Types of Endpoint Security

There are several types of security you can implement to protect your endpoints. Here are 11 of the most effective examples of endpoint security.

Software that protects Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices is one of the most important types of endpoint security for enterprises. The more IoT devices you have—including ones operated by customers that may interface with your network— the more thorough you have to be when it comes to your security fabric. Each one could be used as an access point to your digital assets.

Network access control (NAC) focuses on managing which users and devices gain access to your network, as well as what they do and which segments they interact with. It uses firewalls that are positioned between users, devices, and sensitive sections of your network.

A data loss prevention (DLP) strategy focuses on ensuring that your most secure data resources are protected against exfiltration. One of the best ways to safeguard these assets is to keep employees informed about phishing tactics, as well as installing antimalware to prevent data loss from malicious programs hackers install on your endpoints.

Insider threats come from those within your organization. Controlling who has access to which area of your network, monitoring what they are doing, and ensuring all sessions are properly terminated can protect your endpoints. It is important to use zero-trust network access (ZTNA) tools to control who on the inside of your company can access sensitive areas.

Companies use data classification to isolate the most valuable and vulnerable data and then identify the endpoints that can be used to gain unauthorized access to it. For example, an organization may have several customer service representatives who work remotely and have access to sensitive customer financial information. In this situation, data classification may help pinpoint a critical attack surface.

Uniform Resource Locator (URL) filtering involves blocking potentially malicious websites so internal users cannot access them. This is often accomplished using either a hardware or software firewall.

With browser isolation, the sessions run by your users’ browsers are executed within an isolated environment. This prevents any malicious code downloaded during the session from impacting the digital assets you need to protect.

Cloud perimeter security in endpoints involves protecting your cloud resources from devices and users that can access them. You can use a cloud firewall to control which people and devices have access to your cloud resources. You can also use cloud-based web filtering tools.

Endpoint encryption secures the data on your devices by ensuring anyone who does not have a decryption key cannot read it. This works for many types of endpoints, providing worry-free browsing and downloading and even access to sensitive financial information.

With sandboxing, you create an environment that mimics your typical end-user operating system while isolating it from sensitive areas of your network. This can work with most types of endpoints because you can sandbox specific applications.

A secure email gateway (SEG) inspects the messages that go in and out of your email system, checking each one for potential threats. When a suspicious link or file is detected, the gateway prevents the email from being accessed.