How to Choose the Right Endpoint Sensor
The backbone of Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) technologies are sensors. An endpoint sensor is a small piece of software that is installed on devices and gathers information about what is happening on the endpoint. The main functions of sensors are visibility, data aggregation from endpoints, response actions, and information transmission to analysts and investigators. Endpoint sensors often offer on-device visibility, which is essential for threat detection and response. Given their significance, while assessing endpoint tools, just as much consideration should go into the EDR sensor itself as the EDR capabilities and features of the whole solution. . best cyber security service provider.
Remember that every security incident or breach involves an endpoint, making endpoint visibility crucial. A good sensor barely affects the performance of the endpoints while providing the comprehensive visibility and control required to reduce risk and drive away adversaries.
SENSOR CONSIDERATIONS WHEN EVALUATING EDR SOLUTIONS
HOW BURDENSOME IS THE SENSOR?
The majority of the EDR technologies available today have agents that are resource hogs. When moving endpoint data up the chain for analysis, sensors that carry a significant network burden or that consume excessive amounts of bandwidth from the endpoints they monitor can cause more harm than good, disrupting operations, aggravating users, and making a deployment difficult to maintain.
It’s also annoying because traditional EDR providers frequently require using numerous sensors to get all of the EDR functionality. Multiple sensors result in a fragmented architecture, making the deployment as a whole cumbersome. Managing this is clearly not ideal for CISOs and security teams, and it ought to raise a warning. Avert EDRs that demand numerous heavy agents in order for the cybersecurity suite to operate properly.
When collecting and transmitting endpoint data, the ideal endpoint security solution will feature a single sensor architecture to simplify deployment and ongoing monitoring and have little to no impact on the endpoint and the network.
WHAT DOES THE SENSOR VIEW/COLLECT?
All EDR solutions are not created to the same standards, and different manufacturers have different methodologies for determining what information should be obtained from endpoints and different architectural limits on what may be forwarded up the chain for analysis. Some widely used tools are restricted to just a few primary telemetry sources, such as processes and connections, while avoiding the more specialized data sources, giving attackers plenty of room to elude detection by cybersecurity analysts and escalate their operations. Many EDR solutions are overly simplistic in the data they gather and examine to identify threats.
Other frequently used tools filter data from the endpoint before it is transmitted to a graph or threat detection server due to architectural restrictions in data collecting. Whatever messaging gimmicks are used, they cannot change the fact that any data filtering that occurs by default means that visibility is less than 100%.If cybersecurity teams want a complete, accurate picture of endpoint activities, data filtering should be avoided. When assessing an EDR solution, it is important to know what data is gathered and what is missed by a particular sensor, as well as if data is filtered at the endpoint.
HOW COMPATIBLE IS THE SENSOR WITH YOUR ENVIRONMENT?
A sensor that is adaptable and expandable to match the systems in a specific IT environment is essential for success since any system or endpoint that is not monitored cannot be safeguarded against cyber intrusion. With Windows as the primary target and different degrees of effectiveness for Mac and Linux endpoints, the majority of endpoint security solutions may be deployed to Windows, Mac, and Linux settings. A good EDR solution should be deployable to air-gapped settings, have feature parity, and support legacy operating systems that are still in use.
HOW SECURE IS THE SENSOR FROM OUTSIDE TAMPERING?
Sensor tampering is a concern since cyber attackers are fully aware of the strengths and weaknesses of endpoint cybersecurity solutions and try to disable weak sensors throughout the infiltration process. The ideal endpoint solution should take great care to protect its sensors.Some widely used endpoint sensors are even put on the endpoint without encryption, allowing adversaries to quickly discover the inner workings of the agent’s programming. As a result, the endpoint manufacturer itself aids in the process of bypassing or disabling that agent.
