7 warning signs endpoint security

Nowadays, there is a wide range of solutions on the market that claim to safeguard the security of corporate computers and networks. Benefits such as protection against sophisticated malware attacks, good performance when running processes, usability or quality technical support should be the norm, but this is not always the case.

The current trend of successful cyberattacks indicates that cybersecurity practices are often not up to the task of protecting users, data and devices against today’s threats, which are becoming more frequent, numerous and sophisticated. This is why resources, technology and the ability to manage the security of devices and access points to company networks are more necessary than ever. There are seven signs to watch out for that can alert users when a solution is not securing a company's endpoints properly:

1. Disconnected security tools

Occasionally, the vendor lacks some cybersecurity tools needed to protect endpoints. In these cases, the IT department is forced to integrate different solutions from multiple competitors. Ironically, this can add complexity to the coordinated management of tools, generate performance problems, and create security holes rather than provide better protection, as well as increasing TCO by having to purchase solutions that do not belong to the same offering.

A unified security platform enables you to automate frequent manual tasks and provides greater cohesion between the different processes. This makes the IT department more efficient at ensuring the company is protected and reduces costs through purchasing a single solution.

2. Complex management of the implemented solution

A security solution that is not intuitive ends up being a waste of time and money because of the learning curve that administrators face in order to leverage it. An endpoint solution needs to have the following three characteristics to avoid this:

Operational simplicity under a single lightweight agent that is agile and can be managed through a single console.
Easy and fast implementation, with minimal impact on endpoint performance and without the need for additional infrastructure.
The high performance and scalability of a Cloud-based architecture.

3. Insufficient protection against sophisticated cyberattacks

Some solutions, usually those based on more traditional protection technologies and limited to detection and response functionalities, are not capable of dealing with advanced cyberattacks. Hackers have been quick to exploit these serious security gaps in organizations. Indeed, by 2025, it is estimated that ransomware attacks will result in losses worth $10.5 trillion.

To ensure endpoints are protected effectively, you need a solution that incorporates advanced security technologies based on a zero-trust protection model – one that offers an effective response to sophisticated threats by not allowing any process or application to run that has not been previously classified as reliable.

4. Delegating too many security decisions to clients

Manually classifying threats or delegating them to IT or cybersecurity administrators puts a strain on security administrators as they can quickly be saturated in alerts. As a result, the losses after failing to detect a security breach by organizations that do not use automated services and/or technologies are almost double. Moreover, industry professionals highlight the shortage of cybersecurity skills and training in companies. Automated endpoint detection, containment, and response services are needed to reduce users’ workload and make their day-to-day life easier.

5. Incompatibility with other architectures or legacy systems

There are solutions that are not able to protect 100% of the computers that still run legacy systems or that are not fully compatible with different architectures (for example, devices that were designed for Intel but do not work under ARM). This makes their systems extremely vulnerable.

6. Inability to reduce the entire attack surface

There are also solutions without the technologies needed to reduce the attack surface. They must start from a zero-trust model that systematically denies the execution of any binary and that serves as a basis for different functionalities that cover all vectors and possible attack tactics. This includes anti-exploit, web protection, or patch management for the operating system and for third-party applications, as well as contextual detection capabilities on external accesses (such as Pen drives), servers, lateral movements, or suspicious behavior by ransomware and fileless malware.

7. Lack of centralized technical support or referral to third parties

With some cybersecurity vendors, support issues can occur and an adequate level of service may not be provided, leaving the customer at the mercy of cyberattacks or facing potentially urgent problems. At WatchGuard, our partners always receive direct technical support. Each year, we gain recognition for the support we provide to our partner community, ranging from training to the responsiveness of our internal team, 24 hours a day from a single support location for our clients.

Our WatchGuard Endpoint Security solutions offer advanced protection for organizations. Based on the zero-trust architecture, our most advanced WatchGuard EPDR solution provides two services included by default. Zero-Trust Application Service automatically classifies 100% of the processes and applications, only allowing those that are trusted to run. The Threat Hunting Service detects suspicious behavior carried out by hackers, as well as advanced threats, identifying indicators of attack (IoAs) that minimize detection and response time (MTTD and MTTR). All this is carried out simply on a single console, so that companies can devote their time to delivering value to their customers.