Why and how to strengthen endpoint security in the face of modern cyberattacks

The evolution of digital technologies and the spread of teleworking have changed the face of corporate IT infrastructures and the scope of private networks. While this digital environment enhances user productivity and agility, there is no doubt that the multiplicity of enterprise endpoints and the complexity of infrastructures provide a considerable attack surface for AI-powered cybercriminals.

To face up to this persistent, protean cyberthreat, we take a look at why and, above all, how to implement an efficient endpoint security strategy! 🛡️

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What is endpoint security?

Corporate cybersecurity encompasses a number of building blocks that need to work together to provide optimum protection for information systems and connected users. Endpoint security is part of this protection.

More precisely, it's an IT security policy that involves

• monitoring,
• prevent,
• detect
• and providing targeted responses to cyber-attacks aimed at endpoints.

What is an endpoint in IT?

Literally, an IT endpoint is an end point. In other words, an end device connected locally or remotely to the corporate IT network and exchanging information with it, such as :

• A server,

• A desktop or laptop computer,

• a tablet

• A smartphone,

• A network printer,

• A terminal on a production line,

• Connected objects: digital cameras, sensors and all devices forming part of the Internet of Things (IoT), capable of communicating and receiving digital data.

For the sake of completeness, we can add virtual endpoints to these physical endpoints. This is the point from which an API communicates with another system to send and receive data, such as the Microsoft Azure virtual network service endpoint.

What are the challenges of endpoint security?

ℹ️ In its 2024 Digital Defense Report, Microsoft reports 78,000 billion security signals per day worldwide, including from enterprise endpoints. Cybercriminals are deploying and industrializing ever more sophisticated AI-enabled attacks, targeting weaknesses in systems, users and organizations, causing:

• considerable financial losses,
• large-scale breach of confidential data
• and damage to reputations.

Endpoints are the centerpieces of an information system. They provide access to data, files, processes and digital resources, and enable all players to act and interact. But whether physical or virtual, endpoints are also prime entry points for cybercriminals, as they are often the weakest link in the network architecture deployed by the enterprise.

The effectiveness of cybersecurity strategies can also be undermined by human error. Protecting endpoints against attacks has become increasingly complex as company employees have been operating more and more frequently from remote locations, and using more and more digital equipment from a variety of locations.... and via networks that are not necessarily secure.

⚠️ Remote users may not be protected by the security controls of the company's local network, a fortiori whenthey use their unsecured personal equipment for business purposes (communication, data and file exchange). They then serve as an entry point for cybercriminals on the network.

10 cyberattacks that endpoint security can prevent

Users' endpoints store a great deal of sensitive and valuable corporate data, and host the digital services that enable them to conduct their business. The countless cyberattacks against these endpoints pose a serious threat to :

• confidentiality,
• the integrity of company data,
• and their availability to authorized parties.

✅ Endpoint security is an essential strategy for securing a company's future. This IT security policy guarantees the integrity of connected equipment by warding off the various cyberattacks made more effective by generative artificial intelligence and the multiplicity of potential access points, such as:

1. Phishing: the most frequent cyberattack. Based on psychological motivations, it manipulates targets into sharing confidential and sensitive information, clicking on malicious links or downloading corrupted documents.

2. Ransomware: a virus or malware that blocks the target's access to computer resources and files until a ransom is paid.

3. System hacking: a cybercriminal intrusion via an endpoint. Various methods are used:

   1. injection of malware (computer virus, Trojan horse),

   2. exploitation of security holes in the system or in a virtual endpoint,

   3. misconfiguration or installation of corrupted software,

   4. theft of login credentials or use of a weak session password.

4. Brute-force attack: to find the right password and break into the user's system or accounts in order to steal sensitive data... Typically, the cybercriminal cross-references information gathered illicitly from various sources, including social networks, to refine his attacks and reduce the number of attempts.

5. The Advanced Persistent Threat (APT): a targeted, highly sophisticated attack that takes place over a long period of time.

6. Zero-day or 0-day vulnerability: a new-generation cyberattack based on the discovery and exploitation of unprecedented vulnerabilities in the most widespread systems or software via malware.

7. Obsolete versions of systems and software: failure to regularly update digital tools exposes endpoints to critical vulnerabilities and offers the opportunity to exploit uncorrected security flaws.

8. Stealth downloading: automated downloading of malware onto a terminal after clicking on a corrupted link or visiting a malicious site.

9. API misuse (virtual endpoint vulnerability): APIs also present vulnerabilities that can be exploited via various methods aimed at intercepting sensitive data in transit: man-in-the-middle (MitM), distributed denial of service (DDoS), injection of malicious code into connected applications...

10. Loss or theft of an organization terminal: this can cause a data breach, and can be used to gain access to the corporate network by breaking the locks.

What are the different types of endpoint security?

At this stage of the article, you've got it: implementing an endpoint security strategy guarantees the security of employees' endpoints and preserves the integrity of corporate networks. The response to the multiple attacks that can target endpoints must cover all cyberthreats and integrate these functionalities:

• Antivirus to protect against known threats,

• Antimalware and antiransomware to detect, analyze, stop and eradicate malware infections,

• Firewalls to regulate incoming and outgoing network traffic in real time, according to predefined security rules. These software and hardware solutions also provide URL filtering to block browsing to malicious sites or sites that do not comply with corporate security policies.

• Detection and neutralization of malicious bots. This technology, often integrated into firewalls, identifies and blocks abnormal traffic caused by malicious bot attacks, such as spambots.

• Encryption of terminal storage volumes and removable media to prevent access to company data and applications by malicious third parties.

• Remote Access VPN for secure, encrypted remote connections to the corporate network and resources.

Our advice: As well as deploying these various technologies on the company's network endpoints, effective endpoint security also requires a rigorous security policy.tablish a rigorous password policy, with minimum levels of robustness and complexity, and regular renewal, as the criteria for acceptability.

This endpoint security strategy also relies on regular system and software updates and patches to avoid security breaches due to obsolete installations.

☝️ To ensure that the endpoint security strategy is properly understood, and that all employees adopt best cybersecurity practices, it is a good idea to schedule training sessions.

What tools should you choose for enterprise endpoint security?

Endpoint security solutions can be grouped into three main categories.

Endpoint Protection Platform - EPP

This cybersecurity software platform is designed to secure and protect endpoints against cyberthreats. In the front line, it integrates several advanced functionalities (antivirus, antimalware, firewall...) to prevent threats, detect suspicious activity (behavioral analysis, intrusion detection...) and protect endpoints.It also offers proactive protection based on known signature databases and a heuristic method of attack analysis and resolution.

Monitoring all enterprise endpoints via a single interface proves highly effective in terms of event management and response automation.

Endpoint Detection and Response - EDR

EDR is an advanced cybersecurity solution designed for endpoint security. Its cutting-edge features ensure continuous monitoring of endpoint activity, detect and analyze suspicious behavior, and respond to the most complex cyber threats and attacks (ransomware, APT...).

Using advanced algorithms and AI, it is able to identify attacks, even without matching known signatures, isolate compromised endpoints, block malicious files or processes, and apply patches to resolve vulnerability gaps.

🎯 Thanks to its proactive protection features, EDR neutralizes cyberattacks before they compromise the corporate network. It contextualizes each security alert, making it possible to track the entire attack process on the targeted endpoint and trace its path a posteriori.

Extended Detection and Response - XDR

XDR is a unified security incident platform that harnesses the power of AI and automation. It is the most comprehensive solution available. It integrates detection, investigation and response capabilities across endpoints, identities, email and applications, cloud and hybrid environments, to provide integrated protection against sophisticated attacks.

Based on a holistic, integrated approach, the XDR solution collects and analyzes information from different security layers:

• Uses AI and machine learning to identify anomalies and automate responses to cyber-malware.

• Breaks down traditional security silos to consolidate different security solutions into a single platform.

• Automatically corrects affected resources...

While EDR focuses on endpoint security, the XDR platform covers all potential attack surfaces: endpoints, network, messaging, cloud... Its solutions are also capable of automating coordinated and simultaneous responses to multiple threat levels.

Endpoint security software vs. antivirus software: same battle?

Yes, antivirus software and endpoint security software have the same objective: to protect endpoints against cyber-attacks. But there are differences.

👉 For example, antivirus software has a more limited scope of action and functionality than the EDR platform. The latter inspects all connected devices in real time, whereas antivirus software runs locally on each terminal, where the user controls its operation.

👉 Another differentiator is that the EDR platform provides a comprehensive suite of AI-driven detection, real-time analysis and automation tools to protect endpoints against cyberthreats. Antivirus software, on the other hand, offers only the ability to analyze known malware (viruses, Trojans, malware and ransomware), and to stop or quarantine suspicious files from running.

Both solutions can be combined:

• ✅ antivirus software identifies and mitigates the most common cyber-malware,
• ✅ and the EDR platform accompanying the implementation of an advanced endpoint security strategy to detect and stop more complex attacks.

Which endpoint security software to choose?

A number of specialist cybersecurity vendors have developed EDR endpoint security platforms for enterprise use, but not all offer the same functionality, nor are they aimed at the same corporate structures. Some endpoint security solutions are quick and easy to deploy, and do not require the intervention of a CIO. However, they are limited in the number of endpoints they can administer, and in their ability to respond to sophisticated APT or zero-day attacks.

Some versions offer scalable endpoint security EDR platforms and several options for tailoring the solution precisely to a company's cybersecurity needs. These more advanced solutions are aimed at SMEs with dedicated IT teams.

Some vendors offer solutions that focus primarily on endpoint security functionalities. It is then necessary to complement the device with more traditional antivirus, antimalware, antiransomware and Trojan horse protection software.

🔎 Among the various solutions recommended for endpoint security is Bitdefender's GravityZone Small Business Security. The tool offers advanced endpoint protection, specially designed for small and medium-sized businesses looking for enterprise-grade security at a competitive investment. Thanks to a modular, scalable platform, the software combines state-of-the-art prevention, detection and blocking technologies, using machine learning and behavioral analysis to effectively counter threats such as phishing, ransomware and fileless attacks. When a threat is detected, GravityZone reacts immediately by interrupting malicious processes, quarantining infected files and restoring unwanted modifications, ensuring proactive, reactive endpoint protection.

GravityZone by Bitdefender

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Multilayer cybersecurity for small business with no IT team

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🔎 Microsoft Defender for endpoints is also a robust endpoint security solution that protects all attack surfaces, whatever the enterprise. What's more, Microsoft Defender XDR contributes to a zero-trust strategy and architecture that involves continuously checking every access request, confirming the validity of privileges according to profiles.

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Keep threats out of your network with endpoint security

Endpoint security is the most appropriate technological solution for guaranteeing the security and integrity of corporate digital infrastructures. Thanks to a centralized platform offering global visibility over the activity of the organization's endpoints, and advanced functionalities based on the power of intelligence, endpoint security is the most suitable technological solution for guaranteeing the security and integrity of an organization's digital infrastructures.endpoint security detects, analyzes and provides targeted responses to the latest generation of cyberattacks.

EDR is ideal for protecting your endpoints. It is capable of detecting and analyzing attacks that have managed to bypass conventional antivirus protection, providing effective responses and correcting the vulnerabilities exploited. EDR provides 360° coverage of the attack surface on corporate endpoints, and adapts nimbly to pre-existing digital ecosystems.