Endpoint Detection- A Cost Worth Taking

Although adopting an endpoint detection and response(EDR)or a managed detection and response(MDR) solution carries a significant price tag, the costs of not deploying an endpoint detection or managed detection solution are even higher. The COVID-19 pandemic created seismic shifts in how businesses, enterprises, and attackers operate. The pandemic escalated the need for EDR. As such, the global Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market was valued at USD 1.76 billion in 2020, and it is expected to reach USD 6.72 billion by 2026.

Evolution of Ransomware

Over the last few years, defenders have observed increasingly decentralized ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operations, wherein threat actors (TA’s) essentially outsource their (malware|operational|ransom) activities to lesser-known affiliates. RaaS benefits attackers by decreasing the TA’s exposure and increasing the delegation of duties while simultaneously reducing the TA’s overhead. In short, RaaS can be seen as an evolution of ransomware operations and ultimately increases the difficulty of detection for the blue team.

If we apply this same evolutionary approach to the technical aspects of detection and response, we see that defenders are experiencing the same difficulties in detecting advanced threats. Time is starting to catch up, and that does not favor the defenders. Legacy hardware, end-of-life (EoL) software dependencies, and exceptions rear their once-buried heads. Further, and unlike in years past, analysts can no longer quickly copy-paste search for Indicators of Compromise (IoC’s) at the atomic level (Hashes, IP Addresses, etc.) with any reasonable certainty. In this way, organizations feel the effects of insufficient security controls while also struggling to create custom rules to detect complex and always-evolving threats.

Outsourcing May be the Best Option

Simply put, in-house detection capabilities have become far more expensive than in years past. Just as attackers outsource their operations, organizations are now outsourcing their detection and response. Professional services companies (like BreachQuest) partner with leading-edge managed detection and response companies (like RedCanary) to specialize in detecting, monitoring, and responding to threats. BreachQuest and RedCanary offer clients a streamlined approach to security monitoring, saving time, money, and energy in the process. Organizations can focus their effort on building their cybersecurity foundation and rely on someone else for endpoint monitoring.

Attackers are upping their game. Are you?

Written by Alex Ondrick, BreachQuest Director of Security Operations