Too Many Companies are Neglecting Servers in their Endpoint Security Strategy

This could be sensitive corporate information, sensitive government data, credentials and passwords, or other personally identifiable information (PII) such as credit card or medicare details, social security identifiers, and drivers’ license numbers. For hackers, this provides a number of options:

1. Execute malware attacks

A server provides a ready path for cybercriminals into the rest of an organizations network. Once a server is compromised, hackers have access to the entire organization’s information resources. They can then use the server to launch malware attacks, obtain sensitive data, or to point incoming traffic to other malicious resources.

2. Hold an organiZation to ransom

Hackers can also hold an organization to ransom, or they can sell the data they find, including all that corporate information and personally identifiable data, on the dark web or to private customers. Add to this, once a server is compromised, there’s no way of getting the lost data back. Even if a ransom is paid there’s no guarantee that the hackers will return it to the organization, without copying or selling it first. Perhaps even worse, there’s no promise that they’ll refrain from stealing it again.

3. Install cryptominers

The rise of cryptocurrencies has seen another wrinkle in terms of server vulnerabilities. Contemporary hackers are now installing cryptominers onto compromised server hardware, generating profits for themselves, while stealing an organization’s electricity and compute cycles. Cryptomining software can become so disruptive that it will completely take over a server or series of servers, preventing the organization from getting any work done at all.

Too often overlooked

Despite their clear value to attackers, servers are often overlooked in organizations’ endpoint security strategies. With Singapore’s direction to fully integrate into a smart nation that is connected, it’s not enough to simply install traditional endpoint protection on servers. Servers have very different operating characteristics and requirements compared to other computers and as such they need their own set of security criteria.

Check out: Top Endpoint Security Consulting Companies

The solution for all companies wanting to protect their servers—and that should be everyone—is to adopt a next-generation solution that uses deep learning and artificial intelligence to pre-emptively spot malicious code or suspicious activity and block it before it becomes a problem.

With several companies moving to the cloud, servers demand additional security tools such as cloud workload discovery. Further, considering the manner in which hackers leverage servers to launch powerful attacks on an organization, anti-exploit technology should be a part of any security solution on the server.

Without advanced server protection, hacks on organizations like NUS will become even more common. Hackers are motivated to attack servers, whether it’s for gain on the dark web, through ransom or via cryptocurrency mining. And just as hackers are motivated to attack, so too should companies be motivated to protect themselves.