloud, including file servers, laptops, smartphones, and even IoT devices.
Endpoint security solutions that utilize cloud-based approaches can improve endpoint security by reducing overhead, providing flexibility, and putting more resources into endpoint protection without overloading data centers.
When the endpoint security is hosted in the cloud, rather than locally, this also eliminates an attack surface by eliminating the chances a local network intruder can disable local endpoint security, like how some malware is able to disable common antivirus products.
4. Containment and Analysis Procedures for Threat Hunting
A must-have in endpoint security is the ability to contain, isolate, and analyze threats not only for threat capability but for digital forensics.
By combining virtualization, secure boot, and persistence capabilities, endpoint security solutions help isolate attackers, better contextualize and prioritize attack files, and validate evidence.
With the help of these containment procedures, it’s possible that the origination of a threat can be identified, mapped, and analyzed. This will help human forensics teams narrow the investigation to attackers, shut down compromised devices and apply remediation steps before the malware can spread.