The top 5 reasons endpoint agents are essential for data security

Stop endpoint exfiltration

The primary reason endpoint agents were developed for data security remains as relevant as ever – there are certain exfiltration vectors that only involve endpoint operations that require an agent to monitor and control. Controlling data movement via removable media devices, like hard drives and USB, or via print were amongst the earliest use cases for data security. Add to these modes of exfiltration the relatively newer mode of AirDrop on macOS devices, which was famously used by an Apple engineer to steal prototype designs and concepts of their self-driving car, as well as Bluetooth connections and there is a large surface area of legitimate risk to your data that requires an endpoint agent to mitigate.

Cover gaps in network approaches

While network-based approaches to data security may have been enough in the past to inspect and protect uploads – the changing landscape of network security best practices has left this approach with critical gaps in visibility. Traffic to certificate-pinned applications and websites using certain browser certificate technologies (such as extended SSL and x.509) – including common business application like Google Drive and Dropbox – can’t be decrypted for inspection and policy enforcement then re-encrypted and sent to the app. The same applies for the ever-growing options in end-to-end encrypted messaging – such as Signal and WhatsApp.

Enterprises relying exclusively on network approaches to data security must either ban the usage of these applications altogether or accept the risk that data may be exfiltrated through them. Endpoint agents offer an alternative to blanket bans by enabling teams to monitor and control data as it is opened or pasted into these applications – before it leaves the endpoint and your company’s control.

Educate employees in real time

Employee education is one of the most critical aspects of securing your company's data because many incidents happen due to carelessness or ignorance. Most security companies rely on yearly training and written policies to educate their team, but endpoint agents offer teams the opportunity to educate employees in real time when it is most relevant and can have the most impact. Our data shows that warning and blocking messages to employees when they perform risky behavior create a long term reduction in risky behavior – you can read more about these results here.

Similar messages can be deployed when risky data enters an employee’s endpoint. We’ve seen customers deploy these messages to remind new employees of intellectual property laws, of relevant regulations regarding the data they just downloaded, and even to warn about hallucinations from generative AI!

Capture evidence for investigations

In the event of an incident, your security needs to be able to investigate and take appropriate action. An important component of this is understanding the employee’s intent – was this a malicious attempt to steal company property or an honest mistake?

An endpoint agent can provide valuable context on an incident that can’t otherwise be captured. How the user gained access to the data, what folders the file passed through, what pieces of text were pasted into a file, or whether the file was renamed or compressed to evade detection can all help reveal the intent beyond the employee’s action and help you build a case with your HR and legal team against a bad actor. Additionally, an endpoint agent can capture incident screenshots to provide further context behind the user’s true intent.

Protect data using its lineage

Data lineage is an emerging trend in data security that seeks to improve coverage and enforcement of policies by linking together events surrounding data. With data lineage, your team can protect data based on its origin and continue to enforce policies on derivatives of sensitive data. If an employee renames and encrypts a file or copy-pastes sensitive intellectual property into a Google Doc, data lineage can help you track sensitive data as it transforms and ensure acceptable usage. 

Without an endpoint agent, crucial actions surrounding data are missing – making it impossible to build data lineage and use it to monitor and protect your data.

To learn more about Cyberhaven’s approach to data lineage and data security and why an endpoint agent is crucial to our approach, reach out to our team to request a demo!

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