Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) typically rely on a variety of devices. Each of those devices, in turn, has multiple third-party applications. However, SMBs often lack the large security teams needed to manage all those endpoints and applications.
As a result, these businesses face multiple endpoint risks, from both active threats and operational gaps. Delayed patching, weak access controls, unmanaged devices, and limited visibility can all contribute to security vulnerabilities that can put systems and data at risk.
The top endpoint security risks for SMBs include phishing and stolen credentials, unpatched software, malware and ransomware, unmanaged devices, weak configurations, excessive access privileges, insecure remote access, limited endpoint visibility, slow remediation, and human error.
With all those risks, it’s important to prioritize, but which endpoint security risks are most critical, and how can they be addressed? Let’s explore…
What Is an Endpoint Security Risk?
Endpoint security risks are threats, vulnerabilities, and control gaps that could expose a business device or the data and systems it can access. These endpoints can include employee laptops, desktops, servers, remote devices, and any personal devices approved for business use.
Keep in mind that endpoint risks are not the same as network or cloud security risks. However, there can be (and often is) overlap between them.
Why Endpoint Security Is Especially Challenging for SMBs
While endpoint security is essential for businesses of all sizes, SMBs can often struggle to maintain the high levels of security they need. There are several reasons why this is often the case, including:
Limited IT and security resources mean they can’t invest as much in endpoint security as they should.
Inconsistent device management across remote and hybrid teams makes it a challenge to properly support each endpoint.
Delayed patching and software updates leave devices vulnerable for longer than is safe.
Reliance on multiple disconnected tools leads to disjointed, overly-complex processes.
Personal devices and shadow IT leave devices exposed without the IT team’s knowledge.
Limited visibility into device health and security status makes it difficult to identify what devices need updates or support.
Difficulty responding quickly when an issue is detected can result in widespread damage and escalating issues.
Any and all of these issues can make it hard to prevent and contain even common endpoint issues. Fortunately, they can be addressed and overcome with the right tools.
The Top 10 Endpoint Security Risks for SMBs
With that in mind, let’s explore some of the biggest endpoint security risks. Understanding these can help us better defend against them and identify where the issues are.
1. Phishing and Stolen Credentials
Phishing, credential theft, and other social engineering scams can provide attackers with access to accounts and endpoints. This is made easier if employees reuse passwords or the business lacks authentication tools, as it makes it easier for a compromised account to provide wider access.
Businesses can protect against these attacks with strong password practices, access restrictions, and multi-factor authentication (MFA). However, user awareness training is also invaluable for helping employees identify scams and other tricks, so they can protect their accounts and passwords.
2. Unpatched Operating Systems and Applications
Patches are vital for addressing known vulnerabilities in operating systems and applications, but inconsistent update schedules and limited patch visibility can make properly updating endpoints a challenge for small IT teams. Without proper patch management, they risk leaving devices exposed to known vulnerabilities that could otherwise be prevented.
These risks can be reduced with automated patch management that identifies missing updates and deploys approved patches according to defined policies, schedules, and device groups. A good patch management solution should also include vulnerability prioritization, so the most critical threats are addressed first, alongside continuous tracking of successful and failed updates to verify deployment results and support audit readiness.
3. Malware and Ransomware
Malware and ransomware are common threats, which can enter devices through malicious downloads, phishing, compromised websites, or exposed vulnerabilities. These attacks can cause significant damage to devices, including encrypting files, disrupting operations, stealing sensitive data, and spreading to connected systems.
Companies should invest in robust endpoint protection to defend against these threats. This includes keeping devices properly patched, maintaining restricted privileges, maintaining tested backups of critical systems and data, and having rapid isolation procedures in place to prevent infections from spreading.
4. Unmanaged and Unknown Devices
When devices are left unmanaged, they can drift from approved security configurations and miss required updates, making them easier for attackers to target. This includes personal devices, forgotten systems, contractor endpoints, and unapproved devices and shadow IT tools that operate outside normal IT oversight. Companies must maintain an up-to-date inventory of all their endpoints and define clear requirements for business access to prevent unknown devices from creating new risks.
5. Weak Endpoint Configurations
Endpoint security depends on consistent configuration across every managed device. However, insecure settings (such as disabled firewalls, inconsistent password requirements, and misconfigured security tools) can leave endpoints vulnerable to attacks. Companies should standardize their endpoint policies to ensure every device is following their security standards, complete with visibility into each endpoint and automated remediation wherever possible.
6. Excessive or Outdated Access Privileges
Make sure you know who has the privilege to access what. Shared accounts, stale permissions, and delayed offboarding can all open up access to unauthorized users or disgruntled former employees.
Excessive privileges can leave devices vulnerable to malware, unauthorized changes, and similar threats, so companies are recommended to use least-privilege access and role-based access control to manage user access, as well as individual accounts and quick deprovisioning to keep access restricted to users who need it.
7. Insecure Remote Access
Cybersecurity is not optional, especially for remote access. Insecure access through exposed services, shared credentials, unmanaged remote access tools, and weak authentication can leave devices vulnerable.
Instead, remote access should be centrally managed and restricted to authorized users. Using tools like multi-factor authentication, granular permissions, and session logging can help maintain secure remote access without compromising the ease of use.
8. Limited Endpoint Visibility
When businesses and IT teams lack visibility into their endpoints, they can’t identify missing patches, outdated software, or noncompliant devices. This makes it difficult to address security flaws or identify threats, further delaying responses to any issues that occur. Organizations need clear visibility into their endpoints, so it’s important to find a solution with centralized dashboards, automated software and hardware inventory, vulnerability insights, real-time alerts, and status reports.
9. Slow Detection and Remediation
While security tools can provide prompt alerts, their value is limited if the alerts aren’t reviewed and responded to quickly. When there's too great a gap between the time a risk is identified and patched, it can leave devices vulnerable for far too long, making the threats even more severe. Companies should have clear response workflows in place, along with automated actions and remote troubleshooting capabilities to address alerts as quickly as possible, and defined escalation procedures for issues that can’t be resolved quickly.
10. Insider Risk and Human Error
No matter how much you defend against malicious attacks and technological threats, simple human error is always a risk. Employees can accidentally leave data exposed, download unsafe documents, misconfigure endpoints, or misuse privileged access. While this can be done maliciously, it’s just as likely that it’s done entirely by accident.
This is why employee training is so important. Employees should be coached on how to prevent phishing and other security best practices, and there should be clear procedures in place for when (not if) something goes wrong. On top of that, utilizing least-privilege access, activity logging, and automation tools that reduce reliance on manual decisions can improve security and efficiency.
How SMBs Can Prioritize Endpoint Security Risks
With a little planning and forethought, it’s easy to prioritize endpoint security risks and ensure the most dangerous threats are the first ones addressed.
First, identify every endpoint that can access business systems. This creates the baseline for all devices that need to be monitored and managed.
Next, identify any missing patches, outdated applications, and unsupported software. These are all the risks that will need to be addressed.
After the risks are identified, you can start by prioritizing actively exploited and high-impact vulnerabilities. These are the most critical, ongoing threats you face at the moment.
Make sure to enforce strong authentication and least-privilege access in order to protect accounts and verify users.
Standardize endpoint security and configuration policies to ensure consistent enforcement across endpoints.
Automate repeatable patching and remediation tasks to save IT teams time and keep endpoints properly protected.
Monitor endpoint status continuously, instead of relying on periodic reviews, to quickly identify new threats as they emerge.
Document response procedures for compromised or noncompliant devices so you have clear records of how they’re handled.
Remember: prioritization needs to start with the risks that are both likely to be exploited and can cause significant damage or disruptions. While every risk should be addressed in time, knowing which ones are the most critical is essential for threat prioritization.
Essential Endpoint Security Controls for SMBs
SMBs need a layered set of endpoint security controls. These capabilities may come from multiple integrated tools and processes:
Multi-factor authentication to validate users when they log in.
Automated OS and third-party application patching to reduce patch gaps across supported systems and applications.
Antivirus or endpoint detection and response to quickly identify and respond to threats.
Centralized endpoint inventory so IT teams can easily track and manage all your endpoints.
Vulnerability visibility and prioritization to identify threats and make sure the most critical ones are addressed first.
Least-privilege access controls to restrict access and keep unauthorized users away.
Secure remote access so employees can work from anywhere without jeopardizing cybersecurity.
Standardized endpoint configuration policies to ensure that each endpoint is following your security guidelines and policies.
Tested backup and recovery processes to restore critical systems and data after an incident.
Endpoint alerts and documented incident response workflows to quickly identify and respond to potential threats.
How Splashtop Helps SMBs Reduce Endpoint Security Risk
Endpoint security and management are essential for businesses of all sizes, but SMBs in particular need to make sure they find a platform that provides the controls and features they need at an affordable price. That’s where Splashtop AEM (Autonomous Endpoint Management) comes in, providing the visibility, patching, alerts, and automation IT teams need to reduce endpoint exposure and respond more consistently.
With Splashtop AEM, you can:
1. Improve Endpoint Visibility
Splashtop AEM gives IT teams clear visibility into each of their endpoints, including overall health, software inventory, patch status, and vulnerability information. All this is accessible from a centralized, user-friendly console, helping agents better identify and prioritize threats while reducing unmanaged devices.
2. Automate Patching and Remediation
Splashtop AEM features automated patch management that supports automated patching for supported operating systems and third-party applications. With Splashtop AEM, IT teams can automate patching with policy-based actions, scripts, alerts, and remediation workflows that can help IT teams apply updates consistently and reduce manual remediation work.
3. Secure Remote Access and Support
When an issue requires hands-on investigation, IT teams can use Splashtop’s remote access and support capabilities to connect to managed devices and troubleshoot remotely. Splashtop provides security and administrative controls such as multi-factor authentication, granular permissions, and session logging, so IT teams can quickly investigate and resolve issues while maintaining centralized access controls and session oversight.
4. Add Endpoint Protection Where Needed
Splashtop Antivirus, powered by Bitdefender, is available as an add-on for organizations that want antivirus protection managed through the Splashtop platform. It can complement endpoint patching, visibility, and access controls and help detect and block malware on protected endpoints.
Build a More Manageable Endpoint Security Program
SMBs face no shortage of cyber threats, which can be made worse with inconsistent security practices, delayed responses, and limited visibility across endpoints. SMBs and their IT teams need a layered approach that covers identity, patching endpoint protection, access, responses, and more, in order to ensure they’re protecting their network and devices properly.
With Splashtop AEM, businesses of all sizes can seamlessly manage endpoints across their environment, no matter where they’re working from. Splashtop AEM provides centralized visibility across managed devices, hardware and software inventory, automated patch management, configurable alerts, scripts, and remediation tools.
Want to bring centralized endpoint visibility, automated patching, and faster remediation to your business? Get started with a free trial of Splashtop AEM today.
