Close protection detail
Whether your chosen solution is locally or cloud-hosted, there are a number of key features that should be on your shopping list. Malware protection is, of course, essential: the agent should prevent malicious software from getting onto a user’s desktop by continuously monitoring all entry points. After the initial installation, it’s also recommended to carry out a complete scan of the entire system to ensure there’s nothing nasty already hiding there. To be on the safe side, you can set up scheduled system scans to run at quiet times such as overnight, although this depends on your users leaving their computers switched on.
We recommend you choose a product that extends its protection to web activity too: this enables the agent to block access to suspicious sites before the user has a chance of exposure to malicious content. Many security products also offer categorybased URL content filtering, which lets you block users from using their work laptop to access unproductive sites such as games, gambling and social media.
Agents need to be kept up to date with the latest malware signatures, so ensure that your policies are set to push them out to end points as soon as the vendor releases them. You also don’t want to run the risk of meddlesome users either disabling or removing the agent, so look for products that can protect their own settings with a password.
You’ve got mail
With so many people working from home in recent months, we’ve seen a big increase in phishing attacks, or legitimate-looking emails containing links to websites that try to download malware or trick the user into giving away sensitive information. End point solutions vary considerably in how they deal with email-borne threats, meaning it pays to research them to see which one offers the features you need. All four products on review this month have the ability to scan incoming messages for malware, strip out infected attachments and block links to malicious sites. Not all include integrated spam protection, though: some lack it entirely, while others offer it only as a chargeable add-on.
Be aware that these protections can’t ever be perfect. The tricks and tactics used by scammers are constantly evolving, and sooner or later something could slip past your end point solution. We recommend training your remote workers to recognise possible phishing attempts, and giving clear advice on how to handle and report them.
Goin’ mobile
When it comes to protection against malware and hacker attacks, the primary focus is naturally on laptops – but smartphones aren’t immune,