The introduction of Collision-Free Ticketing and Cooper Copilot brings powerful features designed to streamline workflows, improve accuracy and enhance service delivery — all at no additional cost. Together, they represent a significant leap forward, enabling IT teams to work smarter and faster. Here’s everything you need to know about these game-changing features.

Collision-Free Ticketing: Smoother workflows, zero overlap

Handling service tickets is a critical function for any IT team, but overlapping efforts often lead to inefficiencies and user confusion. Collision-Free Ticketing addresses this pain point by ensuring that your team is always aligned and informed.

Key Benefits:

• Real-time collaboration alerts: The system intuitively displays when another technician is viewing the same ticket, preventing duplicate work or overwritten updates. This ensures efforts are not wasted and resources are effectively utilized. Technicians no longer need to worry about stepping on each other’s toes while working on the same issue.
• Instant change notifications: Any modifications made to a ticket’s fields are immediately visible to other users accessing the same ticket, maintaining data integrity and avoiding miscommunication. This minimizes the risk of conflicting updates and ensures everyone is on the same page.
• User response awareness: If an end user adds a note or responds to the ticket while a technician is drafting a reply, the system ensures the latest updates are visible before the response is sent. This avoids redundant responses and maintains professionalism in communication, fostering better relationships with users.

By eliminating unnecessary overlaps and improving communication between team members, Collision-Free Ticketing streamlines ticket resolution and enhances customer satisfaction.

Cooper Copilot: AI-powered assistance for technicians

AI is reshaping industries, and Kaseya is bringing this transformative technology to its PSA solutions with Cooper Copilot. Designed specifically for BMS and Vorex, this AI assistant empowers technicians with tools to deliver faster, more accurate service while easing the cognitive load of complex tasks.

Cooper Copilot’s core features:

1. Smart Ticket Summary

   Technicians often lose valuable time navigating lengthy email chains to understand an issue. With AI-generated summaries, Smart Ticket Summary provides concise overviews of email threads or escalations, highlighting key details and actionable next steps. This allows technicians to focus on resolving issues efficiently without getting bogged down in unnecessary reading.

2. Smart Writing Assistant

   Communicating technical details clearly to end users can be challenging. The Smart Writing Assistant helps technicians craft clear, professional and user-friendly responses, ensuring updates are both accurate and easy to understand. By enhancing communication, this tool fosters trust and clarity while maintaining a polished, professional tone.

3. Smart Resolution Summary

   Documenting resolution steps manually is often tedious and time-consuming. Smart Resolution Summary automates this process, capturing detailed resolution steps to build a knowledge base for future reference. This feature not only accelerates problem-solving for individual technicians but also boosts team-wide collaboration and efficiency over time.

Cooper Copilot leverages state-of-the-art large language models (LLMs) to interpret human language with remarkable speed and accuracy. This capability equips technicians with insights that improve their efficiency and customer interactions, making AI an indispensable part of the IT workflow.

Why these features matter

Kaseya’s introduction of Collision-Free Ticketing and Cooper Copilot underscores its dedication to enabling IT professionals to do more with less effort. These tools simplify day-to-day operations, reduce errors and empower teams to focus on delivering exceptional service. Importantly, they’re included at no additional cost, providing immediate value without straining budgets.

A new standard for PSA tools

With the addition of these features, BMS and Vorex solidify their status as industry-leading solutions for IT professionals. Whether it’s preventing ticketing missteps or harnessing AI to streamline resolutions, Kaseya continues to deliver tools that redefine productivity and user satisfaction.

For IT teams looking to elevate their service desk performance, the message is clear: innovation doesn’t have to come at a premium. Collision-Free Ticketing and Cooper Copilot are here to transform the way you work — efficiently, seamlessly and affordably.

The post Kaseya Delivers More Value to BMS and Vorex Users With AI-Powered Features at No Additional Cost appeared first on Kaseya.

In this blog, we’ll explore the concept of “update rings,” their significance and how Kaseya VSA can streamline the process by utilizing isolated sites for testing updates. We’ll also discuss the necessity of a testing environment and how they aid in QA testing, ensuring your systems are always in top shape. 

What Are Update Rings? 

Update rings are a strategy designed to manage the deployment of updates within an organization. By categorizing devices into different groups that receive updates at staggered intervals, you can control the rollout process more effectively. This method allows IT administrators to ensure updates are thoroughly tested before being widely deployed across all systems. 

Why Are Update Rings Important? 

Minimized Risk 

Deploying updates to a small group of devices first allows you to identify and resolve issues before they affect your entire organization. This controlled approach minimizes the risk of widespread disruptions and ensures a more stable IT environment. 

Controlled Rollout 

Staggering updates prevent widespread disruption, enabling IT administrators to manage the process more effectively. By controlling the rollout, you can ensure each group of devices receives the necessary attention, reducing the chances of encountering significant issues. 

Improved Stability 

Early identification of potential issues ensures that only stable updates reach your critical systems. This proactive approach helps maintain the overall stability of your IT environment, preventing unexpected downtimes and performance issues. 

Time Between Update Deployments  

By staggering updates to each ring, you can control the impact of corrupted updates. However, its key to find the balance between enough time between each ring to catch problems and not too much time so that endpoints in the outer rings are without key updates.  

Example of Update Ring Structure

1. Test Ring 

The first ring where updates are deployed. This ring is typically composed of a small group of endpoints in a test lab so that IT professionals or advanced users can thoroughly test the updates in a controlled environment before they are released to a broader audience.  

2. Pilot Ring 

After successful testing in the Test Ring, the updates are deployed to a small group of advanced users machines, often referred to as early adopters or a pilot group. These users help to further test the updates in a more diverse but still controlled environment. 

3. Targeted Ring 

Once the updates have passed the Pilot Ring testing, they are deployed to an even larger group of users, known as the targeted audience. This group is typically more representative of the general user base. 

4. Broad Ring 

The final ring involves deploying the updates to the entire organization. By this stage, the updates should be stable and any significant issues should have been resolved. 

Why You Need a Testing Environment in Your Update Rings 

A testing lab simulates your production environment, allowing you to test updates in a controlled setting. This approach helps identify potential issues without impacting live systems, ensuring your updates are safe and effective before deployment. 

Benefits of a Testing Lab 

Risk Mitigation 

Testing updates in a lab environment significantly minimizes the risk of deploying faulty updates across your entire IT infrastructure. By identifying issues early in the testing phase, you can prevent significant disruptions that could impact your business operations. For example, a new software patch might have compatibility issues with certain applications or cause unforeseen bugs. Catching these problems in a lab setting allows you to address them before they reach your production environment, ensuring a smooth operation and reducing the potential for costly downtime or data loss. 

Replication 

One of the key benefits of a testing lab is its ability to replicate your production environment. This means you can create a mirror image of your actual IT setup, complete with the same hardware, software and network configurations. By doing so, you can conduct tests in conditions that are highly relevant and reflective of real-world scenarios. This replication ensures that the results you obtain during testing are accurate and applicable, giving you confidence that the updates will perform as expected when deployed to your live environment. It also allows for more precise troubleshooting and fine-tuning of updates before they go live. 

Compliance 

In today’s regulatory landscape, ensuring that your IT systems comply with organizational policies and industry standards is crucial. A testing lab provides a controlled environment where you can thoroughly vet updates to ensure they meet all necessary compliance requirements. Whether it’s adhering to data protection regulations, industry-specific standards, or internal security policies, a testing lab allows you to verify that all updates align with these criteria. This proactive approach helps in avoiding compliance violations, which can lead to fines, legal issues, or damage to your organization’s reputation. 

By integrating a testing lab into your update rings strategy, your IT team can ensure updates are reliable, relevant and compliant before they reach your production systems. This approach not only enhances the stability and security of your IT environment but also provides peace of mind, knowing that your updates have been rigorously tested and vetted. 

How Kaseya VSA Facilitates Helps QA Testing 

Kaseya VSA simplifies the QA testing process through several key features designed to make your update management more efficient and reliable. 

Isolated Sites 

Using sites within VSA enables you to roll out updates to different levels and environments at different times. You can leverage this site function to work as part of leveled update rings to ensure you roll out updates to small parts at a time. This prevents potential disruptions in the live environment, ensuring that any issues are contained and addressed before widespread deployment. 

Detailed Reporting 

VSA provides comprehensive reports on the performance and stability of updates. These reports aid in informed decision-making, allowing you to track the success of updates and identify any areas that need improvement. 

Patch Rollback Options 

If an update causes issues, VSA offers easy patch rollback options to restore systems to remove patches. This feature ensures that any problematic patches can be quickly rectified, minimizing downtime and maintaining system integrity. 

Backup and Recovery Integrations 

Having a predictable backup and recovery solution that you know you can rely on is essential when it comes for IT system management. Kaseya VSA integrates with leading backup vendors such as Datto and Unitrends to ensure that if you have an update that fails or causes issues that you always have a recovery point. 

Get Started with Kaseya VSA Today 

Implementing update rings and leveraging Kaseya VSA for deployment of updates can significantly enhance your IT management strategy. By ensuring updates are thoroughly tested and rolled out in a controlled manner, you can minimize risks and maintain a stable, secure IT environment. 

Discover how Kaseya VSA can streamline your update management process. Request a demo and see it in action and take the first step towards a more efficient and secure IT environment. 

Related Resources 

• Kaseya VSA Software Management Module 

• Best Practices for Patch Management 

By embracing update rings and utilizing tools like Kaseya VSA, you can ensure your systems remain secure, stable and up-to-date with minimal disruption. This approach will not only enhance your IT management but also provide peace of mind knowing that your IT environment is well-maintained and secure. 

The post What are Update Rings and Why are they Important?  appeared first on Kaseya.

Through the effective implementation of vulnerability management processes, businesses can address security issues proactively while staying compliant with industry and government standards. Some common vulnerability management best practices include conducting regular IT scans, patching systems on time and educating employees on security protocols.

You might agree that vulnerability management is an important yet time-consuming job that IT technicians do not have enough time for. Kaseya Network Operations Center (NOC) services can be helpful in this regard. By outsourcing all your vulnerability management tasks to our NOC services, you can streamline and simplify your IT operations dramatically while reducing the workload on your technicians. But before we get into this, let’s first review vulnerability management best practices, benefits, challenges and more. Then, we’ll take a look at how you can outsource your vulnerability management tasks to our NOC services.

What is vulnerability management?

The role of vulnerability management is to actively look for, identify and patch all vulnerabilities in an organization’s IT environment before a threat actor exploits them. These vulnerabilities can be found in hardware devices, endpoints, software and even company networks — basically all components of an IT infrastructure.

At any given point, there are multiple vulnerabilities plaguing a company’s IT environment. Part of the vulnerability management process is not only identifying vulnerabilities but also prioritizing and mitigating them based on their severity. While vulnerability assessment is the process of identifying and assessing potential weaknesses in a network, vulnerability management is the process of mitigating or eliminating those weaknesses.

Some of the common vulnerabilities are weak passwords, outdated software, unpatched systems and misconfigured networks. An integral part of vulnerability management is patch management. Patch management involves applying updates or patches to fix known software vulnerabilities. System configuration management is another crucial aspect of vulnerability management that ensures devices and software continue functioning properly and do not become backdoors for costly breaches.

What is a vulnerability in cybersecurity?

Vulnerabilities, or weaknesses in hardware devices or software code, serve as opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit and gain access to organizations. These weaknesses may result from poor design, coding errors or configuration issues. Cyberattackers take advantage of these vulnerabilities to infiltrate sensitive company data, execute malicious code on systems, initiate Denial of Service (DoS) attacks or cause other forms of cyber harm.

Companies with lax security practices often learn about vulnerabilities in their IT infrastructure only after they are exploited, which can lead to serious financial losses, reputational damage and regulatory fines. Zero-day vulnerabilities are one of the most common causes of successful cyberattacks, allowing hackers to have a field day should they find one.

A zero-day vulnerability is a flaw in a network or software that hasn’t been patched or for which a patch isn’t available. The software or device vendor may or may not be aware of this flaw. If a hacker identifies it before a good samaritan does, the software vendor has zero days to fix it, hence the term zero-day vulnerability.

To mitigate zero-day and other risks, companies should build a robust vulnerability management plan that includes regular audits and reviews of their systems. As of the first week of 2024, internet users worldwide discovered 612 new common IT security vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs). The highest reported annual figure was recorded in 2023 — over 29,000.

Users often incorrectly use vulnerability interchangeably with threat and risk — other terminologies from the security field. However, there are differences between them:

• Vulnerability: A vulnerability is a weakness in an endpoint or a system that can be exploited.
• Threat: Threats are potential attacks that could exploit a vulnerability. For example, an attacker can exploit a vulnerability in a web application to gain access to sensitive data, cause damage and business disruption, or launch a ransomware attack.
• Risk: Risks are the potential consequences of an attack that exploits a vulnerability. For example, if an attacker gains access to sensitive data through a web application vulnerability, the risk is that this data can be leaked publicly or used to commit fraud.

What are some examples of common vulnerabilities?

Vulnerabilities can arise for several reasons and seriously threaten an organization’s security. Some of the most common vulnerabilities include:

• Unpatched software: This is the most common vulnerability and is often the result of organizations not keeping their software up to date. Therefore, companies must automate their patch management process to ensure timely patching.
• Poorly configured systems: Another common vulnerability is poorly configured systems. Poor software or hardware installation procedures are the leading cause of configuration problems, as is changing the settings of these systems without following proper care and precautions. Configuration issues are common in companies adopting a digital transformation or significantly upgrading their IT infrastructures. Whenever possible, it’s best to implement these changes under the guidance of a security expert.
• Weak credentials: Even your toddler can crack “Password123,” so imagine how easy it will be for cybercriminals to do so.
• Insufficient security controls: Another vulnerability often seen in today’s IT landscape is inadequate security controls. Organizations become vulnerable when they do not implement adequate security measures or fail to keep up with changing threats.

What is the difference between vulnerability management and vulnerability assessment?

A vulnerability assessment is the process of identifying, quantifying and prioritizing the vulnerabilities in a system or application. It involves scanning the system or application, analyzing the results of the scan and recommending appropriate actions. This step is crucial to identify weaknesses in a system that attackers can exploit. It also provides data that can be used to prioritize remediation efforts and to develop strategies for mitigating the risks associated with the vulnerabilities.

Vulnerability management then helps to ensure that any identified vulnerabilities are patched in a timely manner and that appropriate security controls are put in place to reduce the risk of a successful attack. Doing so protects an organization’s data and systems from malicious actors while helping them stay compliant with applicable laws and regulations. It’s good practice for organizations to regularly review their vulnerability management process and update their security controls accordingly.

Why is vulnerability management important?

In today’s increasingly distributed IT environments, there is a surge in the number and types of endpoints connected to a network at any given time. Add the growing popularity of remote work and Internet of Things (IoT) devices to the mix, and IT professionals now have a larger attack surface to manage. A more complex IT environment means more potential entry points for malicious actors, who are devising more damaging, malicious, and hard-to-detect cyberthreats by the day.

If businesses do not exercise enough care, they can fall prey to these threats easily. Vulnerability management acts as a proactive defensive mechanism protecting organizations from the damage caused by cyberattacks. This entails regular scanning and assessment of systems and networks, coupled with the implementation of controls and mitigation measures, all aimed at minimizing the risk of vulnerabilities being exploited. By taking these steps, businesses can fortify themselves against costly downtime, data loss and theft, ultimately ensuring the seamless operation of their business.

If vulnerability management is becoming an added burden for you and your technicians, explore our case study detailing how Crystal Mountain, a family resort nestled in northwest Michigan, effectively utilized Kaseya NOC Services to not only unlock operational efficiency but also optimize workloads cost-effectively.

What is a vulnerability management system?

A vulnerability management system consists of processes and tools used to manage vulnerabilities and minimize the risk of cyberattacks, such as ransomware, data breaches and phishing attacks. It is a five-step process that we have detailed in the next section. By following these steps, businesses can better protect their data and systems from malicious actors.

What are the steps in the vulnerability management lifecycle?

The lifecycle process can vary from company to company, based on individual needs and requirements. However, in most cases, it broadly adheres to this five-step model. This structure guarantees that your vulnerability management lifecycle delivers results by uncovering and remediating even the most obscure security flaws.

1. Identify: The identification phase involves scanning systems and networks to identify potential vulnerabilities. This is the first phase of the cycle, during which organizations discover and document vulnerabilities in their systems. You can do this through manual inspection or automated scanning using a network-based or agent-based vulnerability scanner tool.
2. Evaluate/Classify: Once vulnerabilities are identified, they need to be assessed to determine the severity and risk associated with them. This information is then used to prioritize which vulnerabilities should be addressed first.
3. Remediate: Once prioritized, it’s time to start remediating the vulnerabilities. This usually involves patching software or upgrading systems. It could also include implementing workarounds or mitigations. It’s important to test the fixes in a controlled environment before rolling them out widely. Sometimes, applying patches can create functional issues rendering your organization’s systems inoperable and leading to downtime. It can also give cybercriminals the opportunity to make their move.
4. Verify: It is crucial to verify that the remediation and mitigation steps work and that the changes do not impact the device performance in any way so as not to cause downtime. Additionally, it’s a good time to identify best practices and improvements to be made to the process in the future.
5. Report: It isn’t enough to provide top-class IT service in today’s increasingly competitive business environment. You must also demonstrate the value of your work through consistent reporting. The vulnerability assessment and management report should detail the number of vulnerabilities identified and remediated, the process of conducting the assessment and remediation, its scope and the improvements carried out. The report should provide intelligence that will help improve the process.

What are the main elements of a vulnerability management process?

The scope of vulnerability management covers all assets in an organization’s environment connected to a network and which are vulnerable to attacks. This includes workstations, servers, routers, switches, firewalls and other devices that can act as a backdoor for cybercriminals. Vulnerability management also covers software, such as operating systems, applications and databases. The following activities fall under vulnerability management:

• IT discovery and inventory: It involves identifying and cataloging all the hardware and software assets in an organization to understand what needs to be protected and, therefore, make it easier to identify potential vulnerabilities.
• Vulnerability scanning: Vulnerability scanning is the process of identifying security weaknesses in systems and applications.
• Network monitoring: Network monitoring involves continuously monitoring network traffic for unusual or suspicious activity.
• Patch management: Patch management involves keeping software up to date with the latest security fixes.
• Endpoint management: Endpoint management refers to the security of devices that connect to a network, such as laptops, smartphones and tablets.
• Configuration management: Configuration management includes maintaining an up-to-date inventory of all software and hardware assets and ensuring they are properly configured.
• Security awareness training: Security awareness training helps employees understand how to identify and protect against potential threats.
• Identity and access management: Identity and access management determines who has access to which resources within an organization.

What are the challenges of vulnerability management?

Managing vulnerabilities is a complex process that requires asset inventory, threat intelligence, patch management and more., making it a challenging task even for security professionals with years of experience.

One of the biggest challenges in vulnerability management is staying abreast of the growing number of attack vectors. An attack vector refers to any method or pathway a hacker may use to penetrate, infiltrate or compromise the IT infrastructure of the target company. Attack vectors are constantly evolving, making it hard for security professionals to stay ahead of the game. An IT professional must be able to predict cybercriminals’ next move and understand how they might exploit new and old vulnerabilities.

Another challenge is dealing with the geographical dispersal of the workforce. With more people working remotely, managing and patching vulnerabilities centrally and on time gets increasingly harder. This can open organizations up to attacks if vulnerabilities remain unpatched for a long time.

Furthermore, new technologies introduce new vulnerabilities that must be managed as they emerge. As soon as one vulnerability is patched, another appears. It’s a never-ending game of cat-and-mouse that can be frustrating and time-consuming. Automating vulnerability management using advanced tools can help technicians identify and patch vulnerabilities in real time and beat cybercriminals at their own game.

What are the benefits of vulnerability management?

Vulnerability management helps organizations reduce the risk of exploitation and minimize the impact of a cyberattack. There are many benefits to vulnerability management, including the following:

• Reduced risk of exploitation: Organizations can reduce their exposure to potential attacks by identifying and addressing vulnerabilities regularly and on time.
• Minimized impact of attacks: Organizations can limit the damage caused by successful attacks by patching or mitigating vulnerabilities on time.
• Improved security posture: By proactively managing vulnerabilities, organizations can enhance their security posture and ward off future threats.
• Compliance maintenance: Many compliance frameworks require organizations to implement vulnerability management processes. By undertaking it, companies can earn brownie points from compliance auditors and their clients while staying secure.

The vulnerability management process can be performed manually or automatically. Automation is becoming more popular among companies due to its speed and ability to identify and fix vulnerabilities in real time.

How to get started with vulnerability management

A vulnerability management program should be tailored to a company’s specific needs. It should be regularly monitored and updated and companies should carry out regular audits to ensure that their vulnerability management program is effective. However, keeping the following three best practices in mind will help you get in the mindset needed to establish an effective vulnerability management program and take a more targeted approach.

• Unified management: A platform that provides IT teams with a comprehensive view of their overall security posture, making it easier to identify and respond to threats in a timely manner. A unified RMM solution like Kaseya VSA allows IT professionals to streamline workflows and efficiently navigate through different stages of vulnerability management. For example, installing, deploying, updating, and patching software often require different workstreams, which tremendously increases the load on busy IT professionals. By outsourcing vulnerability tasks like patching and monitoring to Kaseya NOC services, you can focus your energy on strategic tasks that require your expertise, while ensuring better security for your clients and end users.
• Comprehensive visibility: Jumping between various solutions to get complete visibility into the IT environment is not only far from ideal but can be detrimental to the security of an organization. It can severely slow down threat detection and mitigation processes, making it more difficult for IT professionals to manage vulnerabilities effectively. The solution to this problem is investing in an integrated solution that lets you manage everything from a single pane of glass, making it easy to aggregate the visibility of the vulnerability landscape relevant to the specific environment under management.
• Scalable automation: By automating repetitive tasks, organizations can simplify the vulnerability management process, reduce manual errors and free up resources to focus on more strategic tasks. Being able to scale the automation to cover more endpoints, devices, and networks under the vulnerability management program enables organizations to systematically and rapidly address security vulnerabilities across a larger and more diverse attack surface. This scalability empowers security teams to manage a growing number of assets without a proportional increase in manual effort. Additionally, automation can help reduce the cost of security operations.

For more information on how to get started with vulnerability management, check out our eBook — Vulnerability Mitigation: Securing Your Infrastructure.

How can Kaseya help you with vulnerability management?

You can now put your vulnerability management concerns to rest with the help of Kaseya’s NOC services. By outsourcing essential vulnerability management tasks such as patching and monitoring to our NOC center, you can enjoy timely remediation of issues, eliminate network downtime and nip cyberattacks in the bud.

Our dedicated team of experts will monitor your IT environment 24/7, identifying and resolving issues before they cause major disruptions. By leveraging our NOC services, you can enjoy a robust vulnerability management plan that will protect your data and assets from malicious actors, ensure compliance with the latest security standards and enhance your IT performance.

Learn more about Kaseya NOC Services and how it can help you establish a vulnerability management program.

The post What Is Vulnerability Management? Definition, Process Steps, Benefits and More appeared first on Kaseya.

Sometimes, the only challenge is the absence of a good endpoint security management tool — a gap that Kaseya VSA can fill effortlessly. This new year, let’s approach endpoint security with a renewed focus.

What is endpoint security management?

Endpoint security management is the implementation of proper systems, procedures and tools to manage and secure all types of endpoints connected to an organization’s network. The definition of endpoints, in this case, extends to all devices, such as laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and even servers and IoT devices.

Compromising even a single endpoint can provide threat actors with easy access to a company’s private network and applications as well as workloads on the cloud, threatening business continuity. They can then use this advantage to conduct corporate espionage, steal confidential information or launch devastating cyberattacks, like malware, ransomware, phishing, advanced persistent threats (APTs) and more. To prevent this from happening, technicians use a variety of tools, like antivirus, antimalware, firewalls, intrusion prevention systems and endpoint detection and response (EDR), to give all endpoints multiple layers of security.

Implementing security policies, such as establishing strong password rules, granting access permission, managing patches effectively, designing an incident mitigation plan and remotely wiping data from devices in the event of theft or unauthorized access, also fall under the scope of endpoint management.

Why is endpoint security management important?

Endpoints are the outermost perimeter of a company’s IT infrastructure, the first line of defense and the prime security targets, which is why they need constant monitoring and protection. Endpoint security management makes all the components and policies that go towards endpoint security work as a cohesive whole.

An advanced unified remote monitoring and management (URMM) solution, like Kaseya VSA, makes this easy. VSA is a four-in-one tool that combines powerful remote control, software/patch management, executive reporting and endpoint monitoring into a single, easy-to-use solution. Check out the story of how Sephno, a leading MSP specializing in cybersecurity, leveraged VSA and other tools from the Kaseya IT Complete platform to unlock business growth and success in the cybersecurity space.

Some of the top benefits of endpoint security management are:

• Data security and privacy: Endpoint security management protects critical and valuable data stored on endpoints from malicious activities. It also prevents unauthorized access, which can have a devastating effect on a company’s data confidentiality and reputation.
• Business continuity and productivity: Compromised or faulty endpoints lead to increased  downtime and lower productivity, which leads to financial losses due to the cost associated with data recovery and system restoration. A robust endpoint security management process ensures security, business continuity, higher uptime and better end-user and customer service. This translates to lower operational costs and optimum utilization of resources.
• Regulatory compliance: Data protection is serious business, and organizations have to comply with various government regulations to ensure this. By undertaking endpoint security tasks, organizations can also tick off many of the regulatory requirements, keeping them on the good side of the law. An added advantage is that it helps businesses protect their intellectual property from theft and misuse.
• Holistic cybersecurity strategy: Today’s challenging and complex cybersecurity landscape requires businesses to take a holistic approach to security. While endpoint security management is one facet, businesses must also focus on other aspects, like cloud security, network security and vulnerability management, for comprehensive protection. Additionally, organizations should invest in employee training for increased awareness and adherence to cybersecurity best practices.

Check out our webinar recording on endpoint security management for more information.

Benefits of endpoint security management

Endpoint security management provides users with secure access to corporate networks from any device with an internet connection. The following are some of its top benefits:

Best practices for endpoint security management

Keeping the following best practices in mind will help you build a robust endpoint security management plan and keep your endpoints safe from damaging cyberattacks.

Regular software patching and updates

• It is important to regularly patch and update software to protect against the latest threats.
• Patches should be installed as soon as they are available as they can help protect against a wide range of attacks, such as malware, denial of service and data theft.
• VSA provides automated patching that streamlines the patch management workflow, even for large-scale environments.
• VSA is optimized for rapid deployment of patches, even in low bandwidth networks. Moreover, VSA’s robust patch vetting process limits zero-day disruptions and offers easy governance via policy, profiles and organizations.
• View patch history, override or even rollback patches to limit end-user disruption.

User education and training

• Educating your users on the latest tactics used by cybercriminals and ways to identify and avoid them goes a long way toward strengthening your defense posture.
• Regular training and testing for attacks like phishing and malware can help users take the right steps to protect themselves and the organization.
• Employees should be trained to recognize suspicious emails, links and attachments that will help them remain vigilant and comply with security protocols.

Access control and least privilege principle

• Access control and the principle of least privilege protects organizations from both internal and external threats.
• Organizations use role-based access control to provide users access to only the resources they need for their role.
• This prevents users from accidentally deleting important data, changing configurations or installing applications with malicious intent.
• It also provides an extra layer of security by ensuring that only authorized personnel can access sensitive data.
• Access control requires users to be carefully identified and authenticated, using usernames, passwords and biometric data in order to grant them privileges and access.
• The principle of least privilege states that users should get access to the minimum amount of data they need to do their work, and access to any other resource should be provided on a need-to-know basis to minimize the potential impact of security incidents.

Endpoint encryption

• Encrypting all the data stored on an endpoint, including performing full disk encryption, prevents misuse in the event of loss, theft or other security incidents.
• It makes the data unreadable to anyone without a decryption key.
• Endpoint encryption also prevents malicious actors from accessing the data, even if they are able to gain physical access to the device.
• Organizations can also perform file-level encryption that encrypts individual files or folders instead of the entire device.
• It is also recommended to encrypt data when it is being transmitted over a network to protect it from man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks.

Continuous monitoring and incident response

• Continuous monitoring of endpoints helps technicians detect suspicious activity and respond to incidents in real-time.
• Round-the-clock monitoring, clubbed with machine learning and behavioral analytics, helps organizations contain threats before they become an actual breach. According to the IBM Security Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023, the average cost of a data breach is $4.45 million.
• Additionally, organizations should also have an incident response plan in place to quickly mitigate the impact of an attack. We have written a comprehensive eBook on how to build an effective incident response plan to protect your business from severe financial and reputational damages.

Integration with threat intelligence

• Threat intelligence solutions collect, analyze and share information on existing and potential threats to help businesses make informed decisions about security policies, systems and procedures.
• Threat intelligence provides specifics on indicators of compromise (IOCs), which serve as evidence of a cyberthreat in action.
• For instance, threat intelligence can provide details such as the type of malware used or the source of the attack, which can help organizations quickly identify and block malicious activities.
• For more information, check out our blog on the role of endpoint management tools in IT security.

Common challenges of endpoint security management and how to overcome them

Once you understand the best practices, knowing how to overcome common challenges will further help you solidify your endpoint security management game.

Diverse endpoint landscape

Applying security policies to a diverse variety of endpoint devices, applications and operating systems is challenging. It can lead to inconsistencies in vulnerability management and patch management and hurt the balance between security and usability.

Endpoint visibility and control

A diverse endpoint landscape can hamper visibility into certain endpoints, like those registered under the bring your own device (BYOD) policy or used by remote and mobile workers. Moreover, managing and controlling a growing number of applications, not all enrolled under the security plan, can create shadow IT threats. Legacy systems can also fly under the radar and might not integrate with modern security services.

Balancing security and productivity

Extremely stringent security practices can hinder productivity, making it difficult for users to access resources comfortably and when required. On the other hand, lax security policies increase the risk of a cyberattack. Therefore, striking a balance between the two is crucial for companies to achieve the twin goals of security and growth.

Zero-day threats and APTs

Zero-day threats leave security managers with a short window to fix the vulnerability before it gets exploited widely. Sometimes, cybercriminals use custom exploits that traditional security solutions or signature-based systems fail to detect. APTs, on the other hand, are multistage attacks that leverage advanced tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) and can go undetected for months.

Patch management challenges

Managing patches for varied endpoints is a complex task that requires regular monitoring and testing to ensure the latest patches are all applied. This can be time-consuming and costly, especially for organizations that have a large number of endpoints.

User awareness and training

Users often lack the capabilities to detect and respond to a cyberattack. They often do not know how to bring any suspicious activity to light. Lack of user awareness and training can lead to serious security threats.

Resource limitations

Lack of the right tools, resources or personnel can leave organizations with glaring loopholes in their endpoint security management strategy. Without being aware of potential threats or having access to the right tools, organizations can miss out on important warning signs or fail to detect suspicious activity.

Incident response efficiency

The efficiency of an incident response plan determines how quickly an organization can bounce back from a cyberattack, as well as how effectively it can contain the impact. Organizations without a plan are more likely to experience longer recovery times, higher financial losses and bigger reputational damage.

BYOD policies

BYOD poses a significant security risk. We know that a cyberattack is no longer a question of “if” but “when” it will happen. A company’s network becomes more vulnerable with every new device it adds. By allowing your employees to bring their own devices to work, you’re essentially trusting them to keep the devices secure.

Human error

The actions and behavior of individuals and how they interact with data digitally impact endpoint security. Using weak passwords, unintentional data exposure, lack of security awareness and falling victim to phishing emails and social engineering attacks can inadvertently introduce malware or disclose sensitive information. According to Verizon’s 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report, 74% of breaches involved the human element, which includes social engineering attacks, errors or misuse.

Having covered the challenges, here are some strategies to help you overcome them:

• Automated deployment and management: Automated deployment ensures that security patches, updates, and configurations are consistently and promptly applied across all endpoints. It also streamlines incident response, allowing IT teams to identify and take action on any threat quickly.
• Endpoint detection and response (EDR): EDR solutions provide real-time visibility of endpoint behavior, helping detect and respond to advanced threats quickly. It provides detailed forensic logs and reports, enabling IT teams to investigate and remediate threats more effectively. Additionally, EDR solutions can provide automated threat hunting and threat intelligence, helping IT teams stay ahead of attackers.
• User education and training: Encouraging users to adopt secure behavior and educating them to recognize and avoid phishing attempts and social engineering attacks will greatly reduce the likelihood of human-error-related security incidents. Additionally, regular security awareness training can help users stay up to date with the latest security trends and threats.
• Endpoint segmentation: Endpoint segmentation is an effective strategy to prevent the lateral movement of malware and stop it from spreading to the wider networks. By isolating critical endpoints and data, organizations can reduce their attack surface and limit the scope of the damage that can be done in the event of a breach.
• Continuous assessment and monitoring: Continuous monitoring and detection facilitates early detection of security threats and supports timely patch management. Organizations should also conduct regular security audits to identify any weak points and address them promptly.

What to look for in an endpoint security management solution?

An endpoint management solution should support not only the current needs but also the future needs of your organization. While it’s not a comprehensive list, a solution with the following features should help you meet your objectives:

• Comprehensive threat detection: The solution should provide complete protection against a slew of known, unknown and advanced threats. It should provide root cause analysis of incidents and strategies to mitigate them in the future.
• Real-time monitoring and response: Cyberattacks don’t see the time of the day, nor should your endpoint security tool. It should provide round-the-clock monitoring of your endpoints so you can detect and address anomalies in real-time.
• Compatibility and integration: The solution should easily integrate with core IT tools, like PSA and IT documentation and other security solutions, for complete interoperability and seamless collaboration across the entire IT infrastructure. It should also provide automation across IT management functions to streamline operations.
• Scalability: The solution should be able to handle a growing number and variety of endpoints as your business grows.
• User-friendly interface: The interface should be intuitive, easy to use and customizable to meet the needs of different types of users.
• Endpoint encryption and data protection: Encryption prevents data leaks and helps maintain the integrity of data. VSA provides encryption for data at rest and in transit, protecting it from unauthorized access. It also provides data backup and recovery to ensure that data is always available.
• Data loss prevention (DLP): DLP is the process of detecting and preventing data leaks, unauthorized destruction of sensitive information and illicit transfer of data outside the organization.
• Automated patch management: Effective and timely patch management is your best defense against ransomware or other cyberattacks. With 200+ third-party titles within VSA, you can patch all on- and off-network devices, including Windows, Mac and Linux. You can wake up your Windows machines in the middle of the night, install patches and turn them off again, empowering you to achieve near-perfect patch compliance. VSA’s robust patch vetting process limits zero-day disruptions and offers easy governance via policy, profiles and organizations. VSA is optimized for rapid deployment of patches even in low bandwidth networks. View patch history, override or even rollback patches to limit end-user disruption. Book a free demo of VSA and see how it functions in your envionment.
• Centralized management console: You should be able to complete every endpoint security management task from a single console. VSA empowers businesses to command all of IT centrally. Users can:

• Easily manage remote and distributed environments
• Simplify backup and disaster recovery
• Safeguard against cybersecurity attacks
• Effectively manage compliance and network assets
• Streamline IT documentation
• Automate across IT management functions

Here’s a handy checklist of the top things to consider when choosing a modern endpoint management solution.

How Kaseya can help you with endpoint security management

Kaseya VSA is a unified remote monitoring and management (uRMM) platform that enables IT teams to manage core IT security functions from a single console. VSA brings together a host of services, like software patch management (including OS and third-party patching), AV/AM deployment and management, and backup and disaster recovery management (servers and SaaS app data), so you can provide comprehensive protection to all your endpoints using a single platform. In addition, VSA lets you patch off-network devices even over low-bandwidth networks — an indispensable feature when securing work-from-home (WFH) employees’ computers.

By providing timely alerts and triaging them, VSA allows businesses to address the most critical vulnerabilities first. Also, when VSA detects a suspicious code or file, it isolates it and contains the affected endpoints, preventing the threats from moving laterally in the network. The solution also supports automated actions, such as quarantining a compromised device, blocking malicious processes or initiating a system scan, based on predefined rules.

By providing comprehensive security to your systems and networks with Kaseya VSA, you can protect them against ongoing cyberthreats. By integrating an RMM tool into your business, you can boost growth, protect your business and safeguard your clients.

Want to learn more? Schedule a demo of Kaseya VSA today!

The post What Is Endpoint Security Management and Why Is It Important? appeared first on Kaseya.

The advantages of performing network penetration cannot be overstated. Read on to understand the risks associated with not doing so and discover the one solution at the forefront of helping you stay vigilant.

What is network penetration testing?

Network penetration testing is a cybersecurity service to test the efficacy and resilience of an organization’s security setup in the event of a potential cyberattack. Businesses hire security experts who scan their networks for vulnerabilities and simulate realistic cyberattacks on their infrastructure to see if it is good enough to hold off real attempts.

The experts, called pen testers, use every strategy or tool one can find in the cybercriminal’s manual to break through the IT defenses of their clients and simulate a data breach. Some of the commonly used tools are network discovery and vulnerability scanners, password-cracking tools and exploitation frameworks. Since the goal is to identify and plug vulnerabilities in the system before hackers exploit them, network penetration testing is also called ethical hacking.

Most experts perform penetration testing manually, leveraging a combination of their skills and simple software solutions, but this is far from ideal. With cyberattacks coming in hand over fist, businesses need solutions that leverage automation to run comprehensive penetration tests whenever and however frequently they like.

What is the goal of network penetration testing?

Businesses conduct penetration tests to discover defects in their security posture and test the resilience of their systems, applications, communication channels and product integrations if a real-life cyberattack transpires.

With new attack vectors popping up by the dozen daily, penetration testing helps businesses fortify their IT environment against the latest, stealthiest and most dangerous cyberattacks like ransomware, business email compromise and account takeover, and DDoS. Doing this regularly also helps organizations meet their compliance requirements without fail.

In today’s volatile cybersecurity environment, conducting penetration testing regularly ensures your organization and employees are ready to deal with internal and external cyber-risks if and when they show up.

Why is network penetration testing important?

Pen testing puts your IT security setup through the wringer and measures how well it fares against the dynamic nature of current-day cyberthreats. A successful test uncovers hidden and high-risk network vulnerabilities and gives an understanding of the possible attack vectors a hacker can use to break through your defenses. It’s an essential risk management strategy.

Moreover, regular pen testing of your network will generate massive amounts of actionable data you can leverage to keep improving your cybersecurity policies while meeting compliance requirements. Although conducting pen tests is essential, it can betime-consuming and cost-intensive if done manually. An automated pen testing solution quietly does the work in the background, freeing you to focus on your primary revenue-generating business goals.

Modern and state-of-the-art automated network penetration solutions also come with built-in reporting features. This means the solution creates extensive reports after every successful pen test through which you can showcase the effectiveness of your cybersecurity strategy to your clients and executives. By demonstrating the financial implications of a data breach that penetration testing helps avoid, you can build trust in your brand and win prospects and budgets easily.

How does penetration testing improve network security?

There are two distinct approaches to network penetration testing that determine how it can improve your network security. The first addresses issues from an external perspective, while the other looks at internal threats.

External network penetration testing

External penetration testing aligns with the commonly preconceived notion of pen testing, where ethical hackers attempt to breach an organization’s environment from the outside. They try to find security vulnerabilities in internet-facing assets, such as websites, routers, connected devices and servers.

Internal network penetration testing

In this approach, security professionals don the guise of malicious insiders to find ways they could take advantage of your organization’s IT infrastructure. They launch attacks from inside the organization targeting business-critical assets, such as intellectual property and sensitive information about employees and customers.

What types of tests can be used for penetration testing a network?

Now that you understand the two pen testing approaches, let’s discuss the different techniques cybersecurity professionals use to carry out their tests: black, gray and white box testing. Each method is categorized based on the amount of information given to a tester about a company’s IT.

Black box testing

In black box testing, a tester gets no information about the target environment or system. The pen testers are tasked with finding vulnerabilities across the network using their technical experiences, tools and skills alone.

Black box testing requires a tester to simulate an attack like an external threat actor would who has no prior knowledge of an organization’s digital assets. However, there are distinct downsides to this type of pen testing. It is time-consuming, can result in unexpected spending and may fail to provide a holistic picture of your organization’s security posture.

Gray box testing

In gray box testing, experts get some information on the target system, such as IP addresses, network diagrams, or usernames and passwords. They then simulate an attack taking the path an insider who knows enough about the organization’s IT environment would. It’s best for testing the resilience of individual infrastructure components, such as web applications, databases, and networking equipment like routers and switches.

White box testing

In the white box penetration testing scenario, testers have full access to an organization’s IT environment, including source code and application configuration information. They try and imitate the tactics an insider with complete knowledge of the network and other connected assets would use.

White box testing assesses the reliability and integrity of complex IT architecture while offering a comprehensive assessment of the network’s security posture. It is important to note that this method can prove to be expensive and laborious and often may not be necessary for all components of your organization’s IT network.

What are the five steps of network penetration testing?

Listed below are the five steps involved in executing a successful penetration test:

1. Planning and reconnaissance

During the planning and reconnaissance step, the tester attempts to accumulate as much information about an organization’s IT infrastructure, such as network topology, IP addresses, and user and operating system data for each connected device. For this process, testers may use vulnerability scanners to consolidate data and strategize an attack.

There are two kinds of reconnaissance: active and passive. The active approach to collecting data requires the tester to engage with the target organization’s IT directly. On the other hand, the passive method of gathering information uses whatever information is publicly accessible about the business.

2. Vulnerability scanning

Scanning for vulnerabilities marks the second step in a typical pen test where testers use scanning and monitoring tools such as internal threat detection and network assessment solutions to identify weak links in the network. A robust vulnerability scanning tool can identify gaps like open ports and address them before they snowball into bigger problems.

3. Vulnerability assessment

In this stage, a pen tester carefully analyzes all the data collected in the first two steps to ascertain existing and potential vulnerabilities and how each may get exploited. Pen testers also access data reservoirs, such as the U.S. government’s National Vulnerability Database (NVD), to rate known vulnerabilities for high or low risk via the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).

4. Vulnerability exploitation

In this step, a tester launches a prepared attack against the organization’s IT network and systems, targeting previously discovered vulnerabilities. Penetration testers must be extremely careful not to compromise the organization’s operational efficiency while conducting such tests. They must demonstrate their skills to get past the company’s IT security undetected.

5. Analysis and reporting

After successfully exploiting each vulnerability, pen testers are responsible for compiling detailed reports on every incident and observation to help organizations identify and remedy weaknesses in their security systems and practices. The information helps drive better decision-making, investment in the right security tools, revisions to cybersecurity policies and employee training in best practices. Lastly, incident remediation becomes extremely streamlined after a properly executed penetration test.

What are the benefits of network penetration testing?

Here are the top four benefits you can expect after a penetration test:

Network system maintenance

Following a regular penetration testing routine keeps your organization’s IT infrastructure in tip-top shape. Not only do you learn of the best solutions to mitigate cyber-risks, but you can also keep track of general maintenance and upkeep of IT assets.

Fortified network security

A good pen tester can highlight several issues that need attention across your organization, help you manage security more proactively and boost your risk management capabilities.

Improved data protection

Penetration testing exposes how valuable enterprise data could fall into the wrong hands, either by internal or external means. It guides you to implement best practices and effective risk management strategies to safeguard your business and profits against business-damaging threats.

Meet compliance requirements

As mentioned above, when you’ve made sure to keep your security systems up to date, you are avoiding unnecessary remediation costs and simplifying your compliance management. Adhering to regulations like PCI becomes easier after implementing the learnings of a thorough penetration test.

Conduct network penetration testing with Vonahi Security

Kaseya acquired Vonahi Security in April 2023 in a bid to expand its offerings under the IT Complete platform. Vonahi, a pioneer in automated network penetration testing, brings value to Kaseya’s security suite by expanding its scope and reach to meet a wider set of customer needs.

vPenTest, an automated network penetration test platform developed by Vonahi, combines a hacker’s knowledge, methodology, processes and toolsets into a single, deployable SaaS platform. It’s designed in such a way that organizations of all sizes can use it to strengthen their IT environment easily.

By performing a penetration test within their environment at any time, organizations can ensure that their security setup is always up to date. The best part — vPenTest provides more value at similar to less costs compared to traditional penetration tests. With its unique capabilities and lucrative price point, vPenTest is a game changer in the security sector. Click here to know more about vPenTest and a free demo.

The post Why Network Penetration Testing Is an Essential Cybersecurity Practice appeared first on Kaseya.

These days, you need to secure more than just a single door. There are multiple doors, windows, and other entry points throughout the entire house. There are so many potential access points that simply relying on locks won’t work. Organizations need more than a single solution to be completely secure. Bitdefender’s GravityZone for MSPs will help you prevent an attack, defend against one and recover if compromised.

The post Why All Companies Should Invest in Layered Security appeared first on Kaseya.

Half of businesses will fall victim to a cyberattack or security breach

The cybersecurity climate for businesses has been steadily heating up. About half of the businesses that we surveyed for the Kaseya Security Insights Report 2022 told our researchers that they have been the victim of a successful cyberattack or security breach (49%). Digging deeper, one in five of our survey respondents said that their organization had experienced at least one successful cyberattack or security breach in the past 12 months. These alarming statistics illustrate the pressure that businesses and the IT professionals who secure them are under in today’s turbulent cybersecurity landscape, and that pressure won’t be letting up anytime soon.

“Businesses are facing a constantly escalating cyber threat level and they’ll continue to do so for the foreseeable future, with new groups of threat actors and more sophisticated attacks continuing to emerge,” says Jason Manar, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Kaseya. 

Prepare to face four major threats

SMBs face danger from a wide variety of cyber threats, but a few standouts are the most common. Phishing and email fraud, which includes cyberattacks like Business Email Compromise (BEC), is the top security threat to businesses today, with 55% of our survey respondents naming it as the biggest security challenge that their organizations face. Ransomware takes second place, the top threat for just under one-quarter (23%) of our survey respondents. Also on the list are password compromise (15%) and Account Takeover (6%).

Falling victim to any cyberattacks can cost a business a fortune. The effects of a successful cyberattack on a business include lost revenue, reputation damage, downtime and wasted productivity, not to mention the high cost of mounting an incident response and recovery effort. About two-thirds of our survey respondents (63%) said that if their companies experienced a cyberattack like ransomware, while they would likely recover from the incident, they would likely lose data and incur expensive downtime. But by taking a few smart steps, businesses can minimize the impact of a cyberattack or prevent one from landing altogether. 

Every business needs an incident response plan

One of the top defensive tools that cybersecurity experts recommend for businesses is to create and test an incident response plan. U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-61 Rev. 2 Computer Security Incident Handling Guide is essential for anyone preparing an incident response plan. Incident response planning offers businesses another benefit too: it’s a valuable tool for preventing an incident from happening in the first place. Incident response planning gives businesses insight into where they might have security gaps or need better tools in their defensive buildout, reducing the chance that the company will experience an incident at all. Businesses should formalize a plan and run tabletop exercises to test their plan to ensure that they’ve covered everything.

“Knowing what to do and who to call in case of a cyberattack is the foundation of responding to that cyberattack quickly to limit the damage,” said Manar. “Without an incident response plan, the stress and pressure of the situation can lead to expensive mistakes.” 

Get expert help detecting and mitigating threats

Cyber threats are constantly evolving and growing more complex as bad actors seek ways to get around cybersecurity safeguards. That makes them tricky for a company’s security team to detect. Accurate threat detection depends on solid threat intelligence and an expert eye to analyze it. A security operations center is often a necessary tool for handling these tasks. However, finding and hiring the experts that a business needs to form a security operations center (SOC) can be difficult and cost-prohibitive for SMBs. Managed SOC or Managed Detection and Response (MDR) is the solution to that dilemma.

Managed SOC offers businesses an easy and affordable way to put a team of security experts to work for them without expanding their payroll or building expensive infrastructure. Ideally, it should provide around-the-clock protection with real-time threat detection across three critical attack vectors: endpoint, network and cloud. Businesses gain access to a nerve center staffed by security pros that can hunt, triage, alert and work with their security team at critical moments, like when a threat is discovered or if they experience a cyberattack. 

What can you do if the worst does happen?

In the United States, The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the lead federal agency for investigating cyber attacks and intrusions. The Bureau has specially trained cyber squads in each of its 56 field offices that can help businesses handle a network intrusion, data breach or ransomware attack. A business experiencing one of those problems should contact their nearest FBI field office or report it at tips.fbi.gov. The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) provides businesses with advice on what to do if they fall victim to cybercrime or a cyberattack, including a breakdown of what information the FBI will request when tapped for help. Other federal agencies and many state governments and non-profits also offer assistance to businesses that fall victim to cybercrime.

“Don’t wait to call the authorities for help if your company is hit by a cyberattack – the sooner you start the process, the more you’ll benefit from the help they can give you to resolve the situation,” advises Manar, a former FBI Cyber Supervisory Special Agent.

Invest in affordable cybersecurity safeguards

In addition to incident response planning and partnering with a managed SOC, there are other budget-friendly safeguards a business can put in place to efficiently and effectively protect it from cyberattacks, including these tools:

Identity and Access Management (IAM) – Prevent intrusions via stolen, phished or compromised credentials by requiring proof of identity with IAM tools including two-factor authentication (2FA) or multifactor authentication (MFA). Microsoft says that that kind of technology alone can foil up to 99% of account-based cyberattacks.

Security Awareness Training – Transform employees from security liabilities into security assets with training that teaches them to identify cyber threats and handle data safely. Phishing simulations also help employees become savvy about spotting and avoiding cybercriminal traps.

Email Security – Investing in the best email security available is a smart decision since most of today’s nastiest cyberattacks like ransomware and BEC are email-based. Solutions that use AI and automation catch more threats than traditional email security or a Secure Email Gateway (SEG).

Backup and Recovery – Backing up a company’s data is a smart decision, especially in the ransomware era. Companies have several options to do it, like using an on-premises backup server. But in today’s cloud-based world, cloud-based backup is the ideal choice for frictionless backup and easy recovery of a company’s data if needed.

Dark Web Monitoring – This defensive tool provides companies with 24/7/365 monitoring of business and personal credentials, including domains, IP addresses and email addresses, alerting the company’s IT team if any of that sensitive information appears in a dark web market, forum or data dump. This helps eliminate dark web risk exposure from password reuse, a common problem for businesses.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) – EDR detects threats that evade other defenses so that you can quickly respond before damage is done. EDR relieves security team pressure with alerts that are mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK framework to provide context and helpful clarity reducing the security expertise required to effectively respond.

Get ready now for future cybersecurity challenges

Businesses should continue to expect to navigate a difficult security climate going forward. Recently, supply chain risk has become a major security concern, and that risk is escalating. More than half of the organizations that we surveyed (67%) told us that they conduct ongoing dark web monitoring for their suppliers’ domains as well as their own in order to combat supply chain risk. Smart organizations are also conducting frequent security awareness training to mitigate risks caused by phishing or employee behavior like mishandling data. Four-fifths of our survey respondents said that they regularly engage in security awareness training for all employees.

A strong commitment to cybersecurity is a foundational element of any modern company’s success, and it will only grow more important as the world continues its digital transformation. But mounting a solid defense against cyberattacks doesn’t have to break the bank. By taking sensible precautions like getting expert security advice, investing in quality security solutions and engaging in incident response planning, businesses can ensure that they’re ready for the cybersecurity challenges that they will experience today and tomorrow.

The post Is your organization prepared for cyberattacks? Here’s how to get ready. appeared first on Kaseya.

What is ransomware?

Ransomware is a type of malicious software(malware) that employs the use of encryption to withhold sensitive information (files, applications, databases) of the victim at ransom. Once encrypted by ransomware, the critical data is rendered inaccessible to the user or organization until a certain ransom is paid to the attacker. More often than not, these ransomware attacks impose a deadline by which the victim needs to make the ransom payment. In the event of nonpayment by the deadline, either the affected data is lost forever, or the ransom amount increases.

Typically designed to quickly spread across the target network or database, ransomware can effectively paralyze an entire organization within minutes. The menace of ransomware is real, leading to billions of dollars being lost to ransom payments and significant damages/expenses for both private and government-owned organizations.

What is dwell time?

Dwell time is essentially the time period between the attacker’s initial entry into the target organization’s network/database and the time when the organization becomes aware of the existence of the attacker within its environment and takes action to eradicate them. In most ransomware incidents, hackers go past firewalls for 14 days, 30 days or more. Dwell time is steadily increasing year over year with most attackers spending longer and longer in the victim’s systems before they’re ready to detonate the bomb. The moment of compromise is not actually the moment you often learn about it. It actually happened weeks before.

What is ransomware protection?

Ransomware protection can be described as a series of measures/safeguards that organizations put in place with the aim to avoid, prevent, defend against and mitigate damage from a ransomware attack. In other words, it is a multilayered approach to combatting the multilayered problem of ransomware attacks using infrastructure monitoring and management, cybersecurity and backup and disaster recovery measures. Here’s a list of measures that you can take in order to protect your data and systems against the far-reaching impact of ransomware attacks:

• Always keep data backups.
• Deploy a robust ransomware protection solution.
• Keep your OS, applications, security software and programs patched and updated.
• Train your employees in the security best practices to avoid ransomware attacks, such as never clicking on links or email attachments from unreliable sources.
• Practice caution online and beware of malicious pop-up ads and websites.
• Never use public Wi-Fi networks to surf the internet. Use VPN (virtual private network) instead to prevent your critical data from exposure.
• Avoid using USB drives from unknown sources.

Why do we need ransomware protection?

According to Kaseya’s 2022 IT Operations Survey report, more than a third of IT professionals cite ransomware protection among the top three technology considerations for 2023. So, why is ransomware protection such a big deal? Given the rapid advancements in cyber technology, ransomware is fast becoming one of the most preferred ways for attackers to launch attacks on individuals and organizations. Your systems and networks are growing ever more susceptible to ransomware attacks by the day. A report by Sophos reveals that nearly 66% of organizations were hit by a ransomware attack in 2021!

The average cost of a ransomware attack in 2022 (not including the ransom itself) is a whopping $4.54 million. It goes without saying that a single ransomware attack can quickly drain you of your resources. Protecting your organization against ransomware attacks has become a crucial part of any robust cybersecurity posture.

What are the best practices for protecting against ransomware?

Now that we know how important it is to protect your organization against the menace of ransomware attacks, let’s look at some of the best practices that you must follow in order to strengthen your security posture.

Network monitoring from your RMM

Regular monitoring of your networks is one of the best strategies that can help you identify any possible intrusions within your IT environment and stop an attack before it occurs. A robust RMM/endpoint management solution can help you stay on top of your network monitoring needs.

Backup and recovery

Deploying a comprehensive backup and recovery solution is imperative to ensuring that you never lose your critical data, even when your organization is exposed to a ransomware attack. Get a backup solution that provides daily, automated backup of your SaaS data on Google Workspace, Salesforce, and Office to their own secure cloud infrastructure, so that if you ever lose data, you can restore it directly back into your environment.

Patch management

Fixing software vulnerabilities through patching reduces the “attack surface” and keeps hackers at bay. Patch management is critical when it comes to securing your systems. The primary purpose of patches is to fix functional bugs and security flaws in the software. For efficient patching, you must put in place an automated process that reduces the burden on your IT team as much as possible.

Antivirus and anti-malware

Configuring and deploying a strong antivirus and anti-malware tool across your network can significantly reduce the chances of attackers invading your IT environment and gaining control over it.

Anti-phishing and email security software

Email is the most successful delivery method for the costliest cyberattacks out there including ransomware. Building a strong defense against phishing is one of the most important strategies for deflecting malicious attacks and keeping the integrity of your systems, networks and data intact. Make sure to install automated anti-phishing and email security software that protects you from cybercriminals posing as trusted contacts.

Security awareness training

In addition to deploying cybersecurity solutions, businesses must also focus on educating their employees about security best practices that will help them act as yet another line of defense against attackers. Regular security awareness training can help transform your employees into your biggest defensive asset.

Whitelist software and applications

Whitelisting software and applications involves indexing of approved executable files or software applications that are allowed to be available and active on an organization’s IT infrastructure. This helps businesses protect their systems and networks against harmful applications that can act as a gateway for attackers to gain unauthorized access to them.

Privileged access management

As the name suggests, privileged access management refers to the process of designating special (above standard) access or permissions to specific users within the network. This enables organizations to preserve the confidentiality of their critical data and keep their IT environment secure against potential cyberattacks.

Intrusion detection system

An Intrusion Detection System (IDS) monitors network traffic for suspicious activities and known threats, and issues alerts when such activities are discovered. It allows you to guard your business against attempts to gain unauthorized access and identify and eliminate the source of any potential intrusion. Deploying an intrusion detection system is a smart strategy to keep out potential intruders from your IT environment.

Network segmentation

Network segmentation is the process of dividing your computer network into multiple, smaller subnets or segments in order to enhance the network’s security. It helps achieve that by protecting vulnerable devices against harmful traffic and also restricting the extent to which a cyberattack can spread within the network by keeping the outbreak contained within the affected segment.

Immutable storage

Deploy a backup solution that provides long-term immutable cloud storage wherein your data cannot be deleted or modified by the source. This will reinforce the integrity of your backed-up data and prevent complete data loss in the event of a ransomware attack.

Endpoint protection

Endpoint protection, also known as endpoint security, involves the use of advanced security tools and processes to secure various endpoints like servers, workstations and mobile devices that connect to a corporate network. Focus on comprehensive endpoint protection for your business to prevent cybercriminals from stealing or altering valuable company data and applications, or from hijacking the business network, all of which can grind operations to a halt.

Protect your organization against ransomware with Kaseya

A best-in-class RMM/endpoint management solution such as Kaseya VSA can help bolster your cybersecurity posture and prevent and combat any potential ransomware attacks on your systems and networks. Kaseya VSA helps you achieve that by:

• Monitoring everything (files being encrypted, escalating privileges, attackers moving laterally through the network, foreign RMM agents being installed etc.)
• Enabling no-click user onboarding with configuration hardening (no admin privs, no scripting privs, closed ports, enforced 2FA, etc.)
• Offering automated patch management
• Automatically quarantining infected endpoints
• Monitors the status of endpoints and generates alerts for any detected ransomware events including possible file encryption/deletion or the presence of ransomware notes
• Triggers automated workflows to isolate any infected machines and then disconnect the endpoint from the network
• Users can then leverage a BCDR solution to restore the infected machine and make the network whole

Want to know more about building a strong defense against the ransomware menace with Kaseya VSA? Book your free demo now!

The post Ransomware Protection: Best Practices for Securing Your Data appeared first on Kaseya.

Due to all these factors, patching has become a perennial thorn in the side of IT professionals. This blog will discuss why patching is necessary, why it’s so hard to achieve high deployment and success rates and why 100% patch compliance is now within reach. Get ready to become a patching pro so you can spend less time in front of your screen and more time on the beach.

Why patching is important 

Regularly patching applications and operating systems (OS) is a crucial security practice. It fixes vulnerabilities that cybercriminals would otherwise use as a backdoor to gain access to your or your clients’ business and compromise organizational integrity. Patch management also helps fix functional bugs so organizations can continue running their business without a hitch. Here are the four main advantages of patching.

Mitigating security risks

A common way for cybercriminals to gain access to organizations is by exploiting software, web applications and OS vulnerabilities. 

In mid-2021, cybercriminals exploited an old, unpatched memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Office that allowed them to execute code remotely on vulnerable devices. This vulnerability was disclosed in 2017 and was found to be one of the most exploited by nation-state hackers. 

Cybercriminals delight in exploiting software vulnerabilities to conduct corporate espionage, steal confidential data or launch devastating ransomware attacks. In 2021, 66% of mid-sized organizations’ cyberdefenses were tested by would-be ransomware attackers, with the average cost of a successful incident amounting to $1.4 million according to Cybersecurity Dive. 

Therefore, promptly patching software vulnerabilities significantly reduces the risk of malicious outsiders gaining access to private company data or networks. Patch management ensures the safety and security of your company and your clients. 

Leveraging new features 

There’s more to patching than just security though. Software updates often improve the function and capabilities of applications. These updates fix existing trouble spots or introduce new features that help make applications more valuable and end users more productive. You’re leaving money on the table if you subscribe to a software but don’t apply the latest update. For an MSP, it means lost efficiency and therefore profit, while for an SMB, it means wasting your hard-fought budget.

More system uptime

As IT processes become increasingly integrated, a glitch in one application can disrupt an entire integration workflow. Timely patching ensures that applications continue to work without a hitch, leading to more system uptime. As a result, productivity increases and revenue goes up. 

Avoiding non-compliance penalties 

Another key reason to apply patches is to help maintain regulatory or insurance compliance. Several compliance standards and most IT insurance policies require software to be updated regularly. Failure to stay in compliance can lead to audits, fines and even denial of insurance claims in the case of a breach.

Why 100% patch compliance is hard 

Patching is misleadingly simple to talk about but quite complex to implement. The biggest roadblock to 100% patch compliance is the end users, who often block a patch from being applied to prevent disruption to their workday. Often, these interruptions cause applications to fail on day one. 

The manual patching method gives you a slim chance of identifying and installing all the patches you need. It is simpler and more efficient to automate all steps in the patch process. The asset inventory process should be easy to repeat regularly, so automating it helps ensure that every new device and piece of software is quickly discovered and patched. Your RMM should gather all required patches and install them based on the specified policies and priorities. To avoid software conflicts, you may want to test the patch before deploying, which should also be automated through acceptance testing and the ability to roll back.

Businesses and IT service providers that still use traditional remote monitoring and management (RMM) solutions often grapple with subpar automated patching features and lack modern capabilities like offline patching. The key to 100% patch compliance is an advanced RMM solution that will replace the limitations of manual patching with automation capabilities.

Why 100% patch compliance is now within reach 

You can efficiently address the difficulties associated with patch management by automating the entire process using Kaseya VSA. 

The solution manages patches for Windows, macOS and Linux platforms, detects and remediates vulnerabilities, and monitors and maintains patch compliance with ease. VSA also automates the scheduling of patches by time, computer, group or user-defined collections of computers. You get ready-to-deploy pretested patches, which minimizes the burden of packaging and testing patches.

Are you worried about systems that are not in the inventory? The deep discovery feature of VSA patch management module will let you identify unmanaged machines and patch them too.

Are patches not being applied by end users? You can take advantage of the sleep-proof patching feature, which wakes a computer up in the middle of the night, patches it and turns it off again. Additionally, you can see patch history and review and override patches.

What about third-party patches? We’ve got that covered as well. You can keep your environment completely secure by utilizing VSA’s catalog of 250 third-party software patching licenses.

VSA’s scalable, secure and highly configurable policy-driven approach is location-independent and bandwidth-friendly. It helps ensure all machines comply with patching policies and are secured against cyberattacks. By leveraging all these features in VSA, you can achieve 98%+ patch compliance. The automated patch management workflows will protect your organization behind the scenes while freeing up your time for “higher-value” activities like going to the beach.

To get your hands on a word-class patching setup, request your demo today.

The post Automated Patching: Spend Less Time Patching and More Time on the Beach  appeared first on Kaseya.

In this blog, we’ll discuss patch management policy best practices and explain how they contribute to a better patching environment for large and small organizations alike.

What is a patch management policy?

Patch management involves identifying, sourcing, testing, deploying and installing patches for all systems and applications in an organization. Patches are applied to improve the efficiency and functionality of a system as well as to mitigate security vulnerabilities. Since unpatched vulnerabilities create weak links in a company’s IT infrastructure, cybercriminals target them frequently.

Modern IT environments are intricately structured, resulting in patching becoming a far more complex and time-consuming task than in the past. It takes about 200 days to apply a patch to a regular vulnerability and 256 days to fix a severe vulnerability.

That’s not all though. It takes 15 days on average to patch a vulnerability that is being used in active attacks, according to data collected by Google’s Project Zero. The challenge is even more daunting for smaller companies, which are always strapped for resources and talent. The result is that hackers manage to discover and exploit vulnerabilities before they can be patched.

This is where patch management policies come into play. The policies define the steps, procedures and best practices to follow, especially when patching vulnerabilities that pose a security risk. The goal is to produce a standardized patching process so that technicians can make informed decisions during any stage of the patching process, including when correcting mistakes and handling contingencies.

In the absence of a patch management policy, businesses may have difficulty identifying critical patches. Moreover, without a process to follow, patches can be installed incorrectly, resulting in the shutdown of applications and devices, leading to business disruption.

What is the importance of a patch management policy?

Unpatched vulnerabilities are the cause of one in three breaches around the world. Having an effective patch management policy can help minimize the risk of cyberthreats and business downtime caused by improper patching practices. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) describes patching as one of its eight essential strategies to mitigate cyber incidents and ensure security. Let’s look at the benefits of having a patch management policy.

• A patch management policy ensures risks are managed promptly so companies can avoid falling prey to cyberattacks.
• Managing patches can be a colossal task that often hinders the work process and leading to clashes between departments over patch timing. When resolving a crisis, time is of the essence. An effective patch management policy anticipates scheduling conflicts and gives guidance on how to resolve them so that work downtime is kept to a minimum.
• A good patch management policy helps ensure that all patching work is completed on time and that the process is well documented. Patching is one of many compliance requirements, and failing to do so can lead to audits, fines and even denial of insurance claims in the case of a breach.
• A company that sells technology should provide timely patches for its solutions in order to manage vulnerabilities. Addressing software bugs quickly helps maintain serviceability and boosts customer satisfaction.
• Patching plays a vital role in enhancing company revenue and reputation by driving product innovation and upgrades.

What should a patch management policy include?

A patch management policy is unique to every company and their systems and processes, but at its heart, it must include the following components to be effective.

Asset tracking and inventory

The security of any device, be it a laptop, a server or a network endpoint, can be compromised if left unpatched. To keep tabs on endpoints that connect to an organization’s network, the IT department should use an automated IT asset discovery tool.

The first step in developing a successful patch management policy is to take inventory of your IT assets. It becomes even more important in remote and hybrid environments where employees connect to the corporate network using various devices and locations. There is no doubt that as the line between personal and business devices blurs, corporate networks will become vulnerable to grave threats.

Teams, roles and responsibilities

Patching is a multistage process that should flow smoothly. Therefore, all stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities should be clearly defined. To make patch management ideal, each step of the process, from identifying vulnerabilities to applying patches, should be handled by a dedicated team. It is also important for management to be actively involved in the patching process and escalate issues when patches aren’t applied on schedule. Even though patching may seem simple, it should not be handled by employees, but rather only by IT experts who follow set guidelines.

Risk classification and prioritization

Besides the routine patches, IT technicians must also identify patches for critical software vulnerabilities on a regular basis. Since patches must be applied to several applications and systems, technicians should learn to prioritize and classify patches according to their vulnerability risk and impact on business continuity. Take the example of a company whose servers are vulnerable to cross-site scripting. In this case, servers that host business-critical data must be patched before servers that host internal websites and less critical business applications. Classification and prioritization of assets and patches helps technicians approach patch management in a systematic manner and ensure that critical assets can always remain operational.

Patching process and schedule

The previous sections provide the framework for establishing an enterprise-wide patch management policy. Patching and scheduling outline how to execute the patching process. Patching is a multistep procedure. It includes:

• Monitoring for new patches and vulnerabilities: Monitoring applications, software and devices that require patching or are at risk because of software vulnerabilities. Patch management policies should specify when and how often this task should be performed.
• Patch sourcing: Once the patch is released, you need to obtain it from the vendor. There should be a dedicated person or team for the task since a delay in obtaining patches that fix critical vulnerabilities can spell big security problems for the company.
• Patch testing: The patch should also be tested in an environment very similar to the original IT infrastructure of the company. There are times when patches will not work in certain IT environments. Test environments allow you to study the impact of a patch before applying it to the entire environment. It is crucial that IT managers take backups of their systems prior to applying patches so the old system can be rolled out in case of a problem.
• Configuration management: The goal of this step is to document every change that will occur when the patch is applied. This helps identify devices that don’t respond correctly to the patch or show an anomaly.
• Patch roll out, monitoring and auditing: After a patch is applied to the entire IT infrastructure, its results are monitored to ensure that everything works as expected. Audit your patching process to identify any failed or pending patches, and keep an eye out for unexpected performance issues or incompatibilities.
• Reporting: Update all relevant documentation after a patch is applied. There should be a detailed and in-depth report of every patching session and step. This report can be used for compliance audits, insurance claims and even to demonstrate value to clients.

What are the benefits of a patch management policy?

By having a defined and documented patch management policy, you will be able to improve the process and ensure that it gives the desired and required results. This will also help you identify the best practices. Check out some of the advantages of implementing a patch management policy.

Promotes accountability

A clearly defined chain of accountability will help mitigate problems faster if there is a breach due to a software vulnerability or a problem during the patching process. A common theme that emerged in the wake of Equifax’s 2017 data breach, which was the result of a security flaw the company should have patched weeks earlier, was lack of accountability. The absence of accountability was also a factor in the company’s lax security posture.

Documented processes and expectations

When the patching process is well documented, it is easier for new and long-time employees alike to follow it carefully. An absence of a written process can cause confusion on how to proceed and too many ideas can make matters worse.

Ensures security and compliance

Government agencies are cracking down on companies to ensure that they comply with all security requirements as cyberattacks become more common. Integrating security and compliance standards into your patch management policy will help you stay compliant with the rulebook and keep you on the good side of everyone from the government to the cyber insurers.

Supports uptime and SLAs

Following the wrong patching process can wreak havoc on your operations, cause system downtime and damage your SLAs with your clients. Patch policies detail the steps that need to be followed even when a patching session goes awry. Patching policies translate to a more accurate and efficient patching system at work, more support uptime and happier customers.

Provides a framework to build upon

A documented patch management process reduces ambiguity and makes day-to-day operations easier to follow. This can also be an effective way to identify best practices while ensuring that employees are not left in the dark when they assume responsibility for various patching tasks.

Patch management policy best practices

Each company will have its own patch management policies, and the process will change as technology and business change. However, the following are considered best practices within the industry and should be taken into account when creating a policy at work.

Update systems regularly

A company’s IT systems and assets need to be updated on a regular basis for them to function smoothly. Any disruption can severely impact revenue, profitability or customer service. With a sound and updated IT infrastructure, a company is better positioned to capture opportunities and growth while remaining safe from regulatory fines and cyberattacks.

Track common vulnerabilities

Being proactive is the key to keeping your IT environment secure. Documenting your patching process means you will have a record of all vulnerabilities your company encounters. This information can be used to plan security setups, strengthen your IT infrastructure and derive great learnings for the future.

Document security configurations

A configuration management record should document all the details about patches, tests and configuration changes. Using these documents, one can determine whether immediate action is necessary to mitigate a vulnerability.

Stay current with third-party vendors

Every company, no matter how large or small, uses a variety of third-party software. As the name implies, third-party patching consists of applying patches to third-party applications that are installed on one or more of your endpoints, such as a server, desktop or laptop. Many organizations are proactive in patching their OS software but aren’t as diligent when it comes to patching and updating their third-party software. Therefore, third-party applications have emerged as a popular attack vector for a variety of cyberattacks including malware. According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2021, it takes 210 days to identify a breach caused by a vulnerability in third-party software, and 76 days to contain it. Thus, it is imperative for businesses to embrace third-party patching to minimize the attack surface for cybercriminals.

Take a comprehensive approach

Your patch management policy should cover all aspects of your IT infrastructure and not just software and operating systems. You should take an inventory of all of your software and hardware, including servers, applications and network devices, as well as operating systems, databases and security systems.

Monitor and assess continuously

The process of patching is continuous, and with each patch, you will learn something new. By documenting each step of the process, you will be better able to identify trends, challenges and opportunities that can further enhance your policy outline. The result will be streamlined business operations and enhanced security.

Automate when possible

The old-fashioned method of manual patching gives you a slim chance of identifying and installing all the patches you need. It is simpler and more efficient to automate all steps in the patch process. The asset inventory process should be easy to repeat regularly, so automating it helps ensure that every new device and piece of software is quickly discovered and patched. The automation tool should gather all required patches and install them based on the specified policies and priorities. To avoid software conflicts, you may want to test the patch before deploying, and this should also be automated through acceptance testing and the ability to roll back.

Build a strong patch management policy with Kaseya

You can easily address the difficulties associated with patch management by automating the entire process using Kaseya VSA. The tool gives you the ability to review and override patches and see patch history. What’s more? This scalable, secure and highly customizable policy-driven approach is location-independent and bandwidth-friendly. With VSA, you can also automate the deployment and installation of software and patches for both on- and off-network devices.

Patching your software and devices is, without question, necessary. We’ve put together a checklist that will help you optimize your patch management policy and build a robust security stance for your IT environment.

Ready to automate your patching? Request a VSA demo today!

The post Patch Management Policy Features, Benefits and Best Practices appeared first on Kaseya.