The Hidden Risks of Unmanaged Endpoints for Australian SMB

Let’s face it, we’re in the era of hybrid and remote work. Small and Medium Australian businesses just like yours are more connected than ever. We have moved beyond the traditional network boundaries of the traditional office and firewalls.

With the shift to cloud-based software, the endpoint becomes the gateway or steppingstone to your cloud services.  While you may have strong multi factor authentication (Avoid SMS and Email Authentication) on you cloud services, once signed in on your endpoint they are largely freely accessible.

If a threat actor was to gain access to an unmanaged endpoint, they could traverse the device while you step away from your desk. Anything you were signed into could be a target. They could live on your device unknown for an extended period of time. They may even steal parts of your browser known as session cookies, allowing them to login as you from their system.

 

What is an Unmanaged Endpoint?

These are any devices that connect to your network, services or cloud software that are not centralised and managed by your IT partner. These can include:

  • Employee-owned laptops
  • Outdated, unpatched and unknown machines
  • Devices without managed endpoint security and monitoring tools

Without management, these devices become blind spots for your IT partner. If we don’t know about it, we can’t secure and protect it.

 

Why are Unmanaged Endpoints so Risky?

Security vulnerabilities

Unmanaged devices are just as they sound, unmanaged. They often lack essential security and monitoring capabilities. As an MSP we use endpoint detection and response as standard, for all clients. Without security solutions like these it makes these devices prime targets for malware, ransomware and phishing attacks.

Patching and Compliance

As an MSP we use a management platform to secure and monitor all aspects of our clients’ devices. We ensure patching of both operating systems such as Windows and Mac and software is kept up to date. We aim to ensure patches are applied and distributed quickly. Importantly if something does go wrong, we are alerted and can remedy the issue quickly.

Shadow IT

Shadow IT refers to unknow applications or software used by staff. The business and IT have no knowledge of these applications. On personal devices it is much easier to install software, as IT cannot vet and ensure the software is safe it creates a blind spot for attackers. The use of unknown cloud services can also put company data and systems at risk, creating additional attack vectors and bypassing company security policies.

Incident response challenges

If the worst was to happen, a breach, unmanaged endpoints are difficult to investigate. Your will lose valuable time as you may not know the device exists. By the time you determine the cause and find the unknown device, the threat actor may have taken valuable company data.

 

How we Help our Clients

Updates and Compliance

By Keeping all IT systems up-to-date with the latest patches, firmware and updates to prevent vulnerabilities. This includes Desktop, Laptops, Phone Systems, NAS, Servers, Routers and network equipment. We ensure not only the Operating System is up to date, but also the software and applications.

Regular Maintenance

We run regular weekly maintenance on all our clients devices, with the aim to ensure they are running optimally. Minimising issues and downtime for their teams, allowing them to be happy and productive.

24/7 Monitoring

Using advanced monitoring tools to detect and address issues before they impact business operations. We can then reach out before the client even notices they have an issue.

Security

At FordhamIT we ensure all clients have a baseline of security. We restrict administrator access and use our advanced EDR solution to protect you from threats. Endpoint detection and response is a cybersecurity solution that continuously monitors endpoint devices (like laptops, desktops, and servers) to detect, investigate, and respond to suspicious activities and threats in real time. EDR is an essential tool for identifying stealthy attacks that bypass traditional defenses and for enabling rapid incident response.

Unlike traditional antivirus software, EDR provides:

  • Advanced threat detection using behavioral analysis
  • Real-time monitoring of endpoint activity
  • Automated response to contain threats quickly
  • Forensic tools to investigate incidents and trace attack paths

 

A zero-trust approach

We can also employ Advanced threat prevention using Application Control and Allowlisting. Allowlisting adopts a “Deny by Default” approach. Unlike Antivirus software, allowlisting controls what software, scripts, executables, and libraries can run on your devices. This means that only items on the “allowlist” are permitted and everything else is blocked. This not only stops malicious threats but also stops unwanted or unapproved software installs.

Enhance Your Security: Empower Your Defenses with Application Control and Allowlisting

 

Wrap Up

While unmanaged devices may seem more convenient at the time, they can often become your weakest link in security. By striking a balance of usability and security, you can keep your business and team safe and secure. Through Monitoring, Patching, Securing and locking down devices we can ensure you are in the best possible position. As your IT partner, we only want the best for your business.