Overcoming Challenges in Endpoint Compliance

In an environment with a very high level of risk for cybersecurity, defense against the increasing complexity of cyberattacks is now the standard for CISOs defending business data. Considering the cost of breaches associated with non-compliance of regulations, the pressure is immense. The growing likelihood of remote work and BYOD policies or programs that risk exposing endpoints further necessitates effective endpoint compliance in order to defend business data and networks. 

All organizations are looking to invest in endpoint protection in order to achieve compliance with specific industries, laws or regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOX and RBI’s Cyber Security Framework, and mitigate threats of credential theft, compromised/stolen devices and account takeover. 

As critical as endpoint compliance is, achieving and maintaining it is equally challenging.

Understanding Endpoint Compliance

Endpoint compliance stands as the cornerstone of all compliance and cybersecurity initiatives: All endpoints, such as desktops, laptops, smartphones and tablets must adhere to certain security policies and configurations. In other words, endpoint compliance entails the act of monitoring and controlling these endpoints. Doing so ensures that intruders cannot hack endpoints to gain unauthorized access to an organization’s resources.

Unlike network-based and perimeter protection methods, endpoint compliance makes use of a security tool that is not subject to the same geographical limitations and can oversee the health and compliance of a device regardless of location. By doing so, an organization can protect data endpoints without needing to continually monitor devices that may be out of the direct control of the business. 

Key Challenges in Achieving Endpoint Compliance

Evolving Regulatory Requirements

Despite the criticality of compliance with regulatory frameworks such as HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA and PCI, managing compliance across diverse endpoints is challenging as well. In the face of increasing primary risks like ransomware, data breaches and endpoint vulnerabilities, managing compliance is all the more important.

Compliance specialists frequently struggle with the fast pace and sheer volume of regulatory updates, which underscores the need for advanced monitoring technology requiring highly skilled technicians. The rising reliance on technology leads to concerns about risk management with many emphasizing data and cybersecurity threats as crucial considerations, reinforcing the pressure to stay ahead in compliance efforts. 

Relying on Outdated Patch Management Systems

CISOs believe their teams are already overburdened with securing networks, systems and virtual employees. Outdated patch management systems are often unable to communicate with all devices at speed and scale, and lead to blurred visibility of patching status across the enterprise. They frequently run out of time before patches need to be applied. As attackers become more proficient at exploiting vulnerabilities, particularly those involving remote code execution, companies confront challenges in managing attack surfaces and accelerating patch and remediation efforts. Today, unpatched vulnerabilities remain among the most common infiltration points for ransomware attacks, increasing their frequency and effect on businesses. This makes patch management important for protecting endpoints from cyber threats and ensuring optimal system performance.

Diverse Endpoint Environments and Endpoint Security

As organizations adopt hybrid work models, the number of devices that connect corporate networks has grown substantially. Shadow IT complicates endpoint security since the corporate security team may not have complete visibility and understanding of the organization’s endpoints. Unauthorized wireless networks may have insufficient security, and unapproved devices associated with corporate networks may include unpatched vulnerabilities that an attacker may exploit to get access. The diversity of endpoints makes it difficult for IT teams to enforce consistent policies and upgrades. 

Keeping BYOD Asset Configurations Current and In-compliance

The introduction of BYOD devices has the potential of being less secure than company-issued devices, creating security issues such as data breaches. One of the common security weaknesses with BYOD policies is the concern of the same device being used for work and personal purposes. Employees who unite personal use with business could expose valuable corporate information if their account is hacked, leading to data breaches and putting corporate reputation in danger. Common vulnerabilities include malware, phishing attacks and shadow IT. Keeping corporate-owned device configurations updated and compliant consumes most of the time security teams can devote to endpoint asset management. Teams frequently lack access to BYOD endpoints, and IT organizations’ policies on employees’ devices are sometimes too broad to be helpful. 

Thus streamlining workflows to configure corporate and BYOD endpoint devices is a common challenge IT security teams need to address in ensuring effective patch-management.

Understanding the challenges empowers you to create effective solutions that ensure robust compliance efforts and the ability to overcome challenges efficiently. 

How to Overcome Endpoint Compliance Challenges?

Scan and Discover IP-Connected Endpoints

Visibility into each device connected to the network is critical. By scanning the entire network, organizations may detect IP-addressable devices, such as mobile devices, IoT systems and virtual endpoints. This assists in identifying every device that connects with company networks.  

Implement technologies to monitor devices in real-time, ensuring that new devices or those changing locations are immediately noticed. This keeps updated information on connected endpoints, lowering the potential for undiscovered vulnerabilities. 

Integrate scanning capabilities into an endpoint management system to gather device information. IT professionals can monitor compliance, enforce security guidelines and manage configuration settings across the device ecosystem.

Deploy Automated Endpoint Patch Management Solution

Patch management entails controlling and updating all machines in the organization to ensure endpoint compliance. Patches are accessible for standard applications, middleware and operating systems. An automated patch management system can significantly reduce the effort and time required to apply software updates and patches. It can reduce difficulties caused by manual processes and increase IT staff productivity.  

Automated patch management reduces security risks from inconsistent updates, boosts IT productivity and minimizes downtime. They can also reduce the risk of zero-day and known exploited vulnerabilities. Furthermore, an effective patch management solution lowers downtime for servers and end-user computing devices.

An endpoint management solution simplifies IT operations by providing a centralized platform for protecting the endpoints. Administrators can use these technologies to remotely detect and resolve issues without interrupting end-user productivity. Furthermore, unified endpoint management tools improve patch management by streamlining the process of deploying updates across all endpoints. This helps businesses avoid vulnerabilities and ensures software compliance. 

Patch Management Best Practices

The patch management process ties directly to endpoint compliance since it entails the updating of software, drivers and firmware to mitigate exposure to risks and vulnerabilities. On the organizational side, patch management varies from the update of personal devices as it requires a formal patch management policy to establish procedures for the identification, prioritization and deployment of patches.

Prioritizing patches is a must. Severe vulnerabilities are treated as high risk and require critical patches to be deployed immediately, whereas updates that may not have a fast business impact can be scheduled to be deployed during routine maintenance windows. Automatic updates will ensure that the organization does its part to keep systems current and protected against any vulnerabilities, but the more tightly scheduled process of regularly deployed patches should guarantee that vulnerabilities are being patched across all end points.

Another important facet of the patch management process is monitoring and reporting remediation to confirm patch compliance. Patch management tools can take the manual labor away from this process to confirm both patch management compliance and save time. Automated tasks reduce the fraction of error from manual labor and provide breathtaking insight into patch status across every device.

Continuous Configuration Compliance with Automated Remediation

Organizations can automate configuration drift remediation and ensure compliance by using industry-standard benchmarks such as CIS, DISA STIG, USGCB and PCI-DSS V4.0. These benchmarks define standards for configuring common digital assets, ranging from operating systems to cloud infrastructure. This eliminates the need for each organization to reinvent the wheel and gives a clear path for reducing its attack surface. Here’s why each of these benchmarks are important:

• CIS: These cyber security best practices help identify, prioritize, execute and sustain good security hygiene in an organization. Companies use the CIS Benchmark standards to reduce configuration-based security risks in digital assets.
• DISA STIG: Makes recommendations on how to install, configure and maintain software, hardware and information systems securely.
• USGCB: Provides guidance for federal agencies on product security configuration. It supports systems such as Microsoft Windows 7, Windows 7 Firewall, Windows XP, Windows XP Firewall, Internet Explorer 7 and 8, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.
• PCI-DSS V4.0: Specifies organizational standards for the payment card industry. Compliance with PCI-DSS regulations protects cardholders’ sensitive data against unauthorized manipulation and attacks.

Implementing automated remediation with standard benchmarks helps improve security posture, maintain configuration compliance and respond to changing regulations. 

Leverage Compliance Analytics, Reporting, and Risk Management

Organizations can utilize compliance analytics software to easily monitor and manage the security status of connected devices, ensuring that they meet industry requirements. It collects, aggregates and reports on the security configuration, patch, and vulnerability compliance status of endpoints with implemented policies. Its comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities allow organizations to gain insights into their compliance posture, trends and areas for improvement. It provides customizable reports with actionable insight to help stakeholders and compliance officers make decisions and improve continuously.

Compliance analytics tools can help organizations identify possible threats across their endpoint environments. These solutions can help with risk assessment and decision-making by offering elevated views of endpoint data, extensive reporting and integration with business intelligence systems. 

Centralized Management

Centralized management is a critical approach to endpoint compliance that involves using a single system to oversee and control all endpoint security operations. This allows for rapid threat identification and response, streamlining policy enforcement and simplifying the management of multiple security solutions.

By implementing a centralized management system, such as a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system, organizations can gain a holistic view of their security landscape. This enables IT teams to quickly detect and respond to potential threats, ensuring that all endpoints remain secure and compliant. Centralized management also facilitates the consistent application of security policies across all devices, reducing the risk of configuration drift and ensuring that all endpoints adhere to the same standards.

Mobile Threat Management

Mobile threat management is an essential component of endpoint compliance that protects mobile devices from a multitude of threats. Mobile threat management fits into an organization’s strategy by employing mobile device management (MDM) solutions to help secure valuable corporate information that might be accessed or saved using mobile devices. Mobile threat management supports protection against various threats, including cyber attacks and data breaches, in this remote work environment and staff’s BYOD (bring your own device) policies. 

Because of the increase in remote work arrangements, the use of mobile devices for work has become a regular part of doing business. Mobile devices also introduce their share of security challenges. MDM solutions enable organizations to manage and secure mobile devices by enforcing security policies, monitoring device activity, and remotely performing a wipe on devices that have been lost or stolen. Once an organization empowers employees to effectively use their devices, being proactive in mobile threat management can secure sensitive data and show compliance with security standards. 

Conclusion

Attackers are honing their skills to exploit unprotected endpoints, capitalizing on gaps between endpoints and unsecured identities and conducting whale phishing more than ever. In response, security and IT teams must address the challenges of strengthening endpoint security. Regulatory frameworks urge companies to prioritize protection and risk mitigation by implementing penetration testing, vulnerability management and continuous security monitoring. Focusing on proactive threat management may improve compliance and boost your security posture. 

AI-enabled technology can automate everything from vulnerability detection and log analysis to compliance reporting, increasing productivity and accuracy of IT security teams. Investing in AI and automation for endpoint compliance will allow businesses to expedite compliance processes and eliminate human error. This integration is a game changer in cyber security compliance.