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Endpoint protection beyond antivirus
By David Otieno, Senior ICT Consultant 1 min read
Modern endpoint protection detects suspicious behaviour, not just known malware — and needs someone watching the alerts.
Traditional antivirus compares files against a list of known threats. Attackers now use techniques designed to avoid those lists: legitimate tools used maliciously, scripts that never touch the disk, and new malware variants.
Behaviour-based detection
Endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools watch what programs do: unusual processes, attempts to disable security tools, mass file encryption, suspicious connections. They can block or flag activity even when the specific malware has never been seen before.
Central visibility
A management console shows every device's protection status, outdated agents and recent alerts in one place. Devices that are unprotected or offline for long periods should be investigated.
Fast containment
When an infection is detected, isolating the device from the network — while still allowing the security team to investigate — stops it spreading.
Alerts need people
The most capable tool is ineffective if nobody reviews its alerts. Decide who monitors them, during what hours, and what happens out of hours for critical alerts.
Combine with the basics
Endpoint protection works alongside patching, limited administrator rights, MFA and backups — not instead of them.
See our managed security services.
About the author
David Otieno
Senior ICT Consultant
David Otieno writes about cybersecurity, physical security systems, power resilience and running IT reliably day to day.