What is an Endpoint? Learn how to protect them from cyberattacks

What is an Endpoint?

An Endpoint is any physical or virtual device that connects to a network to exchange information, such as PCs, laptops, smartphones, tablets, servers, and IoT devices such as cameras, thermostats, or smart speakers. These devices allow users to access and share data across enterprise systems, making them essential for daily productivity. However, they also represent vulnerabilities that cybercriminals may exploit to carry out attacks such as ransomware, malware, or phishing.

In addition to physical devices, the term ‘endpoint’ is also used in programming to refer to endpoints in APIs (application programming interfaces). An API endpoint is a digital location where data requests are sent and received between systems, such as URLs that make external integrations easier. For example, an API endpoint on Instagram may measure interactions or moderate comments.

On the other hand, it is important to understand what an endpoint is not. Devices such as routers, switches, or modems, which are part of the network infrastructure, are not considered endpoints, as their primary function is to manage and direct network traffic rather than directly interact with data.

Because of the dispersed nature of enterprise infrastructures, your cybersecurity strategy should pay particular attention to device protection.

Importance of endpoint security

In today’s cybersecurity landscape, endpoints represent one of the biggest risks for organizations. According to Verizon’s 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report, 14% of security breaches are caused by endpoint vulnerabilities, which triples the figures of the previous year. This trend makes it clear that protecting these devices is key to preventing intrusions and ensuring the integrity of the IT infrastructure.

• Why are endpoints frequent targets of cyberattacks?
  The answer is that endpoints have certain features that make them the ideal target for cybercrime, such as:
  • Ubiquity. Not only large companies, but also medium and small-sized companies have undertaken more dispersed operations and mobility, which means that there are multiple devices connected to the organization’s networks and systems.
  • Diversity. Each device has a unique combination of applications (including mobile apps) and services. In addition, each company has its own catalog of applications. Security management of the devices accessing those applications and services is required to prevent an attack.
  • Exploitability. Rest assured that cybercrime has all the time and resources especially focused on finding endpoint vulnerability. A simple email requesting information may be the beginning of a nightmare for you and your team.
  • Lack of control. Consider that device users may be trained on security issues; but, honestly, they cannot always be controlled. Cybercriminals know this, which is why most of the malware continues to find opportunities in phishing.

  Also, consider that many companies do not have full visibility of the devices that are connected to their systems and networks.

• Impact and costs associated with threats such as ransomware, malware, and phishing on endpoint devices.
  Cyberthreats are constantly on the lookout for both large companies and medium or small sized ones and you may have surely heard some news about them due to the impact caused both on the organization and on society. Some of the most common threats are:
  • Ransomware: When a company or person is attacked by ransomware, their files are encrypted so that the attacker can extort money and demand payment (almost always in cryptocurrency) in exchange for the password to unlock them.
    There was a high-profile case in 2021 in the United States, involving Colonial Pipeline, a company that transports more than 2.5 million barrels of refined products such as diesel, gas, and gasoline through a complex network of pipelines. It is estimated that 45% of the East Coast of the United States depends on this network. The ransomware attack caused the distribution of products and along more than 5,500 miles of pipelines, covering several states and impacting consumers and the production chain, to stop in addition to the theft of 100 GB of data. The company had to pay a ransom of $4.4 million.
  • Malware: It is any software that executes malicious actions (malicious program, malicious or malicious code) within a system (it is not defective software), in addition to performing it without the user noticing. At first, they were “naughty” actions or attacks, but over time they became orchestrated actions for information theft or damage to a company, either affecting a server, a website or the degradation of the operation of the system. Malware examples are viruses, Trojans, worms, adware (unsolicited advertising), spyware. Also malware comprises Riskware, which is a legitimate program that uses the features of a system to delete, block, modify or copy data, or even change the performance of the network or computers.
    In 2017, many knew about WannaCry, which was an attack on more than 200,000 computers of companies, governments and even hospitals in 150 countries, taking advantage of the vulnerability in the Windows operating system, encrypting user data. The cost of the WannaCry impact was approximately €100 million, including financial, legal and contractual costs. Another more recent example was the COVID-19 emails, taking advantage of the momentum of the pandemic to try to steal confidential information from research on the vaccines that were being developed.
    News about the WannaCry impact of the documentary “WANNACRY: The World’s Largest Ransomware Attack”
    
  • Phishing: It consists of the impersonation of trusted third parties; that is, it impersonates a trusted person, company or service (the hook or phishing) in order to obtain confidential information or make the user click on a link. The most common is an email that seems to come from a banking institution, the tax agency or another in which the user is asked to confirm their data or click to provide some clarification, with which the hacker manages to obtain sensitive data. A different variant is Vishing, which is executed in a call (voice phishing = vishing); for example, your credit card to ask you to double check your details because they are investigating a transaction. Another variant is Smishing (SMS, text message or Whatsapp), with the same purposes.
    According to the global consulting firm Accenture, phishing can cost companies an average of $4 million.
    But beyond the economic impact is the loss of trust in the brand and reputational damage when sensitive customer and user data is exposed.

How does endpoint security work?

Endpoint security focuses on protecting the devices from which enterprise networks and systems are accessed. Cyber threats must be detected, prevented, and responded to by combining practices and technologies, such as:

Basic processes: detection, analysis and response

In endpoint security, you must have an endpoint monitoring and management solution from which telemetry data is obtained directly to access and monitor the use of devices remotely. Collected data is used to identify suspicious or malicious activity, relying on endpoint detection and response solutions (Endpoint Detection and Response, EDR) that use advanced technologies to record behaviors and detect indicators of compromise (Indicator of Compromise, IOC) in real time.
With the data collected on the endpoint performance, it is possible to carry out an analysis to understand the attack and its scope. Security telemetry (processes, network activities, changes, among others) is also analyzed. Additionally, this data helps to perform the root analysis and the possible or potential impact.
Now, once the attack is understood, the important thing is the actions that must be taken to remedy the attack or mitigate it, either by isolating the devices or quarantining the malicious files, or by running antivirus. With the right monitoring tools and EDR solutions, you may also automate responses to threats, gaining efficiency and speed in cybersecurity.

The evolution from traditional antivirus to more advanced solutions (EDR/XDR)

The first antiviruses emerged in the 80s, following the proliferation of computers and the first virus attacks and have been evolving from the detection and elimination of known malware through virus signatures. Antivirus scans files and programs, looking for patterns that match a database of known threats, making it clear that you have limitations in detecting new or unknown threats. From this need for timely detection arise EDR solutions that monitor devices in real time on a steady basis, in addition to relying on performance analysis and even Machine Learning to detect those threats that are not based on known signatures. This allows security teams to investigate and respond to incidents more quickly and efficiently.
However, EDR has also been evolving towards what is XDR (Extended Detection and Response), which as its name indicates, extends detection and response beyond endpoints, integrating several security layers in networks, servers, applications, IoT, among others. XDR also consolidates data from multiple sources so that the security strategist gets a unified, correlated view of the whole IT environment. This strengthens quick security response in a more coordinated way on the part of your security team.

Role of the Zero Trust security model in endpoint protection

Zero Trust is a security framework under the principle of “never trust, always verify”, based on:

• Steady verification, assuming that threats are not only off the network, so every access request from any device is authenticated and authorized.
• The minimum privilege, in which only essential permissions are given for the specific task, preventing unauthorized access.
• Network segmentation to limit attackers actions, even when some endpoint has been compromised, restricting access to other resources on the same network or system.

Other common threats to endpoints

In addition to Ransomware, Malware and Phishing, there are other threats to which devices are exposed:

Drive-by downloads: automatic downloads without the user’s knowledge

This is a type of cyberattack in which some malicious software is automatically downloaded to the user’s device without their knowledge or consent. This attack frequently happens when visiting a compromised or malicious website. Unlike malware, in which the user must click on a link or download a file, these unauthorized downloads happen only because they visited the website, automatically, to take advantage of vulnerabilities in the browser, the operating system or add-ons installed on the device. Also, unauthorized downloading happens stealthily, which makes it difficult to detect when it took place, as well as being variable (from a virus, spyware or ransomware).

Outdated patches: open breaches for exploits

Cybercrime is always on the lookout for vulnerabilities that have not been patched in applications or operating systems to access the company’s networks and systems in an unauthorized manner. If the endpoint was not updated, it will be the perfect opportunity for data theft, malicious code programming, and even system hijacking.

With all of this, you may understand that real-time monitoring and keeping patches up to date is vital to protect devices and the whole IT infrastructure.

Best practices for endpoint security

To protect digital information against unauthorized access, alteration or interruption, the adoption of best practices in endpoint security is required, such as:

• User education: regular cybersecurity trainings.
  The user can be prevented from clicking on that suspicious email or the compromised website when there is awareness of the risks. That is why regular training sessions are recommended to educate users on how to recognize phishing attempts, how and why suspicious downloads should be avoided, among other security best practices.
• Device inventory: keep an up-to-date record of all endpoints.
  Have a complete inventory of all devices connected to your company’s network, from computers, smartphones, tablets, to IoT devices and servers. Remember that you cannot protect what you do not see.
• Zero Trust Adoption: Steady double checking of identities and devices.
  Remember the principle of “never trust, always verify”. It is important to restrict access to sensitive data and systems under access privileges to ensure that only authorized users have access to what they need, according to their role in the organization.
• Update and patches: keep systems and software up-to-date.
  As mentioned above, make sure that endpoints are regularly updated by applying the latest patches to try to protect them from vulnerabilities.
• Encryption: protect sensitive data on devices.
  Sensitive data, both at rest and in transit, must be encrypted to protect it from unauthorized access.
• Password Management: Strong Password Policies and Periodic Renewals.
  Rely on tools designed to store and protect access credentials using encryption, implementing the adoption of strong passwords, in addition to periodic renewals. We also recommend adopting (Multi-factor Authentication, MFA) to add an extra security layer, making it even harder for unauthorized users to access your systems.

Advanced endpoint security solutions

Endpoint security must be supported by technologies to protect, detect and correct threats and attacks on different devices and operating systems in real time and in the most proactive way. This involves combining technologies and methodologies to strengthen it.

Advantages of implementing tools such as EDR/XDR

While there are differences in scope and approach, EDR and XDR solutions share security information and event management capabilities (SIEM), such as:

• Threat detection. Both EDR and XDR are designed to give organizations the cyber threat detection capabilities needed to detect sophisticated attacks.
• Incident response. EDR and XDR can quickly respond to cyber threats once detected to help your team reduce response times.

From EDR, it is possible to gain benefits of detecting suspicious behavior and malicious activity in real time, which makes effective response to security incidents easier. The data collected in EDR also enables forensic analysis to investigate security incidents and understand how they took place, helping to prevent future events. In terms of automating threat responses (for example, isolating a compromised device), the workload of the security team is reduced.
From XDR, you may leverage detection and response beyond endpoints, extending visibility to networks, servers, cloud applications, and even the Internet of Things (IoT). With XDR you may integrate and correlate data from multiple sources to identify advanced threats that often go unnoticed when analyzed in isolation. It also reduces false positives that only stress your team and may distract them from where the real or most critical threats are.
Finally, it is important to keep in mind that combining EDR and XDR helps to centralize security management, simplifying operations and working in a more coordinated way to respond in the best way to a security incident, in addition to being able to mitigate threats more effectively.

Integration with SIEM solutions for correlation and event analysis

At SIEM (Security Incident and Event Management), each device generates a large amount of security data, such as access logs, system events, and network activities. SIEM also makes use of advanced data analysis algorithms, which allows identifying patterns and correlations in the data collected, so that security analysts may detect and respond to cyber threats more quickly and efficiently, in addition to identifying patterns to take preventive actions and improve security levels.

How BYOD models influence endpoint protection strategies

BYOD (Bring your own device) has become a common practice where employees can use their preferred device to connect to company networks and systems. That is, internal threats can arise from within the organization, since a security risk can come from a person with legitimate access to the organization’s systems, networks, or data. It is clear that it implies that a security policy must be established in which it is decided whether the IT department will protect personal devices (delimiting security and data ownership policies) and what levels of access will be allowed. It also implies that employees should be informed and trained on how to use their devices without compromising company data or networks.

How does Pandora FMS help protect endpoints?

Pandora FMS may monitor the status of multiple security infrastructures, including antivirus, VPNs, firewalls, IDs/IPS and others, which helps identify and address security issues at endpoints, by means of:

• Vulnerability assessment: It includes a system vulnerability assessment feature for GNU/Linux and Windows systems, which helps identify potential security weaknesses.
• System hardening evaluation: Pandora FMS provides a system hardening assessment that continuously checks the security state of its systems over time.
• Encryption and authentication: The platform supports SSL/TLS encryption and dual authentication systems to protect communications and access to systems and networks.
• Security add-ons: It includes security plugins that monitor system security basics, such as password security and the integrity of essential configuration files.
• Centralized monitoring of endpoint devices: From the same application, monitoring for different infrastructure elements may be implemented, such as networks, applications, servers, the web and other specific data sources. Pandora SIEM integrates with Pandora FMS to manage security incidents through a unified view that centralizes your data.
• Integration with cybersecurity solutions for analysis and proactive response: In a flexible and adaptable monitoring platform that may be integrated with different cybersecurity solutions for endpoint protection, which allows enriching the analysis and correlation that together provide the efficient and even proactive response of your team to any security incident or potential threats. Also, Pandora FMS has more than 500 plugins available for download in our module library, covering networks, applications, operating systems, security, inventory and system integration.
• Full visibility over IoT and BYOD devices.

Therefore, Pandora FMS offers a comprehensive solution for IT system monitoring and observability, which includes auditing, monitoring configuration management, remote control, ITSM, inventory management and system security capabilities. This allows you to achieve holistic visibility across all devices, including employee-preferred (BYOD) and IoT devices.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, endpoints will continue to be the target for cybercrime, always eager to find the slightest opportunity to undertake cyberattacks on both employees and the organization, in addition to putting brand perception and the digital trust of customers and suppliers at risk. As your company’s security strategist, you should keep in mind the ubiquity, diversity of devices (especially if they adopt the BYOD policy) and the challenge of the human aspect on the control in the use of endpoints (emails, chats, files that are downloaded, etc.). For those reasons, you must have a well-defined data security and ownership policy, permitted access levels, along with constant training of your company’s employees on the use and responsibility of their devices so as not to compromise the organization’s data or networks.
Finally, we invite you to try Pandora FMS, a comprehensive, centralized and intuitive solution to manage the security of all computers and devices connected to the business network, taking advantage of true observability in your network.
Request it here.