Unsecured endpoints are one of the primary attack vectors for bad actors, who often move from one to another until they find a way to penetrate deeper into the network. For this reason, visibility across all of your company’s endpoints is essential.
However, establishing this overall visibility and ensuring that all endpoints are secure is not always easy. Knowing how to properly protect the numerous devices on your company’s network starts with knowing how cyberattacks are triggered and spread through your systems. Here are the different stages of an endpoint attack and some tips on how to combat these threats.
Anatomy of an endpoint attack
There are countless ways for cybercriminals to attack and move through your network. The most common method is to carry out Phishing campaigns By sending emails containing dangerous attachments to unsuspecting users across the organization. When an employee clicks on the connection, it launches an initial payload of malware that executes if the device is not equipped with an endpoint security solution. This phenomenon can lead to infection which will reduce the effect. However, it is common for a malicious element to have a command and control link driven by the intent to tamper with the device. It will then attempt to penetrate the environment in which the device is operating and scan your network for vulnerabilities and valuable resources.
Attackers are becoming more and more sophisticated; Depending on their findings or their progress through your network, they may not give much warning and rush to launch an attack. They will carefully roam the network, looking for additional devices they can access and credentials they can steal. For example, if With Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) services enabled, an attacker will exploit these RDP connections using their fake credentials. To try to access another device.
They will continue Use various exploits to access more devices, collect more credentials And get more knowledge about the network. If they manage to get the device’s security domain, Criminals can sell this information on the dark web to other groups of hackers who want to plan larger attacks.
Attackers often operate undetected for days or weeks, patiently waiting to launch an attack until they have stolen all the data they need. Network managers should be aware that if a cyber attacker has access to the network for a period of time and notices that the network operator is implementing additional security measures, they may immediately launch their attack.
Improve visibility to secure endpoints
Security teams can take several steps to protect their endpoints and mitigate risks, including in the event of a breach. Here are some best practices to strengthen the security of their network:
- Establish full visibility across all endpoints. It is imperative that security teams have comprehensive visibility across all endpoints. Advanced security tools with advanced detection capabilities will help increase this visibility by identifying vulnerable endpoints and indicates the measures to be taken for protection and continuous monitoring. For example, if your network consists of 100 computers and 10 of them are unsecured, a security tool with advanced detection can identify all endpoints connected to the network and reveal the 10 that are unsecured, allowing you to manage them. is
- Use multi-factor authentication. Including cybercriminals will implement various methods Brute force attacks to extract security certificates and use them across your network. If an attacker manages to steal security administrator credentials and log into the security product’s console, they will attempt to uninstall or disable it from the administration console. By requiring multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all these important services, it is possible to prevent an attacker from disabling security measures directly from within the program. Measures such as MFA can mitigate much of the risk and limit the scale of attacks.
- Implement a vulnerability management process. Security teams should ensure that all software used is updated. Cyber attackers move from behind within the network, typically exploiting known vulnerabilities in existing software. Businesses can significantly reduce risk by implementing a vulnerability management process designed to regularly patch software, operating system, and third-party vulnerabilities. By removing this “shortcut” for attackers, their work becomes more difficult, which can prevent many common attacks from succeeding.
- Use a managed service provider and choose a managed cyber incident detection and response service.
- Effectively providing security is a service. Managed service providers (MSPs) are important players which can provide comprehensive services to significantly mitigate the security risks faced by businesses. They can ensure proper security configuration and manage the operation of protected devices.
- Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services Stimulate growing interest. To ensure 24/7 threat detection and response, you can consider MDR service. If your company is not ready to go MDR, you should still consider using a solution that includes advanced security services, such as services for classifying 100% executables, as part of its license.’ use.
It is important to understand that effective security requires more than a technical solution; A combination of security technologies and services managed by a team of experts is required. Companies must not only implement a security solution, they must manage it and have teams analyzing the activity and anomalies detected by their security tools.
Effective security requires continuous monitoring and this ultimately requires three essential elements: experienced experts in cyber security, adapted solutions and appropriate measures.
