All endpoint security tools eventually fail

The endpoint is on the front line of the network security battle, but a new study from Absolute reveals that endpoint security tools and agents fail, reliably and predictably.

The study analyzed data from six million devices and one billion change events over the course of a year. It finds the complexity of endpoint device controls creates a false sense of security among organizations while, in reality, causing security gaps and significant risks due to regular and reliable tool failure.

"Evolving security threats have caused enterprises to layer on more and more endpoint controls, increasing complexity, impacting performance, and in some cases the collision of these controls is leaving the endpoint exposed," says Christy Wyatt, chief executive officer at Absolute. "This complexity of the landscape is making it increasingly difficult for IT and security to have visibility and control. Our research shows the vulnerability that is introduced when critical security controls collide or decay over time. In other words, increased security spending does not increase safety."

Other worrying findings are that 42 percent of all endpoints are unprotected at any given time, and two percent of endpoint agents fail per week, meaning 100 percent of endpoint security tools eventually fail.

In addition 28 percent of all endpoints are unprotected by anti-malware with 21 percent of these unprotected due to outdated or broken agents and seven percent due to missing agents. 100 percent of devices will have failed encryption controls at least once within one year. Almost one in five devices become unreachable due to client management tool failures, and client patch management agents fail around 50 percent more often than encryption agents.

The full report is available to download from the Absolute website.

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