Start with endpoint security fundamentals and build from there

Global cyberattacks increased by 38% in 2022 (Source). Because attacks are becoming more frequent and harder to detect, 65% of organizations plan to increase cybersecurity spending in 2023 (Source).

Hackers will continue to improve their methods and exploit vulnerabilities. Ransomware attacks will occur. Theft and sale of personally identifiable information (PII) and other sensitive data on the dark web will occur.

Additional security layers such as MFA, antivirus, endpoint detection and response (EDR), mobile device management (MDM), and mobile threat defense (MTD) can reduce the likelihood of a successful attack. However, endpoint security fundamentals remain essential.

Ignoring these fundamentals is like renovating a home without repairing a failing foundation. A solid security posture, like a home, must begin with a strong foundation. Endpoint security fundamentals provide that foundation.

The first in a multi-part series, this blog highlights key steps you can take to improve endpoint security for your organization – without significant investments in additional tools. Subsequent blogs will explain how NinjaOne can help you to ensure these fundamentals are consistently leveraged.

Endpoint security fundamentals?

Fundamental endpoint security is critical to the effectiveness of any security solution. Advanced tools cannot compensate for missing basics, which are often overlooked as IT teams manage siloed tools, heavy workloads, limited staff, or lack of expertise.

Adopting best practices for onboarding and managing endpoints strengthens an organization’s defense against attacks. Start with the following:

• Establish and maintain deep visibility and sufficient control over endpoints
• Reduce patching complexity to ensure consistency and avoid gaps
• Harden endpoints to reduce the number of attack surfaces
• Establish a solid backup routine

📌For a thorough guide, watch what Endpoint Security is and how it works before we go further.

Deep visibility into endpoints

You cannot secure what you cannot see. Maintaining real-time, deep visibility into all managed devices accessing your network enables a historically reactive IT department to become more proactive and better serve its users. Nipping potential issues in the bud before they blossom into productivity blockers (or even worse, before they unwittingly roll out the red carpet for a cyberattack) is a win for the entire team. Ongoing awareness of endpoints that have fallen out of compliance and thus introduce potential security vulnerabilities is key, along with the ability to quickly take actions to bring them back to compliance. Examples of endpoint visibility include the ability to:

• View and manage all endpoints in real-time
• Create and enforce device policies
• Discover and manage rogue devices
• Identify known vulnerabilities
• Alert on security-related activities

There is a cyberattack attempt every 39 seconds (Source).

Simplified patching reduces the potential for human error and security gaps

Ask IT admins to name their most challenging tasks, and patching will likely appear at or near the top of the list. If you consider the sheer number of applications deployed and managed, the number of patches to apply (some multiple times due to unforeseen issues), difficulties associated with patching remote worker and road warrior endpoints, and the push to minimize impact on users across regions and time zones – to say patching is a complex is an understatement. Nevertheless, patching is a critical component in the battle to fend off cyberattacks. At a minimum, your patching solution should enable you to:

• Identify known vulnerabilities daily
• Patch OS, applications, drives, and firmware
• Remediate critical vulnerabilities immediately
• Deploy other patches as quickly as is reasonable
• Validate and report on patch outcomes

76% of companies lack effective patch and vulnerability management (Source).

Endpoint hardening

Endpoint hardening is a key strategy for reducing the likelihood of cyberattacks, ensuring device compliance, and maintaining business continuity. It works by lowering risk through reducing the attack surface, which includes all flaws and backdoors that could be exploited.

The principle is straightforward: increase control over managed endpoints. A strong endpoint management solution should allow you to apply hardening measures at scale. Key capabilities to consider include the ability to:

• Adjust default settings to make them more secure
• Ensure drive encryption
• Require strong passwords and use of MFA
• Identify unprotected endpoints and deploy security applications (I.e., antivirus)
• Harden the operating system and its configuration (I.e., restrict lateral movement tools and techniques, secure boot, logging, etc.)

82% of organizations lacked local admin password management controls (Source).

Reliable backups

After working with three backup and recovery (BAR) vendors, I have seen how critical reliable backups are. I have also seen how challenging they remain for many IT teams. Common issues include failed or slow backups, network performance degradation during backups, and the complexity of managing full, incremental, and differential schedules.

Following the 3-2-1 rule is essential: maintain three copies of data, store them on two different types of media, and keep one copy offsite for disaster recovery.

Backups are one of the strongest defenses against ransomware. While most BAR solutions share similar features, several key factors should guide your evaluation:

• Reliable cloud-first file & folder, and image backups
• Flexible cloud-only, local and hybrid storage options
• Ability to backup all Windows and macOS endpoints – as well as servers
• Use of cryptography and MFA to secure file restores
• Easy, self-serve file restores for your users

Keep your organization secure, efficient, and confident. Watch endpoint security explained for a straightforward guide to endpoint defense.

44% of companies have no usable backups (Source).

I hope you found this information to be helpful. NinjaOne Endpoint Management empowers IT organizations to simplify the management of distributed, disparate endpoint devices, while also taking fundamental, yet critical steps to improve security posture – all from a single console. Please keep an eye out for the other blogs in this series which will dive deeper into each of the endpoint security fundamentals called out above and explain how NinjaOne  can help you to employ each of them on a consistent basis.