Endpoint security management is not just important, it’s a necessity for maintaining a firm grip on sensitive data. The recent past has seen multiple catastrophic incidents where organizations have suffered due to a lackadaisical attitude towards securing endpoints. This underlines the critical need for a proactive and holistic approach to endpoint security management.  

According to Forbes, 70% of the most successful data breaches originate at the endpoint. With more hybrid work conditions, organizations are sometimes forced to allow end-users to perform critical IT tasks from their endpoints with minimum restrictions. As a result, access control risks rise, and subsequently, data breach threats also increase.  

ARCON | Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM) ensures that every endpoint in the organization adheres to the applicable processes, policies, and standards so that enterprise data is managed appropriately throughout its lifecycle. This includes everything from how data is collected and stored to how it is accessed, used, and shared. These data security traits are seldom discussed while endpoint security is interpreted. 

There are three new capabilities of ARCON | EPM that add muscles to the strength of the solution. Let us explore. 

Integration with My Vault DRM tool 

Use Case: 

Data governance and data security are the most crucial traits of enterprise data management. They include preventing unauthorized access and restricted sharing of data assets. ARCON | EPM ensures the same. However, if there is any genuine data-sharing requirement among authenticated users, how could that be possible?  

Solution (Feature): 

ARCON | EPM collaborates with ARCON’s My Vault solution that works as a centralized repository to protect, store and share confidential and sensitive information securely. EPM integrates with the My Vault DRM (Digital Rights Management) tool, enabling users to back up files and folders in an encrypted format. After the backup, users can share these files and folders with specific permissions, ensuring that only authorized users can access the encrypted content. Hence, sharing of critical information is possible on requirements.  

Outside PAM Monitoring and Restriction 

Use Case: 

In scenarios when EPM is not integrated with ARCON | PAM and IT administrators need to verify endpoint access to different operating systems simultaneously, how can that be possible? There could be IT operational downtime if administrators do not have endpoint activity reports on Windows, Linux, or Mac endpoints to ensure secure and authorized access management practices. 

Solution (Feature): 

ARCON | EPM if not integrated with ARCON | PAM (Privileged Access Management) can also help administrators to monitor end-users/ endpoints. Seamless monitoring and restriction can be enforced for servers when access occurs outside of PAM on Linux, Windows, and Mac endpoints. Monitoring profiles generate reports on endpoints accessing any PAM service configured with EPM, while restrictions prevent users from utilizing services outside of PAM if the profile is applied to the endpoint.  

Application/ URL Whitelisting 

Use Case: 

Among a huge repository of applications, it is critical to whitelist authenticated applications, genuine URLs, and approved resources… and it could be a herculean task, if done manually.  

Solution (Feature): 

By implementing URL and application whitelisting, organizations ensure that only authenticated and approved resources are accessible. This strategy reduces exposure to unauthorized or potentially harmful sites and applications by limiting access to whitelisted URLs and applications. Consequently, enterprises can better manage and secure their digital environment, mitigating the risk of security breaches.  

Conclusion 

The comprehensiveness of ARCON | Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM) has been the key reason for organizations operating with thousands of endpoints to choose this solution for ensuring the desired level of endpoint security. Adding some good features makes it an even more powerful solution for mitigating endpoint risk. 

Vulnerable endpoints can lead to serious IT incidents. Protecting endpoints with adequate security controls is of paramount importance to avert breaches and insider attacks. 

While organizations have several security measures in place to secure their servers and data centers, the endpoints unfortunately do not receive as much attention as they should be. Endpoints carry a significant security risk because they provide access to business applications many times critical in nature while sometimes endpoint privileges are also granted to conduct IT tasks on different Oses (privilege elevation and delegation management). A compromised insider or some sort of social engineering by malicious elements can exploit endpoints to gain critical information.

A recent study by the Ponemon Institute found that:

• Almost 81% of organizations revealed that endpoint security is the ‘most sought after’ security in complex IT infrastructure today. The proliferation of hybrid work practices has made data access methodologies more open and riskier in all areas in the IT ecosystem.
• To manage risk, 69% of respondents say their organizations either currently outsource endpoint protection to an MSP or any other third party.
• Only 47% of organizations monitor their networks 24/7, and only 50% encrypt sensitive data that are stored on endpoints/ devices

ARCON’s 10 Recommendations for Protecting Endpoints 

Based on day-to-day practical enterprise use cases, ARCON lists 10 recommendations for robust endpoint security. 

1. Mapping end users: What can be done if there is deployment requirement of Endpoint Security for a large number of endpoints? Just think of a situation when the organization is ready to secure their ever-increasing number of endpoints but worried about the time taken in the deployment process.  There is no idea about how to segregate end users based on their responsibilities.  ARCON | Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM) helps organizations to run the activities normally for the first thirty days without hampering the regular work process. No restriction is applied during this time. With the help of “Automated Profiling” feature ARCON | EPM gathers the data, identifies the profile, and determines the necessary access areas. After thirty days, based on the users’ usage patterns, ARCON | EPM segregates them into user groups based on the process they have used. This removes the tediousness of manual integration and profile creation and ensures seamless IT operations. 

2. Implementing unified engine to control end users: Once profiling is done, is it possible to manage and control those profiles seamlessly? There are multiple levels of users in multiple functional departments. ARCON | EPM offers “Centralized Profiling” mechanism that helps to manage existing profiles and new profiles for various departments in an IT ecosystem. Centralized profiling enables granular level segregation of profiles in every department, and ARCON | EPM helps the IT admin to set a default profile as well for a user, group of users, endpoints and a group of endpoints based on OS type. This helps admins to keep a systematic track of user profiles.

3. Contextualization of data: Every day a large volume of data is generated. Therefore, it is important to understand “where” “what” and “who” of data. How about securing and categorizing different endpoint data? It is extremely essential to classify and categorize data while allowing access to any specific set of users. ARCON | EPM offers “Data Intellect” feature that enables the classification and categorization of the critical data in the enterprise network. It not just helps to itemize data as per users but also prevents any malicious activity with the data assets. Data Intellect identifies risky or suspicious data files present on endpoints that should be prevented from access (or transfer anywhere) to maintain the integrity of the data assets.

4. Enforcing credentials vaulting: Weak password management is the leading cause of breaches and insider attacks. ARCON | EPM offers “Credential Rotation” feature that helps administrators to vault and rotate credentials for endpoints regularly. The admin can even create a stringent policy by providing length, use of characters, non-repetitive passwords etc. based on which the rotation is done. Undoubtedly, this prevents chances of password misuse and keeps the organization secure from unauthorized access on the endpoints.

5. Ensuring access based on “need-to-know” and “need-to-do” basis: What could happen if any user requests access to any application to perform any task and the request is granted? The scheduled task might be completed, but at the same time there could be risks of unauthorized activities. ARCON | EPM provides “just-in-time” privilege elevation through which any user can get one-time access to any application based on roles and user profiles. Not just that, the duration of the task can be prescheduled and privileged access rights are revoked immediately after the task is accomplished. This feature ensures implementation of the Least Privileges principle and follows Zero Trust architecture. 

6. Complying with baseline policies: What are the security risks if there is any unapproved modification to any data file? It can simply impact the security, integrity and confidentiality of data assets in the organization. ARCON | EPM offers “File Integrity Monitoring (FIM)” that keeps on checking and identifying any modifications or changes made to any file or directory. It continuously monitors critical system files, and configuration files/ folders to detect unauthorized changes done by end users, intentionally, accidentally or for some other purpose.  Once ARCON’s FIM discovers such changes, alerts are delivered to the IT administrator who investigates and takes prompt action. FIM enables IT security teams in maintaining an organization’s compliance policy. 

7. Eliminating data exfiltration: How does it impact data security if any user connects mobile devices or any removable storage with desktop/ laptop within enterprise IT periphery? It can compromise endpoint security with critical data loss – that too without the knowledge of the IT security team. ARCON | EPM’s “Data Loss Prevention (DLP)” feature helps organizations to mitigate data security vulnerabilities by restricting mobile devices or any removable devices from accessing any data asset from any system at any point of time. Even mobile Bluetooth connections and Bluetooth transfers are restricted with ARCON’s DLP feature. Hence, there are no chances of data being compromised. 

8. Implementing strong authentication: What if an IT administrator wants some additional authentication for any specific endpoint? To ensure verification and re-verification of any user, ARCON | EPM offers “Two-factor Authentication” feature that works as an additional security step to authorize and authenticate user activities especially Windows login, any critical application access or any sensitive URL access. If the administrator wishes to have an additional security layer during endpoint access, this feature works as an additional validation step as and when required.

9. Identifying anomalous profiles: The risk assessment teams of modern organizations prefer predictive security mechanisms to preventive security measures. The simple reason behind is “Better safe than Sorry”! What could happen if users’ behaviour is not monitored after they are given privileged rights? If any anomalous is done by the users, it could go unnoticed and that itself is a risk. Accordingly, ARCON | EPM provides “User Behaviour Analytics” feature that detects anomalous behaviour profiles on real-time and generates risk-based scores for each user with the help of advanced Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms. These scores help the Risk Manager to take crucial decisions regarding permissions/ denials.

10. Isolating malicious applications: What could happen if there is any malicious application running in the IT environment? It could simply lead to data loss, financial loss, service disruption, IT downtime, decreased productivity and what not! ARCON | EPM offers “Application Security” feature that secures the endpoints by detecting the malicious applications and blacklisting those applications and URLs before notifying it to the administrator. At the same time, application security helps in situations when any blacklisted application needs to be whitelisted temporarily and blacklist it again within a certain time. 

Conclusion

ARCON | Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM) builds comprehensive security layer around endpoints. It enables compliance with organizations’ security policies and enforces controlled access to business-critical applications.

But, how does it work in a professional environment?

The endpoints are usually utilized as an entrée to any network and create different points of entry. An individual with malicious intent can exploit them to gain critical information from an organization and wreak havoc on their reputation.

An endpoint security tool protects such entry points through encryptions and prevents malware programs from accessing delicate details. By ensuring endpoint compliance with your data security structure, you can gain superior control over everything.

Why Should You Worry About Your Endpoint Devices?

In today’s digitized world, almost everyone uses either a smartphone or a laptop. As per a report, 6.4 million people are using mobile in 2021 (a 5.3% increase since 2020). However, the worrying part is that each of them has an entry point.

Thus, it becomes easier for hackers to exploit the severe lack of security and extract personal information from an endpoint device. Endpoint attacks are reasonably prevalent as well. In 2020, the number of such cyber-threat increased by almost 68% than the previous year.

So, if you have any vital information on your devices, they may get stolen at any time. However, an endpoint security system can put an end to such worrisome circumstances.

An endpoint security infrastructure is built on two aspects – detecting a suspicious end-user and preventing unauthorized access.

With it, you can not only control your endpoint access but also monitor malicious activities on your network. You may block a user of the same device if you feel they are attempting to input malware into your endpoint devices.

The endpoint devices of an organization (or an individual) are considered the weakest link in the networking cosmos. Therefore, ensuring its safety and security will be beneficial in a long-term scenario.
 

Integral Features of Endpoint Security

As per RiskIQ, organizations all over the world experience more than 350 cyber-threats every minute. Hence, if you want to make your network, make sure to opt for an endpoint security tool with the following features.

• An endpoint security tool must be capable of detecting a malicious e-mail and terminate it instantly. This way, the commonality of phishing can be countered efficiently.
• It should protect against zero-day (a type of difficult-to-identify flaw found in software during development) and any other further exploits.
• The system needs to offer alerts when something malicious enters your endpoint infrastructure. Besides, it must provide a daily report with regards to questionable activities as well.
• An endpoint security system can also scrutinize the outgoing and incoming traffic of your network system. Conjunctively, it must offer browser protection to save you from downloading something malicious.
• It needs to have a DLP system integrated into it as well. This way, the software program can access violations caused by your employees and prevent unintentional/intentional data loss.
• Availing endpoint security with implemented machine learning can analyzing good/bad files much more manageable. It may also help the module to block malware variants before they can damage your endpoint devices. Machine learning may also help in monitoring your employee’s behavior and find the culprit beforehand.
• An endpoint security system should be flexible to be deployed as per the organization’s requirements. Finding a tool, which offers both cloud and on-premise security, will be ideal for any corporation.
• Finally, the software programs need to be integration-friendly as well. This way, it will be easier for the system to communicate with the other security tools in your organization. Through proper incorporation, endpoint security can also prevent intrusion, create an active directory, and monitor your network.

Endpoint Security and Other Cybersecurity Systems

An endpoint security system can only do so much in a vast network environment. Therefore, you need to pair it up with at least one or two other protective infrastructures to maximize its potential. Let’s learn more in this regard through examples.

Endpoint Security and UBA (User Behavior Analytics)

In some cases, the threat of exploiting the weakness of your endpoint devices is caused by your end-users. Hence, if you know about those individuals who conduct suspicious activities, you can avert the worst conclusion efficiently.

However, the catch is that an endpoint security system alone cannot perceive user behavior entirely. So, you will need to use a UBA tool to maximize its efficiency in this respect. Here’s how User Behavior Analytics can be ideal for your cause –

o   Allows you to perform data profiling and detecting anomalies

o   Collects insights on the malicious IT profiles (can be implemented on the endpoint security system to block them before any demurrage)

o   Offers superior analytics capabilities and quicker risk detection

o   Lowers the risk of data abuse or misuse in an organizational environment
 

Endpoint Security and EPM (Endpoint Privilege Management)

Using EPM with a dedicated endpoint security system will improve the latter’s performance in several aspects. For instance, it can help in increasing the overall security efficiency during a privileged task. This way, you won’t be bothered with malware programs that may cause hindrance to your work.

Additionally, it will be easier for you to create a role-based access infrastructure in your organization. By doing so, you may not have to create unique profiling for all of your employees. Finally, you can also use the dashboard of EPM conjunctively with endpoint security to get a real-time view of the privileged sessions.

Conclusion

In truth, adding an endpoint security system alongside other cybersecurity programs might not seem like a cost-effective decision at first. However, it can save you from data theft and severe network breakdown, which may cost you even more. So, a business should implement and integrate a dedicated endpoint security tool in their organization’s infrastructure.

In the backdrop of increasing digitalization, the number of endpoints are also increasing. 

And as the number of employees, working both remotely and on-prem, have started using their personal devices for work, it has been highly critical to ensure that each and every device in the workplace is secured from misuses. In the modern IT environment, more devices are inter-connected for different tasks at different levels in the network. As a result, it results in more avenues for cyber attacks. The need for endpoint security management comes here.

Why is it getting increasingly important?

Almost 81% of organizations revealed that endpoint security is the ‘most sought after’ security in complex IT infrastructure today. The increase of BYOD practice has made data access more fluid in almost all areas in the IT ecosystem. 

The endpoint security management is built up on the foundation of three pillars where unauthorized and suspicious end-users are detected and prevented from allowing access to the critical enterprise network base. Post-detection, the IT threat detection team receives notifications about the login attempts so that necessary security actions are taken before it’s too late. In this regard, very often, the benefits of Endpoint Security are mistaken with the benefits of Anti-virus software. Endpoint security approach in an organization makes endpoints more responsible for security whereas anti-virus software just secures the network.

Where are the risks?

According to Forbes, 70% of the most successful breaches originate at the endpoint. In the current Work From Home (WFH) scenario, most of the employees perform critical IT tasks through internal networks from endpoints without any restriction. As a result, the access control risks rise exponentially. Since endpoints ensure interconnection of every device in the network, the vulnerability of cyber threats in and around the endpoints increase alarmingly.

What are the accrued benefits of Endpoint Security Management? 

An endpoint security management can ensure a unified approach to manage and secure endpoint devices. From the administrators’ point of view, the organizations can reap the following benefits with the right solution deployed at the right time:

1. Unified Governance — A robust endpoint security builds the framework to govern end-users accessing critical devices. 
2. Security against key cyber threats — Once endpoints are protected from key cyber threats, the IT environment becomes safer and customer engagement improves. 
3. Mitigate security gaps — Improved visibility of endpoints on the network periphery, eradicates security gaps that could have been the reason for security breach incidents. 
4. Application Blacklisting — It is extremely necessary to allow application access to the end-users based on daily use cases where the security mechanisms blacklist harmful or  useless applications in the network. 
5. Detects suspicious end-users — A robust endpoint security detects suspicious end-users in real-time and prevents allowing access to critical applications.
6. Enhances IT efficiency  – When endpoints are safe and secured from malefactors, the organizations can ensure an efficient IT environment 

Conclusion

Managing devices both on-prem and remotely raises serious security concerns and questions. Endpoint governance and robust access control policies help organizations to get rid of the endpoint vulnerabilities. Hence, it is time to reinforce strong endpoint security management.

However, needless to say, once you give your money to the scammer, you will never get it back.

The scam began during the 1980s and has become quite renowned by now. Hence, the usage of the same procedure has become extremely rare in the 21st Century. Nonetheless, various refined variations of the scheme are still active and, plaguing the working-class community, like an incurable disease.

Hence, in this article, we will be going through the core definition of phishing. You will also find out detailed information regarding the tools that can assist you to avoid such scams.

Phishing: A Brief Preamble

Phishing is a segment of cybercrime that involves tricking people into performing a dodgy task. By doing so, the user may make their network system weaker and vulnerable to a well-structured cyberattack. For example, you may receive an email from an unknown sender who’ll ask you to perform a simple task in return for money.

The amount tends to be somewhat absurd. In most cases, after you complete the job, the sender will hack your network system or steal information.

According to a report published by the FBI, phishing is the most prevalent form of cybercrime performed in 2020. The study also mentioned that the number of victims was almost doubled in 2020 since the previous year (114,702 to 241,324 incidents).

Another report (provided by Verizon) stated that amongst the total numbers of attempted breaches in 2020, 43% were performed through phishing.

Although the phishing attempts seem practically illogical and devious, some of the well-written mails can certainly convince you. This was evident in the year 2020 when the USA-based organizations, experienced almost 74% successful attacks.

Nevertheless, if you are careful and have strong network security, you might be able to avoid even a well-structured attack altogether.

Types of Phishing

Phishing is usually used as an umbrella term to designate different cybercrimes with a strong sense of similarity. Here are some of them.

1. Smishing

A smishing attack generally involves a text message to get the attention of an individual. This type of SMS will contain a phone number or a link that may open the floodgate of the scamming attempts.

In some cases, the text message may also look like it is coming from your registered bank. In this aspect, the sender will ask you about your SSN, bank account number, etc.

Smishing is one of the most common types of phishing and has risen by almost 328% in the year 2020. So, it is essential for you to be wary about the same.

2. Whaling

Like smishing, whaling is also a type of targeted phishing, which goes after the more affluent organizations. Usually, a whaling attack is attempted on the CFO or CEO of a corporation or management business.

In a whaling email, you may get informed that your company is getting sued for some awkward reason. So, you’ll have to click on a link to get more details.

The link will take you to a separate page where you will be asked to provide crucial information like bank account number or tax ID.

3. Spear Phishing

Spear phishing, essentially, intends to scam a specific group of people, such as the system overseers, of a business. Unlike whaling, spear phishing emails will try to exploit your personal details. The information regarding the target is reportedly taken from social media.

A spear phishing mail can be categorized by detecting a sense of urgency. It may also relate to a task that goes against the norms of your organization.

The e-mail of the sender of a spear phishing mail tends to be spoofed. Therefore, you won’t be able to track back to the attacker in any way.

Although being a more target-specific segment, spear phishing is still pretty common. In 2020, almost 30% of phishing attacks were known to be done by following this procedure.

How Does Phishing Affect an Organization or a User?

A successful phishing attempt can affect your organization from several directions. Some of these are as follows –

• Overload the communications system and damage the servers severely
• Loss of crucial details, such as bank account number, SSN, and other related information
• Leak of consumer details or marketing strategies

How to Prevent Phishing?

Going through hundreds of spams and detecting anomaly can be quite irritating for an individual. So, it’s better to use a tool that can prevent the senders from sending these emails. Here are two security solutions that may help you out.

• UBA (User Behavior Analytics): With this tool, you can perform data profiling and find out malicious profiles on Gmail right away. Furthermore, it provides you with detailed insights on several anomalous profiles to keep you wary about them. Finally, it also has the capability of identifying anomalies on your server and detects them efficiently.
• EPM (Endpoint Privilege Management): EPM can provide you with an on-demand privilege system. Thus, the help-desk integration will be a lot easier. Due to the endpoint privilege, no unauthorizedperson can enter a classified area in the network. Moreover, it can also blacklist malicious applications and mails by detecting if they are a threat to your security or not.

Conclusion

Phishing, or any other form of cybercrime, has become extremely common throughout the world. Thus, it is imperative for you to use a specific tool that can help prevent such attacks and protect your organization’s network environment. Hopefully, implementing UBA and EPM in your system can be beneficial for your purpose.